Text,Start Location,End Location,Is Quote,Speaker,Context,Entity Name,Prev Entities,formatted_input,TrueSpeaker sir.”,8347,8352,True,425:the governor.M,"”“I’m quite sure it is not, Anne. But it was said that you bear the stigmata of a pact with the devil.”“I swear, sir,” she said, feeling agitation for the first time.“I have nothing to do with the devil, sir.”“I believe you, Anne,” he said, smiling at her.“But it is my duty to verify the absence of stigmata.”“I swear to you, sir.”“I believe you,” he said.“But you must take off your clothes.”“Now, sir?”“Yes, now.” She looked around the room a little doubtfully.“You can put your clothes on the bed, Anne.”“Yes, sir.” He watched her as she undressed. She noticed what happened to his eyes. She was no longer afraid. The air was warm; she was comfortable without her clothing.“You are a beautiful child, Anne.”“Thank you, sir.” She stood, naked, and he moved closer to her. He paused to put his spectacles on, and then he looked at her shoulders.“Turn around slowly.” She turned for him. He peered at her flesh.“Raise your arms over your head.” She raised her arms. He peered at each armpit.“The stigmata is normally under the arms or on the breast,” he said.“Or on the pudenda.” He smiled at her.“You don’t know what",the governor,"the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor","”“I’m quite sure it is not, Anne. But it was said that you bear the stigmata of a pact with the devil.”“I swear, sir,” she said, feeling agitation for the first time.“I have nothing to do with the devil, sir.”“I believe you, Anne,” he said, smiling at her.“But it is my duty to verify the absence of stigmata.”“I swear to you, sir.”“I believe you,” he said.“But you must take off your clothes.”“Now, sir?”“Yes, now.” She looked around the room a little doubtfully.“You can put your clothes on the bed, Anne.”“Yes, sir.” He watched her as she undressed. She noticed what happened to his eyes. She was no longer afraid. The air was warm; she was comfortable without her clothing.“You are a beautiful child, Anne.”“Thank you, sir.” She stood, naked, and he moved closer to her. He paused to put his spectacles on, and then he looked at her shoulders.“Turn around slowly.” She turned for him. He peered at her flesh.“Raise your arms over your head.” She raised her arms. He peered at each armpit.“The stigmata is normally under the arms or on the breast,” he said.“Or on the pudenda.” He smiled at her.“You don’t know what:Previous Entities: |the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor| ::: sir.” ",Anne.F but they read the note Katsanis left on the door and went away.,17427,17555,True,824:Billy Blockade.M,"the rope. That’s how they do it in Iowa, you know.” I turned to Joe.“How could a thing like this happen?”“Because he was good,” Joe said.“And because he wanted to play ball.” The kid had Billy Blakely’s ID, and this was back in the days when picture IDs were unheard of. The two kids matched up pretty well: blue eyes, dark hair, six feet tall. But mostly, yeah— it happened because the kid was good. And wanted to play ball.“Good enough to get almost a month in the pros,” Lombardazzi said, and over our heads a cheer went up. Billy Blockade had just gotten his last big- league hit: a homer.“Then, day before yesterday, the LP gas man went out to the Blakely farm. Others folks had been there before, but they read the note Katsanis left on the door and went away. Not the gas man. He filled the tanks behind the barn, and the barn was where the bodies were— cows and Blakelys both. The weather had finally turned warm, and he smelled em. Which is pretty much the way our story ends. Now, your manager here wants him arrested with as little fuss as possible, and with as little danger to the other players on your team as possible. That’s fine with me. So your job—”“Your job is to hold the rest of the guys in the dugout,” Jersey Joe says.“Send Blakely… Katsanis… down here on his own. He’ll be gone when the rest of the guys get to the locker room. Then we’ll try to sort this clusterfuck out.”“What the hell do I tell them?”“Team meeting. Free ice cream. I don’t care. You just hold them for five minutes.” I says to Lombardazzi,“No one tipped? No one? You mean no one heard the radio broadcasts and tried calling Pop Blakely to say how great it was that his kid was tearing up the bigs?”“I imagine one or two might have tried,” Lombardazzi said.“Folks from",Billy Blockade,"Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade","the rope. That’s how they do it in Iowa, you know.” I turned to Joe.“How could a thing like this happen?”“Because he was good,” Joe said.“And because he wanted to play ball.” The kid had Billy Blakely’s ID, and this was back in the days when picture IDs were unheard of. The two kids matched up pretty well: blue eyes, dark hair, six feet tall. But mostly, yeah— it happened because the kid was good. And wanted to play ball.“Good enough to get almost a month in the pros,” Lombardazzi said, and over our heads a cheer went up. Billy Blockade had just gotten his last big- league hit: a homer.“Then, day before yesterday, the LP gas man went out to the Blakely farm. Others folks had been there before, but they read the note Katsanis left on the door and went away. Not the gas man. He filled the tanks behind the barn, and the barn was where the bodies were— cows and Blakelys both. The weather had finally turned warm, and he smelled em. Which is pretty much the way our story ends. Now, your manager here wants him arrested with as little fuss as possible, and with as little danger to the other players on your team as possible. That’s fine with me. So your job—”“Your job is to hold the rest of the guys in the dugout,” Jersey Joe says.“Send Blakely… Katsanis… down here on his own. He’ll be gone when the rest of the guys get to the locker room. Then we’ll try to sort this clusterfuck out.”“What the hell do I tell them?”“Team meeting. Free ice cream. I don’t care. You just hold them for five minutes.” I says to Lombardazzi,“No one tipped? No one? You mean no one heard the radio broadcasts and tried calling Pop Blakely to say how great it was that his kid was tearing up the bigs?”“I imagine one or two might have tried,” Lombardazzi said.“Folks from:Previous Entities: |Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade| ::: but they read the note Katsanis left on the door and went away. ",Katsanis.M “He’s around here someplace.,47269,47408,True,1915:The deaner.?,"sandwich. He didn’t look up.“Hey, guys.”“Hey, Harry.”“What you here for? Austin prep?”“Yeah.”“They started about half an hour ago. Guess there’s a big rush on her, huh?”“How’s that?”“The chief called Dr. Tim out of bed and told him to do it pronto. Pissed him off pretty good. You know how particular Dr. Tim is.” The deaner smiled.“And they called in a lot of lab people, too. Who ever heard of pushing a full workup in the middle of the night? I mean, you know what this is going to cost in overtime?” I said,“And what about Graham?”“He’s around here someplace. He had some Japanese guy chasing after him. Dogging him like a shadow. Then every half hour, the Japanese asks me can he use the phone, and he makes a call. Speaks Japanese a while. Then he goes back to bothering Graham. He says he wants to see the autopsy, if you can believe that. Keeps pushing, pushing. But anyway, the Japanese makes his last call about ten minutes ago, and suddenly a big change comes over him. I was here at the desk. I saw it on his face. He goes mojo mojo like he can’t believe his ears. And then he runs out of here. I mean it: runs.““And where’s the autopsy?”“Room two.”“Thanks, Harry.”“Close the door.”“Hi, Tim,” I said, as we came into the autopsy room. Tim Yoshimura, known to everyone as Dr. Tim, was leaning over the stainless- steel table. Even though it was one- forty in the morning, he was as usual immaculate. Everything was in place. His hair was neatly combed. His tie was perfectly knotted. The pens were lined up in the pocket of his starched lab coat.“Did you hear me?”“I’m closing it, Tim.” The door had a pneumatic self closing mechanism, but apparently that wasn’t fast enough for Dr. Tim.“It’s only because",The deaner,"The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner","sandwich. He didn’t look up.“Hey, guys.”“Hey, Harry.”“What you here for? Austin prep?”“Yeah.”“They started about half an hour ago. Guess there’s a big rush on her, huh?”“How’s that?”“The chief called Dr. Tim out of bed and told him to do it pronto. Pissed him off pretty good. You know how particular Dr. Tim is.” The deaner smiled.“And they called in a lot of lab people, too. Who ever heard of pushing a full workup in the middle of the night? I mean, you know what this is going to cost in overtime?” I said,“And what about Graham?”“He’s around here someplace. He had some Japanese guy chasing after him. Dogging him like a shadow. Then every half hour, the Japanese asks me can he use the phone, and he makes a call. Speaks Japanese a while. Then he goes back to bothering Graham. He says he wants to see the autopsy, if you can believe that. Keeps pushing, pushing. But anyway, the Japanese makes his last call about ten minutes ago, and suddenly a big change comes over him. I was here at the desk. I saw it on his face. He goes mojo mojo like he can’t believe his ears. And then he runs out of here. I mean it: runs.““And where’s the autopsy?”“Room two.”“Thanks, Harry.”“Close the door.”“Hi, Tim,” I said, as we came into the autopsy room. Tim Yoshimura, known to everyone as Dr. Tim, was leaning over the stainless- steel table. Even though it was one- forty in the morning, he was as usual immaculate. Everything was in place. His hair was neatly combed. His tie was perfectly knotted. The pens were lined up in the pocket of his starched lab coat.“Did you hear me?”“I’m closing it, Tim.” The door had a pneumatic self closing mechanism, but apparently that wasn’t fast enough for Dr. Tim.“It’s only because:Previous Entities: |The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner| ::: “He’s around here someplace. ","Harry.M Graham.M Japanese.M Tim.M Dr. Tim.M " with all the magic that’s in there—”,55763,55779,True,1887:the shadow.?,"a shadow next to him said,“Well, that’s it, then. Anyone seen that daft bastard Sconner?” And a shadow on the other side of him said,“I think my neck’s broken.”“Who’s that?”“That daft bastard,” said the shadow, nastily.“Oh. Sorry, Sconner.” Sconner stood up, his whole body now outlined in magical aura. He was trembling with rage as he raised his hands.“I’ll show that wretched throwback to respect his evolutionary superiors—” he snarled.“Get him, lads!” And Sconner was borne to the flagstones again under the weight of all five wizards.“Sorry, but—”“— you know that if you use—”“— magic near the Library, with all the magic that’s in there—”“— get one thing wrong and it’s a critical Mass and then—”“BANG! Goodnight, world!” Sconner growled. The wizards sitting on him decided that getting up was not the wisest thing they could do at this point. Eventually he said,“Right. You’re right. Thank you. It was wrong of me to lose my temper like that. Clouded my judgment. Essential to be dispassionate. You’re absolutely right. Thank you. Get off.” They risked it. Sconner stood up.“That monkey,” he said,“has eaten its last banana. Fetch—”“Er. Ape, Sconner,” said the smallest wizard, unable to stop himself.“It’s an ape, you see. Not a",the shadow,"Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow","a shadow next to him said,“Well, that’s it, then. Anyone seen that daft bastard Sconner?” And a shadow on the other side of him said,“I think my neck’s broken.”“Who’s that?”“That daft bastard,” said the shadow, nastily.“Oh. Sorry, Sconner.” Sconner stood up, his whole body now outlined in magical aura. He was trembling with rage as he raised his hands.“I’ll show that wretched throwback to respect his evolutionary superiors—” he snarled.“Get him, lads!” And Sconner was borne to the flagstones again under the weight of all five wizards.“Sorry, but—”“— you know that if you use—”“— magic near the Library, with all the magic that’s in there—”“— get one thing wrong and it’s a critical Mass and then—”“BANG! Goodnight, world!” Sconner growled. The wizards sitting on him decided that getting up was not the wisest thing they could do at this point. Eventually he said,“Right. You’re right. Thank you. It was wrong of me to lose my temper like that. Clouded my judgment. Essential to be dispassionate. You’re absolutely right. Thank you. Get off.” They risked it. Sconner stood up.“That monkey,” he said,“has eaten its last banana. Fetch—”“Er. Ape, Sconner,” said the smallest wizard, unable to stop himself.“It’s an ape, you see. Not a:Previous Entities: |Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow| ::: with all the magic that’s in there—” ",Sconner.M "“It will make you feel much better,”",68865,68874,True,343:The scribe.F,"tear welled in her eye, but she forced it back, not wanting to give this filth the satisfaction.“Our lord now wants to know if you’re ready for the final course,” Imulah said.“I believe your people would call it dessert.”“No,” she snapped.“I’m not feeling very well.” The scribe translated her words, much to el Pulpo’s annoyance. He frowned and fixed his eye on her as if trying to look into her guts for a lie. Magnolia turned away.“You should drink more wine before you go to the room downstairs that has been prepared for your first night together,” Imulah said. These were his words, she realized— not something el Pulpo had told him to say.“It will make you feel much better,” the scribe added. Magnolia nearly gagged. Did you see that, you repulsive lump of Siren scat? El Pulpo picked up his goblet. Chugging down the remaining wine, he slammed the glass on the table and continued watching her. This time, Magnolia followed Imulah’s advice, hoping it would make her rape by the cannibal king less awful. Sofia was right about the wine: it did help numb the senses.“I’ll be back with his final course in a moment,” Imulah said. He left them at the table and made his way belowdecks.“¿ Estás enferma?” el Pulpo said. Magnolia glanced across the table and was surprised to see his features soften. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to say, but he almost seemed concerned",The scribe,"Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge","tear welled in her eye, but she forced it back, not wanting to give this filth the satisfaction.“Our lord now wants to know if you’re ready for the final course,” Imulah said.“I believe your people would call it dessert.”“No,” she snapped.“I’m not feeling very well.” The scribe translated her words, much to el Pulpo’s annoyance. He frowned and fixed his eye on her as if trying to look into her guts for a lie. Magnolia turned away.“You should drink more wine before you go to the room downstairs that has been prepared for your first night together,” Imulah said. These were his words, she realized— not something el Pulpo had told him to say.“It will make you feel much better,” the scribe added. Magnolia nearly gagged. Did you see that, you repulsive lump of Siren scat? El Pulpo picked up his goblet. Chugging down the remaining wine, he slammed the glass on the table and continued watching her. This time, Magnolia followed Imulah’s advice, hoping it would make her rape by the cannibal king less awful. Sofia was right about the wine: it did help numb the senses.“I’ll be back with his final course in a moment,” Imulah said. He left them at the table and made his way belowdecks.“¿ Estás enferma?” el Pulpo said. Magnolia glanced across the table and was surprised to see his features soften. She wasn’t sure what he was trying to say, but he almost seemed concerned:Previous Entities: |Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge| ::: “It will make you feel much better,” ",Imulah.M "The gateway is opening.""",134131,134137,True,3321:the angel.?,"appeared to be holding it. He pulled it toward him and looked at it."" Pretty neat,"" Fernandez said."" I also know jokes,"" the angel said."" Would you like to hear one?"""" No,"" Sanders said."" Very well. I await your command."" Sanders stared at the pad. It had a long list of operator commands, with arrows and push buttons. Fernandez said,"" What is that, the world's most complicated TV remote?""` Just about."" He found a push button marked OTHER 1311. That seemed likely. He pressed it. Nothing happened. He pressed it again."" The gateway is opening,"" the angel announced."" Where? I don't see anything."""" The gateway is opening."" Sanders waited. Then he realized that the DigiCom system would have to connect to any remote database. The connection was going through; that was causing a delay."" Connecting... now,"" the angel said. The wall of the Corridor began to dissolve. They saw a large gaping black hole, and nothing beyond it."" That's creepy,"" Fernandez said. White wire- frame lines began to appear, outlining a new corridor. The spaces filled, one by one, creating the appearance of solid shapes."" This one looks different,"" Fernandez said."" We're connecting over a T-1 high- speed data line,"" Sanders said."" But even so, it's much slower."" The Corridor rebuilt itself as they watched. This",the angel,"his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel","appeared to be holding it. He pulled it toward him and looked at it."" Pretty neat,"" Fernandez said."" I also know jokes,"" the angel said."" Would you like to hear one?"""" No,"" Sanders said."" Very well. I await your command."" Sanders stared at the pad. It had a long list of operator commands, with arrows and push buttons. Fernandez said,"" What is that, the world's most complicated TV remote?""` Just about."" He found a push button marked OTHER 1311. That seemed likely. He pressed it. Nothing happened. He pressed it again."" The gateway is opening,"" the angel announced."" Where? I don't see anything."""" The gateway is opening."" Sanders waited. Then he realized that the DigiCom system would have to connect to any remote database. The connection was going through; that was causing a delay."" Connecting... now,"" the angel said. The wall of the Corridor began to dissolve. They saw a large gaping black hole, and nothing beyond it."" That's creepy,"" Fernandez said. White wire- frame lines began to appear, outlining a new corridor. The spaces filled, one by one, creating the appearance of solid shapes."" This one looks different,"" Fernandez said."" We're connecting over a T-1 high- speed data line,"" Sanders said."" But even so, it's much slower."" The Corridor rebuilt itself as they watched. This:Previous Entities: |his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel| ::: The gateway is opening."" ",the angel. then?”,53213,53219,True,117:Ordney.M,"face. But no one spoke. Finally Doon’s father said,“Excuse me, but perhaps there’s been a mistake.” Martha looked at him coldly.“I don’t believe so,” she said.“Perhaps you’re thinking,” Doon’s father went on,“that my son Doon actually did what he has been accused of.”“In this household,” said Martha,“we do not approve of wasting food.”“Neither do we!” cried Doon.“I would never do such a thing! I didn’t do it.” All eyes turned toward Doon. He could feel a red flush rising in his face.“Really,” he said, keeping his voice calm.“I didn’t.”“Who did, then?” said Ordney.“I don’t know,” said Doon.“No one knows,” said Mrs. Polster in her firmest voice.“Certainly we aren’t going to believe the word of one unhappy little boy against the word of this young man, who has proved himself so outstanding.”“Why not?” said Martha.“Torren Crane is a decent boy, as far as I know. I don’t see why you call him unhappy.”“All you have to do is look at him,” Mrs. Polster said. Miss Thorn nodded.“I do think she’s right,” she murmured.“Well, one of you people must have done it,” Martha said.“Certainly none of us would have.”“Nothing",Ordney,"the second man, Amos Diggory, Basil, the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else","face. But no one spoke. Finally Doon’s father said,“Excuse me, but perhaps there’s been a mistake.” Martha looked at him coldly.“I don’t believe so,” she said.“Perhaps you’re thinking,” Doon’s father went on,“that my son Doon actually did what he has been accused of.”“In this household,” said Martha,“we do not approve of wasting food.”“Neither do we!” cried Doon.“I would never do such a thing! I didn’t do it.” All eyes turned toward Doon. He could feel a red flush rising in his face.“Really,” he said, keeping his voice calm.“I didn’t.”“Who did, then?” said Ordney.“I don’t know,” said Doon.“No one knows,” said Mrs. Polster in her firmest voice.“Certainly we aren’t going to believe the word of one unhappy little boy against the word of this young man, who has proved himself so outstanding.”“Why not?” said Martha.“Torren Crane is a decent boy, as far as I know. I don’t see why you call him unhappy.”“All you have to do is look at him,” Mrs. Polster said. Miss Thorn nodded.“I do think she’s right,” she murmured.“Well, one of you people must have done it,” Martha said.“Certainly none of us would have.”“Nothing:Previous Entities: |the second man, Amos Diggory, Basil, the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else| ::: then?” ",Martha.F “Turn around and tell me.”,32279,32286,True,574:this owl.F,"a nice little conversation. Creatures here are rather brusque. Or let’s just say they have not mastered the fine art of conversation. Now turn around, and let’s have a little chat. I’m here on a mission— vague, I must say— not quite sure what— but give it time, Strix Struma said, give it time.” This owl sounded friendly enough and nothing like his mother. Her voice had more the sound of a Spotted Owl, if anything. And it was interesting that she, too, was on a mission and wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to be.“Yes, I am on a mission as well and am a little bit confused about what it is I am supposed to do,” Coryn replied.“Turn around and tell me.”“Well, actually.” Coryn churred a bit.“I’m kind of stuck.”“Would you feel that it was overly familiar if I pulled on your tail a little?”“Oh, no, not at all,” said Coryn.“I’ll try not to yank any rudder feathers.”“Don’t worry, some are about to molt, anyhow.”“You’re certainly a well- spoken young man.” Coryn didn’t quite know what to say to that.“So, can you tell me a little bit about your mission?” Coryn asked.“Oh, it’s so nice to find someone interested in real conversation. It’s almost like a code here— don’t ask any names, don’t ask about",this owl,"the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath","a nice little conversation. Creatures here are rather brusque. Or let’s just say they have not mastered the fine art of conversation. Now turn around, and let’s have a little chat. I’m here on a mission— vague, I must say— not quite sure what— but give it time, Strix Struma said, give it time.” This owl sounded friendly enough and nothing like his mother. Her voice had more the sound of a Spotted Owl, if anything. And it was interesting that she, too, was on a mission and wasn’t quite sure what it was supposed to be.“Yes, I am on a mission as well and am a little bit confused about what it is I am supposed to do,” Coryn replied.“Turn around and tell me.”“Well, actually.” Coryn churred a bit.“I’m kind of stuck.”“Would you feel that it was overly familiar if I pulled on your tail a little?”“Oh, no, not at all,” said Coryn.“I’ll try not to yank any rudder feathers.”“Don’t worry, some are about to molt, anyhow.”“You’re certainly a well- spoken young man.” Coryn didn’t quite know what to say to that.“So, can you tell me a little bit about your mission?” Coryn asked.“Oh, it’s so nice to find someone interested in real conversation. It’s almost like a code here— don’t ask any names, don’t ask about:Previous Entities: |the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath| ::: “Turn around and tell me.” ",Coryn.M Very well dressed.,60094,60119,True,1803:seven - point - six and a potassium of one.?,"heard snatches of jokes and conversations; it was, I thought, a typical medical party."" Did you hear about the French biochemist who had twins. He baptized one and kept the other as a control."""" They all get bacteremia sooner or later, anyway...."""" And he was walking around— walking around, mind you, with a blood pH of seven- point- six and a potassium of one...."""" Well, what the hell do you expect of a Hopkins man?"""" So he said,' I gave up smoking, but I'll be damned if I'll give up drinking.'"""" Sure, you can correct the blood gases, but it doesn't help the vasculature...."""" She was always a nice girl. Very well dressed. They must have spent a fortune on her clothes....""""... course he's pissed. Anybody'd be pissed....""""... oliguric my ass. He was anuric for five days, and he still survived....""""... in a seventy- four- year- old man, we just excised it locally and sent him home. It's slow growing, anyhow....""""... liver reached down to his knees, practically. But no hepatic failure...."""" She said she'd sign herself out if we didn't operate, so naturally, we...""""... but the students are always bitching; it's a nonspecific response...."""" Well, apparently this girl had bitten it off",seven - point - six and a potassium of one,"Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one","heard snatches of jokes and conversations; it was, I thought, a typical medical party."" Did you hear about the French biochemist who had twins. He baptized one and kept the other as a control."""" They all get bacteremia sooner or later, anyway...."""" And he was walking around— walking around, mind you, with a blood pH of seven- point- six and a potassium of one...."""" Well, what the hell do you expect of a Hopkins man?"""" So he said,' I gave up smoking, but I'll be damned if I'll give up drinking.'"""" Sure, you can correct the blood gases, but it doesn't help the vasculature...."""" She was always a nice girl. Very well dressed. They must have spent a fortune on her clothes....""""... course he's pissed. Anybody'd be pissed....""""... oliguric my ass. He was anuric for five days, and he still survived....""""... in a seventy- four- year- old man, we just excised it locally and sent him home. It's slow growing, anyhow....""""... liver reached down to his knees, practically. But no hepatic failure...."""" She said she'd sign herself out if we didn't operate, so naturally, we...""""... but the students are always bitching; it's a nonspecific response...."""" Well, apparently this girl had bitten it off:Previous Entities: |Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one| ::: Very well dressed. ",Brigit.F "' What the hell's this,",78792,78803,True,2402:any judge.?,"good chitterlin's to me, Gytha. There's a couple of decent meals in them, if I'm any judge.'' Please, Granny.'' There's plenty of starvin' people in Klatch who wouldn' t turn up their nose at'em, that's all I'm saying... All right, all right.“Whole grain wheat and lentils too, In the cauldron seethe and stew”? What happened to the toad?'' Please, Granny. You're slowing it down. You know Goodie was against all unnecessary cruelty. Vegetable protein is a perfectly acceptable substitute.'' That means no newt or fenny snake either, I suppose?'' No, Granny.'' Or tiger's chaudron?'' Here.'' What the hell's this, excuse my Klatchian?'' It's a tiger's chaudron, Our Wane brought it off a merchant from forn parts.'' You sure?'' Our Wane asked special, Esme.'' Looks like any other chaudron to me. Oh, well.“Double nubble, stubble trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bub—” WHY isn't the cauldron bubbling, Magrat?' Tomjon awoke, shivering. The room was dark. Outside a few stars pierced the mists of the city, and there was the occasional whistle of burglars and footpads as they went about their strictly lawful occasions. There was silence from the next room, but he could see the light of a candle under the door. He went back to bed. Across the turgid river the Fool had also awakened. He was",any judge,"the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge","good chitterlin's to me, Gytha. There's a couple of decent meals in them, if I'm any judge.'' Please, Granny.'' There's plenty of starvin' people in Klatch who wouldn' t turn up their nose at'em, that's all I'm saying... All right, all right.“Whole grain wheat and lentils too, In the cauldron seethe and stew”? What happened to the toad?'' Please, Granny. You're slowing it down. You know Goodie was against all unnecessary cruelty. Vegetable protein is a perfectly acceptable substitute.'' That means no newt or fenny snake either, I suppose?'' No, Granny.'' Or tiger's chaudron?'' Here.'' What the hell's this, excuse my Klatchian?'' It's a tiger's chaudron, Our Wane brought it off a merchant from forn parts.'' You sure?'' Our Wane asked special, Esme.'' Looks like any other chaudron to me. Oh, well.“Double nubble, stubble trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bub—” WHY isn't the cauldron bubbling, Magrat?' Tomjon awoke, shivering. The room was dark. Outside a few stars pierced the mists of the city, and there was the occasional whistle of burglars and footpads as they went about their strictly lawful occasions. There was silence from the next room, but he could see the light of a candle under the door. He went back to bed. Across the turgid river the Fool had also awakened. He was:Previous Entities: |the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge| ::: ' What the hell's this, ",Granny. "Playing with your food is vile,",39852,39901,True,1139:the mother.?,"strained to hear from his hiding place.“The coal, like many coals, was orange but at its center there was a most unusual color, a deep sapphire blue. Grank peered closer still and saw that rimming the blue was a brilliant, dancing edge of green. This nugget of fire came to be known as the Ember of Hoole.” Nyroc’s eyes grew wide. He felt his gizzard grow still. Were these not exactly the same colors that he had seen in the flames of Gwyndor’s fire at the Marking of his father’s Final ceremony? But just at that moment one of the chicks did something bad. There was a mad fluttering in the hollow, and then a squeaky little voice cried,“It got away!” The mother began scolding.“I’ve told you a thousand times. Don’t play with the bug before you eat it. No more snacks before sleep for you. Playing with your food is vile, disgusting behavior. Cruel. Only the Pure Ones play with their food.” Nyroc cringed in his hiding place. It was true. He had watched the lieutenants and even his mum toss a dying rat about, the blood spattering everywhere before it was finally eaten. He never saw the fun in such sport, but he had never thought of it as wrong or even cruel.“But, Mum,” whined another,“finish the story, please.” Please! Nyroc thought. Please finish the story.“It’s a very long story, young’uns. It will take many days to finish it. Now, all of you to bed. Tomorrow is Eddie’s first Hunt- in- Snow ceremony. He must be rested up.”“Yes, I have to be rested. Hunting in snow is very difficult.” Don’t",the mother,"the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo","strained to hear from his hiding place.“The coal, like many coals, was orange but at its center there was a most unusual color, a deep sapphire blue. Grank peered closer still and saw that rimming the blue was a brilliant, dancing edge of green. This nugget of fire came to be known as the Ember of Hoole.” Nyroc’s eyes grew wide. He felt his gizzard grow still. Were these not exactly the same colors that he had seen in the flames of Gwyndor’s fire at the Marking of his father’s Final ceremony? But just at that moment one of the chicks did something bad. There was a mad fluttering in the hollow, and then a squeaky little voice cried,“It got away!” The mother began scolding.“I’ve told you a thousand times. Don’t play with the bug before you eat it. No more snacks before sleep for you. Playing with your food is vile, disgusting behavior. Cruel. Only the Pure Ones play with their food.” Nyroc cringed in his hiding place. It was true. He had watched the lieutenants and even his mum toss a dying rat about, the blood spattering everywhere before it was finally eaten. He never saw the fun in such sport, but he had never thought of it as wrong or even cruel.“But, Mum,” whined another,“finish the story, please.” Please! Nyroc thought. Please finish the story.“It’s a very long story, young’uns. It will take many days to finish it. Now, all of you to bed. Tomorrow is Eddie’s first Hunt- in- Snow ceremony. He must be rested up.”“Yes, I have to be rested. Hunting in snow is very difficult.” Don’t:Previous Entities: |the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo| ::: Playing with your food is vile, ",Lady T’malia.F "I'll make your shortcake with blueberries,""",23180,23189,True,299:Levy.F,"down on the last sub shuttle. Maybe you'd like that shortcake tonight?"""" Why not, Rose,"" Barnes said heartily. Norman looked out the black porthole window. From the portholes of D Cyl, he could see the rectangular illuminated grid that extended across the bottom, following the half- mile- long buried spacecraft. Divers, illuminated like fireflies, moved over the glowing grid surface. Norman thought: I am a thousand feet beneath the surface of the ocean, and we are talking about whether we should have strawberry shortcake for dessert. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The best way to make somebody comfortable in a new environment was to give him familiar food."" Strawberries make me break out,"" Ted said."" I'll make your shortcake with blueberries,"" Levy said, not missing a beat."" And whipped cream?"" Ted said."" Well..."""" You can't have everything,"" Barnes said."" And one of the things you can't have at thirty atmospheres of mixed gas is whipped cream. Won't whip. Let's move on."" BETH AND HARRY WERE waiting in the small, padded conference room, directly above the mess. They both wore jumpsuits and heated jackets. Harry was shaking his head as they arrived."" Like our padded cell?"" He poked the insulated walls."" It's like living in a vagina."" Beth said,"" Don't you like going back to the womb, Harry?"""" No,"" Harry said."" I've been",Levy,"the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy","down on the last sub shuttle. Maybe you'd like that shortcake tonight?"""" Why not, Rose,"" Barnes said heartily. Norman looked out the black porthole window. From the portholes of D Cyl, he could see the rectangular illuminated grid that extended across the bottom, following the half- mile- long buried spacecraft. Divers, illuminated like fireflies, moved over the glowing grid surface. Norman thought: I am a thousand feet beneath the surface of the ocean, and we are talking about whether we should have strawberry shortcake for dessert. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The best way to make somebody comfortable in a new environment was to give him familiar food."" Strawberries make me break out,"" Ted said."" I'll make your shortcake with blueberries,"" Levy said, not missing a beat."" And whipped cream?"" Ted said."" Well..."""" You can't have everything,"" Barnes said."" And one of the things you can't have at thirty atmospheres of mixed gas is whipped cream. Won't whip. Let's move on."" BETH AND HARRY WERE waiting in the small, padded conference room, directly above the mess. They both wore jumpsuits and heated jackets. Harry was shaking his head as they arrived."" Like our padded cell?"" He poked the insulated walls."" It's like living in a vagina."" Beth said,"" Don't you like going back to the womb, Harry?"""" No,"" Harry said."" I've been:Previous Entities: |the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy| ::: I'll make your shortcake with blueberries,"" ",Levy.F "“Don’t be silly,",56472,56486,True,1375:the other two.?,"What if the Death Eaters have found a way to put it on a seventeen- year- old?”“But Harry hasn’t been near a Death Eater in the last twenty- four hours. Who’s supposed to have put a Trace back on him?” Hermione did not reply. Harry felt contaminated, tainted: Was that really how the Death Eaters had found them?“If I can’t use magic, and you can’t use magic near me, without us giving away our position—” he began.“We’re not splitting up!” said Hermione firmly.“We need a safe place to hide,” said Ron.“Give us time to think things through.”“Grimmauld Place,” said Harry. The other two gaped.“Don’t be silly, Harry, Snape can get in there!”“Ron’s dad said they’ve put up jinxes against him— and even if they haven’t worked,” he pressed on as Hermione began to argue,“so what? I swear, I’d like nothing better than to meet Snape!”“But—”“Hermione, where else is there? It’s the best chance we’ve got. Snape’s only one Death Eater. If I’ve still got the Trace on me, we’ll have whole crowds of them on us wherever else we go.” She could not argue, though she looked as if she would have liked to. While she unlocked the café door, Ron clicked the Deluminator to release the café’s light. Then, on Harry’s count of three, they reversed the spells upon",the other two,"Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two","What if the Death Eaters have found a way to put it on a seventeen- year- old?”“But Harry hasn’t been near a Death Eater in the last twenty- four hours. Who’s supposed to have put a Trace back on him?” Hermione did not reply. Harry felt contaminated, tainted: Was that really how the Death Eaters had found them?“If I can’t use magic, and you can’t use magic near me, without us giving away our position—” he began.“We’re not splitting up!” said Hermione firmly.“We need a safe place to hide,” said Ron.“Give us time to think things through.”“Grimmauld Place,” said Harry. The other two gaped.“Don’t be silly, Harry, Snape can get in there!”“Ron’s dad said they’ve put up jinxes against him— and even if they haven’t worked,” he pressed on as Hermione began to argue,“so what? I swear, I’d like nothing better than to meet Snape!”“But—”“Hermione, where else is there? It’s the best chance we’ve got. Snape’s only one Death Eater. If I’ve still got the Trace on me, we’ll have whole crowds of them on us wherever else we go.” She could not argue, though she looked as if she would have liked to. While she unlocked the café door, Ron clicked the Deluminator to release the café’s light. Then, on Harry’s count of three, they reversed the spells upon:Previous Entities: |Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two| ::: “Don’t be silly, ",Harry.M “Should we not make further tests and comparisons of this child?”,38182,38195,True,369:Dromind.M,"Dromind. He took to buttonholing his fellows and expounding the history of the original Siona as though this said something important about the present bearer of the ancient name.“Siona was the mate of the Holy Duncan Idaho,” Dromind reminded anyone who would listen.“Their descendants are everywhere.”“Indeed? Pardon me for not listening further but I am really on an urgent errand.” At first, Tuek was more patient with Dromind. The history was interesting and its lessons obvious.“God has sent us a new Siona,” Tuek said.“All should be clear.” Dromind went away and returned with more tidbits from the past.“The accounts from Dar- es- Balat take on a new meaning now,” Dromind told his High Priest.“Should we not make further tests and comparisons of this child?” Dromind had braced the High Priest immediately after breakfast. The remains of Tuek’s meal still occupied the serving table on the balcony. Through the open window, they could hear stirrings overhead in Sheeana’s quarters. Tuek put a cautioning finger to his lips and spoke in a hushed voice.“The Holy Child goes of her own choice to the desert.” He went to a wall map and pointed to an area southwest of Keen.“Apparently this is an area that interests her or… I should say, calls her.”“I am told she makes frequent use of dictionaries,” Dromind said.“Surely, that can not be a—”“She is testing us,” Tuek said.“Do not be fooled.”“But Lord Tuek,",Dromind,"Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind","Dromind. He took to buttonholing his fellows and expounding the history of the original Siona as though this said something important about the present bearer of the ancient name.“Siona was the mate of the Holy Duncan Idaho,” Dromind reminded anyone who would listen.“Their descendants are everywhere.”“Indeed? Pardon me for not listening further but I am really on an urgent errand.” At first, Tuek was more patient with Dromind. The history was interesting and its lessons obvious.“God has sent us a new Siona,” Tuek said.“All should be clear.” Dromind went away and returned with more tidbits from the past.“The accounts from Dar- es- Balat take on a new meaning now,” Dromind told his High Priest.“Should we not make further tests and comparisons of this child?” Dromind had braced the High Priest immediately after breakfast. The remains of Tuek’s meal still occupied the serving table on the balcony. Through the open window, they could hear stirrings overhead in Sheeana’s quarters. Tuek put a cautioning finger to his lips and spoke in a hushed voice.“The Holy Child goes of her own choice to the desert.” He went to a wall map and pointed to an area southwest of Keen.“Apparently this is an area that interests her or… I should say, calls her.”“I am told she makes frequent use of dictionaries,” Dromind said.“Surely, that can not be a—”“She is testing us,” Tuek said.“Do not be fooled.”“But Lord Tuek,:Previous Entities: |Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind| ::: “Should we not make further tests and comparisons of this child?” ",Dromind.M "“Wait,”",22475,22478,True,938:a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames.M,"pulled cell phones from their pockets and purses. What was happening? It must be news from Mrs. Beeson, maybe about the“urgent business” that had taken her to the Prophet’s house. She had to know. Who could she ask? She spotted a red- haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames. He was coming out of the café, carrying a doughnut, and had his phone pressed to his ear. He looked about her age, or a little older. She’d ask him. She stepped up beside him and said,“Excuse me,” into the ear that didn’t have the phone against it. He turned and looked at her.“What’s going on?” Nickie said.“Can you tell me?” He frowned.“Wait,” he said, holding up the hand with the doughnut. He was still listening intently. She waited. Finally, he folded up his phone.“Who are you?” he said.“I don’t know you.” She explained who she was. He stared at her suspiciously for a moment, but he must have decided she couldn’t be a terrorist, because he said,“I’m Martin. Did you hear the president’s announcement?”“No,” said Nickie.“What did he say?”“Well, look,” said Martin.“I’ve got it on my DATT.” He flicked a tiny switch on his phone, and on a tiny screen the tiny face of the president appeared. He looked grim. His",a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames,"The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames","pulled cell phones from their pockets and purses. What was happening? It must be news from Mrs. Beeson, maybe about the“urgent business” that had taken her to the Prophet’s house. She had to know. Who could she ask? She spotted a red- haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames. He was coming out of the café, carrying a doughnut, and had his phone pressed to his ear. He looked about her age, or a little older. She’d ask him. She stepped up beside him and said,“Excuse me,” into the ear that didn’t have the phone against it. He turned and looked at her.“What’s going on?” Nickie said.“Can you tell me?” He frowned.“Wait,” he said, holding up the hand with the doughnut. He was still listening intently. She waited. Finally, he folded up his phone.“Who are you?” he said.“I don’t know you.” She explained who she was. He stared at her suspiciously for a moment, but he must have decided she couldn’t be a terrorist, because he said,“I’m Martin. Did you hear the president’s announcement?”“No,” said Nickie.“What did he say?”“Well, look,” said Martin.“I’ve got it on my DATT.” He flicked a tiny switch on his phone, and on a tiny screen the tiny face of the president appeared. He looked grim. His:Previous Entities: |The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames| ::: “Wait,” ",Martin.M I am a police officer.,1665,1680,True,786:the cheerful woman.F,"Now we want to talk to you about the Nakamoto Murder. When did you first become involved in that case? SUBJ: On Thursday night, February 9, about nine o’clock. INT: What happened at that time? SUBJ: I was at home. I got a phone call. INT: And what were You doing at the time you got the call’? FIRST NIGHT A Actually, I was sitting on my bed in my apartment in Culver City, watching the’ Lakers game with the sound turned off, while I tried to study vocabulary for my introductory Japanese class. It was a quiet evening; I had gotten my daughter to sleep about eight. Now I had the cassette player on the bed, and the cheerful woman’s voice was saying things like,“Hello, I am a police officer. Can I be of assistance?” and“Please show me the menu.” After each sentence, she paused for me to repeat it back, in Japanese. I stumbled along as best I could. Then she would say,“The vegetable store is closed. Where is the post office?” Things like that. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate, but I was trying.“Mr. Hayashi has two children.” I tried to answer.“Hayashi- san wa kodomo ga fur... futurI swore. But by then the woman was talking again.“This drink is not very good at all.” I had my textbook open on the bed, alongside a Mr. Potato Head I’d put back together for my daughter. Next to that, a photo album, and the pictures from her second",the cheerful woman,"a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman","Now we want to talk to you about the Nakamoto Murder. When did you first become involved in that case? SUBJ: On Thursday night, February 9, about nine o’clock. INT: What happened at that time? SUBJ: I was at home. I got a phone call. INT: And what were You doing at the time you got the call’? FIRST NIGHT A Actually, I was sitting on my bed in my apartment in Culver City, watching the’ Lakers game with the sound turned off, while I tried to study vocabulary for my introductory Japanese class. It was a quiet evening; I had gotten my daughter to sleep about eight. Now I had the cassette player on the bed, and the cheerful woman’s voice was saying things like,“Hello, I am a police officer. Can I be of assistance?” and“Please show me the menu.” After each sentence, she paused for me to repeat it back, in Japanese. I stumbled along as best I could. Then she would say,“The vegetable store is closed. Where is the post office?” Things like that. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate, but I was trying.“Mr. Hayashi has two children.” I tried to answer.“Hayashi- san wa kodomo ga fur... futurI swore. But by then the woman was talking again.“This drink is not very good at all.” I had my textbook open on the bed, alongside a Mr. Potato Head I’d put back together for my daughter. Next to that, a photo album, and the pictures from her second:Previous Entities: |a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman| ::: I am a police officer. ",The cheerful woman.F “He told me he had been hired by a client of mine.”,98186,98200,True,944:Perry.?,"your head?”“I fell.”“Looks like quite a fall.”“It was.” The detective nodded slowly.“You could save us a lot of trouble if you’d just tell me who this guy is, Mr. Evans. You’ve got a man in your apartment, you don’t know who he is, you don’t know how he got here. Forgive me if I feel you’re maybe leaving something out.”“I am.”“Okay.” Perry took out his notebook.“Go ahead.”“The guy’s a private detective.”“I know that.”“You do?” Evans said.“The paramedics checked his pockets, found a license in his wallet. Go on.”“He told me he had been hired by a client of mine.”“Uh- huh. Which client is that?” Perry was writing.“I can’t tell you that,” Evans said. He looked up from his pad.“Mr. Evans—”“I’m sorry. That’s privileged.” The detective gave a long sigh.“Okay, so this guy is a private investigator hired by a client of yours.”“Right,” Evans said.“The investigator contacted me and said he wanted to see me, to give me something.”“To give you something?”“Right.”“He didn’t want to give it to the client?”“He couldn’t.”“Because?”“The client is, uh, unavailable.”“I see. So he",Perry,"the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective","your head?”“I fell.”“Looks like quite a fall.”“It was.” The detective nodded slowly.“You could save us a lot of trouble if you’d just tell me who this guy is, Mr. Evans. You’ve got a man in your apartment, you don’t know who he is, you don’t know how he got here. Forgive me if I feel you’re maybe leaving something out.”“I am.”“Okay.” Perry took out his notebook.“Go ahead.”“The guy’s a private detective.”“I know that.”“You do?” Evans said.“The paramedics checked his pockets, found a license in his wallet. Go on.”“He told me he had been hired by a client of mine.”“Uh- huh. Which client is that?” Perry was writing.“I can’t tell you that,” Evans said. He looked up from his pad.“Mr. Evans—”“I’m sorry. That’s privileged.” The detective gave a long sigh.“Okay, so this guy is a private investigator hired by a client of yours.”“Right,” Evans said.“The investigator contacted me and said he wanted to see me, to give me something.”“To give you something?”“Right.”“He didn’t want to give it to the client?”“He couldn’t.”“Because?”“The client is, uh, unavailable.”“I see. So he:Previous Entities: |the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective| ::: “He told me he had been hired by a client of mine.” ",Perry.M "“Ensign Winslow,",85066,85076,True,142:Ada.?,"of the robotic arm, and almost zero recovery time. But that was where the rapid- healing nanotechnology came in. If it worked, he would be okay to dive. Theoretically…“How long until we get back to the Hive?” he asked. Bronson looked over from his monitor.“I’ve plotted several courses, and depending on the weather, the fastest we can get there is five hours.” Before Michael could reply, a voice came from the comm speakers.“Ensign Winslow, this is Eevi Corey,” said the voice.“I will patch you through to the captain. She is currently on the Cazador container ship with Alexander, Vish, and Trey.” Les motioned for the receiver, and Ada handed it back to him.“Ensign Winslow, good to hear from you,” came a strained voice.“How is everyone on Deliverance?”“Captain, this is actually Lieutenant Mitchells,” he said.“We’re well and have returned from Red Sphere. Unfortunately, the defectors were gone.”“Gone…”“Yes ma’am. They left before we got there, and we have no idea where they are sailing.”“So the mission was a failure?”“Not entirely,” Les said, looking over at the robotic arm.“We did manage to find a working laser rifle and something else that might come in handy.”“That’s good news, Lieutenant.”“Yes, how about you? We heard you encountered some Cazador vessels.”“We discovered something terrible on board,” Katrina",Ada,"Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge","of the robotic arm, and almost zero recovery time. But that was where the rapid- healing nanotechnology came in. If it worked, he would be okay to dive. Theoretically…“How long until we get back to the Hive?” he asked. Bronson looked over from his monitor.“I’ve plotted several courses, and depending on the weather, the fastest we can get there is five hours.” Before Michael could reply, a voice came from the comm speakers.“Ensign Winslow, this is Eevi Corey,” said the voice.“I will patch you through to the captain. She is currently on the Cazador container ship with Alexander, Vish, and Trey.” Les motioned for the receiver, and Ada handed it back to him.“Ensign Winslow, good to hear from you,” came a strained voice.“How is everyone on Deliverance?”“Captain, this is actually Lieutenant Mitchells,” he said.“We’re well and have returned from Red Sphere. Unfortunately, the defectors were gone.”“Gone…”“Yes ma’am. They left before we got there, and we have no idea where they are sailing.”“So the mission was a failure?”“Not entirely,” Les said, looking over at the robotic arm.“We did manage to find a working laser rifle and something else that might come in handy.”“That’s good news, Lieutenant.”“Yes, how about you? We heard you encountered some Cazador vessels.”“We discovered something terrible on board,” Katrina:Previous Entities: |Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge| ::: “Ensign Winslow, ",Michael Noonan.M “I believe I have a couple of guards outside—”,20249,20260,True,209:Zlorf.M,"talk about this sensibly. I thought we had an agreement. You don’t rob— I don’t kill. Not for payment, that is,” he added after a pause. Zlorf took the proferred beer.“So?” he said.“I’ll kill him. Then you rob him. Is he that funny looking one over there?”“Yes.” Zlorf stared at Twoflower, who grinned at him. He shrugged. He seldom wasted time wondering why people wanted other people dead. It was just a living.“Who is your client, may I ask?” said Ymor. Zlorf held up a hand.“Please!” he protested.“Professional etiquette.”“Of course. By the way—”“Yes?”“I believe I have a couple of guards outside—”“Had.”“And some others in the doorway across the street—”“Formerly.”“And two bowmen on the roof.” A flicker of doubt passed across Zlorf’s face, like the last shaft of sunlight over a badly plowed field. The door flew open, badly damaging the assassin who was standing beside it.“Stop doing that!” shrieked Broadman, from under his table. Zlorf and Ymor stared up at the figure on the threshold. It was short, fat and richly dressed. Very richly dressed. There were a number of tall, big shapes looming behind it. Very big, threatening shapes.“Who’s that?” said Zlorf.“I know him,” said Ymor.“His name’s Rerpf. He runs",Zlorf,"Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf","talk about this sensibly. I thought we had an agreement. You don’t rob— I don’t kill. Not for payment, that is,” he added after a pause. Zlorf took the proferred beer.“So?” he said.“I’ll kill him. Then you rob him. Is he that funny looking one over there?”“Yes.” Zlorf stared at Twoflower, who grinned at him. He shrugged. He seldom wasted time wondering why people wanted other people dead. It was just a living.“Who is your client, may I ask?” said Ymor. Zlorf held up a hand.“Please!” he protested.“Professional etiquette.”“Of course. By the way—”“Yes?”“I believe I have a couple of guards outside—”“Had.”“And some others in the doorway across the street—”“Formerly.”“And two bowmen on the roof.” A flicker of doubt passed across Zlorf’s face, like the last shaft of sunlight over a badly plowed field. The door flew open, badly damaging the assassin who was standing beside it.“Stop doing that!” shrieked Broadman, from under his table. Zlorf and Ymor stared up at the figure on the threshold. It was short, fat and richly dressed. Very richly dressed. There were a number of tall, big shapes looming behind it. Very big, threatening shapes.“Who’s that?” said Zlorf.“I know him,” said Ymor.“His name’s Rerpf. He runs:Previous Entities: |Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf| ::: “I believe I have a couple of guards outside—” ",Zlorf.M "written between the carved words,",75532,75709,True,1714:The carver.M,"just Hybern, but any other faeries.“It is likely that Hybern has been quiet for so many years because he was hunting the Cauldron, learning its secrets. Resurrection of a specific individual might very well have been his first test once the feet were reunited— and now he finds that the Cauldron is pure energy, pure power. And like any magic, it can be depleted. So he will let it rest, let it gather strength— learn its secrets to feed it more energy, more power.”“Is there a way to stop it,” I breathed. Silence. Expectant, waiting silence. Rhys’s voice was hoarse as he said,“Don’t offer him one more—”“When the Cauldron was made,” the carver interrupted,“its dark maker used the last of the molten ore to forge a book. The Book of Breathings. In it, written between the carved words, are the spells to negate the Cauldron’s power— or control it wholly. But after the War, it was split into two pieces. One went to the Fae, one to the six human queens. It was part of the Treaty, purely symbolic, as the Cauldron had been lost for millennia and considered mere myth. The Book was believed harmless, because like calls to like— and only that which was Made can speak those spells and summon its power. No creature born of the earth may wield it, so the High Lords and humans dismissed it as little more than a historical heirloom, but if the Book were in the hands of something reforged… You would have to test such a theory, of course— but… it might be possible.” His eyes narrowed to amused slits as I realized… realized…“So now the High Lord of Summer possesses our piece, and the reigning mortal queens have the other entombed in their shining palace by the sea. Prythian’s half is guarded, protected with blood- spells keyed to Summer himself. The one belonging to the mortal queens… They were crafty, when they received their gift. They used our own kind to spell the Book, to bind it— so that if it were ever stolen, if, let’s say, a High Lord were to winnow into their castle to steal it… the Book would melt into ore and be lost. It must be freely given by a mortal queen, with no trickery, no magic involved.” A little laugh.“",The carver,"the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver","just Hybern, but any other faeries.“It is likely that Hybern has been quiet for so many years because he was hunting the Cauldron, learning its secrets. Resurrection of a specific individual might very well have been his first test once the feet were reunited— and now he finds that the Cauldron is pure energy, pure power. And like any magic, it can be depleted. So he will let it rest, let it gather strength— learn its secrets to feed it more energy, more power.”“Is there a way to stop it,” I breathed. Silence. Expectant, waiting silence. Rhys’s voice was hoarse as he said,“Don’t offer him one more—”“When the Cauldron was made,” the carver interrupted,“its dark maker used the last of the molten ore to forge a book. The Book of Breathings. In it, written between the carved words, are the spells to negate the Cauldron’s power— or control it wholly. But after the War, it was split into two pieces. One went to the Fae, one to the six human queens. It was part of the Treaty, purely symbolic, as the Cauldron had been lost for millennia and considered mere myth. The Book was believed harmless, because like calls to like— and only that which was Made can speak those spells and summon its power. No creature born of the earth may wield it, so the High Lords and humans dismissed it as little more than a historical heirloom, but if the Book were in the hands of something reforged… You would have to test such a theory, of course— but… it might be possible.” His eyes narrowed to amused slits as I realized… realized…“So now the High Lord of Summer possesses our piece, and the reigning mortal queens have the other entombed in their shining palace by the sea. Prythian’s half is guarded, protected with blood- spells keyed to Summer himself. The one belonging to the mortal queens… They were crafty, when they received their gift. They used our own kind to spell the Book, to bind it— so that if it were ever stolen, if, let’s say, a High Lord were to winnow into their castle to steal it… the Book would melt into ore and be lost. It must be freely given by a mortal queen, with no trickery, no magic involved.” A little laugh.“:Previous Entities: |the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver| ::: written between the carved words, ",the carver.M "Also Akron,",272590,272628,True,8272:this good - natured old man.M,"snow off Susannah’s hide coat while Roland quickly picked up the spilled goods and stacked them back on their makeshift sled. Oy helped, bringing several wrapped packages of meat in his jaws and dropping them on the back of the travois.“That’s a smart little beastie!” Joe Collins said admiringly.“He’s been a good trailmate,” Susannah agreed. She was now very glad they had stopped; would not have deprived herself of this good- natured old man’s acquaintance for worlds. She offered him her clumsily clad right hand.“I’m Susannah Dean— Susannah of New York. Daughter of Dan.” He took her hand and shook it. His own hand was ungloved, and although the fingers were gnarled with arthritis, his grip was strong.“New York, is it! Why, I once hailed from there, myself. Also Akron, Omaha, and San Francisco. Son of Henry and Flora, if it matters to you.”“You’re from America- side?” Susannah asked.“Oh God yes, but long ago and long,” he said.“What’chee might call delah.” His good eye sparkled; his bad eye went on regarding the snowy wastes with that same dead lack of interest. He turned to Roland.“And who might you be, my friend? For I’ll call you my friend same as I would anyone, unless they prove different, in which case I’d belt em with Bessie, which is what I call my stick.” Roland was grinning. Was helpless not to, Susannah thought.“Roland Deschain, of Gilead. Son of Steven.”“Gilead! Gilead!” Collins’s good eye went round with amazement.“There’s",this good - natured old man,"Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man","snow off Susannah’s hide coat while Roland quickly picked up the spilled goods and stacked them back on their makeshift sled. Oy helped, bringing several wrapped packages of meat in his jaws and dropping them on the back of the travois.“That’s a smart little beastie!” Joe Collins said admiringly.“He’s been a good trailmate,” Susannah agreed. She was now very glad they had stopped; would not have deprived herself of this good- natured old man’s acquaintance for worlds. She offered him her clumsily clad right hand.“I’m Susannah Dean— Susannah of New York. Daughter of Dan.” He took her hand and shook it. His own hand was ungloved, and although the fingers were gnarled with arthritis, his grip was strong.“New York, is it! Why, I once hailed from there, myself. Also Akron, Omaha, and San Francisco. Son of Henry and Flora, if it matters to you.”“You’re from America- side?” Susannah asked.“Oh God yes, but long ago and long,” he said.“What’chee might call delah.” His good eye sparkled; his bad eye went on regarding the snowy wastes with that same dead lack of interest. He turned to Roland.“And who might you be, my friend? For I’ll call you my friend same as I would anyone, unless they prove different, in which case I’d belt em with Bessie, which is what I call my stick.” Roland was grinning. Was helpless not to, Susannah thought.“Roland Deschain, of Gilead. Son of Steven.”“Gilead! Gilead!” Collins’s good eye went round with amazement.“There’s:Previous Entities: |Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man| ::: Also Akron, ",Joe Collins.M ‘ But definitely more smelly.,64736,64754,True,194:Mildred.F,"here’s a wee gift fra’ the fairies for a big wee girl who’s gonna go right back tae sleep!” And then they were gone!’ One of her grandchildren, who’d been listening with his mouth open, said,‘ What did they give you, Grandma?’‘ This!’ Mildred held up a silver spoon.‘ And the strange thing is, it’s just like the ones my mother had, which vanished mysteriously from the drawer the very same night! I’ve kept it safe ever since!’ This was admired by all. Then one of the grandchildren asked:‘ What were the fairies like, Grandma?’ Grandma Mildred thought about this.‘ Not as pretty as you might expect,’ she said at last.‘ But definitely more smelly. And just after they’d gone there was a sound like—’ Arrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh… People in the King’s Legs(the owner had noticed that there were lots of inns and pubs called the King’s Head or the King’s Arms, and spotted a gap in the market) looked up when they heard the noise outside. After a minute or two the door burst open.‘ Good night to ye, fellow bigjobs!’ roared a figure in the doorway. The room fell horribly silent. Awkwardly, legs going in every direction, the scarecrow figure wove unsteadily towards the bar and grabbed it thankfully, hanging on as it sagged onto its knees.‘ A big huge wee drop o’ yer finest whisky, me fine fellow barman fellow,’ it said from somewhere under the hat.‘ It seems to me that you’ve already had enough",Mildred,"The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher","here’s a wee gift fra’ the fairies for a big wee girl who’s gonna go right back tae sleep!” And then they were gone!’ One of her grandchildren, who’d been listening with his mouth open, said,‘ What did they give you, Grandma?’‘ This!’ Mildred held up a silver spoon.‘ And the strange thing is, it’s just like the ones my mother had, which vanished mysteriously from the drawer the very same night! I’ve kept it safe ever since!’ This was admired by all. Then one of the grandchildren asked:‘ What were the fairies like, Grandma?’ Grandma Mildred thought about this.‘ Not as pretty as you might expect,’ she said at last.‘ But definitely more smelly. And just after they’d gone there was a sound like—’ Arrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh… People in the King’s Legs(the owner had noticed that there were lots of inns and pubs called the King’s Head or the King’s Arms, and spotted a gap in the market) looked up when they heard the noise outside. After a minute or two the door burst open.‘ Good night to ye, fellow bigjobs!’ roared a figure in the doorway. The room fell horribly silent. Awkwardly, legs going in every direction, the scarecrow figure wove unsteadily towards the bar and grabbed it thankfully, hanging on as it sagged onto its knees.‘ A big huge wee drop o’ yer finest whisky, me fine fellow barman fellow,’ it said from somewhere under the hat.‘ It seems to me that you’ve already had enough:Previous Entities: |The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher| ::: ‘ But definitely more smelly. ",Mildred Pusher.F did he?,49669,49730,True,303:Zabini.?,"her eyes for his reaction.‘ Even you think she’s good- looking, don’t you, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please!’‘ I wouldn’t touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like,’ said Zabini coldly, and Pansy looked pleased. Malfoy sank back across her lap and allowed her to resume the stroking of his hair.‘ Well, I pity Slughorn’s taste. Maybe he’s going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favourite of his. Slughorn probably hasn’t heard I’m on the train, or–’‘ I wouldn’t bank on an invitation,’ said Zabini.‘ He asked me about Nott’s father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he’d been caught at the Ministry he didn’t look happy, and Nott didn’t get an invitation, did he? I don’t think Slughorn’s interested in Death Eaters.’ Malfoy looked angry, but forced out a singularly humourless laugh.‘ Well, who cares what he’s interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher.’ Malfoy yawned ostentatiously.‘ I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what’s it matter to me if some fat old has- been likes me or not?’‘ What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?’ said Pansy indignantly, ceasing grooming Malfoy at once.‘ Well, you never know,’ said Malfoy with the ghost of a smirk.‘ I might have– er– moved on to bigger and better things.’ Crouched in the luggage rack under his Cloak, Harry’s heart began to",Zabini,"wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini","her eyes for his reaction.‘ Even you think she’s good- looking, don’t you, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please!’‘ I wouldn’t touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like,’ said Zabini coldly, and Pansy looked pleased. Malfoy sank back across her lap and allowed her to resume the stroking of his hair.‘ Well, I pity Slughorn’s taste. Maybe he’s going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favourite of his. Slughorn probably hasn’t heard I’m on the train, or–’‘ I wouldn’t bank on an invitation,’ said Zabini.‘ He asked me about Nott’s father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he’d been caught at the Ministry he didn’t look happy, and Nott didn’t get an invitation, did he? I don’t think Slughorn’s interested in Death Eaters.’ Malfoy looked angry, but forced out a singularly humourless laugh.‘ Well, who cares what he’s interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher.’ Malfoy yawned ostentatiously.‘ I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what’s it matter to me if some fat old has- been likes me or not?’‘ What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?’ said Pansy indignantly, ceasing grooming Malfoy at once.‘ Well, you never know,’ said Malfoy with the ghost of a smirk.‘ I might have– er– moved on to bigger and better things.’ Crouched in the luggage rack under his Cloak, Harry’s heart began to:Previous Entities: |wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini| ::: did he? ",Pansy.F “And she keeps birds?”,87314,87320,True,477:Richard.?,"else, Barton Williams wanted to placate his wife of forty years. For inexplicable reasons, Evelyn, at age sixty, was suddenly dissatisfied with her marriage and with Barton’s endless escapades, as she referred to them. A present would help.“But it better be damn good,” Barton said.“She’s accustomed to everything. Villas in France, yachts in Sardinia, jewelry from Winston, chefs flown in from Rome for her dog’s birthday. That’s the problem. I can’t buy her off anymore. She’s sixty and jaded.”“I promise you, this present is unique in the world,” Richard said.“Your wife loves animals, does she not?”“Has her own damn zoo, right on the property.”“And she keeps birds?”“Christ. Must be a hundred. We got finches in the damn sun room. Chitter all day. She breeds’em.”“And parrots?”“Every kind. None talk, thank God. She never had much luck with parrots.”“Her luck is about to change.” Barton sighed.“She doesn’t want another damn parrot.”“She wants this one,” Richard said.“It’s the only one like it in the world.”“I’m leaving at six tomorrow morning,” Barton grumbled.“It’ll be waiting on your plane,” Richard said. CH050 R ob Bellarmino smiled reassuringly.“Just ignore the cameras,” he said to the kids. They had set up in the school library of",Richard,"Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard","else, Barton Williams wanted to placate his wife of forty years. For inexplicable reasons, Evelyn, at age sixty, was suddenly dissatisfied with her marriage and with Barton’s endless escapades, as she referred to them. A present would help.“But it better be damn good,” Barton said.“She’s accustomed to everything. Villas in France, yachts in Sardinia, jewelry from Winston, chefs flown in from Rome for her dog’s birthday. That’s the problem. I can’t buy her off anymore. She’s sixty and jaded.”“I promise you, this present is unique in the world,” Richard said.“Your wife loves animals, does she not?”“Has her own damn zoo, right on the property.”“And she keeps birds?”“Christ. Must be a hundred. We got finches in the damn sun room. Chitter all day. She breeds’em.”“And parrots?”“Every kind. None talk, thank God. She never had much luck with parrots.”“Her luck is about to change.” Barton sighed.“She doesn’t want another damn parrot.”“She wants this one,” Richard said.“It’s the only one like it in the world.”“I’m leaving at six tomorrow morning,” Barton grumbled.“It’ll be waiting on your plane,” Richard said. CH050 R ob Bellarmino smiled reassuringly.“Just ignore the cameras,” he said to the kids. They had set up in the school library of:Previous Entities: |Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard| ::: “And she keeps birds?” ",Richard.M "“Mine was a small egg nog,”",81829,81837,True,241:Pestilence.M,"slid away… The figures around the table looked up from their cards. One of them raised a hand. It’s stuck on the end of his arm and it’s got five fingers, the innkeeper’s mind said. It must be a hand. One thing the innkeeper’s brain couldn’t shut out was the sound of the voices. This one sounded as though someone was hitting a rock with a roll of sheet lead. BAR PERSON. The innkeeper groaned faintly. The thermic lances of horror were melting their way steadily through the steel door of his mind. LET ME SEE, NOW. THAT’S A— WHAT WAS IT AGAIN?“A Bloody Mary.” This voice made a simple drinks order sound like the opening of hostilities. OH, YES. AND—“Mine was a small egg nog,” said Pestilence. AN EGG NOG.“With a cherry in it.” GOOD, lied the heavy voice. AND THAT’LL BE A SMALL PORT WINE FOR ME AND, the speaker glanced across the table at the fourth member of the quartet and sighed, YOU’D BETTER BRING ANOTHER BOWL OF PEANUTS. About three hundred yards down the road the horse thieves were trying to come to terms with a new experience.“Certainly a smooth ride,” Nijel managed eventually.“And a lovely— a lovely view,” said Creosote, his voice lost in the slipstream.“But I wonder,” said Nijel,“if we have done exactly the right thing.”“We’re moving, aren’t we?” demanded Conina.“Don’t be petty.”“",Pestilence,"the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence","slid away… The figures around the table looked up from their cards. One of them raised a hand. It’s stuck on the end of his arm and it’s got five fingers, the innkeeper’s mind said. It must be a hand. One thing the innkeeper’s brain couldn’t shut out was the sound of the voices. This one sounded as though someone was hitting a rock with a roll of sheet lead. BAR PERSON. The innkeeper groaned faintly. The thermic lances of horror were melting their way steadily through the steel door of his mind. LET ME SEE, NOW. THAT’S A— WHAT WAS IT AGAIN?“A Bloody Mary.” This voice made a simple drinks order sound like the opening of hostilities. OH, YES. AND—“Mine was a small egg nog,” said Pestilence. AN EGG NOG.“With a cherry in it.” GOOD, lied the heavy voice. AND THAT’LL BE A SMALL PORT WINE FOR ME AND, the speaker glanced across the table at the fourth member of the quartet and sighed, YOU’D BETTER BRING ANOTHER BOWL OF PEANUTS. About three hundred yards down the road the horse thieves were trying to come to terms with a new experience.“Certainly a smooth ride,” Nijel managed eventually.“And a lovely— a lovely view,” said Creosote, his voice lost in the slipstream.“But I wonder,” said Nijel,“if we have done exactly the right thing.”“We’re moving, aren’t we?” demanded Conina.“Don’t be petty.”“:Previous Entities: |the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence| ::: “Mine was a small egg nog,” ",Pestilence.M "' Well,",197559,197579,True,897:Whitmore.F,"leaned forward and pushed the button. John:' How is the desert, Ms. Whitmore?' Whitmore:' Hot.' John:' Arrangements progressing nicely? I know how difficult times like this can—' Whitmore:' You know very little, counsellor, take it from me. Can we cut the crap?' John:' Consider it cut.' Whitmore:' Have you conveyed the conditions of Mr. Devore's will to his daughter- in- law?' John:' Yes ma'am.' Whitmore:' Her response?' John:' I have none to give you now. I may have after Mr. Devore's will has been probated. But surely you know that such codicils are rarely if ever accepted by the courts.' Whitmore:' Well, if that little lady moves out of town, we'll see, won't we?' John:' I suppose we will.' Whitmore:' When is the victory party?' John:' Excuse me?' Whitmore:' Oh please. I have sixty different appointments today, plus a boss to bury tomorrow. You're going up there to celebrate with her and her daughter, aren't you? Did you know she's invited the writer? Her fuck- buddy?' John turned to me gleefully.' Do you hear how pissed she sounds? She's trying to hide it, but she can't. It's eating her up inside!' I barely heard him. I was in the zone with what she was saying(the writer her fuck- buddy) and what was under what she was saying. Some quality beneath the words",Whitmore,"the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore","leaned forward and pushed the button. John:' How is the desert, Ms. Whitmore?' Whitmore:' Hot.' John:' Arrangements progressing nicely? I know how difficult times like this can—' Whitmore:' You know very little, counsellor, take it from me. Can we cut the crap?' John:' Consider it cut.' Whitmore:' Have you conveyed the conditions of Mr. Devore's will to his daughter- in- law?' John:' Yes ma'am.' Whitmore:' Her response?' John:' I have none to give you now. I may have after Mr. Devore's will has been probated. But surely you know that such codicils are rarely if ever accepted by the courts.' Whitmore:' Well, if that little lady moves out of town, we'll see, won't we?' John:' I suppose we will.' Whitmore:' When is the victory party?' John:' Excuse me?' Whitmore:' Oh please. I have sixty different appointments today, plus a boss to bury tomorrow. You're going up there to celebrate with her and her daughter, aren't you? Did you know she's invited the writer? Her fuck- buddy?' John turned to me gleefully.' Do you hear how pissed she sounds? She's trying to hide it, but she can't. It's eating her up inside!' I barely heard him. I was in the zone with what she was saying(the writer her fuck- buddy) and what was under what she was saying. Some quality beneath the words:Previous Entities: |the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore| ::: ' Well, ","John.M Whitmore.F" "no,""",1650,1655,True,119:Halfrunt.M,"our mental attitudes today. Now tell me, what news of the mission?"""" We have located the ship."""" Wonderful,"" said Halfrunt,"" wonderful! and the occupants?"""" The Earthman is there."""" Excellent! And...?"""" A female from the same planet. They are the last."""" Good, good,"" beamed Halfrunt,"" Who else?"""" The man Prefect."""" Yes?"""" And Zaphod Beeblebrox."" For an instant Halfrunt's smile flickered."" Ah yes,"" he said,"" I had been expecting this. It is most regrettable."""" A personal friend?"" inquired the Vogon, who had heard the expression somewhere once and decided to try it out."" Ah, no,"" said Halfrunt,"" in my profession you know, we do not make personal friends."""" Ah,"" grunted the Vogon,"" professional detachment."""" No,"" said Halfrunt cheerfully,"" we just don't have the knack."" He paused. His mouth continued to smile, but his eyes frowned slightly."" But Beeblebrox, you know,"" he said,"" he is one of my most profitable clients. He had personality problems beyond the dreams of analysts."" He toyed with this thought a little before reluctantly dismissing it."" Still,"" he said,"" you are ready for your task?"""" Yes."""" Good. Destroy the ship immediately."""" What about Beeblebrox?"""" Well,"" said Halfrunt brightly",Halfrunt,"sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt","our mental attitudes today. Now tell me, what news of the mission?"""" We have located the ship."""" Wonderful,"" said Halfrunt,"" wonderful! and the occupants?"""" The Earthman is there."""" Excellent! And...?"""" A female from the same planet. They are the last."""" Good, good,"" beamed Halfrunt,"" Who else?"""" The man Prefect."""" Yes?"""" And Zaphod Beeblebrox."" For an instant Halfrunt's smile flickered."" Ah yes,"" he said,"" I had been expecting this. It is most regrettable."""" A personal friend?"" inquired the Vogon, who had heard the expression somewhere once and decided to try it out."" Ah, no,"" said Halfrunt,"" in my profession you know, we do not make personal friends."""" Ah,"" grunted the Vogon,"" professional detachment."""" No,"" said Halfrunt cheerfully,"" we just don't have the knack."" He paused. His mouth continued to smile, but his eyes frowned slightly."" But Beeblebrox, you know,"" he said,"" he is one of my most profitable clients. He had personality problems beyond the dreams of analysts."" He toyed with this thought a little before reluctantly dismissing it."" Still,"" he said,"" you are ready for your task?"""" Yes."""" Good. Destroy the ship immediately."""" What about Beeblebrox?"""" Well,"" said Halfrunt brightly:Previous Entities: |sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt| ::: no,"" ",Halfrunt.M "“Ye gods,",11687,11696,True,149:Gravie.M,",” said one of the other wizards flatly,“and it’s quite a warm night.”“Out into the treacherously changeable spring weather,” snarled Spelter,“and cursed indeed would be the man who failed, um, at this time—”“It’s nearly summer.” Carding rubbed the side of his nose thoughtfully.“The boy has a staff,” he said.“Who gave it to him? Did you ask?”“No,” said Spelter, still glowering at the almanackical interjector. Carding started to look at his fingernails in what Spelter considered to be a meaningful way.“Well, whatever the problem, I feel sure it can wait until morning,” he said in what Spelter felt was an ostentatiously bored voice.“Ye gods, he blew Billias away!” said Gravie.“And they say there’s nothing in Virrid’s room but soot!”“They were perhaps rather foolish,” said Carding smoothly.“I am sure, my good brother, that you would not be defeated in affairs of the Art by a mere stripling?” Gravie hesitated.“Well, er,” he said,“no. Of course not.” He looked at Carding’s innocent smile and coughed loudly.“Certainly not, of course. Billias was very foolish. However, some prudent caution is surely—”“Then let us all be cautious in the morning,” said Carding cheerfully.“Brothers, let us adjourn this meeting. The boy sleeps, and in that at least he is showing us the way. This",Gravie,"Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie",",” said one of the other wizards flatly,“and it’s quite a warm night.”“Out into the treacherously changeable spring weather,” snarled Spelter,“and cursed indeed would be the man who failed, um, at this time—”“It’s nearly summer.” Carding rubbed the side of his nose thoughtfully.“The boy has a staff,” he said.“Who gave it to him? Did you ask?”“No,” said Spelter, still glowering at the almanackical interjector. Carding started to look at his fingernails in what Spelter considered to be a meaningful way.“Well, whatever the problem, I feel sure it can wait until morning,” he said in what Spelter felt was an ostentatiously bored voice.“Ye gods, he blew Billias away!” said Gravie.“And they say there’s nothing in Virrid’s room but soot!”“They were perhaps rather foolish,” said Carding smoothly.“I am sure, my good brother, that you would not be defeated in affairs of the Art by a mere stripling?” Gravie hesitated.“Well, er,” he said,“no. Of course not.” He looked at Carding’s innocent smile and coughed loudly.“Certainly not, of course. Billias was very foolish. However, some prudent caution is surely—”“Then let us all be cautious in the morning,” said Carding cheerfully.“Brothers, let us adjourn this meeting. The boy sleeps, and in that at least he is showing us the way. This:Previous Entities: |Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie| ::: “Ye gods, ","Spelter.M Carding.M Gravie.M" “IS THAT REALLY WISE?,74810,74828,True,151:King Dartmoor.M,"TOOK A DEEP BREATH.(AND, NEXT TIME YOU THINK YOUR PARENTS ARE FRUSTRATING, MIGHT I INVITE YOU TO READ THIS PASSAGE THROUGH ONE MORE TIME?)“I BELIEVE,” A NEW VOICE SAID,“THAT YOUNG ALCATRAZ DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO STOP THE AFOREMENTIONED THEFT.” MY FATHER TURNED TO SEE KING DARTMOOR, WEARING HIS CROWN AND BLUE- GOLD ROBES, STANDING BEHIND HIM. THE KING NODDED TO ME.“PRINCE RIKERS HAS SPOKEN AT LENGTH OF THE EVENT, ATTICA. I BELIEVE THERE WILL BE A NOVEL FORTHCOMING.” WONDERFUL, I THOUGHT.“WELL,” MY FATHER SAID,“I GUESS... WELL, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING...”“WHAT IS THIS ABOUT GIVING EVERYONE TALENTS, ATTICA?” THE KING ASKED.“IS THAT REALLY WISE? FROM WHAT I HEAR, SMEDRY TALENTS CAN BE VERY UNPREDICTABLE.”“WE CAN CONTROL THEM,” MY FATHER SAID, WAVING ANOTHER INDIFFERENT HAND.“YOU KNOW HOW THE PEOPLE DREAM OF HAVING OUR POWERS. WELL, I WILL BE THE ONE TO MAKE THOSE DREAMS BECOME A REALITY.” SO THAT WAS WHAT IT WAS ABOUT. MY FATHER, SEALING HIS LEGACY. BEING THE HERO WHO MADE EVERYONE CAPABLE OF HAVING A TALENT. BUT IF EVERYONE HAD A SMEDRY TALENT... THEN, WELL, WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN FOR US? WE WOULDN’T BE THE ONLY ONES WITH TALENTS ANYMORE. THAT MADE ME FEEL A LITTLE SICK. YES, I KNOW IT IS SELFISH, BUT THAT’S HOW I FELT. I THINK THIS IS– PERHAPS– THE CAPSTONE OF THIS BOOK. AFTER ALL I’D BEEN THROUGH, AFTER ALL THE FIGHTING TO HELP",King Dartmoor,"Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight","TOOK A DEEP BREATH.(AND, NEXT TIME YOU THINK YOUR PARENTS ARE FRUSTRATING, MIGHT I INVITE YOU TO READ THIS PASSAGE THROUGH ONE MORE TIME?)“I BELIEVE,” A NEW VOICE SAID,“THAT YOUNG ALCATRAZ DID EVERYTHING HE COULD TO STOP THE AFOREMENTIONED THEFT.” MY FATHER TURNED TO SEE KING DARTMOOR, WEARING HIS CROWN AND BLUE- GOLD ROBES, STANDING BEHIND HIM. THE KING NODDED TO ME.“PRINCE RIKERS HAS SPOKEN AT LENGTH OF THE EVENT, ATTICA. I BELIEVE THERE WILL BE A NOVEL FORTHCOMING.” WONDERFUL, I THOUGHT.“WELL,” MY FATHER SAID,“I GUESS... WELL, THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING...”“WHAT IS THIS ABOUT GIVING EVERYONE TALENTS, ATTICA?” THE KING ASKED.“IS THAT REALLY WISE? FROM WHAT I HEAR, SMEDRY TALENTS CAN BE VERY UNPREDICTABLE.”“WE CAN CONTROL THEM,” MY FATHER SAID, WAVING ANOTHER INDIFFERENT HAND.“YOU KNOW HOW THE PEOPLE DREAM OF HAVING OUR POWERS. WELL, I WILL BE THE ONE TO MAKE THOSE DREAMS BECOME A REALITY.” SO THAT WAS WHAT IT WAS ABOUT. MY FATHER, SEALING HIS LEGACY. BEING THE HERO WHO MADE EVERYONE CAPABLE OF HAVING A TALENT. BUT IF EVERYONE HAD A SMEDRY TALENT... THEN, WELL, WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN FOR US? WE WOULDN’T BE THE ONLY ONES WITH TALENTS ANYMORE. THAT MADE ME FEEL A LITTLE SICK. YES, I KNOW IT IS SELFISH, BUT THAT’S HOW I FELT. I THINK THIS IS– PERHAPS– THE CAPSTONE OF THIS BOOK. AFTER ALL I’D BEEN THROUGH, AFTER ALL THE FIGHTING TO HELP:Previous Entities: |Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight| ::: “IS THAT REALLY WISE? ",King Dartmoor.M "sweetheart,'",47203,47211,True,1411:The other guard.M,"may appear, a simple apple seller.'' Fancy that.'' I am, in fact, a witch.' This did not make the impression she had hoped. The guards exchanged glances.' Fair enough,' said one.' I've always wondered what it was like to kiss a witch. Around here they do say you gets turned into a frog.' The other guard nudged him.' I reckon, then,' he said, in the slow, ripe tones of one who thinks that what he is about to say next is going to be incredibly funny,' you kissed one years ago.' The brief guffaw was suddenly interrupted when Magrat was flung against the wall and treated to a close up view of the guard's nostrils.' Now listen to me, sweetheart,' he said.' You ain't the first witch we've had down here, if witch you be, but you could be lucky and walk out again. If you are nice to us, d'you see?' There was a shrill, short scream from somewhere nearby.' That, you see,' said the guard,' was a witch having it the hard way. You could do us all a favour, see? Lucky you met us, really.' His questing hand stopped its wandering.' What's this?' he said to Magrat's pale face.' A knife? A knife? I reckon we've got to take that very seriously, don't you, Hron?'' You got to tie her hands and gag her,'",The other guard,"ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards","may appear, a simple apple seller.'' Fancy that.'' I am, in fact, a witch.' This did not make the impression she had hoped. The guards exchanged glances.' Fair enough,' said one.' I've always wondered what it was like to kiss a witch. Around here they do say you gets turned into a frog.' The other guard nudged him.' I reckon, then,' he said, in the slow, ripe tones of one who thinks that what he is about to say next is going to be incredibly funny,' you kissed one years ago.' The brief guffaw was suddenly interrupted when Magrat was flung against the wall and treated to a close up view of the guard's nostrils.' Now listen to me, sweetheart,' he said.' You ain't the first witch we've had down here, if witch you be, but you could be lucky and walk out again. If you are nice to us, d'you see?' There was a shrill, short scream from somewhere nearby.' That, you see,' said the guard,' was a witch having it the hard way. You could do us all a favour, see? Lucky you met us, really.' His questing hand stopped its wandering.' What's this?' he said to Magrat's pale face.' A knife? A knife? I reckon we've got to take that very seriously, don't you, Hron?'' You got to tie her hands and gag her,':Previous Entities: |ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards| ::: sweetheart,' ",The guard.M "I was tempted more than once to tell him I can't write two paragraphs without going into total mental and physical doglock— my heartbeat doubles,",12742,12824,True,444:Mike.?,"elemental cry- for- help way he might have been thinking about— but I phoned him every couple of weeks or so. Guy- talk, you know— How's it going, Not too bad, cold as a witch's tit, Yeah, here, too, You want to go down to Boston if I can get Bruins tickets, Maybe next year, pretty busy right now, Yeah, I know how that is, seeya, Mikey, Okay, Frank, keep your wee- wee in the teepee. Guy- talk. I'm pretty sure that once or twice he asked me if I was working on a new book, and I think I said— Oh, fuck it— that's a lie, okay? One so ingrown that now I'm even telling it to myself. He asked, all right, and I always said yeah, I was working on a new book, it was going good, real good. I was tempted more than once to tell him I can't write two paragraphs without going into total mental and physical doglock— my heartbeat doubles, then triples, I get short of breath and then start to pant, my eyes feel like they're going to pop out of my head and hang there on my cheeks. I'm like a claustrophobe in a sinking submarine. That's how it's going, thanks for asking, but I never did. I don't call for help. I can't call for help. I think I told you that. From my admittedly prejudiced standpoint, successful novelists— even modestly successful novelists— have got the best gig in the creative arts. It's true that people buy more CDS than books, go to more movies, and watch a lot more TV. But the arc of productivity is longer for novelists, perhaps because readers are a little brighter than fans of the non- written arts, and thus have marginally longer memories. David Soul of Starsky and Hutch is God knows",Mike,"a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike","elemental cry- for- help way he might have been thinking about— but I phoned him every couple of weeks or so. Guy- talk, you know— How's it going, Not too bad, cold as a witch's tit, Yeah, here, too, You want to go down to Boston if I can get Bruins tickets, Maybe next year, pretty busy right now, Yeah, I know how that is, seeya, Mikey, Okay, Frank, keep your wee- wee in the teepee. Guy- talk. I'm pretty sure that once or twice he asked me if I was working on a new book, and I think I said— Oh, fuck it— that's a lie, okay? One so ingrown that now I'm even telling it to myself. He asked, all right, and I always said yeah, I was working on a new book, it was going good, real good. I was tempted more than once to tell him I can't write two paragraphs without going into total mental and physical doglock— my heartbeat doubles, then triples, I get short of breath and then start to pant, my eyes feel like they're going to pop out of my head and hang there on my cheeks. I'm like a claustrophobe in a sinking submarine. That's how it's going, thanks for asking, but I never did. I don't call for help. I can't call for help. I think I told you that. From my admittedly prejudiced standpoint, successful novelists— even modestly successful novelists— have got the best gig in the creative arts. It's true that people buy more CDS than books, go to more movies, and watch a lot more TV. But the arc of productivity is longer for novelists, perhaps because readers are a little brighter than fans of the non- written arts, and thus have marginally longer memories. David Soul of Starsky and Hutch is God knows:Previous Entities: |a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike| ::: I was tempted more than once to tell him I can't write two paragraphs without going into total mental and physical doglock— my heartbeat doubles, ",Mike.M “It’s a girl!”,28503,28509,True,1276:No one.?,"all excited. No one was gasping with joy, saying,“It’s coming! It’s coming!” The egg was rocking now. Soren could see the little hole and the egg tooth, pale and glistening, poking out.“All right,” said the first Barred Owl in a cool voice.“Enough with that egg tooth. Let’s crack it.” And with that, the two Barred Owls gave solid thwacks with their talons. The egg split. Then one of the Barred Owls hooked the slimy white blob with its talon and firmly pulled it out while the other one turned the shell up.“Bottoms up!” the owl said crisply, and she dumped out the hatchling. Soren was so shocked he could barely breathe. No one exclaimed“It’s a girl!” No one said“adorable” or“enchanting.” No one said anything except“Number 401- 2.” The other Barred Owl nodded in response.“So we’re into the four hundred sequence with the Barn Owls, now.”“Yes, what an accomplishment,” sighed the one who had numbered this little owlet. Soren felt a rage. Accomplishment! This was the most horrid, despicable thing he had ever witnessed. A coldness that began in his gizzard seemed to creep through Soren from his new tail feathers up to his wing tips and down to his talons. He realized that he would rather see this little owl dead than alive in St. Aggie’s. They had to get out. He and Gylfie had to get out. They must learn to",No one,"the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one","all excited. No one was gasping with joy, saying,“It’s coming! It’s coming!” The egg was rocking now. Soren could see the little hole and the egg tooth, pale and glistening, poking out.“All right,” said the first Barred Owl in a cool voice.“Enough with that egg tooth. Let’s crack it.” And with that, the two Barred Owls gave solid thwacks with their talons. The egg split. Then one of the Barred Owls hooked the slimy white blob with its talon and firmly pulled it out while the other one turned the shell up.“Bottoms up!” the owl said crisply, and she dumped out the hatchling. Soren was so shocked he could barely breathe. No one exclaimed“It’s a girl!” No one said“adorable” or“enchanting.” No one said anything except“Number 401- 2.” The other Barred Owl nodded in response.“So we’re into the four hundred sequence with the Barn Owls, now.”“Yes, what an accomplishment,” sighed the one who had numbered this little owlet. Soren felt a rage. Accomplishment! This was the most horrid, despicable thing he had ever witnessed. A coldness that began in his gizzard seemed to creep through Soren from his new tail feathers up to his wing tips and down to his talons. He realized that he would rather see this little owl dead than alive in St. Aggie’s. They had to get out. He and Gylfie had to get out. They must learn to:Previous Entities: |the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one| ::: “It’s a girl!” ",Soren.M ' No more trees!',56648,56653,True,86:Lord Felmet.M,"time the duke looked baffled.' How will I do that?' he said.' Chop down the forests.'' But you said—'' Shut up, Felmet,' said the duchess. She subjected the Fool to another long, thoughtful stare.' Exactly how,' she said, eventually,' does one go about knocking over the houses of people one does not like?'' Urban clearance,' said the Fool.' I was thinking of burning them down.'' Hygienic urban clearance,' the Fool added promptly.' And sowing the ground with salt.'' Marry, I suspect that is hygienic urban clearance and a programme of environmental improvements. It might be a good idea to plant a few trees as well.'' No more trees!' shouted Felmet.' Oh, it's all right. They won't survive. The important thing is to have planted them.'' But I also want us to raise taxes,' said the duchess.' Why, nuncle—'' And I am not your nuncle.'' N'aunt?' said the Fool.' No.'' Why... prithee... you need to finance your ambitious programme for the country.'' Sorry?' said the duke, who was getting lost again.' He means that chopping down trees costs money,' said the duchess. She smiled at the Fool. It was the first time he had ever seen her look at him as if he was other than a disgusting little cockroach. There was",Lord Felmet,"the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards","time the duke looked baffled.' How will I do that?' he said.' Chop down the forests.'' But you said—'' Shut up, Felmet,' said the duchess. She subjected the Fool to another long, thoughtful stare.' Exactly how,' she said, eventually,' does one go about knocking over the houses of people one does not like?'' Urban clearance,' said the Fool.' I was thinking of burning them down.'' Hygienic urban clearance,' the Fool added promptly.' And sowing the ground with salt.'' Marry, I suspect that is hygienic urban clearance and a programme of environmental improvements. It might be a good idea to plant a few trees as well.'' No more trees!' shouted Felmet.' Oh, it's all right. They won't survive. The important thing is to have planted them.'' But I also want us to raise taxes,' said the duchess.' Why, nuncle—'' And I am not your nuncle.'' N'aunt?' said the Fool.' No.'' Why... prithee... you need to finance your ambitious programme for the country.'' Sorry?' said the duke, who was getting lost again.' He means that chopping down trees costs money,' said the duchess. She smiled at the Fool. It was the first time he had ever seen her look at him as if he was other than a disgusting little cockroach. There was:Previous Entities: |the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards| ::: ' No more trees!' ",Felmet.M Lord?”,49955,49967,True,1774:the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels.?,"in the dim silver light. And the smell— bitter cinnamon, unmistakable. There had been water dripping nearby. Their voices had echoed against the stone.“One day all of this will be gone,” the Lord Leto had said. Shocked, Moneo had asked:“What will the Guild and Bene Gesserit do then?”“What they are doing now, but more violently.” Staring around the gigantic room with its enormous store of melange, Moneo could only think of things he knew were happening in the Empire at that moment— bloody assassinations, piratical raids, spying and intrigue. The God Emperor kept a lid on the worst of it, but what remained was bad enough.“The temptation,” Moneo whispered.“The temptation, indeed.”“Will there be no more melange, ever, Lord?”“Someday, I will go back into the sand. I will be the source of spice then.”“You, Lord?”“And I will produce something just as wonderful— more sandtrout— a hybrid and a prolific breeder.” Trembling at this revelation, Moneo stared at the shadowy figure of the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels.“The sandtrout,” Lord Leto said,“will link themselves into large living bubbles to enclose this planet’s water deep underground. Just as it was in the Dune times.”“All of the water, Lord?”“Most of it. Within three hundred years, the sandworm once more will reign here. It will be a new kind of sandworm, I promise you.”“How is that",the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels,"the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels","in the dim silver light. And the smell— bitter cinnamon, unmistakable. There had been water dripping nearby. Their voices had echoed against the stone.“One day all of this will be gone,” the Lord Leto had said. Shocked, Moneo had asked:“What will the Guild and Bene Gesserit do then?”“What they are doing now, but more violently.” Staring around the gigantic room with its enormous store of melange, Moneo could only think of things he knew were happening in the Empire at that moment— bloody assassinations, piratical raids, spying and intrigue. The God Emperor kept a lid on the worst of it, but what remained was bad enough.“The temptation,” Moneo whispered.“The temptation, indeed.”“Will there be no more melange, ever, Lord?”“Someday, I will go back into the sand. I will be the source of spice then.”“You, Lord?”“And I will produce something just as wonderful— more sandtrout— a hybrid and a prolific breeder.” Trembling at this revelation, Moneo stared at the shadowy figure of the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels.“The sandtrout,” Lord Leto said,“will link themselves into large living bubbles to enclose this planet’s water deep underground. Just as it was in the Dune times.”“All of the water, Lord?”“Most of it. Within three hundred years, the sandworm once more will reign here. It will be a new kind of sandworm, I promise you.”“How is that:Previous Entities: |the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels| ::: Lord?” ",Moneo.M "whose kid drew the dinosaur?""",11515,11524,True,292:Alice Levin.F,"of 1980, one of the largest proteins known. Biological activity was still under study, but it seemed to be a neurotoxic poison related to cobra venom, although more primitive in structure. The lab also detected trace quantities of the gamma- amino metbionine hydrolase. Because this enzyme was a marker for genetic engineering, and not found in wild animals, technicians assumed it was a lab contaminant and did not report it when they called Dr, Cruz, the referring physician in Puntarenas. The lizard fragment rested in the freezer at Columbia University, awaiting the return of Dr. Simpson, who was not expected for at least a month. And so things might have remained, had not a technician named Alice Levin walked into the Tropical Diseases Laboratory, seen Tina Bowman's picture, and said,"" Oh, whose kid drew the dinosaur?"""" What?"" Richard Stone said, turning slowly toward her."" The dinosaur. Isn't that what it is? My kid draws them all the time."""" This is a lizard,"" Stone said."" From Costa Rica. Some girl down there drew a picture of it."""" No,"" Alice Levin said, shaking her head."" Look at it. It's very clear. Big head, long neck, stands on its hind legs, thick tail. It's a dinosaur."""" It can't be. It was only a foot tall."""" So? There were little dinosaurs back then,"" Alice said."" Believe me, I know. I have two boys, I'm an expert. The smallest dinosaurs",Alice Levin,"Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin","of 1980, one of the largest proteins known. Biological activity was still under study, but it seemed to be a neurotoxic poison related to cobra venom, although more primitive in structure. The lab also detected trace quantities of the gamma- amino metbionine hydrolase. Because this enzyme was a marker for genetic engineering, and not found in wild animals, technicians assumed it was a lab contaminant and did not report it when they called Dr, Cruz, the referring physician in Puntarenas. The lizard fragment rested in the freezer at Columbia University, awaiting the return of Dr. Simpson, who was not expected for at least a month. And so things might have remained, had not a technician named Alice Levin walked into the Tropical Diseases Laboratory, seen Tina Bowman's picture, and said,"" Oh, whose kid drew the dinosaur?"""" What?"" Richard Stone said, turning slowly toward her."" The dinosaur. Isn't that what it is? My kid draws them all the time."""" This is a lizard,"" Stone said."" From Costa Rica. Some girl down there drew a picture of it."""" No,"" Alice Levin said, shaking her head."" Look at it. It's very clear. Big head, long neck, stands on its hind legs, thick tail. It's a dinosaur."""" It can't be. It was only a foot tall."""" So? There were little dinosaurs back then,"" Alice said."" Believe me, I know. I have two boys, I'm an expert. The smallest dinosaurs:Previous Entities: |Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin| ::: whose kid drew the dinosaur?"" ",Alice Levin.F there were others who feared his coming.,47937,48092,True,1904:the mum.F,"saying,“it was Grank, the first collier, who became the ryb for King Hoole.” Hoole! He knew there was a connection.“Now, dears, you know, of course, how the legend of the coming of Hoole begins.” And for once Nyroc knew what the storyteller would say next. The words were among the most beautiful of any of the legends. Once upon a time, before there were kingdoms of owls, in a time of ever- raging wars, there was an owl born in the country of the North Waters and his name was Hoole… But now the mum was telling something he had never heard before. Was it part of the Fire Cycle or the Hatching Cycle stories? Her voice was lovely on this summer night.“But, young’uns, even before the great Hoole had been hatched, there were others who feared his coming. It was rumored that a hagsfiend from hagsmire had been sent to destroy the egg. The father of the hatchling Hoole had been murdered several days before the egg had hatched out. And with his dying breath, he said to his mate,‘ Seek out my old ryb, Grank, and he shall know what to do. There is no choice, my dear. You must give the egg to Grank. He shall care for it and raise the chick as if it were his own. These are dangerous times.’ And the mother knew that the father was right. It must be the hardest thing in the world for a mother to part with her young’un before it even hatched.”“Oh, Mum,” one of the little chicks interrupted,“you wouldn’t do that to us, would you?”“If it meant you would die if I did not give you up, I would certainly do it.” Nyroc could hardly believe what he was hearing. This was a part of the cycle he knew nothing of. That Hoole was taken from his mother and raised by Grank.“So, what happened?” said another voice.“Did the hatchling learn how to be a collier like Grank?”“Soren’s a collier, isn’t he?” said another. Now Nyroc stood straight up, as straight as he could in the cramped hollow of the old stump. Soren… a collier! They’re talking about Soren",the mum,"the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum","saying,“it was Grank, the first collier, who became the ryb for King Hoole.” Hoole! He knew there was a connection.“Now, dears, you know, of course, how the legend of the coming of Hoole begins.” And for once Nyroc knew what the storyteller would say next. The words were among the most beautiful of any of the legends. Once upon a time, before there were kingdoms of owls, in a time of ever- raging wars, there was an owl born in the country of the North Waters and his name was Hoole… But now the mum was telling something he had never heard before. Was it part of the Fire Cycle or the Hatching Cycle stories? Her voice was lovely on this summer night.“But, young’uns, even before the great Hoole had been hatched, there were others who feared his coming. It was rumored that a hagsfiend from hagsmire had been sent to destroy the egg. The father of the hatchling Hoole had been murdered several days before the egg had hatched out. And with his dying breath, he said to his mate,‘ Seek out my old ryb, Grank, and he shall know what to do. There is no choice, my dear. You must give the egg to Grank. He shall care for it and raise the chick as if it were his own. These are dangerous times.’ And the mother knew that the father was right. It must be the hardest thing in the world for a mother to part with her young’un before it even hatched.”“Oh, Mum,” one of the little chicks interrupted,“you wouldn’t do that to us, would you?”“If it meant you would die if I did not give you up, I would certainly do it.” Nyroc could hardly believe what he was hearing. This was a part of the cycle he knew nothing of. That Hoole was taken from his mother and raised by Grank.“So, what happened?” said another voice.“Did the hatchling learn how to be a collier like Grank?”“Soren’s a collier, isn’t he?” said another. Now Nyroc stood straight up, as straight as he could in the cramped hollow of the old stump. Soren… a collier! They’re talking about Soren:Previous Entities: |the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum| ::: there were others who feared his coming. ","Nyroc.M Mum.F Grank.M Hoole.M Soren.M" “Understood.”,17221,17224,True,332:Captain.F,"ship just called the wasteland“Hades.”“Captain, what are your orders?” Jordan asked. The transmission replayed over and over in her mind. Damn it, how could Willis have been such a fool? Sure, every captain knew that Hades was home to Industrial Tech Corporation, the company that had designed and built their airships, and that its headquarters was a gold mine of power cells and repair parts. But as with all great treasure troves, Hades was cursed.“Cancel my visit to the lower decks, Jordan,” she said.“I won’t be visiting today.”“Aye, Captain.” As Jordan turned to leave, she added,“Get me Samson and X. I need to see both of them, ASAP.”“Understood.” Ash sank back in her chair as Jordan loped up the stairs. She didn’t know what desperation had driven Willis to Hades. But even if Ash could fix the Hive, she wasn’t sure there was anything she could do to save Ares. FOUR Commander Rick Weaver shifted in and out of consciousness. The closer he came to reality, the more he wanted to stay asleep. In his fragmented dreams, he was still with his family aboard Ares. He could still see his wife, Jennifer, and the freckled faces of his daughters, Kayla and Cassie, standing in the crowd of family members in the launch bay.“Promise me you’re coming back,” Jennifer said. He gazed into those green eyes for a moment.“I promise, baby.”",Captain,"his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer","ship just called the wasteland“Hades.”“Captain, what are your orders?” Jordan asked. The transmission replayed over and over in her mind. Damn it, how could Willis have been such a fool? Sure, every captain knew that Hades was home to Industrial Tech Corporation, the company that had designed and built their airships, and that its headquarters was a gold mine of power cells and repair parts. But as with all great treasure troves, Hades was cursed.“Cancel my visit to the lower decks, Jordan,” she said.“I won’t be visiting today.”“Aye, Captain.” As Jordan turned to leave, she added,“Get me Samson and X. I need to see both of them, ASAP.”“Understood.” Ash sank back in her chair as Jordan loped up the stairs. She didn’t know what desperation had driven Willis to Hades. But even if Ash could fix the Hive, she wasn’t sure there was anything she could do to save Ares. FOUR Commander Rick Weaver shifted in and out of consciousness. The closer he came to reality, the more he wanted to stay asleep. In his fragmented dreams, he was still with his family aboard Ares. He could still see his wife, Jennifer, and the freckled faces of his daughters, Kayla and Cassie, standing in the crowd of family members in the launch bay.“Promise me you’re coming back,” Jennifer said. He gazed into those green eyes for a moment.“I promise, baby.”:Previous Entities: |his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer| ::: “Understood.” ",Jordan.F before Disapparating to the safe location we have picked out for you.,11652,11724,True,277:Dedalus.M,"!”“Thanks, Dedalus,” said Harry, bestowing a small and embarrassed smile upon the dark- haired Hestia.“It’s really good of you to do this.… They’re through here, my aunt and uncle and cousin.…”“Good day to you, Harry Potter’s relatives!” said Dedalus happily, striding into the living room. The Dursleys did not look at all happy to be addressed thus; Harry half expected another change of mind. Dudley shrank nearer to his mother at the sight of the witch and wizard.“I see you are packed and ready. Excellent! The plan, as Harry has told you, is a simple one,” said Dedalus, pulling an immense pocket watch out of his waistcoat and examining it.“We shall be leaving before Harry does. Due to the danger of using magic in your house— Harry being still underage, it could provide the Ministry with an excuse to arrest him— we shall be driving, say, ten miles or so, before Disapparating to the safe location we have picked out for you. You know how to drive, I take it?” he asked Uncle Vernon politely.“Know how to—? Of course I ruddy well know how to drive!” spluttered Uncle Vernon.“Very clever of you, sir, very clever, I personally would be utterly bamboozled by all those buttons and knobs,” said Dedalus. He was clearly under the impression that he was flattering Vernon Dursley, who was visibly losing confidence in the plan with every word Dedalus spoke.“Can’t even drive,” he muttered under his breath, his mustache rippling indignantly, but fortunately neither Dedalus nor Hestia seemed to hear him.“You, Harry,” Dedalus continued,“will wait here for your guard. There has been a little change in the arrangements—”“What d’you mean?” said Harry at once.",Dedalus,"the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus","!”“Thanks, Dedalus,” said Harry, bestowing a small and embarrassed smile upon the dark- haired Hestia.“It’s really good of you to do this.… They’re through here, my aunt and uncle and cousin.…”“Good day to you, Harry Potter’s relatives!” said Dedalus happily, striding into the living room. The Dursleys did not look at all happy to be addressed thus; Harry half expected another change of mind. Dudley shrank nearer to his mother at the sight of the witch and wizard.“I see you are packed and ready. Excellent! The plan, as Harry has told you, is a simple one,” said Dedalus, pulling an immense pocket watch out of his waistcoat and examining it.“We shall be leaving before Harry does. Due to the danger of using magic in your house— Harry being still underage, it could provide the Ministry with an excuse to arrest him— we shall be driving, say, ten miles or so, before Disapparating to the safe location we have picked out for you. You know how to drive, I take it?” he asked Uncle Vernon politely.“Know how to—? Of course I ruddy well know how to drive!” spluttered Uncle Vernon.“Very clever of you, sir, very clever, I personally would be utterly bamboozled by all those buttons and knobs,” said Dedalus. He was clearly under the impression that he was flattering Vernon Dursley, who was visibly losing confidence in the plan with every word Dedalus spoke.“Can’t even drive,” he muttered under his breath, his mustache rippling indignantly, but fortunately neither Dedalus nor Hestia seemed to hear him.“You, Harry,” Dedalus continued,“will wait here for your guard. There has been a little change in the arrangements—”“What d’you mean?” said Harry at once.:Previous Entities: |the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus| ::: before Disapparating to the safe location we have picked out for you. ",Dedalus.M And who now has a High Lord’s son as a mate.”,178479,178512,True,294:Nolan.?,", and Nesta and I closed ranks around Elain as he took a step toward us,“that you could come to my house and deceive me with your faerie magic?” Rhys said,“We don’t care what you believe. We only come to ask you to help those who can not defend themselves.”“At what gain? What risk of your own?”“You have an arsenal of ash weapons,” I said.“I’d think the risk to us is apparent.”“And to your sister as well,” Nolan spat toward Elain.“Don’t forget to include her.”“Any weapon can hurt a mortal,” Mor said blandly.“But she isn’t a mortal, is she?” Nolan sneered.“No, I have it on good authority that it was Elain Archeron who was turned Fae first. And who now has a High Lord’s son as a mate.”“And who, exactly, told you this?” Rhys said with a lift of the brow, not showing one ounce of ire, of surprise. Steps sounded. But we all went for our weapons as Jurian strolled into the guardhouse and said,“I did.” CHAPTER 53 Jurian held up his tanned hands, new calluses dotting his palms and fingers. New— for the remade body he’d had to train to handle weapons these months.“I came alone,” Jurian said.“You can stop snarling.” Elain began shaking— either at the truth revealed, or the memories that pelted her, pelted Nesta, at the sight of him. Jurian inclined his head to my sisters.“Ladies.”“They are no ladies,” Lord",Nolan,"Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan",", and Nesta and I closed ranks around Elain as he took a step toward us,“that you could come to my house and deceive me with your faerie magic?” Rhys said,“We don’t care what you believe. We only come to ask you to help those who can not defend themselves.”“At what gain? What risk of your own?”“You have an arsenal of ash weapons,” I said.“I’d think the risk to us is apparent.”“And to your sister as well,” Nolan spat toward Elain.“Don’t forget to include her.”“Any weapon can hurt a mortal,” Mor said blandly.“But she isn’t a mortal, is she?” Nolan sneered.“No, I have it on good authority that it was Elain Archeron who was turned Fae first. And who now has a High Lord’s son as a mate.”“And who, exactly, told you this?” Rhys said with a lift of the brow, not showing one ounce of ire, of surprise. Steps sounded. But we all went for our weapons as Jurian strolled into the guardhouse and said,“I did.” CHAPTER 53 Jurian held up his tanned hands, new calluses dotting his palms and fingers. New— for the remade body he’d had to train to handle weapons these months.“I came alone,” Jurian said.“You can stop snarling.” Elain began shaking— either at the truth revealed, or the memories that pelted her, pelted Nesta, at the sight of him. Jurian inclined his head to my sisters.“Ladies.”“They are no ladies,” Lord:Previous Entities: |Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan| ::: And who now has a High Lord’s son as a mate.” ","Rhys.M Elain.F Nolan.M Mor.F Jurian.M" They're,100349,100360,True,1403:The guards.?,"'re not having that. There's no mysterious returned heirs in this kingdom. Guards– take him.' Granny Weatherwax held up a hand. The soldiers lurched from foot to foot, uncertainly.' She's a witch, isn't she?' said one of them, tentatively.' Certainly,' said the duchess. The guards shifted uneasily.' We seen where they turn people into newts,' said one.' And then shipwreck them.'' Yeah, and alarum the divers.'' Yeah.'' We ought to talk about this. We ought to get extra for witches.'' She could do anything to us, look. She could be a drabe, even.'' Don't be foolish,' said the duchess.' Witches don't do that sort of thing. They're just stories to frighten people.' The guard shook his head.' It looked pretty convincing to me.'' Of course it did, it was meant—' the duchess began. She sighed, and snatched a spear out of the guard's hand.' I'll show you the power of these witches,' she said, and hurled it at Granny's face. Granny moved her hand across at snakebite speed and caught the spear just behind the head.' So,' she said,' and it comes to this, does it?'' You don't frighten me, wyrd sisters,' said the duchess. Granny stared her in the eye for a few seconds. She gave a grunt of surprise.' You're right,' she said",The guards,"Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge","'re not having that. There's no mysterious returned heirs in this kingdom. Guards– take him.' Granny Weatherwax held up a hand. The soldiers lurched from foot to foot, uncertainly.' She's a witch, isn't she?' said one of them, tentatively.' Certainly,' said the duchess. The guards shifted uneasily.' We seen where they turn people into newts,' said one.' And then shipwreck them.'' Yeah, and alarum the divers.'' Yeah.'' We ought to talk about this. We ought to get extra for witches.'' She could do anything to us, look. She could be a drabe, even.'' Don't be foolish,' said the duchess.' Witches don't do that sort of thing. They're just stories to frighten people.' The guard shook his head.' It looked pretty convincing to me.'' Of course it did, it was meant—' the duchess began. She sighed, and snatched a spear out of the guard's hand.' I'll show you the power of these witches,' she said, and hurled it at Granny's face. Granny moved her hand across at snakebite speed and caught the spear just behind the head.' So,' she said,' and it comes to this, does it?'' You don't frighten me, wyrd sisters,' said the duchess. Granny stared her in the eye for a few seconds. She gave a grunt of surprise.' You're right,' she said:Previous Entities: |Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge| ::: They're ","Granny Weatherwax. The Duchess. The guard. Another guard." "certified to have come from Sietch Tabr,",17158,17171,True,1172:Another.?,"as though he looked about him, seeing with his empty eye sockets the foppish city dwellers, some of them Fremen, with garments which simulated stillsuits but were only decorative fabrics, seeing the eager pilgrims fresh off the Guild space transports and awaiting that first step on the devotion which would ensure them a place in paradise. The landing was a noisy place: there were Mahdi Spirit Cultists in green robes and carrying live hawks trained to screech a"" call to heaven."" Food was being sold by shouting vendors. Many things were being offered for sale, the voices shouting in competitive stridence: there was the Dune Tarot with its booklets of commentaries imprinted on shigawire. One vendor had exotic bits of cloth"" guaranteed to have been touched by Muad'Dib himself!"" Another had vials of water"" certified to have come from Sietch Tabr, where Muad'Dib lived."" Through it all there were conversations in a hundred or more dialects of Galach interspersed with harsh gutturals and squeaks of outrine languages which were gathered under the Holy Imperium. Face dancers and little people from the suspected artisan planets of the Tleilaxu bounced and gyrated through the throng in bright clothing. There were lean faces and fat, water- rich faces. The susurration of nervous feet came from the gritty plasteel which formed the wide steps. And occasionally a keening voice would rise out of the cacophony in prayer--"" Mua- a- a- ad'Dib! Mua- a- a- ad'Dib! Greet my soul's entreaty! You, who are God's anointed, greet my soul! Mua- a- a- ad'Dib!"" Nearby among the pilgrims, two mummers played for a",Another,"Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother","as though he looked about him, seeing with his empty eye sockets the foppish city dwellers, some of them Fremen, with garments which simulated stillsuits but were only decorative fabrics, seeing the eager pilgrims fresh off the Guild space transports and awaiting that first step on the devotion which would ensure them a place in paradise. The landing was a noisy place: there were Mahdi Spirit Cultists in green robes and carrying live hawks trained to screech a"" call to heaven."" Food was being sold by shouting vendors. Many things were being offered for sale, the voices shouting in competitive stridence: there was the Dune Tarot with its booklets of commentaries imprinted on shigawire. One vendor had exotic bits of cloth"" guaranteed to have been touched by Muad'Dib himself!"" Another had vials of water"" certified to have come from Sietch Tabr, where Muad'Dib lived."" Through it all there were conversations in a hundred or more dialects of Galach interspersed with harsh gutturals and squeaks of outrine languages which were gathered under the Holy Imperium. Face dancers and little people from the suspected artisan planets of the Tleilaxu bounced and gyrated through the throng in bright clothing. There were lean faces and fat, water- rich faces. The susurration of nervous feet came from the gritty plasteel which formed the wide steps. And occasionally a keening voice would rise out of the cacophony in prayer--"" Mua- a- a- ad'Dib! Mua- a- a- ad'Dib! Greet my soul's entreaty! You, who are God's anointed, greet my soul! Mua- a- a- ad'Dib!"" Nearby among the pilgrims, two mummers played for a:Previous Entities: |Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother| ::: certified to have come from Sietch Tabr, ",Vendor.F “Buy breast implants.”,106900,106905,True,480:Georgia.F,"was an exhausting morning, and she had canceled two appointments. Now she had to try and reschedule the clients. Georgia went into the office, set the bag of needles on the floor, and started dialing. The office manager, Florence, walked by and saw the bag.“Wow,” she said.“Aren’t you a little old for this?”“It’s not me,” Georgia said irritably.“Then… not your daughter?” Georgia nodded.“Yeah.”“It’s that Dr. Vandickien,” Florence said.“Who?”“Down in Miami. These teenage girls take hormones, pump up their ovaries, sell their eggs to him, and pocket the money.”“And do what?” Georgia said.“Buy breast implants.” Georgia sighed.“Great,” she said.“Just great.” She wanted her husband to talk to Jennifer, but unfortunately, Rob was on a flight to Ohio, where they were making a TV segment about him. That discussion— which was sure to be fiery— would have to wait. CH063 R iding the underground tram from the Senate Office Building to the Senate Dining Room, Senator Robert Wilson(D- Vermont) turned to Senator Dianne Feinstein(D- California) and said,“I think we ought to be more proactive on this genetic thing. For example, we should consider a law that would prevent young women from selling their eggs for profit.”“Young girls already doing that, Bob,” Feinstein said.“They sell their",Georgia,"Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry","was an exhausting morning, and she had canceled two appointments. Now she had to try and reschedule the clients. Georgia went into the office, set the bag of needles on the floor, and started dialing. The office manager, Florence, walked by and saw the bag.“Wow,” she said.“Aren’t you a little old for this?”“It’s not me,” Georgia said irritably.“Then… not your daughter?” Georgia nodded.“Yeah.”“It’s that Dr. Vandickien,” Florence said.“Who?”“Down in Miami. These teenage girls take hormones, pump up their ovaries, sell their eggs to him, and pocket the money.”“And do what?” Georgia said.“Buy breast implants.” Georgia sighed.“Great,” she said.“Just great.” She wanted her husband to talk to Jennifer, but unfortunately, Rob was on a flight to Ohio, where they were making a TV segment about him. That discussion— which was sure to be fiery— would have to wait. CH063 R iding the underground tram from the Senate Office Building to the Senate Dining Room, Senator Robert Wilson(D- Vermont) turned to Senator Dianne Feinstein(D- California) and said,“I think we ought to be more proactive on this genetic thing. For example, we should consider a law that would prevent young women from selling their eggs for profit.”“Young girls already doing that, Bob,” Feinstein said.“They sell their:Previous Entities: |Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry| ::: “Buy breast implants.” ",Georgia.F “Yes.”,17269,17272,True,746:The secretary.M,"Carrot, Carrot,” he said.“I’ve heard the name before. Seen it written down.” His face went blank.“The volunteer, that was it! Remember me showing you?” Vimes stared at him.“Wasn’t there a letter from, I don’t know, some dwarf—?”“All about serving the community and keeping the streets safe, that’s right. Begging that his son would be found suitable for a humble position in the Watch.” The secretary was rummaging among his files.“What’d he done?” said Vimes.“Nothing. That was it. Not a blessed thing.” Vimes’s brow creased as his thoughts shaped themselves around a new concept.“A volunteer?” he said.“Yes.”“He didn’t have to join?”“He wanted to join. And you said it must be a joke, and I said we ought to try and get more ethnic minorities into the Watch. You remember?” Vimes tried to. It wasn’t easy. He was vaguely aware that he drank to forget. What made it rather pointless was that he couldn’t remember what it was he was forgetting anymore. In the end he just drank to forget about drinking. A trawl of the chaotic assortment of recollections that he didn’t even try to dignify anymore by the name of memory produced no clue.“Do I?” he said helplessly. Wonse folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward.“Now look, Captain,” he said.“",The secretary,"Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary","Carrot, Carrot,” he said.“I’ve heard the name before. Seen it written down.” His face went blank.“The volunteer, that was it! Remember me showing you?” Vimes stared at him.“Wasn’t there a letter from, I don’t know, some dwarf—?”“All about serving the community and keeping the streets safe, that’s right. Begging that his son would be found suitable for a humble position in the Watch.” The secretary was rummaging among his files.“What’d he done?” said Vimes.“Nothing. That was it. Not a blessed thing.” Vimes’s brow creased as his thoughts shaped themselves around a new concept.“A volunteer?” he said.“Yes.”“He didn’t have to join?”“He wanted to join. And you said it must be a joke, and I said we ought to try and get more ethnic minorities into the Watch. You remember?” Vimes tried to. It wasn’t easy. He was vaguely aware that he drank to forget. What made it rather pointless was that he couldn’t remember what it was he was forgetting anymore. In the end he just drank to forget about drinking. A trawl of the chaotic assortment of recollections that he didn’t even try to dignify anymore by the name of memory produced no clue.“Do I?” he said helplessly. Wonse folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward.“Now look, Captain,” he said.“:Previous Entities: |Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary| ::: “Yes.” ",Vimes.M that man.”,42688,42729,True,223:Cut -.?,"- own- Throat. He unscrewed the lid from a jar of vivid green ointment and thrust it under Vimes’s nose.“Made from over fifty different rare spices and herbs to a recipe known only to a bunch of ancient monks what live on some mountain somewhere. One dollar a jar, and I’m cutting my own throat. It’s a public service, really,” he added piously.“You’ve got to hand it to those ancient monks, brewing it up so quickly,” said Vimes.“Clever buggers,” agreed Cut- me- own- Throat.“I must be all that meditation and yak yogurt.”“So what’s happening, Throat?” said Vimes.“Who’re all the guys with the big swords?”“Dragon hunters, Cap’n. The Patrician announced a reward of fifty thousand dollars to anyone who brings him the dragon’s head. Not attached to the dragon, either; he’s no fool, that man.”“What?”“That’s what he said. It’s all written on posters.”“Fifty thousand dollars!”“Not chicken feed, eh?”“More like dragon fodder,” said Vimes. It’d bring trouble, you mark his words.“I’m amazed you’re not grabbing a sword and joining in.”“I’m more in what you might call the service sector, Cap’n.” Throat looked both ways conspiratorially, and then passed Vimes a slip of parchment. It said: Anti- dragon mirror shields A$ 500 Portable lair detectors A$ 250 Dragon- piercing arrows A$ 100 per each Shovels A$ 5 Picks A$ 5 Sacks A$ 1 Vimes handed it back.“Why the sacks?” he said.“On account of the",Cut -,"Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -","- own- Throat. He unscrewed the lid from a jar of vivid green ointment and thrust it under Vimes’s nose.“Made from over fifty different rare spices and herbs to a recipe known only to a bunch of ancient monks what live on some mountain somewhere. One dollar a jar, and I’m cutting my own throat. It’s a public service, really,” he added piously.“You’ve got to hand it to those ancient monks, brewing it up so quickly,” said Vimes.“Clever buggers,” agreed Cut- me- own- Throat.“I must be all that meditation and yak yogurt.”“So what’s happening, Throat?” said Vimes.“Who’re all the guys with the big swords?”“Dragon hunters, Cap’n. The Patrician announced a reward of fifty thousand dollars to anyone who brings him the dragon’s head. Not attached to the dragon, either; he’s no fool, that man.”“What?”“That’s what he said. It’s all written on posters.”“Fifty thousand dollars!”“Not chicken feed, eh?”“More like dragon fodder,” said Vimes. It’d bring trouble, you mark his words.“I’m amazed you’re not grabbing a sword and joining in.”“I’m more in what you might call the service sector, Cap’n.” Throat looked both ways conspiratorially, and then passed Vimes a slip of parchment. It said: Anti- dragon mirror shields A$ 500 Portable lair detectors A$ 250 Dragon- piercing arrows A$ 100 per each Shovels A$ 5 Picks A$ 5 Sacks A$ 1 Vimes handed it back.“Why the sacks?” he said.“On account of the:Previous Entities: |Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -| ::: that man.” ",Cut-me-own-Throat.M "” I demand,",68007,68011,True,159:Rafi.M,"’s the use of the experiments at all, except to convince the right people that the government is doing something to make all our lives better, even though it’s not?” The truth changes everything— isn’t that why Tris was so desperate to get the Edith Prior video shown that she allied herself with my father to do it? She knew that the truth, whatever it was, would change our struggle, would shift our priorities forever. And here, now, a lie has changed the struggle, a lie has shifted priorities forever. Instead of working against the poverty or crime that have run rampant over this country, these people have chosen to work against genetic damage.“Why? Why spend so much time and energy fighting something that isn’t really a problem?” I demand, suddenly frustrated.“Well, the people fighting it now probably fight it because they have been taught that it is a problem. That’s another thing that Rafi showed me— examples of the propaganda the government released about genetic damage,” Nita says.“But initially? I don’t know. It’s probably a dozen things. Prejudice against GDs? Control, maybe? Control the genetically damaged population by teaching them that there’s something wrong with them, and control the genetically pure population by teaching them that they’re healed and whole? These things don’t happen overnight, and they don’t happen for just one reason.” I lean the side of my head against the cold window and close my eyes. There is too much information buzzing in my brain to focus on",Rafi,"his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi","’s the use of the experiments at all, except to convince the right people that the government is doing something to make all our lives better, even though it’s not?” The truth changes everything— isn’t that why Tris was so desperate to get the Edith Prior video shown that she allied herself with my father to do it? She knew that the truth, whatever it was, would change our struggle, would shift our priorities forever. And here, now, a lie has changed the struggle, a lie has shifted priorities forever. Instead of working against the poverty or crime that have run rampant over this country, these people have chosen to work against genetic damage.“Why? Why spend so much time and energy fighting something that isn’t really a problem?” I demand, suddenly frustrated.“Well, the people fighting it now probably fight it because they have been taught that it is a problem. That’s another thing that Rafi showed me— examples of the propaganda the government released about genetic damage,” Nita says.“But initially? I don’t know. It’s probably a dozen things. Prejudice against GDs? Control, maybe? Control the genetically damaged population by teaching them that there’s something wrong with them, and control the genetically pure population by teaching them that they’re healed and whole? These things don’t happen overnight, and they don’t happen for just one reason.” I lean the side of my head against the cold window and close my eyes. There is too much information buzzing in my brain to focus on:Previous Entities: |his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi| ::: ” I demand, ",Nita.F wicked trap for me?”,49079,49091,True,1432:the faerie in the birch glen.?,"it had been crafted from dried, weatherworn bone, its skin either forgotten or discarded, a lipless mouth and too- long teeth held by blackened gums, slitted holes for nostrils, and eyes… eyes that were nothing more than swirling pits of milky white— the white of death, the white of sickness, the white of clean- picked corpses. Peeking above the ragged neck of its dark robes was a body of veins and bones, as dried and solid and horrific as the texture of its face. It let go of the snare, and its too- long fingers clicked against each other as it studied me.“Human,” it said, and its voice was at once one and many, old and young, beautiful and grotesque. My bowels turned watery.“Did you set this clever, wicked trap for me?”“Are you one of the Suriel?” I asked again, my words scarcely more than a ragged breath.“Indeed I am.” Click, click, click went its fingers against each other, one for each word.“Then the trap was for you,” I managed. Run, run, run. It remained sitting, its bare, gnarled feet caught in my snares.“I have not seen a human woman for an age. Come closer so I might look upon my captor.” I did no such thing. It let out a huffing, awful laugh.“And which of my brethren betrayed my secrets to you?”“None of them. My mother told me stories of you.”“Lies— I can smell the lies",the faerie in the birch glen,"Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen","it had been crafted from dried, weatherworn bone, its skin either forgotten or discarded, a lipless mouth and too- long teeth held by blackened gums, slitted holes for nostrils, and eyes… eyes that were nothing more than swirling pits of milky white— the white of death, the white of sickness, the white of clean- picked corpses. Peeking above the ragged neck of its dark robes was a body of veins and bones, as dried and solid and horrific as the texture of its face. It let go of the snare, and its too- long fingers clicked against each other as it studied me.“Human,” it said, and its voice was at once one and many, old and young, beautiful and grotesque. My bowels turned watery.“Did you set this clever, wicked trap for me?”“Are you one of the Suriel?” I asked again, my words scarcely more than a ragged breath.“Indeed I am.” Click, click, click went its fingers against each other, one for each word.“Then the trap was for you,” I managed. Run, run, run. It remained sitting, its bare, gnarled feet caught in my snares.“I have not seen a human woman for an age. Come closer so I might look upon my captor.” I did no such thing. It let out a huffing, awful laugh.“And which of my brethren betrayed my secrets to you?”“None of them. My mother told me stories of you.”“Lies— I can smell the lies:Previous Entities: |Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen| ::: wicked trap for me?” ",This beast.M don’t we?”,10141,10162,True,749:the praetor.F,"“I’m not supposed to exist. And even if your camp had children of Minerva—”“They wouldn’t be like you,” Reyna said.“They might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisers, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests.” Annabeth started to object that she wasn’t the leader of the quest. Not officially. But she wondered if her friends on the Argo II would agree. The past few days, they had been looking to her for orders— even Jason, who could have pulled rank as the son of Jupiter, and Coach Hedge, who didn’t take orders from anyone.“There’s more.” Reyna snapped her fingers, and her golden dog, Aurum, trotted over. The praetor stroked his ears.“The harpy Ella… it was a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, don’t we?” Annabeth swallowed. Something about Aurum’s ruby eyes made her uneasy. She had heard that dogs could smell fear, even detect changes in a human’s breathing and heartbeat. She didn’t know if that applied to magical metal dogs, but she decided it would be better to tell the truth.“It sounded like a prophecy,” she admitted.“But I’ve never met Ella before today, and I’ve never heard those lines exactly.”“I have,” Reyna murmured.“At least some of them—” A few yards away, the silver dog barked. A group of children spilled out of a nearby alleyway and gathered around Argentum, petting the dog and laughing, unfazed by its razor- sharp teeth.“We should move on,”",the praetor,"Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor","“I’m not supposed to exist. And even if your camp had children of Minerva—”“They wouldn’t be like you,” Reyna said.“They might be craftsmen, artists, maybe advisers, but not warriors. Not leaders of dangerous quests.” Annabeth started to object that she wasn’t the leader of the quest. Not officially. But she wondered if her friends on the Argo II would agree. The past few days, they had been looking to her for orders— even Jason, who could have pulled rank as the son of Jupiter, and Coach Hedge, who didn’t take orders from anyone.“There’s more.” Reyna snapped her fingers, and her golden dog, Aurum, trotted over. The praetor stroked his ears.“The harpy Ella… it was a prophecy she spoke. We both know that, don’t we?” Annabeth swallowed. Something about Aurum’s ruby eyes made her uneasy. She had heard that dogs could smell fear, even detect changes in a human’s breathing and heartbeat. She didn’t know if that applied to magical metal dogs, but she decided it would be better to tell the truth.“It sounded like a prophecy,” she admitted.“But I’ve never met Ella before today, and I’ve never heard those lines exactly.”“I have,” Reyna murmured.“At least some of them—” A few yards away, the silver dog barked. A group of children spilled out of a nearby alleyway and gathered around Argentum, petting the dog and laughing, unfazed by its razor- sharp teeth.“We should move on,”:Previous Entities: |Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor| ::: don’t we?” ",Reyna.F Sounds like a chest infection.',78013,78031,True,2391:the playmaster.?,"mankind, and everything. Lots of smoke and green light. You could do a lot with three witches. It was surprising no- one had thought of it before.' So we can tell this Fool that we'll do it, can we?' said Vitoller, his hand on the bag of silver. And of course you couldn't go wrong with a good storm. And there was the ghost routine that Vitoller had cut out of Please Yourself, saying they couldn't afford the muslin. And perhaps he could put Death in, too. Young Dafe would make a damn good Death, with white makeup and platform soles...' How far away did he say he'd come from?' he said.' The Ramtops,' said the playmaster.' Some little kingdom no- one has ever heard of. Sounds like a chest infection.'' It'd take months to get there.'' I'd like to go, anyway,' said Tomjon.' That's where I was born.' Vitoller looked at the ceiling. Hwel looked at the floor. Anything was better, just at that moment, than looking at each other's face.' That's what you said,' said the boy.' When you did a tour of the mountains, you said.'' Yes, but I can't remember where,' said Vitoller.' All those little mountain towns looked the same to me. We spent more time pushing the lattys across rivers and dragging them up hills than we ever did on the stage.'' I could take some of the younger lads and we could make a",the playmaster,the playmaster,"mankind, and everything. Lots of smoke and green light. You could do a lot with three witches. It was surprising no- one had thought of it before.' So we can tell this Fool that we'll do it, can we?' said Vitoller, his hand on the bag of silver. And of course you couldn't go wrong with a good storm. And there was the ghost routine that Vitoller had cut out of Please Yourself, saying they couldn't afford the muslin. And perhaps he could put Death in, too. Young Dafe would make a damn good Death, with white makeup and platform soles...' How far away did he say he'd come from?' he said.' The Ramtops,' said the playmaster.' Some little kingdom no- one has ever heard of. Sounds like a chest infection.'' It'd take months to get there.'' I'd like to go, anyway,' said Tomjon.' That's where I was born.' Vitoller looked at the ceiling. Hwel looked at the floor. Anything was better, just at that moment, than looking at each other's face.' That's what you said,' said the boy.' When you did a tour of the mountains, you said.'' Yes, but I can't remember where,' said Vitoller.' All those little mountain towns looked the same to me. We spent more time pushing the lattys across rivers and dragging them up hills than we ever did on the stage.'' I could take some of the younger lads and we could make a:Previous Entities: |the playmaster| ::: Sounds like a chest infection.' ",playmaster. M "and Ginny Weasley flew into him,",137704,137778,True,2189:the commentator.?,"up giving them instructions,’ said Harry angrily.‘ Just get up by the goalposts!’ Once McLaggen had marched off, Harry turned to Coote and Peakes.‘ Make sure you do fly out of the sun,’ he told them grudgingly. He shook hands with the Hufflepuff Captain, and then, on Madam Hooch’s whistle, kicked off and rose into the air, higher than the rest of his team, streaking around the pitch in search of the Snitch. If he could catch it good and early, there might be a chance he could get back up to the castle, seize the Marauder’s Map and find out what Malfoy was doing…‘ And that’s Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle,’ said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds.‘ He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose– it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he’s playing them– oh, look, he’s lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she’s very nice…’ Harry stared down at the commentator’s podium. Surely, nobody in their right mind would have let Luna Lovegood commentate? But even from above there was no mistaking that long, dirty- blonde hair, or the necklace of Butterbeer corks… Beside Luna, Professor McGonagall was looking slightly uncomfortable, as though she was indeed having second thoughts about this appointment.‘… but now that big Hufflepuff player’s got the Quaffle from her, I can’t remember his name, it’s something like Bibble– no, Buggins–’‘ It’s Cadwallader!’ said Professor McGonagall loudly from beside Luna. The crowd laughed. Harry stared around for the Snitch; there was no sign of it. Moments later, Cadwallader scored. McLaggen had been shouting criticism at Ginny for allowing the Quaffle",the commentator,"H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One","up giving them instructions,’ said Harry angrily.‘ Just get up by the goalposts!’ Once McLaggen had marched off, Harry turned to Coote and Peakes.‘ Make sure you do fly out of the sun,’ he told them grudgingly. He shook hands with the Hufflepuff Captain, and then, on Madam Hooch’s whistle, kicked off and rose into the air, higher than the rest of his team, streaking around the pitch in search of the Snitch. If he could catch it good and early, there might be a chance he could get back up to the castle, seize the Marauder’s Map and find out what Malfoy was doing…‘ And that’s Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle,’ said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds.‘ He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose– it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he’s playing them– oh, look, he’s lost the Quaffle, Ginny took it from him, I do like her, she’s very nice…’ Harry stared down at the commentator’s podium. Surely, nobody in their right mind would have let Luna Lovegood commentate? But even from above there was no mistaking that long, dirty- blonde hair, or the necklace of Butterbeer corks… Beside Luna, Professor McGonagall was looking slightly uncomfortable, as though she was indeed having second thoughts about this appointment.‘… but now that big Hufflepuff player’s got the Quaffle from her, I can’t remember his name, it’s something like Bibble– no, Buggins–’‘ It’s Cadwallader!’ said Professor McGonagall loudly from beside Luna. The crowd laughed. Harry stared around for the Snitch; there was no sign of it. Moments later, Cadwallader scored. McLaggen had been shouting criticism at Ginny for allowing the Quaffle:Previous Entities: |H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One| ::: and Ginny Weasley flew into him, ","Luna Lovegood.F Professor McGonagall.F Cadwallader.? Ginny Weasley.F" "don’t be squeamish,",34659,34725,True,1301:the thing.?,"force greater in its way than roaring evil, and then open your own mind…… into the place where the dragons went. Vimes found himself grabbed by the arm and pulled inside. The heavy door shut behind him with a definite click.“It’s Lord Mountjoy Gayscale Talonthrust III of Ankh,” said the apparition, which was dressed in huge and fearsomely- padded armor.“You know, I really don’t think he can cut the mustard.”“He can’t?” said Vimes, backing away.“It really needs two of you.”“It does, doesn’t it,” whispered Vimes, his shoulder blades trying to carve their way out through the fence.“Could you oblige?” boomed the thing.“What?”“Oh, don’t be squeamish, man. You just have to help him up into the air. It’s me who has the tricky part. I know it’s cruel, but if he can’t manage it tonight then he’s for the choppy- chop. Survival of the fittest and all that, don’t you know.” Captain Vimes managed to get a grip on himself. He was clearly in the presence of some sex- crazed would- be murderess, insofar as any gender could be determined under the strange lumpy garments. If it wasn’t female, then references to“it’s me who has the tricky part” gave rise to mental images that would haunt him for some time to come. He knew the rich did things differently, but this was going too far.“Madam,” he said coldly,“I am an officer of the Watch and I must warn you that the course of action you are suggesting breaks the laws of the city—” and also of several of the more strait- laced gods, he added silently—“and I must advise you that his Lordship should be released",the thing,"the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them","force greater in its way than roaring evil, and then open your own mind…… into the place where the dragons went. Vimes found himself grabbed by the arm and pulled inside. The heavy door shut behind him with a definite click.“It’s Lord Mountjoy Gayscale Talonthrust III of Ankh,” said the apparition, which was dressed in huge and fearsomely- padded armor.“You know, I really don’t think he can cut the mustard.”“He can’t?” said Vimes, backing away.“It really needs two of you.”“It does, doesn’t it,” whispered Vimes, his shoulder blades trying to carve their way out through the fence.“Could you oblige?” boomed the thing.“What?”“Oh, don’t be squeamish, man. You just have to help him up into the air. It’s me who has the tricky part. I know it’s cruel, but if he can’t manage it tonight then he’s for the choppy- chop. Survival of the fittest and all that, don’t you know.” Captain Vimes managed to get a grip on himself. He was clearly in the presence of some sex- crazed would- be murderess, insofar as any gender could be determined under the strange lumpy garments. If it wasn’t female, then references to“it’s me who has the tricky part” gave rise to mental images that would haunt him for some time to come. He knew the rich did things differently, but this was going too far.“Madam,” he said coldly,“I am an officer of the Watch and I must warn you that the course of action you are suggesting breaks the laws of the city—” and also of several of the more strait- laced gods, he added silently—“and I must advise you that his Lordship should be released:Previous Entities: |the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them| ::: don’t be squeamish, ",Vimes.M Look at that thing!,17025,17036,True,1031:his grandfather.M,"a"" walking plow,"" meaning that it was designed to be pulled by a nonsentient organism, and guided by its owner. While the handles and other gear associated with walking plows varied according to individual physiology, the"" bottoms,'' or working parts, tended to be somewhat similar. The Zid plow, with its chisel- shaped blade, was very common to Class I nonindustrialized worlds. Of course, Parly, who had been raised on a farm, and the elders, who had farmed their entire lives, didn't know that. They knew what Zid plows were supposed to look like, though, and were quick to spot the changes Solly had made. The traditional chisel- shaped bottom had been replaced by a carefully sculpted wedge. Their consternation was evident."" Look at that thing! What's it for?"""" It's the Devil's work— sure enough!"""" The lad's crazy— that's what I say."" Solly was mortified by the negative comments and welcomed the sound of his grandfather's familiar voice."" Crazy? I don't think so. Let's consider the facts. The previous design lifted the soil and didn't turn it. An excellent strategy, since the surface material protected the soil from erosion."" This was safe territory— so the elders nodded in unison."" Hear, hear."""" Raswa speaks the truth."""" Thank you,"" Grandfather Raswa said gently."" I'm glad we're in agreement. That being the case, let's see if we can agree on something else. The great one sent us",his grandfather,"the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono","a"" walking plow,"" meaning that it was designed to be pulled by a nonsentient organism, and guided by its owner. While the handles and other gear associated with walking plows varied according to individual physiology, the"" bottoms,'' or working parts, tended to be somewhat similar. The Zid plow, with its chisel- shaped blade, was very common to Class I nonindustrialized worlds. Of course, Parly, who had been raised on a farm, and the elders, who had farmed their entire lives, didn't know that. They knew what Zid plows were supposed to look like, though, and were quick to spot the changes Solly had made. The traditional chisel- shaped bottom had been replaced by a carefully sculpted wedge. Their consternation was evident."" Look at that thing! What's it for?"""" It's the Devil's work— sure enough!"""" The lad's crazy— that's what I say."" Solly was mortified by the negative comments and welcomed the sound of his grandfather's familiar voice."" Crazy? I don't think so. Let's consider the facts. The previous design lifted the soil and didn't turn it. An excellent strategy, since the surface material protected the soil from erosion."" This was safe territory— so the elders nodded in unison."" Hear, hear."""" Raswa speaks the truth."""" Thank you,"" Grandfather Raswa said gently."" I'm glad we're in agreement. That being the case, let's see if we can agree on something else. The great one sent us:Previous Entities: |the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono| ::: Look at that thing! ","Elders.? Grandfather Raswa.M" ' But it would do us no good at all to know it?',14583,14597,True,106:Mrs Vitoller.F,"' said Vitoller weakly.' Why didn't you mention this before?'' If I'd had to buy you, you wouldn't be worth the price.'' But you doh't know anything about us!' said Mrs Vitoller.' We don't, do we?' said Granny, calmly.' Naturally we'd like to hear how he gets along. You could send us letters and suchlike. But it would not be a good idea to talk about all this after you've left, do you see? For the sake of the child.' Mrs Vitoller looked at the two old women.' There's something else here, isn't there?' she said.' Something big behind all this?' Granny hesitated, and then nodded.' But it would do us no good at all to know it?' Another nod. Granny stood up as several actors came in, breaking the spell. Actors had a habit of filling all the space around them.' I have other things to see to,' she said.' Please excuse me.'' What's his name?' said Vitoller.' Tom,' said Granny, hardly hesitating.' John,' said Nanny. The two witches exchanged glances. Granny won.' Tom John,' she said firmly, and swept out. She met a breathless Magrat outside the door.' I found a box,' she said.' It had all the crowns and things in. So I put it in, like you said, right underneath everything.'' Good,' said Granny.' Our crown",Mrs Vitoller,"The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller","' said Vitoller weakly.' Why didn't you mention this before?'' If I'd had to buy you, you wouldn't be worth the price.'' But you doh't know anything about us!' said Mrs Vitoller.' We don't, do we?' said Granny, calmly.' Naturally we'd like to hear how he gets along. You could send us letters and suchlike. But it would not be a good idea to talk about all this after you've left, do you see? For the sake of the child.' Mrs Vitoller looked at the two old women.' There's something else here, isn't there?' she said.' Something big behind all this?' Granny hesitated, and then nodded.' But it would do us no good at all to know it?' Another nod. Granny stood up as several actors came in, breaking the spell. Actors had a habit of filling all the space around them.' I have other things to see to,' she said.' Please excuse me.'' What's his name?' said Vitoller.' Tom,' said Granny, hardly hesitating.' John,' said Nanny. The two witches exchanged glances. Granny won.' Tom John,' she said firmly, and swept out. She met a breathless Magrat outside the door.' I found a box,' she said.' It had all the crowns and things in. So I put it in, like you said, right underneath everything.'' Good,' said Granny.' Our crown:Previous Entities: |The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller| ::: ' But it would do us no good at all to know it?' ",Granny. Our future is underground.”,54697,54712,True,1777:a long - dead woman.?,"over a decade ago. I never told anyone about it.“I believe that Captain Rolo intended to set down and start over. However, I also believe that the monsters were already there. That’s why I’ve decided to search for strongholds belowground that could house the population of the Hive and allow us to endure until it’s safe to return to the surface.“I’ve put together a list of bunkers that ITC built deep under the earth— places that could house and feed every member of the Hive, where we wouldn’t have to fear electrical storms, monsters, famine, or the radiation that poisons our bodies. I’ve included the list at the end of this log for my second in command, Lieutenant Leon Jordan, to carry on this mission.“Our future is no longer in the sky. Our future is underground.” Jordan could still remember the first time he read the log. It had seemed crazy then, and it seemed crazy now. Every single one of the locations in her list, including the Hilltop Bastion, was in a red zone. Their enemies had dropped bombs on the underground ITC facilities. Even if the bunkers had survived, the surface above them was a radioactive wasteland. That was why none of the previous captains of the Hive had gone down there to start over belowground. It was suicide. In her final years, Captain Ash had gone from single- minded determination to delusion. Jordan had not only decided to contravene her orders; he had decided to keep them a secret. But he could keep them secret for only so long before curious people such as Janet Gardner started",a long - dead woman,"Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman","over a decade ago. I never told anyone about it.“I believe that Captain Rolo intended to set down and start over. However, I also believe that the monsters were already there. That’s why I’ve decided to search for strongholds belowground that could house the population of the Hive and allow us to endure until it’s safe to return to the surface.“I’ve put together a list of bunkers that ITC built deep under the earth— places that could house and feed every member of the Hive, where we wouldn’t have to fear electrical storms, monsters, famine, or the radiation that poisons our bodies. I’ve included the list at the end of this log for my second in command, Lieutenant Leon Jordan, to carry on this mission.“Our future is no longer in the sky. Our future is underground.” Jordan could still remember the first time he read the log. It had seemed crazy then, and it seemed crazy now. Every single one of the locations in her list, including the Hilltop Bastion, was in a red zone. Their enemies had dropped bombs on the underground ITC facilities. Even if the bunkers had survived, the surface above them was a radioactive wasteland. That was why none of the previous captains of the Hive had gone down there to start over belowground. It was suicide. In her final years, Captain Ash had gone from single- minded determination to delusion. Jordan had not only decided to contravene her orders; he had decided to keep them a secret. But he could keep them secret for only so long before curious people such as Janet Gardner started:Previous Entities: |Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman| ::: Our future is underground.” ",Captain Ash officers.,15916,15927,True,1187:A voice on the intercom.?,"the people got off. Connor watched them go, and shook his head.“In no other country in the world,” he said,“would you hear people calmly discussing the fact that their cities and states were sold to foreigners.”“Discussing?” I said.“They’re the ones doing the selling.”“Yes. Americans are eager to sell. It amazes the Japanese. They think we’re committing economic suicide. And of course they’re right.” As he spoke, Connor pressed a button on the elevator panel marked EMERGENCY ONLY. A soft pinging alarm sounded.“What’d you do that for?” Connor looked at a video camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling and waved cheerfully. A voice on the intercom said,“Good evening, officers. Can I help you?”“Yes,” Connor said.“Am I speaking to building security?”“That’s right, sir. Is something wrong with your elevator?”“Where are you located?”“We’re on the lobby level, southeast corner, behind the elevators.”“Thank you very much,” Connor said. He pushed the button for the lobby. The security office of the Nakamoto Tower was a small room, perhaps five meters by seven. It was dominated by three large, flat video panels, each divided into a dozen smaller monitor views. At the moment, most of these were black rectangles. But one row showed images from the lobby and the garage; another row showed the party in progress. And a third row showed the police teams up",A voice on the intercom,"a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom","the people got off. Connor watched them go, and shook his head.“In no other country in the world,” he said,“would you hear people calmly discussing the fact that their cities and states were sold to foreigners.”“Discussing?” I said.“They’re the ones doing the selling.”“Yes. Americans are eager to sell. It amazes the Japanese. They think we’re committing economic suicide. And of course they’re right.” As he spoke, Connor pressed a button on the elevator panel marked EMERGENCY ONLY. A soft pinging alarm sounded.“What’d you do that for?” Connor looked at a video camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling and waved cheerfully. A voice on the intercom said,“Good evening, officers. Can I help you?”“Yes,” Connor said.“Am I speaking to building security?”“That’s right, sir. Is something wrong with your elevator?”“Where are you located?”“We’re on the lobby level, southeast corner, behind the elevators.”“Thank you very much,” Connor said. He pushed the button for the lobby. The security office of the Nakamoto Tower was a small room, perhaps five meters by seven. It was dominated by three large, flat video panels, each divided into a dozen smaller monitor views. At the moment, most of these were black rectangles. But one row showed images from the lobby and the garage; another row showed the party in progress. And a third row showed the police teams up:Previous Entities: |a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom| ::: officers. ","Connor.M I.F" "Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse?""",3156,3171,True,360:Greene.M,"siren whining. Greene came to the gate, flashed his badge, and ran down the ramp. Passengers were disembarking, pale and frightened. Many limped, their clothes torn and bloody. On each side of die ramp, paramedics clustered around the injured. As he neared the plane, the nauseating odor of vomit grew stronger. A frightened TransPac stewardess pushed him back at the door, chartering at him rapidly in Chinese. He showed her his badge and said,"" FAA! Official business! FAA!"" The stewardess stepped back, and Greene slid past a mother clutching an infant and stepped into the plane. He looked at the interior, and stopped."" Oh my God,"" he said softly."" What happened to this plane?"" GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA 6:00 a.m."" Mom? Who do you like better, Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse?"" Standing in the kitchen of her bungalow, still wearing her jogging shorts from her five- mile morning run, Casey Singleton finished making a tuna sandwich and put it in her daughter's lunch box. Singleton was thirty- six years old, a vice- president at Norton Aircraft in Burbank. Her daughter sat at the breakfast table, eating cereal."" Well?"" Allison said."" Who do you like better, Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse?' She was seven, and she ranked everything."" I like them both,"" Casey said."" I know, Mom,"" Allison said, exasperated."" But who do you like better?'"" Minnie."""" Me, too,"" she said, pushing the carton away. Casey put a banana",Greene,"The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene","siren whining. Greene came to the gate, flashed his badge, and ran down the ramp. Passengers were disembarking, pale and frightened. Many limped, their clothes torn and bloody. On each side of die ramp, paramedics clustered around the injured. As he neared the plane, the nauseating odor of vomit grew stronger. A frightened TransPac stewardess pushed him back at the door, chartering at him rapidly in Chinese. He showed her his badge and said,"" FAA! Official business! FAA!"" The stewardess stepped back, and Greene slid past a mother clutching an infant and stepped into the plane. He looked at the interior, and stopped."" Oh my God,"" he said softly."" What happened to this plane?"" GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA 6:00 a.m."" Mom? Who do you like better, Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse?"" Standing in the kitchen of her bungalow, still wearing her jogging shorts from her five- mile morning run, Casey Singleton finished making a tuna sandwich and put it in her daughter's lunch box. Singleton was thirty- six years old, a vice- president at Norton Aircraft in Burbank. Her daughter sat at the breakfast table, eating cereal."" Well?"" Allison said."" Who do you like better, Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse?' She was seven, and she ranked everything."" I like them both,"" Casey said."" I know, Mom,"" Allison said, exasperated."" But who do you like better?'"" Minnie."""" Me, too,"" she said, pushing the carton away. Casey put a banana:Previous Entities: |The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene| ::: Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse?"" ",Allison.F "I give you over,",221108,221146,True,5299:the King of Hybern.M,"my group of friends— my family. He’d been working with the King of Hybern.“No,” I breathed. But Tamlin dared one more step closer, staring at me as if I were a ghost. Lucien, metal eye whirring, stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.“No,” I said again, this time louder.“What was the cost,” Rhysand said softly from my side. I clawed and tore at the wall separating our minds; heaved and pulled against that fist stifling my magic. Tamlin ignored him, looking at the king at last.“You have my word.” The king smiled. I took a step toward Tamlin.“What have you done?” The King of Hybern said from his throne,“We made a bargain. I give you over, and he agrees to let my forces enter Prythian through his territory. And then use it as a base as we remove that ridiculous wall.” I shook my head. Lucien refused to meet the pleading stare I threw his way.“You’re insane,” Cassian hissed. Tamlin held out a hand.“Feyre.” An order— like I was no better than a summoned dog. I made no movement. I had to get free; had to get that damn power free—“You,” the king said, pointing a thick finger at me,“are a very difficult female to get ahold of. Of course, we’ve also agreed that you’ll work for me once you’ve been returned home to your husband, but… Is it husband- to- be, or husband? I can’t remember.” Lucien glanced between us all, face paling.“Tamlin,” he",the King of Hybern,"Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern","my group of friends— my family. He’d been working with the King of Hybern.“No,” I breathed. But Tamlin dared one more step closer, staring at me as if I were a ghost. Lucien, metal eye whirring, stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.“No,” I said again, this time louder.“What was the cost,” Rhysand said softly from my side. I clawed and tore at the wall separating our minds; heaved and pulled against that fist stifling my magic. Tamlin ignored him, looking at the king at last.“You have my word.” The king smiled. I took a step toward Tamlin.“What have you done?” The King of Hybern said from his throne,“We made a bargain. I give you over, and he agrees to let my forces enter Prythian through his territory. And then use it as a base as we remove that ridiculous wall.” I shook my head. Lucien refused to meet the pleading stare I threw his way.“You’re insane,” Cassian hissed. Tamlin held out a hand.“Feyre.” An order— like I was no better than a summoned dog. I made no movement. I had to get free; had to get that damn power free—“You,” the king said, pointing a thick finger at me,“are a very difficult female to get ahold of. Of course, we’ve also agreed that you’ll work for me once you’ve been returned home to your husband, but… Is it husband- to- be, or husband? I can’t remember.” Lucien glanced between us all, face paling.“Tamlin,” he:Previous Entities: |Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern| ::: I give you over, ","Tamlin.M Lucien.M Rhysand.M King of Hybern.M Cassian.M Feyre.F" We’re not criminals.,88350,88399,True,575:Greiman.?,"match current compensation levels for chief executives. If Roger can’t bring the board into line on this, I’m going to cancel the March meeting and ask for changes. You tell him that.”“Okay, I will, Arthur, but-““Just do it. Call me tonight.”“Right, Arthur.” They shook hands. The younger man walked off unhappily. The receptionist said,“Mr. Greiman, these gentlemen-“Greiman turned to us. Connor said,“Mr. Greiman, we’d like to speak to you for a minute about Micro Con And he turned slightly aside, and showed his badge. Greiman exploded in rage.“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Not again. This is god damned harassment.”“Harassment?”“Whatwould you call it? I’ve had senatorial staffers here, I’ve had the F.B.I. here. Now I have the L.A. police? We’re not criminals. We own a company and we have the right to sell it. Where is Louis?” The receptionist said,“Mr. Enders is coming.” Connor said calmly,“Mr. Greiman, I’m sorry to disturb you. We have only one question. It’ll just take a minute.” Greiman glowered.“What’s your question?”“How many bidders were there for Micro Con“That’s none of your business,” he said.“Anyway, our agreement with Akai stipulates that we can’t discuss the sale publicly in any way.” Connor said,“Was there more than one bidder?”“Look, you have questions, you talk to Enders. I’m busy.” He turned to the woman with blueprints.“Beverly? What have you got for me?”“I have a revised layout for the boardroom,",Greiman,"a blond woman, Greiman","match current compensation levels for chief executives. If Roger can’t bring the board into line on this, I’m going to cancel the March meeting and ask for changes. You tell him that.”“Okay, I will, Arthur, but-““Just do it. Call me tonight.”“Right, Arthur.” They shook hands. The younger man walked off unhappily. The receptionist said,“Mr. Greiman, these gentlemen-“Greiman turned to us. Connor said,“Mr. Greiman, we’d like to speak to you for a minute about Micro Con And he turned slightly aside, and showed his badge. Greiman exploded in rage.“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Not again. This is god damned harassment.”“Harassment?”“Whatwould you call it? I’ve had senatorial staffers here, I’ve had the F.B.I. here. Now I have the L.A. police? We’re not criminals. We own a company and we have the right to sell it. Where is Louis?” The receptionist said,“Mr. Enders is coming.” Connor said calmly,“Mr. Greiman, I’m sorry to disturb you. We have only one question. It’ll just take a minute.” Greiman glowered.“What’s your question?”“How many bidders were there for Micro Con“That’s none of your business,” he said.“Anyway, our agreement with Akai stipulates that we can’t discuss the sale publicly in any way.” Connor said,“Was there more than one bidder?”“Look, you have questions, you talk to Enders. I’m busy.” He turned to the woman with blueprints.“Beverly? What have you got for me?”“I have a revised layout for the boardroom,:Previous Entities: |a blond woman, Greiman| ::: We’re not criminals. ","Greiman.M Beverly.F" Gus agrees with that.,64030,64057,True,1682:Gus ’s mom.F,"storage facility. A prematorium. When the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, I saw Gus’s mom pacing in the waiting room, talking on a cell phone. She hung up quickly, then hugged me and offered to take my cart.“I’m okay,” I said.“How’s Gus?”“He had a tough night, Hazel,” she said.“His heart is working too hard. He needs to scale back on activity. Wheelchairs from here on out. They’re putting him on some new medicine that should be better for the pain. His sisters just drove in.”“Okay,” I said.“Can I see him?” She put her arm around me and squeezed my shoulder. It felt weird.“You know we love you, Hazel, but right now we just need to be a family. Gus agrees with that. Okay?”“Okay,” I said.“I’ll tell him you visited.”“Okay,” I said.“I’m just gonna read here for a while, I think.” She went down the hall, back to where he was. I understood, but I still missed him, still thought maybe I was missing my last chance to see him, to say good- bye or whatever. The waiting room was all brown carpet and brown overstuffed cloth chairs. I sat in a love seat for a while, my oxygen cart tucked by my feet. I’d worn my Chuck Taylors and my Cecin’est pas une pipe shirt, the exact outfit I’d been wearing two weeks before on the Late Afternoon of the Venn Diagram, and he wouldn’t",Gus ’s mom,"the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom","storage facility. A prematorium. When the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor, I saw Gus’s mom pacing in the waiting room, talking on a cell phone. She hung up quickly, then hugged me and offered to take my cart.“I’m okay,” I said.“How’s Gus?”“He had a tough night, Hazel,” she said.“His heart is working too hard. He needs to scale back on activity. Wheelchairs from here on out. They’re putting him on some new medicine that should be better for the pain. His sisters just drove in.”“Okay,” I said.“Can I see him?” She put her arm around me and squeezed my shoulder. It felt weird.“You know we love you, Hazel, but right now we just need to be a family. Gus agrees with that. Okay?”“Okay,” I said.“I’ll tell him you visited.”“Okay,” I said.“I’m just gonna read here for a while, I think.” She went down the hall, back to where he was. I understood, but I still missed him, still thought maybe I was missing my last chance to see him, to say good- bye or whatever. The waiting room was all brown carpet and brown overstuffed cloth chairs. I sat in a love seat for a while, my oxygen cart tucked by my feet. I’d worn my Chuck Taylors and my Cecin’est pas une pipe shirt, the exact outfit I’d been wearing two weeks before on the Late Afternoon of the Venn Diagram, and he wouldn’t:Previous Entities: |the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom| ::: Gus agrees with that. ",Gus's mom.F “What do you have in mind?”,192527,192535,True,533:Delnay.M,"I’m not important enough for that.”“I was hoping to ask you to risk your life, Delnay.”“In what way?” No hesitation. That was reassuring.“There is a place in Ysai where my old soldiers meet. I want to go there and see as many of them as possible.”“Through the streets in full regalia the way you are now?”“In any way you can arrange it.” Delnay put a finger to his lower lip and leaned back to stare at Teg.“You’re not an easy figure to disguise, you know. However, there may be a way.” He nodded thoughtfully.“Yes.” He smiled.“You won’t like it, I’m afraid.”“What do you have in mind?”“Some padding and other alterations. We will pass you off as a Bordano overseer. You’ll smell of the sewer, of course. And you’ll have to carry it off that you don’t notice.”“Why do you think that will succeed?” Teg asked.“Oh, there’s going to be a storm tonight. Regular thing this time of year. Laying down the moisture for next year’s open crops. And filling the reservoirs for the heated fields, you know.”“I don’t understand your reasoning, but when I’ve finished another of these confections, we’ll go,” Teg said.“You’ll like the place where we take refuge from the storm,” Delnay said.“I’m mad, you know,",Delnay,"Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay","I’m not important enough for that.”“I was hoping to ask you to risk your life, Delnay.”“In what way?” No hesitation. That was reassuring.“There is a place in Ysai where my old soldiers meet. I want to go there and see as many of them as possible.”“Through the streets in full regalia the way you are now?”“In any way you can arrange it.” Delnay put a finger to his lower lip and leaned back to stare at Teg.“You’re not an easy figure to disguise, you know. However, there may be a way.” He nodded thoughtfully.“Yes.” He smiled.“You won’t like it, I’m afraid.”“What do you have in mind?”“Some padding and other alterations. We will pass you off as a Bordano overseer. You’ll smell of the sewer, of course. And you’ll have to carry it off that you don’t notice.”“Why do you think that will succeed?” Teg asked.“Oh, there’s going to be a storm tonight. Regular thing this time of year. Laying down the moisture for next year’s open crops. And filling the reservoirs for the heated fields, you know.”“I don’t understand your reasoning, but when I’ve finished another of these confections, we’ll go,” Teg said.“You’ll like the place where we take refuge from the storm,” Delnay said.“I’m mad, you know,:Previous Entities: |Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay| ::: “What do you have in mind?” ",Teg.M "kill him,",38801,38842,True,900:a wolf.F,"Nyra pretended to be interested in their scars, another idea had come to her.“Lord MacHeath, the scars you have shown me in this Gadderheal tonight only offer more proof that you are wolves of great valor. Wolves worthy to fight for a great cause. The news you brought me of this owl called Coryn disturbs me deeply. For I think I have heard of this owl from other parts of the owl kingdom. You should not rest easy, for is he not being given sanctuary by the MacDuncans, the very clan that has robbed you of what is yours? If, by some terrible quirk of fate the Ember of Hoole became his, think what this would mean for the MacDuncans.” Hackles were raised and ears stood up. There were tense growls exchanged.“And if this should come to pass, Lord MacHeath, I vow on my honor to set my sky hounds upon him, kill him, and bring the Ember of Hoole to you in this very Gadderheal.” A stunned silence fell upon the wolves.“You mean that, Madame General?” MacHeath growled.“My word is as solid as my gizzard.” Gyllbane raised a paw.“Yes, Gyllbane?” The chieftain turned to the creamcolored wolf.“The talking bone, if you please.” A wolf picked up the bone and brought it to Gyllbane. She turned to Nyra.“This, Madame General, is a grave promise, one that could endanger you. It is most noble of you to do this.” There was chuffing and growls of agreement.“A pledge such as this is usually undertaken with a blood oath.” Again there were noises of agreement.“By all means, fetch the oath bone, Lord Fleance,” the",a wolf,"I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf","Nyra pretended to be interested in their scars, another idea had come to her.“Lord MacHeath, the scars you have shown me in this Gadderheal tonight only offer more proof that you are wolves of great valor. Wolves worthy to fight for a great cause. The news you brought me of this owl called Coryn disturbs me deeply. For I think I have heard of this owl from other parts of the owl kingdom. You should not rest easy, for is he not being given sanctuary by the MacDuncans, the very clan that has robbed you of what is yours? If, by some terrible quirk of fate the Ember of Hoole became his, think what this would mean for the MacDuncans.” Hackles were raised and ears stood up. There were tense growls exchanged.“And if this should come to pass, Lord MacHeath, I vow on my honor to set my sky hounds upon him, kill him, and bring the Ember of Hoole to you in this very Gadderheal.” A stunned silence fell upon the wolves.“You mean that, Madame General?” MacHeath growled.“My word is as solid as my gizzard.” Gyllbane raised a paw.“Yes, Gyllbane?” The chieftain turned to the creamcolored wolf.“The talking bone, if you please.” A wolf picked up the bone and brought it to Gyllbane. She turned to Nyra.“This, Madame General, is a grave promise, one that could endanger you. It is most noble of you to do this.” There was chuffing and growls of agreement.“A pledge such as this is usually undertaken with a blood oath.” Again there were noises of agreement.“By all means, fetch the oath bone, Lord Fleance,” the:Previous Entities: |I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf| ::: kill him, ",Nyra.F “Rhys and Amren.”,169177,169182,True,661:Everyone.?,"the ring. Her blood pounded in her ears, and Cassian’s face grew pained.“This isn’t coming out the way it should. We argued about whether to tell you, but we took a vote and it went in your favor. Because we trust you. I just… hadn’t gotten a chance to bring it up yet.”“There was a possibility you wouldn’t even tell me? You all sat around and judged me, and then you voted?” Something deep in her chest cracked to know that every horrible thing about her had been analyzed.“It… Fuck.” Cassian reached for her, but she stepped back. Everyone was staring now.“Nesta, this isn’t…”“Who. Voted. Against me.”“Rhys and Amren.” It landed like a physical blow. Rhys came as no surprise. But Amren, who had always understood her more than the others; Amren who’d been unafraid of her; Amren with whom she’d quarreled so badly… Some small part of her had hoped Amren wouldn’t hate her forever. Her head went quiet. Her body went quiet. Cassian’s eyes widened.“Nesta—”“I’m fine,” she said coldly.“I don’t care.” She let him see her fortify those steel walls within her mind. Used every bit of Mind- Stilling she’d practiced with Gwyn to become calm, focused, steady. Breathing in through her nose, out through her mouth. She made a show of rolling her shoulders, of approaching Emerie and",Everyone,"contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye","the ring. Her blood pounded in her ears, and Cassian’s face grew pained.“This isn’t coming out the way it should. We argued about whether to tell you, but we took a vote and it went in your favor. Because we trust you. I just… hadn’t gotten a chance to bring it up yet.”“There was a possibility you wouldn’t even tell me? You all sat around and judged me, and then you voted?” Something deep in her chest cracked to know that every horrible thing about her had been analyzed.“It… Fuck.” Cassian reached for her, but she stepped back. Everyone was staring now.“Nesta, this isn’t…”“Who. Voted. Against me.”“Rhys and Amren.” It landed like a physical blow. Rhys came as no surprise. But Amren, who had always understood her more than the others; Amren who’d been unafraid of her; Amren with whom she’d quarreled so badly… Some small part of her had hoped Amren wouldn’t hate her forever. Her head went quiet. Her body went quiet. Cassian’s eyes widened.“Nesta—”“I’m fine,” she said coldly.“I don’t care.” She let him see her fortify those steel walls within her mind. Used every bit of Mind- Stilling she’d practiced with Gwyn to become calm, focused, steady. Breathing in through her nose, out through her mouth. She made a show of rolling her shoulders, of approaching Emerie and:Previous Entities: |contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye| ::: “Rhys and Amren.” ",Cassian.M “Have you?”,17187,17191,True,839:the manager.?,"Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet. As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him.“Hogwarts?” he said abruptly.“Come to get your new books?”“Yes,” said Harry,“I need—” 52 THE LEAKY CAULDRON“Get out of the way,” said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books’ cage.“Hang on,” said Harry quickly,“I’ve already got one of those.”“Have you?” A look of enormous relief spread over the manager’s face.“Thank heavens for that. I’ve been bitten five times already this morning—” A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.“Stop it! Stop it!” cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart.“I’m never stocking them again, never! It’s been bedlam! I thought we’d seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility— cost a fortune, and we never found them.... Well... is there anything else I can help you with?”“Yes,” said Harry, looking down his",the manager,"the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager","Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He felt relieved; he had been wondering whether Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet. As Harry entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward him.“Hogwarts?” he said abruptly.“Come to get your new books?”“Yes,” said Harry,“I need—” 52 THE LEAKY CAULDRON“Get out of the way,” said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books’ cage.“Hang on,” said Harry quickly,“I’ve already got one of those.”“Have you?” A look of enormous relief spread over the manager’s face.“Thank heavens for that. I’ve been bitten five times already this morning—” A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.“Stop it! Stop it!” cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart.“I’m never stocking them again, never! It’s been bedlam! I thought we’d seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the Invisible Book of Invisibility— cost a fortune, and we never found them.... Well... is there anything else I can help you with?”“Yes,” said Harry, looking down his:Previous Entities: |the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager| ::: “Have you?” ",the manager.M "“So you three… because you were Made,",201108,201126,True,249:Varian.M,"wind… They recoil.” The Cauldron sang again. Distant— withdrawing.“I think it’s leaving,” I whispered. Cassian stumbled and staggered for us a moment later, a hand braced on his chest, Mor on his heels. She did not so much as look at me, nor I her, as Rhys told them. Standing together in the dead of night— The Cauldron sang one final note— then went silent. The presence, the weight… vanished. Amren loosed a sigh.“Hybern knows where we are by now. The Cauldron likely wanted to have a look for itself. After we taunted it.” I rubbed at my face.“Let’s pray that’s the last we see of it.” Varian angled his head.“So you three… because you were Made, you can hear it? Sense it?”“It would appear so,” Amren said, looking inclined to tug him back to wherever they’d been, to finish what they’d no doubt still been in the middle of doing. But Azriel asked softly,“What about Elain?” Something cold went through me. Nesta was just staring at Azriel. Staring and staring— Then she broke into a run. Her bare feet slid through the mud, splattering me as we charged for our sister’s tent.“Elain—” Nesta shoved open the tent. She stopped short so fast I slammed into her. The tent— the tent was empty. Nesta flung herself inside, tossing away blankets, as if Elain had somehow sunk into the ground.“Elain!” I whirled into the camp, scanning the",Varian,"The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan","wind… They recoil.” The Cauldron sang again. Distant— withdrawing.“I think it’s leaving,” I whispered. Cassian stumbled and staggered for us a moment later, a hand braced on his chest, Mor on his heels. She did not so much as look at me, nor I her, as Rhys told them. Standing together in the dead of night— The Cauldron sang one final note— then went silent. The presence, the weight… vanished. Amren loosed a sigh.“Hybern knows where we are by now. The Cauldron likely wanted to have a look for itself. After we taunted it.” I rubbed at my face.“Let’s pray that’s the last we see of it.” Varian angled his head.“So you three… because you were Made, you can hear it? Sense it?”“It would appear so,” Amren said, looking inclined to tug him back to wherever they’d been, to finish what they’d no doubt still been in the middle of doing. But Azriel asked softly,“What about Elain?” Something cold went through me. Nesta was just staring at Azriel. Staring and staring— Then she broke into a run. Her bare feet slid through the mud, splattering me as we charged for our sister’s tent.“Elain—” Nesta shoved open the tent. She stopped short so fast I slammed into her. The tent— the tent was empty. Nesta flung herself inside, tossing away blankets, as if Elain had somehow sunk into the ground.“Elain!” I whirled into the camp, scanning the:Previous Entities: |The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan| ::: “So you three… because you were Made, ","Nesta.F Azriel.M Elain.F" “you only have your wits to protect you.”,156900,156910,True,275:Nuan.F,",“Nuan has been able to quickly create a powder for us to ingest in drink, food, however you please. It grants immunity from the faebane. I already have workers in three of my cities manufacturing as much of it as possible to hand out to our unified armies.” Even Rhys seemed impressed at the stealth, the unveiling. I’m surprised you didn’t have a grand reveal of your own today, I quipped down the bond. Cruel, beautiful High Lady, he purred, eyes twinkling. Tarquin asked,“But what of physical objects made from faebane? They possessed gauntlets at the battle to smash through shields.” He jerked his chin to Rhys.“And when they attacked your own city.”“Against that,” Nuan said,“you only have your wits to protect you.” She did not break Tarquin’s stare, and he straightened, as if surprised she did so.“The compound I’ve made will only protect you— your powers— from being rendered void by the faebane. Perhaps if you are pierced with a weapon tipped in faebane, having the compound in your system will negate its impact.” Quiet fell. Beron said,“And we are supposed to trust you”—a look at Thesan, then at Nuan—“with this… substance we’re to blindly ingest.”“Would you rather face Hybern without any power?” Thesan demanded.“My master alchemists and tinkerers are no fools.”“No,” Beron said, frowning,“but where did she come from? Who are you?” The last bit directed at Nuan.",Nuan,"the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan",",“Nuan has been able to quickly create a powder for us to ingest in drink, food, however you please. It grants immunity from the faebane. I already have workers in three of my cities manufacturing as much of it as possible to hand out to our unified armies.” Even Rhys seemed impressed at the stealth, the unveiling. I’m surprised you didn’t have a grand reveal of your own today, I quipped down the bond. Cruel, beautiful High Lady, he purred, eyes twinkling. Tarquin asked,“But what of physical objects made from faebane? They possessed gauntlets at the battle to smash through shields.” He jerked his chin to Rhys.“And when they attacked your own city.”“Against that,” Nuan said,“you only have your wits to protect you.” She did not break Tarquin’s stare, and he straightened, as if surprised she did so.“The compound I’ve made will only protect you— your powers— from being rendered void by the faebane. Perhaps if you are pierced with a weapon tipped in faebane, having the compound in your system will negate its impact.” Quiet fell. Beron said,“And we are supposed to trust you”—a look at Thesan, then at Nuan—“with this… substance we’re to blindly ingest.”“Would you rather face Hybern without any power?” Thesan demanded.“My master alchemists and tinkerers are no fools.”“No,” Beron said, frowning,“but where did she come from? Who are you?” The last bit directed at Nuan.:Previous Entities: |the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan| ::: “you only have your wits to protect you.” ",Nuan.F it was all a falsehood that they put to me and—”,4815,4838,True,605:one woman.F,"stared and pointed to this article and that. An unruly lot, dressed in identical gray fustian, and barefooted. His aide lined them along one wall and Almont pushed away from the table. The women fell silent as he walked past them. In fact, the only sound in the room was the scraping of the governor’s painful left foot over the floor, as he walked down the line, looking at each. They were as ugly, tangled, and scurrilous a collection as he’d ever seen. He paused before one woman, who was taller than he, a nasty creature with a pocked face and missing teeth.“What’s your name?”“Charlotte Bixby, my lord.” She attempted a clumsy sort of curtsey.“And your crime?”“Faith, my lord, I did no crime, it was all a falsehood that they put to me and—”“Murder of her husband, John Bixby,” his aide intoned, reading from a list. The woman fell silent. Almont moved on. Each new face was uglier than the last. He stopped at a woman with tangled black hair and a yellow scar running down the side of her neck. Her expression was sullen.“Your name?”“Laura Peale.”“What is your crime?”“They said I stole a gentleman’s purse.”“Suffocation of her children ages four and seven,” John intoned in a monotonous voice, never raising his eyes from the list. Almont scowled at the woman. These females would be quite at home in Port Royal; they were as tough and hard as the hardest privateer. But wives? They would",one woman,"the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin","stared and pointed to this article and that. An unruly lot, dressed in identical gray fustian, and barefooted. His aide lined them along one wall and Almont pushed away from the table. The women fell silent as he walked past them. In fact, the only sound in the room was the scraping of the governor’s painful left foot over the floor, as he walked down the line, looking at each. They were as ugly, tangled, and scurrilous a collection as he’d ever seen. He paused before one woman, who was taller than he, a nasty creature with a pocked face and missing teeth.“What’s your name?”“Charlotte Bixby, my lord.” She attempted a clumsy sort of curtsey.“And your crime?”“Faith, my lord, I did no crime, it was all a falsehood that they put to me and—”“Murder of her husband, John Bixby,” his aide intoned, reading from a list. The woman fell silent. Almont moved on. Each new face was uglier than the last. He stopped at a woman with tangled black hair and a yellow scar running down the side of her neck. Her expression was sullen.“Your name?”“Laura Peale.”“What is your crime?”“They said I stole a gentleman’s purse.”“Suffocation of her children ages four and seven,” John intoned in a monotonous voice, never raising his eyes from the list. Almont scowled at the woman. These females would be quite at home in Port Royal; they were as tough and hard as the hardest privateer. But wives? They would:Previous Entities: |the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin| ::: it was all a falsehood that they put to me and—” ",Almont.M ‘ So you’re,115622,115625,True,874:the Chosen One.M,"‘ I see. You prefer– like your hero Dumbledore– to disassociate yourself from the Ministry?’‘ I don’t want to be used,’ said Harry.‘ Some would say it’s your duty to be used by the Ministry!’‘ Yeah, and others might say it’s your duty to check people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison,’ said Harry, his temper rising now.‘ You’re doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people, do you? Either we’ve got Fudge, pretending everything’s lovely while people get murdered right under his nose, or we’ve got you, chucking the wrong people into jail and trying to pretend you’ve got the Chosen One working for you!’‘ So you’re not the Chosen One?’ said Scrimgeour.‘ I thought you said it didn’t matter either way?’ said Harry, with a bitter laugh.‘ Not to you, anyway.’‘ I shouldn’t have said that,’ said Scrimgeour quickly.‘ It was tactless–’‘ No, it was honest,’ said Harry.‘ One of the only honest things you’ve said to me. You don’t care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you’re winning the war against Voldemort. I haven’t forgotten, Minister…’ He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars which Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh",the Chosen One,"Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One","‘ I see. You prefer– like your hero Dumbledore– to disassociate yourself from the Ministry?’‘ I don’t want to be used,’ said Harry.‘ Some would say it’s your duty to be used by the Ministry!’‘ Yeah, and others might say it’s your duty to check people really are Death Eaters before you chuck them in prison,’ said Harry, his temper rising now.‘ You’re doing what Barty Crouch did. You never get it right, you people, do you? Either we’ve got Fudge, pretending everything’s lovely while people get murdered right under his nose, or we’ve got you, chucking the wrong people into jail and trying to pretend you’ve got the Chosen One working for you!’‘ So you’re not the Chosen One?’ said Scrimgeour.‘ I thought you said it didn’t matter either way?’ said Harry, with a bitter laugh.‘ Not to you, anyway.’‘ I shouldn’t have said that,’ said Scrimgeour quickly.‘ It was tactless–’‘ No, it was honest,’ said Harry.‘ One of the only honest things you’ve said to me. You don’t care whether I live or die, but you do care that I help you convince everyone you’re winning the war against Voldemort. I haven’t forgotten, Minister…’ He raised his right fist. There, shining white on the back of his cold hand, were the scars which Dolores Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh:Previous Entities: |Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One| ::: ‘ So you’re ",Harry.M "no you willnae,",65237,65315,True,1854:The scarecrow man.M,"sir,’ said the barman, who had been brought up to be respectful to gold coins. He felt under the bar and his expression changed.‘ Oh. I’m sorry, sir, we’ve sold out. Very popular, Jolly Sailor. But we’ve got plenty of—’ The figure had already turned round to face the rest of the room.‘ OK, I’ll gi’e a handful o’ gold to the first scunner who gi’es me a pipeful o’ Jolly Sailor!’ it yelled. The room erupted. Tables scraped. Chairs overturned. The scarecrow man grabbed the first pipe and threw the coins into the air. As fights immediately broke out, he turned back to the bar and said:‘ And I’ll ha’ that wee drop o’ whisky before I go, barman. Ach, no you willnae, Big Yan! Shame on ye! Hey, youse legs can shut up right noo! A wee pint of whisky’ll do us no harm! Oh, aye? Who deid and made ye Big Man, eh? Listen, ye scunner, oor Rob is in there! Aye, and he’d have a wee drink, too!’ The customers stopped pushing one another out of the way to get at the coins, and got up to face a whole body arguing with itself.‘ Anywa’, I’m in the heid, right? The heid’s in charge. I dinnae ha’ tae listen to a bunch o’ knees! I said this wuz a bad idea, Wullie, ye ken we ha’ trouble getting oot of pubs! Well, speaking on behalf o’ the legs, we’re not gonna stand by and watch the heid get pished, thank ye so veerae much!’ To the horror of the customers the entire bottom half of the figure turned round and started to walk towards the door, causing the top half to fall forward. It gripped the edge of the bar desperately",The scarecrow man,"Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher","sir,’ said the barman, who had been brought up to be respectful to gold coins. He felt under the bar and his expression changed.‘ Oh. I’m sorry, sir, we’ve sold out. Very popular, Jolly Sailor. But we’ve got plenty of—’ The figure had already turned round to face the rest of the room.‘ OK, I’ll gi’e a handful o’ gold to the first scunner who gi’es me a pipeful o’ Jolly Sailor!’ it yelled. The room erupted. Tables scraped. Chairs overturned. The scarecrow man grabbed the first pipe and threw the coins into the air. As fights immediately broke out, he turned back to the bar and said:‘ And I’ll ha’ that wee drop o’ whisky before I go, barman. Ach, no you willnae, Big Yan! Shame on ye! Hey, youse legs can shut up right noo! A wee pint of whisky’ll do us no harm! Oh, aye? Who deid and made ye Big Man, eh? Listen, ye scunner, oor Rob is in there! Aye, and he’d have a wee drink, too!’ The customers stopped pushing one another out of the way to get at the coins, and got up to face a whole body arguing with itself.‘ Anywa’, I’m in the heid, right? The heid’s in charge. I dinnae ha’ tae listen to a bunch o’ knees! I said this wuz a bad idea, Wullie, ye ken we ha’ trouble getting oot of pubs! Well, speaking on behalf o’ the legs, we’re not gonna stand by and watch the heid get pished, thank ye so veerae much!’ To the horror of the customers the entire bottom half of the figure turned round and started to walk towards the door, causing the top half to fall forward. It gripped the edge of the bar desperately:Previous Entities: |Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher| ::: no you willnae, ",Big Yan.M "certainly enough for the Pure Guard,",26354,26374,True,262:Wortmore.M,"back to her forge for a fitting. The Rogue Smith of Silverveil tried to keep her own talons from shaking as she hammered the third metal talon on Wortmore’s left claw to a tighter curve, so it would fit perfectly.“The High Tyto and I are exactly the same size, you know. So what fits me will fit him.” Wortmore was positively chatty now. He had even apologized for roughing up the Snowy.“But orders are orders,” he had added. And he was a bit partial to Snowies, he had whispered. Lovely, thought the smith. But she held her beak and managed to keep up her end of the chatter.“Now, if the High Tyto likes these, how many do you think he’ll need?”“Well, certainly enough for the Pure Guard, and there are eighty or more in that division.”“My goodness, that’s quite a few.”“Oh, yes— and that’s only the Pure Guard. We’ve got many other divisions, and by the time of the Great Massing, the size of that guard will be triple.” Wortmore broke off as if trying to count.“The Great Massing?” the Snowy asked.“Yes, on Cape Glaux.” Cape Glaux! There was only one reason why owls would gather on the wind- battered cape that stuck out into the most turbulent waters of the Sea of Hoolemere. That was the quickest, most direct route to the Island of Hoole. It was risky flying for most birds, except the Guardians of Ga’Hoole themselves, and maybe eagles. And that was exactly what the Rogue Smith",Wortmore,"Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore","back to her forge for a fitting. The Rogue Smith of Silverveil tried to keep her own talons from shaking as she hammered the third metal talon on Wortmore’s left claw to a tighter curve, so it would fit perfectly.“The High Tyto and I are exactly the same size, you know. So what fits me will fit him.” Wortmore was positively chatty now. He had even apologized for roughing up the Snowy.“But orders are orders,” he had added. And he was a bit partial to Snowies, he had whispered. Lovely, thought the smith. But she held her beak and managed to keep up her end of the chatter.“Now, if the High Tyto likes these, how many do you think he’ll need?”“Well, certainly enough for the Pure Guard, and there are eighty or more in that division.”“My goodness, that’s quite a few.”“Oh, yes— and that’s only the Pure Guard. We’ve got many other divisions, and by the time of the Great Massing, the size of that guard will be triple.” Wortmore broke off as if trying to count.“The Great Massing?” the Snowy asked.“Yes, on Cape Glaux.” Cape Glaux! There was only one reason why owls would gather on the wind- battered cape that stuck out into the most turbulent waters of the Sea of Hoolemere. That was the quickest, most direct route to the Island of Hoole. It was risky flying for most birds, except the Guardians of Ga’Hoole themselves, and maybe eagles. And that was exactly what the Rogue Smith:Previous Entities: |Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore| ::: certainly enough for the Pure Guard, ",Wortmore.M "“And falling asleep for a hundred years,”",61002,61011,True,1954:the monarchist.M,"attention.“They don’t carry it. That’s how you can always tell a king.”“Why? It’s not that heavy,” said the man whose remaining hair was spread across the dome of his head like the remnant of a defeated army.“I can carry hundreds of dollars, no problem.”“You probably get weak arms, being a king,” said the woman wisely.“Probably with the waving.”“I’ve always thought,” said the monarchist, pulling out a pipe and beginning to fill it with the ponderous air of one who is going to deliver a lecture,“that one of the major problems of being a king is the risk of your daughter getting a prick.” There was a thoughtful pause.“And falling asleep for a hundred years,” the monarchist went on stolidly.“Ah,” said the others, unaccountably relieved.“And then there’s wear and tear on peas,” he added.“Well, there would be,” said the woman, uncertainly.“Having to sleep on them all the time,” said the monarchist.“Not to mention hundreds of mattresses.”“Right.”“Is that so? I think I could get’em for him wholesale,” said Throat. He turned to Vimes, who had been listening to all this with leaden depression.“See, Captain? And you’d be in the royal guard, I expect. Get some plumes in your helmet.”“Ah, pageantry,” said the monarchist, pointing with his pipe.“",the monarchist,"a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist","attention.“They don’t carry it. That’s how you can always tell a king.”“Why? It’s not that heavy,” said the man whose remaining hair was spread across the dome of his head like the remnant of a defeated army.“I can carry hundreds of dollars, no problem.”“You probably get weak arms, being a king,” said the woman wisely.“Probably with the waving.”“I’ve always thought,” said the monarchist, pulling out a pipe and beginning to fill it with the ponderous air of one who is going to deliver a lecture,“that one of the major problems of being a king is the risk of your daughter getting a prick.” There was a thoughtful pause.“And falling asleep for a hundred years,” the monarchist went on stolidly.“Ah,” said the others, unaccountably relieved.“And then there’s wear and tear on peas,” he added.“Well, there would be,” said the woman, uncertainly.“Having to sleep on them all the time,” said the monarchist.“Not to mention hundreds of mattresses.”“Right.”“Is that so? I think I could get’em for him wholesale,” said Throat. He turned to Vimes, who had been listening to all this with leaden depression.“See, Captain? And you’d be in the royal guard, I expect. Get some plumes in your helmet.”“Ah, pageantry,” said the monarchist, pointing with his pipe.“:Previous Entities: |a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist| ::: “And falling asleep for a hundred years,” ",Captain. M you may go!”,269719,269729,True,807:Professor Tofty.M,"the Entrance Hall.“Oh, bravo!” cried Professor Tofty, who was examining Harry again, when Harry demonstrated a perfect Boggart banishing spell.“Very good indeed! Well, I think that’s all, Potter… unless…” He leaned forwards a little.“I heard, from my dear friend Tiberius Ogden, that you can produce a Patronus? For a bonus point…?” Harry raised his wand, looked directly at Umbridge and imagined her being sacked.“Expecto patronum!” His silver stag erupted from the end of his wand and cantered the length of the Hall. All of the examiners looked around to watch its progress and when it dissolved into silver mist Professor Tofty clapped his veined and knotted hands enthusiastically.“Excellent!” he said.“Very well, Potter, you may go!” As Harry passed Umbridge beside the door, their eyes met. There was a nasty smile playing around her wide, slack mouth, but he did not care. Unless he was very much mistaken(and he was not planning on telling anybody, in case he was), he had just achieved an‘ Outstanding’ OWL. On Friday, Harry and Ron had a day off while Hermione sat her Ancient Runes exam, and as they had the whole weekend in front of them they permitted themselves a break from revision. They stretched and yawned beside the open window, through which warm summer air was wafting as they played wizard chess. Harry could see Hagrid in the distance, teaching a class on the edge of the Forest. He was trying to guess what creatures they were examining",Professor Tofty,"Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty","the Entrance Hall.“Oh, bravo!” cried Professor Tofty, who was examining Harry again, when Harry demonstrated a perfect Boggart banishing spell.“Very good indeed! Well, I think that’s all, Potter… unless…” He leaned forwards a little.“I heard, from my dear friend Tiberius Ogden, that you can produce a Patronus? For a bonus point…?” Harry raised his wand, looked directly at Umbridge and imagined her being sacked.“Expecto patronum!” His silver stag erupted from the end of his wand and cantered the length of the Hall. All of the examiners looked around to watch its progress and when it dissolved into silver mist Professor Tofty clapped his veined and knotted hands enthusiastically.“Excellent!” he said.“Very well, Potter, you may go!” As Harry passed Umbridge beside the door, their eyes met. There was a nasty smile playing around her wide, slack mouth, but he did not care. Unless he was very much mistaken(and he was not planning on telling anybody, in case he was), he had just achieved an‘ Outstanding’ OWL. On Friday, Harry and Ron had a day off while Hermione sat her Ancient Runes exam, and as they had the whole weekend in front of them they permitted themselves a break from revision. They stretched and yawned beside the open window, through which warm summer air was wafting as they played wizard chess. Harry could see Hagrid in the distance, teaching a class on the edge of the Forest. He was trying to guess what creatures they were examining:Previous Entities: |Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty| ::: you may go!” ",Professor Tofty.M You're,77151,77156,True,161:Commons.?,"that Butler had saved his life a dozen times in Monte Carlo all those years ago, and now the debt was about to be repaid. Thirty- two minutes later, Butler showed up in the Arrivals hall. Sid Commons studied him as they shook hands.' You seem different. Older.'' The battles are catching up with me,' said Butler, a palm across his heaving chest.' Time to retire, I think.'' Is there any point asking how you got here?' Butler straightened his tie.' Not really. You're better off not knowing.'' I see.'' Where's our man?' Commons led the way towards the rear of the building, past hordes of tourists and card- bearing taxi drivers.' Through here. You're not armed, are you? I know we're friends, but I can't allow firearms in here.' Butler spread his jacket wide.' Trust me. I know the rules.' They took a security lift up two floors, and followed a dimly lit corridor for what seemed like miles.' Here we are,' said Sid eventually, pointing at a glass rectangle.' In there.' The glass was actually a two- way mirror. Butler could see Arno Blunt seated at a small table, drumming his fingers impatiently on the Formica surface.' Is that him? Is that the man who shot you in Knightsbridge?' Butler nodded. It was him all right. The same indolent expression. The same hands that had pulled the trigger.'",Commons,"the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons","that Butler had saved his life a dozen times in Monte Carlo all those years ago, and now the debt was about to be repaid. Thirty- two minutes later, Butler showed up in the Arrivals hall. Sid Commons studied him as they shook hands.' You seem different. Older.'' The battles are catching up with me,' said Butler, a palm across his heaving chest.' Time to retire, I think.'' Is there any point asking how you got here?' Butler straightened his tie.' Not really. You're better off not knowing.'' I see.'' Where's our man?' Commons led the way towards the rear of the building, past hordes of tourists and card- bearing taxi drivers.' Through here. You're not armed, are you? I know we're friends, but I can't allow firearms in here.' Butler spread his jacket wide.' Trust me. I know the rules.' They took a security lift up two floors, and followed a dimly lit corridor for what seemed like miles.' Here we are,' said Sid eventually, pointing at a glass rectangle.' In there.' The glass was actually a two- way mirror. Butler could see Arno Blunt seated at a small table, drumming his fingers impatiently on the Formica surface.' Is that him? Is that the man who shot you in Knightsbridge?' Butler nodded. It was him all right. The same indolent expression. The same hands that had pulled the trigger.':Previous Entities: |the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons| ::: You're ",Butler.M and I think now I’ve got a way figured.,34459,34542,True,424:her grandpa.M,"too; only she never did come back to give me a chance. She stayed outside and played with Little Arliss and the pup till her grandpa finally wound up his talking and tobacco spitting and got ready to leave. Then I saw her and Little Arliss come past the door, heading for where I could hear her grandpa saddling his horse. She looked in at me, then looked away, and suddenly I wasn’t mad at her any more. I felt sort of mean. I wished now I could think of the right thing to say about the pup, so I could call her back and tell her. I didn’t want her to go off home with her feelings still hurt. But before I could think of anything, I heard her grandpa say to Mama:“Now Mrs. Coates, you all are in a sort of bind here, with your man gone and that boy crippled up. I been setting out here all evening, worrying about it. That’s my responsibility, you know, seeing that everybody’s taken care of while the men are gone, and I think now I’ve got a way figured. I’ll just leave our girl Lisbeth here to help you all out.” Mama said in a surprised voice:“Why, Mr. Searcy, there’s no need for that. It’s mighty kind of you and all, but we’ll make out all right.”“No, now, Mrs. Coates; you got too big a load to carry, all by yourself. My Lisbeth, she’ll be proud to help out.”“But,” Mama argued,“she’s such a little girl, Mr. Searcy. She’s probably never stayed away from home of a night.”“She’s little,” Bud Searcy said,“but she’s stout and willing. She’s like me; when folks are in trouble, she’ll pitch right in and do her part. You just keep her here now. You’ll",her grandpa,"Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa","too; only she never did come back to give me a chance. She stayed outside and played with Little Arliss and the pup till her grandpa finally wound up his talking and tobacco spitting and got ready to leave. Then I saw her and Little Arliss come past the door, heading for where I could hear her grandpa saddling his horse. She looked in at me, then looked away, and suddenly I wasn’t mad at her any more. I felt sort of mean. I wished now I could think of the right thing to say about the pup, so I could call her back and tell her. I didn’t want her to go off home with her feelings still hurt. But before I could think of anything, I heard her grandpa say to Mama:“Now Mrs. Coates, you all are in a sort of bind here, with your man gone and that boy crippled up. I been setting out here all evening, worrying about it. That’s my responsibility, you know, seeing that everybody’s taken care of while the men are gone, and I think now I’ve got a way figured. I’ll just leave our girl Lisbeth here to help you all out.” Mama said in a surprised voice:“Why, Mr. Searcy, there’s no need for that. It’s mighty kind of you and all, but we’ll make out all right.”“No, now, Mrs. Coates; you got too big a load to carry, all by yourself. My Lisbeth, she’ll be proud to help out.”“But,” Mama argued,“she’s such a little girl, Mr. Searcy. She’s probably never stayed away from home of a night.”“She’s little,” Bud Searcy said,“but she’s stout and willing. She’s like me; when folks are in trouble, she’ll pitch right in and do her part. You just keep her here now. You’ll:Previous Entities: |Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa| ::: and I think now I’ve got a way figured. ",Bud Searcy.M It is only for us that something evil may happen.”,161562,161611,True,500:Tormsa.?,"high. That way, the search goes faster. They trust their own intelligence to read their instruments and tell which is animal and which is human.”“So they’ll just go by us if they think we’re wild animals.”“If they doubt, they will scan us a second time. We must not change the pattern of movements after being scanned.” It was a long speech for the usually taciturn Tormsa. He studied Duncan carefully now.“You understand?”“How will I know when we’re being scanned?”“Your gut will tingle. You will feel in your stomach the fizz of a drink that no man should swallow.” Duncan nodded.“Ixian scanners.”“Let it not alarm you,” Tormsa said.“Animals here are accustomed to it. Sometimes, they may pause, but only for an instant and then they go on as if nothing has happened. Which, for them, is true. It is only for us that something evil may happen.” Presently, Tormsa stood.“We will go down into the valley now. Follow closely. Do exactly what I do and nothing else.” Duncan fell into step behind his guide. Soon, they were under the covering trees. Sometime during the night’s passage, Duncan realized, he had begun to accept his place in the schemes of others. A new patience was taking over his awareness. And there was excitement goaded by curiosity. What kind of a universe had come out of the Atreides times? Gammu. What a strange place Giedi Prime had become. Slowly but distinctly, things were being revealed and each new thing opened a view to more that could be learned. He could feel patterns taking shape. One day, he thought, there would be a single pattern",Tormsa,"Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa","high. That way, the search goes faster. They trust their own intelligence to read their instruments and tell which is animal and which is human.”“So they’ll just go by us if they think we’re wild animals.”“If they doubt, they will scan us a second time. We must not change the pattern of movements after being scanned.” It was a long speech for the usually taciturn Tormsa. He studied Duncan carefully now.“You understand?”“How will I know when we’re being scanned?”“Your gut will tingle. You will feel in your stomach the fizz of a drink that no man should swallow.” Duncan nodded.“Ixian scanners.”“Let it not alarm you,” Tormsa said.“Animals here are accustomed to it. Sometimes, they may pause, but only for an instant and then they go on as if nothing has happened. Which, for them, is true. It is only for us that something evil may happen.” Presently, Tormsa stood.“We will go down into the valley now. Follow closely. Do exactly what I do and nothing else.” Duncan fell into step behind his guide. Soon, they were under the covering trees. Sometime during the night’s passage, Duncan realized, he had begun to accept his place in the schemes of others. A new patience was taking over his awareness. And there was excitement goaded by curiosity. What kind of a universe had come out of the Atreides times? Gammu. What a strange place Giedi Prime had become. Slowly but distinctly, things were being revealed and each new thing opened a view to more that could be learned. He could feel patterns taking shape. One day, he thought, there would be a single pattern:Previous Entities: |Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa| ::: It is only for us that something evil may happen.” ",Tormsa.M "In which case,",50528,50588,True,153:Captain Carrot.?,"on suspicion of… well, I’m just feeling suspicious. Besides, I am well aware that it is impossible to lock up a Feegle who doesn’t want to be locked up. If they are friends of yours, I trust’– he looked around meaningfully–‘ they will not do anything to get you into further trouble and, with luck, all of us will be able to get a decent night’s sleep. My fellow officer, Captain Angua, will escort you down to the Watch House. Mrs Proust, would you be so good as to go along with them and explain the way of the world to your young friend?’ Captain Angua stepped forward; she was female and beautiful and blonde– and… odd. Captain Carrot turned to her ladyship.‘ Madam, my officers will be happy to escort you to any other hotel or inn of your choice. I see that your maidservant is holding a rather strong- looking bag. Would this be containing the jewellery of which you spoke? In which case, can we ascertain that it has not been stolen?’ Her ladyship was not happy about this, but the captain cheerfully did not notice, in that very professional way policemen have of not seeing things they don’t want to see. And there was a definite sense that he wouldn’t have paid much attention in any case. It was Roland who opened the bag and held the purchase up to the light. The tissue paper was carefully pulled off, and in the light of the lamps something sparkled so brilliantly that it seemed not only to reflect the light but to generate it too, somewhere inside its glowing stones. It was a tiara. Several of the watchmen gasped. Roland looked smug. Letitia looked objectionably winsome. Mrs Proust sighed. And Tiffany… went back in time, just for a second. But in that second she",Captain Carrot,"Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot","on suspicion of… well, I’m just feeling suspicious. Besides, I am well aware that it is impossible to lock up a Feegle who doesn’t want to be locked up. If they are friends of yours, I trust’– he looked around meaningfully–‘ they will not do anything to get you into further trouble and, with luck, all of us will be able to get a decent night’s sleep. My fellow officer, Captain Angua, will escort you down to the Watch House. Mrs Proust, would you be so good as to go along with them and explain the way of the world to your young friend?’ Captain Angua stepped forward; she was female and beautiful and blonde– and… odd. Captain Carrot turned to her ladyship.‘ Madam, my officers will be happy to escort you to any other hotel or inn of your choice. I see that your maidservant is holding a rather strong- looking bag. Would this be containing the jewellery of which you spoke? In which case, can we ascertain that it has not been stolen?’ Her ladyship was not happy about this, but the captain cheerfully did not notice, in that very professional way policemen have of not seeing things they don’t want to see. And there was a definite sense that he wouldn’t have paid much attention in any case. It was Roland who opened the bag and held the purchase up to the light. The tissue paper was carefully pulled off, and in the light of the lamps something sparkled so brilliantly that it seemed not only to reflect the light but to generate it too, somewhere inside its glowing stones. It was a tiara. Several of the watchmen gasped. Roland looked smug. Letitia looked objectionably winsome. Mrs Proust sighed. And Tiffany… went back in time, just for a second. But in that second she:Previous Entities: |Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot| ::: In which case, ","Captain Carrot.M Captain Angua.F Mrs Proust.F Roland.M Letitia.F Tiffany.F " "“Forget glaumora,”",8861,8865,True,218:Bess.F,"was a seasoned combat soldier.“Where is it?” the owl demanded.“Where is what?” she parried.“The Ember of Hoole.”“I know nothing of any ember.”“You don’t expect me to believe that!” Still they circled. It was as if Bess’s brain was operating on two levels. On one, she was trying to fight, on the other, she was trying to parry with words, upset this owl’s equilibrium as she had done with the jab to the wingpit, but mentally, gizzardly.“I never expected a Boreal Owl to abuse the tolling ritual. What you did was a profanity.” Did she detect a slight flinching of plumage, as if the owl was about to wilf?“Forget glaumora,” she added.“You’ll rot in hagsmire.”“Never!” the owl spat vehemently.“We shall control hagsmire and all its fiends.” Now it was Bess who flinched. What was this owl talking about? The Boreal Owl saw his opening in the fraction of time Bess had let her mind wander. The owl rushed in and struck her to the stone floor. The wind was knocked from her and she heard the clink once more of a stone point as it fell to the floor. She still held one in her talon. She saw a flash as the Boreal Owl flew for the spiraling stairs. The crypt! She banished all thoughts from her brain and in that utterly mindless moment, Bess of the Chimes, Bess the Knower, became a warrior",Bess,"the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess","was a seasoned combat soldier.“Where is it?” the owl demanded.“Where is what?” she parried.“The Ember of Hoole.”“I know nothing of any ember.”“You don’t expect me to believe that!” Still they circled. It was as if Bess’s brain was operating on two levels. On one, she was trying to fight, on the other, she was trying to parry with words, upset this owl’s equilibrium as she had done with the jab to the wingpit, but mentally, gizzardly.“I never expected a Boreal Owl to abuse the tolling ritual. What you did was a profanity.” Did she detect a slight flinching of plumage, as if the owl was about to wilf?“Forget glaumora,” she added.“You’ll rot in hagsmire.”“Never!” the owl spat vehemently.“We shall control hagsmire and all its fiends.” Now it was Bess who flinched. What was this owl talking about? The Boreal Owl saw his opening in the fraction of time Bess had let her mind wander. The owl rushed in and struck her to the stone floor. The wind was knocked from her and she heard the clink once more of a stone point as it fell to the floor. She still held one in her talon. She saw a flash as the Boreal Owl flew for the spiraling stairs. The crypt! She banished all thoughts from her brain and in that utterly mindless moment, Bess of the Chimes, Bess the Knower, became a warrior:Previous Entities: |the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess| ::: “Forget glaumora,” ",Bess.F "“I know,”",85260,85264,True,123:Therese.F,"the office chairs. She twists paper into the floor with her boot soles.“Well, obviously.” Evelyn puts her arm against the window and leans into it, looking out over the city and beyond it, the marsh.“Thank you for the update.”“We’ll find him,” Therese says.“He can’t have gone far. I swear we’ll find him.”“I just want him to be gone,” Evelyn says, her voice tight and small, like a child’s. I wonder if she’s still afraid of him, in the way that I’m still afraid of him, like a nightmare that keeps resurfacing during the day. I wonder how similar my mother and I are, deep down where it counts.“I know,” Therese says, and she leaves. I stand for a long time, watching Evelyn stare out the window, her fingers twitching at her side. I feel like what I have become is halfway between my mother and my father, violent and impulsive and desperate and afraid. I feel like I have lost control of what I have become. CHAPTER THIRTY- TWO TRIS DAVID SUMMONS ME to his office the next day, and I am afraid that he remembers how I used him as a shield when I was backing away from the Weapons Lab, how I pointed a gun at his head and said I didn’t care if he lived or died. Zoe meets me in the hotel lobby and leads me through the main hallway and down another one, long and narrow, with windows on",Therese,"the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly","the office chairs. She twists paper into the floor with her boot soles.“Well, obviously.” Evelyn puts her arm against the window and leans into it, looking out over the city and beyond it, the marsh.“Thank you for the update.”“We’ll find him,” Therese says.“He can’t have gone far. I swear we’ll find him.”“I just want him to be gone,” Evelyn says, her voice tight and small, like a child’s. I wonder if she’s still afraid of him, in the way that I’m still afraid of him, like a nightmare that keeps resurfacing during the day. I wonder how similar my mother and I are, deep down where it counts.“I know,” Therese says, and she leaves. I stand for a long time, watching Evelyn stare out the window, her fingers twitching at her side. I feel like what I have become is halfway between my mother and my father, violent and impulsive and desperate and afraid. I feel like I have lost control of what I have become. CHAPTER THIRTY- TWO TRIS DAVID SUMMONS ME to his office the next day, and I am afraid that he remembers how I used him as a shield when I was backing away from the Weapons Lab, how I pointed a gun at his head and said I didn’t care if he lived or died. Zoe meets me in the hotel lobby and leads me through the main hallway and down another one, long and narrow, with windows on:Previous Entities: |the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: “I know,” ",Therese.F “why”,56439,56441,True,2607:reporter.?,"or“does.” These are closed- ended questions that can be answered with a simple“yes” or a“no.” Instead, they start with a list of words people know as reporter’s questions:“who,”“what,”“when,”“where,”“why,” and“how.” Those words inspire your counterpart to think and then speak expansively. But let me cut the list even further: it’s best to start with“what,”“how,” and sometimes“why.” Nothing else.“Who,”“when,” and“where” will often just get your counterpart to share a fact without thinking. And“why” can backfire. Regardless of what language the word“why” is translated into, it’s accusatory. There are very rare moments when this is to your advantage. The only time you can use“why” successfully is when the defensiveness that is created supports the change you are trying to get them to see.“Why would you ever change from the way you’ve always done things and try my approach?” is an example.“Why would your company ever change from your long- standing vendor and choose our company?” is another. As always, tone of voice, respectful and deferential, is critical. Otherwise, treat“why” like a burner on a hot stove— don’t touch it. Having just two words to start with might not seem like a lot of ammunition, but trust me, you can use",reporter,"her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter","or“does.” These are closed- ended questions that can be answered with a simple“yes” or a“no.” Instead, they start with a list of words people know as reporter’s questions:“who,”“what,”“when,”“where,”“why,” and“how.” Those words inspire your counterpart to think and then speak expansively. But let me cut the list even further: it’s best to start with“what,”“how,” and sometimes“why.” Nothing else.“Who,”“when,” and“where” will often just get your counterpart to share a fact without thinking. And“why” can backfire. Regardless of what language the word“why” is translated into, it’s accusatory. There are very rare moments when this is to your advantage. The only time you can use“why” successfully is when the defensiveness that is created supports the change you are trying to get them to see.“Why would you ever change from the way you’ve always done things and try my approach?” is an example.“Why would your company ever change from your long- standing vendor and choose our company?” is another. As always, tone of voice, respectful and deferential, is critical. Otherwise, treat“why” like a burner on a hot stove— don’t touch it. Having just two words to start with might not seem like a lot of ammunition, but trust me, you can use:Previous Entities: |her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter| ::: “why” ",Anna.F "we can’t have that,”",13565,13589,True,191:Moss.M,"for royalty to come here?”“Not exactly. I really came because… well, how to put it? Much of my study back in the Tridents has been military. And there hasn’t been a war for years now. The War of the Ice Claws was over long ago.”“Yes, but don’t you think military knowledge is still useful?” Otulissa whispered. A slightly wary tone had crept into her voice.“Not really,” Cleve replied casually, as if he might be commenting on the weather.“You see, I came here to study medicine. Quite frankly, I don’t believe in war— ever.”“You what?” Otulissa shrieked.“Please, dear.” A Snowy Owl had flown up.“This is a meditation flight. Some whispering perhaps, but shouting? Oh, no, we can’t have that,” the Snowy said gently and flew off. Just at that moment, Gylfie also experienced a shock, and Otulissa’s cry was like an exclamation point in the night, punctuating a most startling revelation: Ifghar! That is what the Short- eared Owl had just called the frail old Whiskered Screech! Impossible! Gylfie told herself. She caught an updraft so she could fly directly beneath them. Of course, there was mostly silence, but occasionally the Short- eared Owl found it necessary to redirect the Whiskered Screech’s flight path and, in whispered tones, she would nudge him back on course.“Now, now, old dear, stroke with that port wing. It’s getting stronger.” There was a low grumble.“No need for that, Ifghar. You",Moss,"the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss","for royalty to come here?”“Not exactly. I really came because… well, how to put it? Much of my study back in the Tridents has been military. And there hasn’t been a war for years now. The War of the Ice Claws was over long ago.”“Yes, but don’t you think military knowledge is still useful?” Otulissa whispered. A slightly wary tone had crept into her voice.“Not really,” Cleve replied casually, as if he might be commenting on the weather.“You see, I came here to study medicine. Quite frankly, I don’t believe in war— ever.”“You what?” Otulissa shrieked.“Please, dear.” A Snowy Owl had flown up.“This is a meditation flight. Some whispering perhaps, but shouting? Oh, no, we can’t have that,” the Snowy said gently and flew off. Just at that moment, Gylfie also experienced a shock, and Otulissa’s cry was like an exclamation point in the night, punctuating a most startling revelation: Ifghar! That is what the Short- eared Owl had just called the frail old Whiskered Screech! Impossible! Gylfie told herself. She caught an updraft so she could fly directly beneath them. Of course, there was mostly silence, but occasionally the Short- eared Owl found it necessary to redirect the Whiskered Screech’s flight path and, in whispered tones, she would nudge him back on course.“Now, now, old dear, stroke with that port wing. It’s getting stronger.” There was a low grumble.“No need for that, Ifghar. You:Previous Entities: |the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss| ::: we can’t have that,” ",Otulissa.F "you will in fact be sacrificed,”",70661,70671,True,290:Garhartra.M,"in here—”“Pushed gently,” corrected Garhartra.“— which turned out to be this amazingly rich room and there’s all this food and a man saying he’s devoting his life to making us happy,” Twoflower concluded.“What I’m getting at is this sort of lack of consistency.”“Yar,” said Rincewind.“What he means is, are you about to start being generally unpleasant again? Is this just a break for lunch?” Garhartra held up his hands reassuringly.“Please, please,” he protested.“It was just necessary to get you here as soon as possible. We certainly do not want to enslave you. Please be reassured on that score.”“Well, fine,” said Rincewind.“Yes, you will in fact be sacrificed,” Garhartra continued placidly.“Sacrificed? You’re going to kill us?” shouted the wizard.“Kill? Yes, of course. Certainly! It would hardly be a sacrifice if we didn’t, would it? But don’t worry— it’ll be comparatively painless.”“Comparatively? Compared to what?” said Rincewind. He picked up a tall green bottle that was full of sea grape jellyfish wine and hurled it hard at the Guestmaster, who flung up a hand as if to protect himself. There was a crackle of octarine flame from his fingers and the air suddenly took on the thick, greasy feel that indicated a powerful magical discharge. The flung bottle slowed and then stopped in midair, rotating gently. At the same time an invisible force picked Rincewind up",Garhartra,"K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster","in here—”“Pushed gently,” corrected Garhartra.“— which turned out to be this amazingly rich room and there’s all this food and a man saying he’s devoting his life to making us happy,” Twoflower concluded.“What I’m getting at is this sort of lack of consistency.”“Yar,” said Rincewind.“What he means is, are you about to start being generally unpleasant again? Is this just a break for lunch?” Garhartra held up his hands reassuringly.“Please, please,” he protested.“It was just necessary to get you here as soon as possible. We certainly do not want to enslave you. Please be reassured on that score.”“Well, fine,” said Rincewind.“Yes, you will in fact be sacrificed,” Garhartra continued placidly.“Sacrificed? You’re going to kill us?” shouted the wizard.“Kill? Yes, of course. Certainly! It would hardly be a sacrifice if we didn’t, would it? But don’t worry— it’ll be comparatively painless.”“Comparatively? Compared to what?” said Rincewind. He picked up a tall green bottle that was full of sea grape jellyfish wine and hurled it hard at the Guestmaster, who flung up a hand as if to protect himself. There was a crackle of octarine flame from his fingers and the air suddenly took on the thick, greasy feel that indicated a powerful magical discharge. The flung bottle slowed and then stopped in midair, rotating gently. At the same time an invisible force picked Rincewind up:Previous Entities: |K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster| ::: you will in fact be sacrificed,” ",Garhartra.M "“Our half of the Book,",144365,144374,True,3077:the crone.F,". To fight for peace. And what of the lives you have taken during your long, hideous existence? What of the High Lord who walks with darkness in his wake, and shatters minds as he sees fit?” A crow’s laugh.“We have heard of you, even on the continent, Rhysand. We have heard what the Night Court does, what you do to your enemies. Peace? For a male who melts minds and tortures for sport, I did not think you knew the word.” Wrath began simmering in my blood; embers crackled in my ears. But I cooled that fire I’d slowly been stoking these past weeks and tried,“If you will not send forces here to defend your people, then the artifact we requested—”“Our half of the Book, child,” the crone cut me off,“does not leave our sacred palace. It has not left those white walls since the day it was gifted as part of the Treaty. It will never leave those walls, not while we stand against the terrors in the North.”“Please,” was all I said. Silence again.“Please,” I repeated. Emissary— I was their emissary, and Rhys had chosen me for this. To be the voice of both worlds.“I was turned into this— into a faerie— because one of the commanders from Hybern killed me.” Through our bond, I could have sworn I felt Rhys flinch.“For fifty years,” I pushed on,“she terrorized Prythian, and when I defeated her,",the crone,"the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone",". To fight for peace. And what of the lives you have taken during your long, hideous existence? What of the High Lord who walks with darkness in his wake, and shatters minds as he sees fit?” A crow’s laugh.“We have heard of you, even on the continent, Rhysand. We have heard what the Night Court does, what you do to your enemies. Peace? For a male who melts minds and tortures for sport, I did not think you knew the word.” Wrath began simmering in my blood; embers crackled in my ears. But I cooled that fire I’d slowly been stoking these past weeks and tried,“If you will not send forces here to defend your people, then the artifact we requested—”“Our half of the Book, child,” the crone cut me off,“does not leave our sacred palace. It has not left those white walls since the day it was gifted as part of the Treaty. It will never leave those walls, not while we stand against the terrors in the North.”“Please,” was all I said. Silence again.“Please,” I repeated. Emissary— I was their emissary, and Rhys had chosen me for this. To be the voice of both worlds.“I was turned into this— into a faerie— because one of the commanders from Hybern killed me.” Through our bond, I could have sworn I felt Rhys flinch.“For fifty years,” I pushed on,“she terrorized Prythian, and when I defeated her,:Previous Entities: |the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone| ::: “Our half of the Book, ",The ancient queen.F "So make haste,",45132,45162,True,2636:the tengol.M,"they bore many objects.“Here,” said the tengol,“are lengths of rope, made from the skins of seals caught at the first melting of the ice. These ropes will help you to attain the ocean entrance to the thunder caves.”“I thank you,” Buliwyf said.“And here also,” the tengol said,“are seven daggers, forged with steam and magic, for you and your warriors. Great swords will be of no avail in the thunder caves. Carry these new weapons bravely, and you shall accomplish all you desire.” Buliwyf took the daggers, and thanked the dwarf. He stood.“When shall we do this thing?” he asked.“Yesterday is better than today,” the tengol replied,“and tomorrow is better than the day which follows that. So make haste, and carry out your intentions with a firm heart and a strong arm.”“And what follows if we succeed?” Buliwyf asked.“Then the wendol shall be mortally wounded, and thrash in its death throes a final time, and after this last agony the land shall have peace and sunlight forevermore. And your name shall be sung glorious in all the halls of the Northlands, forevermore.”“The deeds of dead men are so sung,” Buliwyf said.“That is true,” the dwarf said, and laughed again, the giggle of a child or a young girl.“And also the deeds of heroes who live, but never are sung the deeds of ordinary men. All this you know.” Now Buliwyf departed from the cave, and gave to each of us the dagger of the dwarves, and we descended from",the tengol,"the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol","they bore many objects.“Here,” said the tengol,“are lengths of rope, made from the skins of seals caught at the first melting of the ice. These ropes will help you to attain the ocean entrance to the thunder caves.”“I thank you,” Buliwyf said.“And here also,” the tengol said,“are seven daggers, forged with steam and magic, for you and your warriors. Great swords will be of no avail in the thunder caves. Carry these new weapons bravely, and you shall accomplish all you desire.” Buliwyf took the daggers, and thanked the dwarf. He stood.“When shall we do this thing?” he asked.“Yesterday is better than today,” the tengol replied,“and tomorrow is better than the day which follows that. So make haste, and carry out your intentions with a firm heart and a strong arm.”“And what follows if we succeed?” Buliwyf asked.“Then the wendol shall be mortally wounded, and thrash in its death throes a final time, and after this last agony the land shall have peace and sunlight forevermore. And your name shall be sung glorious in all the halls of the Northlands, forevermore.”“The deeds of dead men are so sung,” Buliwyf said.“That is true,” the dwarf said, and laughed again, the giggle of a child or a young girl.“And also the deeds of heroes who live, but never are sung the deeds of ordinary men. All this you know.” Now Buliwyf departed from the cave, and gave to each of us the dagger of the dwarves, and we descended from:Previous Entities: |the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol| ::: So make haste, ","Buliwyf.M tengol.? wenodl.?" huh?”,104093,104099,True,3589:The woman standing in the doorway.F,", in Cancún, in Switzerland, somewhere exotic. But he’d only started that about ten, fifteen years ago. He just didn’t think it was possible he’d have a child that old. Beverly said,“I guess you never know for sure… Will you see her?”“No.”“I’ll tell her,” Beverly said. She dropped her voice to a whisper.“But we don’t want her making a scene in front of the patients. She seems like she might be a little, uh, unstable. And if she’s not your daughter, maybe you should set her straight in private.” Bennett nodded slowly. He dropped back into his chair.“Okay,” he said.“Show her in.”“Big surprise, huh?” The woman standing in the doorway, bouncing a child in her arms, was an unattractive blonde of medium height, wearing jeans and a T- shirt, grunge clothes. Her baby’s face was dirty, dripping snot.“Sorry I didn’t dress for the occasion, but you know how it is.” Bennett stood behind his desk.“Please come in, Miss, uh…”“Murphy. Elizabeth Murphy.” She nodded to the baby.“This is Bess.”“I’m Dr. Bennett.” He waved her to the seat on the other side of the desk. He looked at her closely as she sat down. He saw no resemblance at all, not the slightest. He, himself, was dark- haired, fair- skinned",The woman standing in the doorway,"Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway",", in Cancún, in Switzerland, somewhere exotic. But he’d only started that about ten, fifteen years ago. He just didn’t think it was possible he’d have a child that old. Beverly said,“I guess you never know for sure… Will you see her?”“No.”“I’ll tell her,” Beverly said. She dropped her voice to a whisper.“But we don’t want her making a scene in front of the patients. She seems like she might be a little, uh, unstable. And if she’s not your daughter, maybe you should set her straight in private.” Bennett nodded slowly. He dropped back into his chair.“Okay,” he said.“Show her in.”“Big surprise, huh?” The woman standing in the doorway, bouncing a child in her arms, was an unattractive blonde of medium height, wearing jeans and a T- shirt, grunge clothes. Her baby’s face was dirty, dripping snot.“Sorry I didn’t dress for the occasion, but you know how it is.” Bennett stood behind his desk.“Please come in, Miss, uh…”“Murphy. Elizabeth Murphy.” She nodded to the baby.“This is Bess.”“I’m Dr. Bennett.” He waved her to the seat on the other side of the desk. He looked at her closely as she sat down. He saw no resemblance at all, not the slightest. He, himself, was dark- haired, fair- skinned:Previous Entities: |Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway| ::: huh?” ",Beverly.F Sweetums and I don’t believe in fancy ideas.,5362,5434,True,142:Swatums.?,"“there is nothing simple. It’s just that it has been said that the Great Ga’Hoole Tree is invisible. That it grows on the island in the middle of a vast sea, a sea called Hoolemere that is nearly as wide as an ocean. A sea that is always wrapped in fog, an island feathered in blizzards, and a tree veiled in mist.”“So,” said Twilight,“it’s not really invisible, it’s just bad weather.”“Not exactly,” replied Swatums. Twilight cocked his head.“It seems that for some the fog lifts, the blizzards stop, and the mist blows away.”“For some?” asked Gylfie.“For those who believe.” Swatums paused and then sniffed in disdain.“But do they say what? Believe in what? No. You see, that is the problem. Owls with fancy ideas— ridiculous! That’s how you get into trouble. Sweetums and I don’t believe in fancy ideas. Fancy ideas don’t keep the belly full and the gizzard grinding. Sugar gliders, plump rats, voles— that’s what counts.” Sweetums nodded and Swatums went over and began preening her for the millionth time that day. Soren knew in that moment that even if he were starving to death, he would still find Sweetums and Swatums the most boring owls on Earth. That late afternoon as they nestled in the hollow, waiting for First Black, Gylfie stirred sleepily.“You awake, Soren?”“Yeah. I can’t wait to get to Hoolemere.”“Me, neither. But I was wondering,” Gylfie said.“Wondering what?”“Do you think that Streak and Zan love each other as much as Sweetums and Swatums?” Streak and Zan were two Bald Eagles who had helped them in the desert when Digger had been attacked by the lieutenants from St. Aggie’s— the very",Swatums,"her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums","“there is nothing simple. It’s just that it has been said that the Great Ga’Hoole Tree is invisible. That it grows on the island in the middle of a vast sea, a sea called Hoolemere that is nearly as wide as an ocean. A sea that is always wrapped in fog, an island feathered in blizzards, and a tree veiled in mist.”“So,” said Twilight,“it’s not really invisible, it’s just bad weather.”“Not exactly,” replied Swatums. Twilight cocked his head.“It seems that for some the fog lifts, the blizzards stop, and the mist blows away.”“For some?” asked Gylfie.“For those who believe.” Swatums paused and then sniffed in disdain.“But do they say what? Believe in what? No. You see, that is the problem. Owls with fancy ideas— ridiculous! That’s how you get into trouble. Sweetums and I don’t believe in fancy ideas. Fancy ideas don’t keep the belly full and the gizzard grinding. Sugar gliders, plump rats, voles— that’s what counts.” Sweetums nodded and Swatums went over and began preening her for the millionth time that day. Soren knew in that moment that even if he were starving to death, he would still find Sweetums and Swatums the most boring owls on Earth. That late afternoon as they nestled in the hollow, waiting for First Black, Gylfie stirred sleepily.“You awake, Soren?”“Yeah. I can’t wait to get to Hoolemere.”“Me, neither. But I was wondering,” Gylfie said.“Wondering what?”“Do you think that Streak and Zan love each other as much as Sweetums and Swatums?” Streak and Zan were two Bald Eagles who had helped them in the desert when Digger had been attacked by the lieutenants from St. Aggie’s— the very:Previous Entities: |her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums| ::: Sweetums and I don’t believe in fancy ideas. ",Swatums.M There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately.,119807,119860,True,483:Tiberinus.M,"their table.“I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone else! My name is Rhea Silvia. I was the mother to Romulus and Remus, thousands of years ago. But you’re so kind to think I look as young as the 1950s. And this is my husband…”“Tiberinus,” said Gregory Peck, thrusting out his hand to Percy in a manly way.“God of the River Tiber.” Percy shook his hand. The guy smelled of aftershave. Of course, if Percy were the Tiber River, he’d probably want to mask the smell with cologne too.“Uh, hi,” Percy said.“Do you two always look like American movie stars?”“Do we?” Tiberinus frowned and studied his clothes.“I’m not sure, actually. The migration of Western civilization goes both ways, you know. Rome affected the world, but the world also affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I’ve rather lost track over the centuries.”“Okay,” Percy said.“But… you’re here to help?”“My naiads told me you two were here.” Tiberinus cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth.“You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?”“Uh…” Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze. She was staring at the river god so intently Percy started to feel jealous.“S- so…” she stammered,“you’ve helped other children of Athena with this quest?”“Oh, my dear!” The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder.“Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess",Tiberinus,"Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus","their table.“I’m afraid you’ve mistaken me for someone else! My name is Rhea Silvia. I was the mother to Romulus and Remus, thousands of years ago. But you’re so kind to think I look as young as the 1950s. And this is my husband…”“Tiberinus,” said Gregory Peck, thrusting out his hand to Percy in a manly way.“God of the River Tiber.” Percy shook his hand. The guy smelled of aftershave. Of course, if Percy were the Tiber River, he’d probably want to mask the smell with cologne too.“Uh, hi,” Percy said.“Do you two always look like American movie stars?”“Do we?” Tiberinus frowned and studied his clothes.“I’m not sure, actually. The migration of Western civilization goes both ways, you know. Rome affected the world, but the world also affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I’ve rather lost track over the centuries.”“Okay,” Percy said.“But… you’re here to help?”“My naiads told me you two were here.” Tiberinus cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth.“You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?”“Uh…” Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze. She was staring at the river god so intently Percy started to feel jealous.“S- so…” she stammered,“you’ve helped other children of Athena with this quest?”“Oh, my dear!” The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder.“Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess:Previous Entities: |Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus| ::: There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. ",Tiberinus.M happiness.,86211,86226,True,2316:the old lady.?,"the third wish? Quickly! When you get three wishes, what’s the third wish!’ Annagramma’s face screwed up into the affronted frown she wore when something had the nerve not to be understandable.‘ But why do—?’‘ Don’t think about it, please! Just answer!’‘ Well, er... it could be anything... being invisible or... or blonde, or anything—’ Annagramma burbled, her mind coming apart at the seams. Tiffany shook her head and let her go. She ran to an old witch who was staring at the commotion.‘ Please, mistress, this is important! In stories, what’s the third wish! Don’t ask me why, please! Just remember!’‘ Er... happiness. It’s happiness, isn’t it?’ said the old lady.‘ Yes, definitely. Health, wealth and happiness. Now if I was you I’d—’‘ Happiness? Happiness... thank you,’ said Tiffany, and looked around desperately for someone else. It wasn’t happiness, she knew that in her boots. You couldn’t get happiness by magic, and that was another clue right there. There was Miss Tick, hurrying between the tents. There was no time for half- measures. Tiffany pulled her round and shouted:‘ HelloMissTickYesI’mFineI HopeYouAreWellTooWhatIsTheThirdWishQuickly ThisIsImportantPleaseDon’tArgueOrAskQuestions ThereIsn’tTime!’ Miss Tick, to her credit, hesitated only for a moment or two.‘ To have a hundred more wishes, isn’t it?’ she said. Tiffany stared at her and then said,‘ Thank you",the old lady,"the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady","the third wish? Quickly! When you get three wishes, what’s the third wish!’ Annagramma’s face screwed up into the affronted frown she wore when something had the nerve not to be understandable.‘ But why do—?’‘ Don’t think about it, please! Just answer!’‘ Well, er... it could be anything... being invisible or... or blonde, or anything—’ Annagramma burbled, her mind coming apart at the seams. Tiffany shook her head and let her go. She ran to an old witch who was staring at the commotion.‘ Please, mistress, this is important! In stories, what’s the third wish! Don’t ask me why, please! Just remember!’‘ Er... happiness. It’s happiness, isn’t it?’ said the old lady.‘ Yes, definitely. Health, wealth and happiness. Now if I was you I’d—’‘ Happiness? Happiness... thank you,’ said Tiffany, and looked around desperately for someone else. It wasn’t happiness, she knew that in her boots. You couldn’t get happiness by magic, and that was another clue right there. There was Miss Tick, hurrying between the tents. There was no time for half- measures. Tiffany pulled her round and shouted:‘ HelloMissTickYesI’mFineI HopeYouAreWellTooWhatIsTheThirdWishQuickly ThisIsImportantPleaseDon’tArgueOrAskQuestions ThereIsn’tTime!’ Miss Tick, to her credit, hesitated only for a moment or two.‘ To have a hundred more wishes, isn’t it?’ she said. Tiffany stared at her and then said,‘ Thank you:Previous Entities: |the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady| ::: happiness. ","Tiffany.F Miss Tick.F Annagramma.F" Don't talk like that.,105924,105936,True,891:The human.M,".'' Yes, of course. Dr. Suti Canova, one of the most skilled physicians on Zuul, and an amateur xenoanthropologist. I'm sorry, Doctor, but scholarship can be dangerous."""" Yes,"" Canova agreed cautiously."" It can. So tell me, citizen Jantz... what brings you to my little hideaway? Slumming?"" The human scanned the walls, hoped they were solid, and forced a smile."" No, of course not. You have a problem, and so do I. Perhaps we could be of assistance to each other."" Canova felt a sudden surge of hope. Jantz needed something! Something she could give."" A deal, Bishop Jantz? A deal with the Devil?"" The human looked over his shoulder."" Don't talk like that. Not even in jest."""" I'm sorry,"" the synthetic said quickly."" It won't happen again. Medical history first— symptoms second."" Jantz looked surprised, and Canova smiled."" What else would bring you here?"" The human nodded, provided the necessary information, and answered her questions. Later, when the door squeaked closed, a candle burned in the sconce. Maras heard the sound of chanting and detected the scent of incense long before he arrived at the chapel. Corley was waiting for him. She was annoyed and let it show."" Where have you been, Daddy? We should be halfway through the ceremony by now."" The tone was both spoiled and petulant. A lack of discipline, or something more? His daughter had changed during his absence—",The human,"Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog",".'' Yes, of course. Dr. Suti Canova, one of the most skilled physicians on Zuul, and an amateur xenoanthropologist. I'm sorry, Doctor, but scholarship can be dangerous."""" Yes,"" Canova agreed cautiously."" It can. So tell me, citizen Jantz... what brings you to my little hideaway? Slumming?"" The human scanned the walls, hoped they were solid, and forced a smile."" No, of course not. You have a problem, and so do I. Perhaps we could be of assistance to each other."" Canova felt a sudden surge of hope. Jantz needed something! Something she could give."" A deal, Bishop Jantz? A deal with the Devil?"" The human looked over his shoulder."" Don't talk like that. Not even in jest."""" I'm sorry,"" the synthetic said quickly."" It won't happen again. Medical history first— symptoms second."" Jantz looked surprised, and Canova smiled."" What else would bring you here?"" The human nodded, provided the necessary information, and answered her questions. Later, when the door squeaked closed, a candle burned in the sconce. Maras heard the sound of chanting and detected the scent of incense long before he arrived at the chapel. Corley was waiting for him. She was annoyed and let it show."" Where have you been, Daddy? We should be halfway through the ceremony by now."" The tone was both spoiled and petulant. A lack of discipline, or something more? His daughter had changed during his absence—:Previous Entities: |Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog| ::: Don't talk like that. ",The human.M Repeat?”,76200,76208,True,324:Computer.?,"Isaac’s house. He answered the door himself.“My mom took Graham to a movie,” he said.“We should go do something,” I said.“Can the something be play blind- guy video games while sitting on the couch?”“Yeah, that’s just the kind of something I had in mind.” So we sat there for a couple hours talking to the screen together, navigating this invisible labyrinthine cave without a single lumen of light. The most entertaining part of the game by far was trying to get the computer to engage us in humorous conversation: Me:“Touch the cave wall.” Computer:“You touch the cave wall. It is moist.” Isaac:“Lick the cave wall.” Computer:“I do not understand. Repeat?” Me:“Hump the moist cave wall.” Computer:“You attempt to jump. You hit your head.” Isaac:“Not jump. HUMP.” Computer:“I don’t understand.” Isaac:“Dude, I’ve been alone in the dark in this cave for weeks and I need some relief. HUMP THE CAVE WALL.” Computer:“You attempt to ju—” Me:“Thrust pelvis against the cave wall.” Computer:“I do not—” Isaac:“Make sweet love to the cave.” Computer:“I do not—” Me:“FINE. Follow left branch.” Computer:“You follow the left branch. The passage narrows.” Me:“Crawl.” Computer:",Computer,"Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer","Isaac’s house. He answered the door himself.“My mom took Graham to a movie,” he said.“We should go do something,” I said.“Can the something be play blind- guy video games while sitting on the couch?”“Yeah, that’s just the kind of something I had in mind.” So we sat there for a couple hours talking to the screen together, navigating this invisible labyrinthine cave without a single lumen of light. The most entertaining part of the game by far was trying to get the computer to engage us in humorous conversation: Me:“Touch the cave wall.” Computer:“You touch the cave wall. It is moist.” Isaac:“Lick the cave wall.” Computer:“I do not understand. Repeat?” Me:“Hump the moist cave wall.” Computer:“You attempt to jump. You hit your head.” Isaac:“Not jump. HUMP.” Computer:“I don’t understand.” Isaac:“Dude, I’ve been alone in the dark in this cave for weeks and I need some relief. HUMP THE CAVE WALL.” Computer:“You attempt to ju—” Me:“Thrust pelvis against the cave wall.” Computer:“I do not—” Isaac:“Make sweet love to the cave.” Computer:“I do not—” Me:“FINE. Follow left branch.” Computer:“You follow the left branch. The passage narrows.” Me:“Crawl.” Computer::Previous Entities: |Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer| ::: Repeat?” ",Isaac.M "“Shield us from sight,",229110,229139,True,498:my mate.F,"Father— thank you.” She wrapped her arms tightly around Cassian, those gray- blue eyes bright, then they were gone. Rhys’s body strained with the effort of not going after them as they soared for a copse of trees far behind the battlefield.“He might survive,” I said softly.“No,” Rhys said, flying us down to Amren and Elain.“He won’t.” I had Rhys move Elain to the farthest reaches of our camp. And when he returned, my mate only pressed a kiss to my mouth before he took to the skies, spearing for the heart of the battle— the heaviest fighting. I could barely stand to look— to see where he landed. Alone with Amren, she said to me,“Shield us from sight, and run as fast as you can. Don’t stop; try not to kill. It’ll leave a trail.” I nodded, checking my weapons. The Seraphim were soaring overhead now, wings bright as the sun on snow. I settled a glamour around us, veiling us and muffling our sounds.“Quickly,” Amren repeated, silver eyes churning like thunderclouds.“Don’t look back.” So I didn’t. CHAPTER 73 The Cauldron had been nestled in a craggy overlook. The Weaver had done her job well. Key guards and posts were little more than wet, red piles of bone and sinew. And I knew that when I saw her again… she would be even more blindingly beautiful. Amren’s power flared again and again, breaking through wards in our path until we reached Stryga’s wake. Whatever spells the king had laid… Amren was prepared for them.",my mate,"One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan","Father— thank you.” She wrapped her arms tightly around Cassian, those gray- blue eyes bright, then they were gone. Rhys’s body strained with the effort of not going after them as they soared for a copse of trees far behind the battlefield.“He might survive,” I said softly.“No,” Rhys said, flying us down to Amren and Elain.“He won’t.” I had Rhys move Elain to the farthest reaches of our camp. And when he returned, my mate only pressed a kiss to my mouth before he took to the skies, spearing for the heart of the battle— the heaviest fighting. I could barely stand to look— to see where he landed. Alone with Amren, she said to me,“Shield us from sight, and run as fast as you can. Don’t stop; try not to kill. It’ll leave a trail.” I nodded, checking my weapons. The Seraphim were soaring overhead now, wings bright as the sun on snow. I settled a glamour around us, veiling us and muffling our sounds.“Quickly,” Amren repeated, silver eyes churning like thunderclouds.“Don’t look back.” So I didn’t. CHAPTER 73 The Cauldron had been nestled in a craggy overlook. The Weaver had done her job well. Key guards and posts were little more than wet, red piles of bone and sinew. And I knew that when I saw her again… she would be even more blindingly beautiful. Amren’s power flared again and again, breaking through wards in our path until we reached Stryga’s wake. Whatever spells the king had laid… Amren was prepared for them.:Previous Entities: |One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan| ::: “Shield us from sight, ",Amren.F “Alligator?”,54412,54415,True,584:the wizards.?,"Sconner, who was rumored to do positive- thinking exercises.“And we’re not scared of a few old books, are we, lads?” He glowered at the smallest wizard.“You’re not, are you?” he added sharply.“Me? Oh. No. Of course not. They’re just paper, like he said,” said the wizard quickly.“Well, then.”“There’s ninety thousand of them, mind,” said another wizard.“I always heard there was no end to’em,” said another.“It’s all down to dimensions, I heard, like what we see is only the tip of the whatever, you know, the thing that is mostly underwater—”“Hippopotamus?”“Alligator?”“Ocean?”“Look, just shut up, all of you!” shouted Sconner. He hesitated. The darkness seemed to suck at the sound of his voice. It packed the air like feathers. He pulled himself together a bit.“Right, then,” he said, and turned toward the forbidding doors of the Library. He raised his hands, made a few complicated gestures in which his fingers, in some eye- watering way, appeared to pass through each other, and shattered the doors into sawdust. The waves of silence poured back again, strangling the sound of falling woodchips. There was no doubt that the doors were smashed. Four forlorn hinges hung trembling from the frame, and a litter of broken benches and shelves lay in the wreckage.",the wizards,"the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man","Sconner, who was rumored to do positive- thinking exercises.“And we’re not scared of a few old books, are we, lads?” He glowered at the smallest wizard.“You’re not, are you?” he added sharply.“Me? Oh. No. Of course not. They’re just paper, like he said,” said the wizard quickly.“Well, then.”“There’s ninety thousand of them, mind,” said another wizard.“I always heard there was no end to’em,” said another.“It’s all down to dimensions, I heard, like what we see is only the tip of the whatever, you know, the thing that is mostly underwater—”“Hippopotamus?”“Alligator?”“Ocean?”“Look, just shut up, all of you!” shouted Sconner. He hesitated. The darkness seemed to suck at the sound of his voice. It packed the air like feathers. He pulled himself together a bit.“Right, then,” he said, and turned toward the forbidding doors of the Library. He raised his hands, made a few complicated gestures in which his fingers, in some eye- watering way, appeared to pass through each other, and shattered the doors into sawdust. The waves of silence poured back again, strangling the sound of falling woodchips. There was no doubt that the doors were smashed. Four forlorn hinges hung trembling from the frame, and a litter of broken benches and shelves lay in the wreckage.:Previous Entities: |the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man| ::: “Alligator?” ",HotCock007.M "“For God’s sake,",124342,124351,True,480:Emily St. Claire.F,"… twitching. Drake’s stomach turned at the sight.“They’re hatching, Mr. Drake!” Danny moved his arm closer to the camera. The scene zoomed in, until Drake could see one of the whiteheads clearly. It was the head of a larva, struggling, pushing up through a hole in Danny’s skin. The grub’s mouth pulsed and it spat out a thread of silk. The camera moved, and he saw more grubs, waving and struggling, popping up through his skin.“Thank you, Mr. Minot, I can see very well—”“It’s horrible! My arm’s all numb.”“I’m sorry, Daniel—” He felt his throat tighten. He glanced back at Emily St. Claire, who seemed impatient.“For God’s sake, help me!” the little face on his cell phone beseeched him.“Who is with you?” Drake said sharply, holding the phone close to his ear.“I can’t see your face!” Drake turned the phone so Danny could see him.“We will help you,” he said gently.“Who else is with you?”“I want to go to a top hospital—”“Yes, yes, a top hospital. Who is with you?”“Karen King and Rick Hutter.”“What about the others?”“They’re all dead, Mr. Drake.”“Peter Jansen is dead, too?”“Yes.”“Are you sure he’s dead?”“He got shot. His chest exploded. I",Emily St,"the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St","… twitching. Drake’s stomach turned at the sight.“They’re hatching, Mr. Drake!” Danny moved his arm closer to the camera. The scene zoomed in, until Drake could see one of the whiteheads clearly. It was the head of a larva, struggling, pushing up through a hole in Danny’s skin. The grub’s mouth pulsed and it spat out a thread of silk. The camera moved, and he saw more grubs, waving and struggling, popping up through his skin.“Thank you, Mr. Minot, I can see very well—”“It’s horrible! My arm’s all numb.”“I’m sorry, Daniel—” He felt his throat tighten. He glanced back at Emily St. Claire, who seemed impatient.“For God’s sake, help me!” the little face on his cell phone beseeched him.“Who is with you?” Drake said sharply, holding the phone close to his ear.“I can’t see your face!” Drake turned the phone so Danny could see him.“We will help you,” he said gently.“Who else is with you?”“I want to go to a top hospital—”“Yes, yes, a top hospital. Who is with you?”“Karen King and Rick Hutter.”“What about the others?”“They’re all dead, Mr. Drake.”“Peter Jansen is dead, too?”“Yes.”“Are you sure he’s dead?”“He got shot. His chest exploded. I:Previous Entities: |the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St| ::: “For God’s sake, ",Drake.M "But that almost certainly means other parties are upset,",88652,88689,True,2746:The Japanese receptionist.F,"?”“Look, you have questions, you talk to Enders. I’m busy.” He turned to the woman with blueprints.“Beverly? What have you got for me?”“I have a revised layout for the boardroom, Mr. Greiman, and tile samples for the washroom. A very nice gray I think you’ll like.”“Good, good.” He led her down the hallway away from us. Connor watched them go, and then abruptly turned toward the elevator.“Come on, kohai. Let’s get some fresh air.” Why does it matter if there were other bidders?” I, said, when we were back in the car.“It goes back to the original question we had,” Connor said.“Who wants to embarrass Nakamoto? We know the sale of Micro Con has strategic significance. That’s why Congress is upset. But that almost certainly means other parties are upset, too.”“In Japan?”“Exactly.”“Who will know that?”“Akai.” The Japanese receptionist tittered when she saw Connor’s badge. Connor said,“We would like to see Mr. Yoshida.” Yoshida was the fie ad of the company.“One moment, please.” She got up and hurried away, almost running. Akai Ceramics was located on the fifth floor of a bland office- block in El Segundo. The decor was spare and industrial- looking. From the reception area, we could see into a large space, which was not partitioned: lots of metal desks and people at the phones. The soft click of word processors. I looked at the office.“Pretty bare.”“All business,” Connor said",The Japanese receptionist,"the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist","?”“Look, you have questions, you talk to Enders. I’m busy.” He turned to the woman with blueprints.“Beverly? What have you got for me?”“I have a revised layout for the boardroom, Mr. Greiman, and tile samples for the washroom. A very nice gray I think you’ll like.”“Good, good.” He led her down the hallway away from us. Connor watched them go, and then abruptly turned toward the elevator.“Come on, kohai. Let’s get some fresh air.” Why does it matter if there were other bidders?” I, said, when we were back in the car.“It goes back to the original question we had,” Connor said.“Who wants to embarrass Nakamoto? We know the sale of Micro Con has strategic significance. That’s why Congress is upset. But that almost certainly means other parties are upset, too.”“In Japan?”“Exactly.”“Who will know that?”“Akai.” The Japanese receptionist tittered when she saw Connor’s badge. Connor said,“We would like to see Mr. Yoshida.” Yoshida was the fie ad of the company.“One moment, please.” She got up and hurried away, almost running. Akai Ceramics was located on the fifth floor of a bland office- block in El Segundo. The decor was spare and industrial- looking. From the reception area, we could see into a large space, which was not partitioned: lots of metal desks and people at the phones. The soft click of word processors. I looked at the office.“Pretty bare.”“All business,” Connor said:Previous Entities: |the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist| ::: But that almost certainly means other parties are upset, ",Connor.M This may be considered a typical penalty.”,48008,48030,True,257:Liessa.F,"Chimeria. And you?”“Liessa Dragonlady.”“You are the lord of this place?”“That remains to be seen. You have the look about you of a hired sword, Hrun of Chimeria. I could use you— if you pass the tests, of course. There are three of them. You have passed the first.”“What are the other—” Hrun paused, his lips moved soundlessly and then he hazarded,“two?”“Perilous.”“And the fee?”“Valuable.”“Excuse me,” said Twoflower.“And if I fail these tests?” said Hrun, ignoring him. The air between Hrun and Liessa crackled with small explosions of charisma as their gazes sought for a hold.“If you had failed the first test you would now be dead. This may be considered a typical penalty.”“Um, look,” began Twoflower. Liessa spared him a brief glance, and appeared actually to notice him for the first time.“Take that away,” she said calmly, and turned back to Hrun. Two of the guards shouldered their bows, grasped Twoflower by the elbows and lifted him off the ground. Then they trotted smartly through the doorway.“Hey,” said Twoflower, as they hurried down the corridor outside,“where”(as they stopped in front of another door)“is my”(as they dragged the door open)“Luggage?” He landed in a heap of what might once have been straw. The door banged shut, its echoes punctuated by the sound of bolts being slammed home. In the other cell Hrun",Liessa,"Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt","Chimeria. And you?”“Liessa Dragonlady.”“You are the lord of this place?”“That remains to be seen. You have the look about you of a hired sword, Hrun of Chimeria. I could use you— if you pass the tests, of course. There are three of them. You have passed the first.”“What are the other—” Hrun paused, his lips moved soundlessly and then he hazarded,“two?”“Perilous.”“And the fee?”“Valuable.”“Excuse me,” said Twoflower.“And if I fail these tests?” said Hrun, ignoring him. The air between Hrun and Liessa crackled with small explosions of charisma as their gazes sought for a hold.“If you had failed the first test you would now be dead. This may be considered a typical penalty.”“Um, look,” began Twoflower. Liessa spared him a brief glance, and appeared actually to notice him for the first time.“Take that away,” she said calmly, and turned back to Hrun. Two of the guards shouldered their bows, grasped Twoflower by the elbows and lifted him off the ground. Then they trotted smartly through the doorway.“Hey,” said Twoflower, as they hurried down the corridor outside,“where”(as they stopped in front of another door)“is my”(as they dragged the door open)“Luggage?” He landed in a heap of what might once have been straw. The door banged shut, its echoes punctuated by the sound of bolts being slammed home. In the other cell Hrun:Previous Entities: |Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt| ::: This may be considered a typical penalty.” ",Liessa.F in due time.,143469,143521,True,867:Erickson.M,"thought, Sternocleidomastoid. Jesus. They would have to dub in a voice- over.“Professor, perhaps you could say it in English?”“No, the terms are Latin, I don’t know the translation—”“I mean, can you explain in layman’s terms? For our viewers?”“Ah, of course. All these superficial muscles, most of which attach to the hyoid— that is to say, the Adam’s apple— these muscles are more human than ape- like.”“What could account for that?”“Some mutation, obviously.”“And the rest of the animal? Is it more human, as well?”“I have not seen the rest of the animal,” Erickson said severely.“But we will get there, in due time. I shall be especially interested to inspect any rotation of the axis of the foramen magnum, and of course the depth and arrangement of sulci of the motor cortex, to the extent that gray matter has been preserved.”“Do you expect to find human- like changes in the brain?”“Frankly, no. I do not,” Erickson said. He turned his attention to the top of the skull, running his gloved hands over the sparse hair of the orang’s scalp, feeling the bones beneath.“You see, in this animal, parietal bones slope inward, toward the top of the cranium. That is a classic pongid or chimp finding. Whereas humans have bulging parietal bones. The top of their heads are wider than the bottom.” Erickson stepped back from the table. Gorevitch said,“So you are saying this animal is a mixture of human and ape?”“No,” Erickson said.“This is an ape. It is an aberrant ape",Erickson,"a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson","thought, Sternocleidomastoid. Jesus. They would have to dub in a voice- over.“Professor, perhaps you could say it in English?”“No, the terms are Latin, I don’t know the translation—”“I mean, can you explain in layman’s terms? For our viewers?”“Ah, of course. All these superficial muscles, most of which attach to the hyoid— that is to say, the Adam’s apple— these muscles are more human than ape- like.”“What could account for that?”“Some mutation, obviously.”“And the rest of the animal? Is it more human, as well?”“I have not seen the rest of the animal,” Erickson said severely.“But we will get there, in due time. I shall be especially interested to inspect any rotation of the axis of the foramen magnum, and of course the depth and arrangement of sulci of the motor cortex, to the extent that gray matter has been preserved.”“Do you expect to find human- like changes in the brain?”“Frankly, no. I do not,” Erickson said. He turned his attention to the top of the skull, running his gloved hands over the sparse hair of the orang’s scalp, feeling the bones beneath.“You see, in this animal, parietal bones slope inward, toward the top of the cranium. That is a classic pongid or chimp finding. Whereas humans have bulging parietal bones. The top of their heads are wider than the bottom.” Erickson stepped back from the table. Gorevitch said,“So you are saying this animal is a mixture of human and ape?”“No,” Erickson said.“This is an ape. It is an aberrant ape:Previous Entities: |a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson| ::: in due time. ",Erickson.M I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.”,96788,96805,True,168:Huff.?,"into the lobby. He carried a clipboard under his arm.“Where’s the medicine for my wife?” Les asked before the doctor could say anything.“It was supposed to be delivered already. I want it, and I want it right now.” Huff pulled out the clipboard and flipped through the pages.“Ah, yes. I see there’s a supply meant for your wife, but command has yet to authorize it… No, wait. That’s odd.”“What’s odd?” Huff looked up from the paper.“The medicine was authorized but then put on hold. I’m sorry, Les, but I can’t give you anything until Command reverses the hold.”“Son of a bitch,” Les muttered.“Take this up with Lieutenant Hunt. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.” Huff began to walk away, but Les grabbed his arm. The doctor’s eyes flitted to his hand, and then up to meet his gaze.“Please let go of me,” Huff said, clearly agitated. Les took a deep breath and let go of Huff’s arm.“Fine, Doc. I’ll go see Hunt.”“Good luck,” Huff said. Yeah right, Les thought as he turned away. He raced through the corridors toward the bridge. A trio of guards armed with crossbows were waiting outside the black hatch. Ensign Del Toro raised his hand, and Les slowed his approach.“Can I help you?” Del Toro asked.“I’d like to see Lieutenant Hunt,” Les said, trying to sound polite",Huff,"Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan","into the lobby. He carried a clipboard under his arm.“Where’s the medicine for my wife?” Les asked before the doctor could say anything.“It was supposed to be delivered already. I want it, and I want it right now.” Huff pulled out the clipboard and flipped through the pages.“Ah, yes. I see there’s a supply meant for your wife, but command has yet to authorize it… No, wait. That’s odd.”“What’s odd?” Huff looked up from the paper.“The medicine was authorized but then put on hold. I’m sorry, Les, but I can’t give you anything until Command reverses the hold.”“Son of a bitch,” Les muttered.“Take this up with Lieutenant Hunt. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.” Huff began to walk away, but Les grabbed his arm. The doctor’s eyes flitted to his hand, and then up to meet his gaze.“Please let go of me,” Huff said, clearly agitated. Les took a deep breath and let go of Huff’s arm.“Fine, Doc. I’ll go see Hunt.”“Good luck,” Huff said. Yeah right, Les thought as he turned away. He raced through the corridors toward the bridge. A trio of guards armed with crossbows were waiting outside the black hatch. Ensign Del Toro raised his hand, and Les slowed his approach.“Can I help you?” Del Toro asked.“I’d like to see Lieutenant Hunt,” Les said, trying to sound polite:Previous Entities: |Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan| ::: I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding.” ","Les.M Huff.M Hunt.? Del Toro.M" "Right on the Incarnate Wheel,",38763,38815,True,844:The shorter man.?,"that pillar falling that let me know I was close to you. Sometimes, what looks like a mistake turns out to be kind of useful."""" I know that, but I still have trouble. Every time I think I've got my Talent figured out, I break something I didn't intend to."" The shorter man leaned against a pillar on the side of the hallway."" I know what you mean, Al. I spent most of my youth getting lost. I couldn't be trusted to go to the bathroom on my own because I'd end up in Mexico. Once, I stranded your father and myself on an island alone for two weeks because I couldn't figure out how to make the blasted Talent work."" He shook his head."" The thing is, the more powerful a Talent is, the harder it is to control. You and I– like your father and grandfather– have prime Talents. Right on the Incarnate Wheel, fairly pure. They're bound to give us lots of trouble."" I cocked my head."" Incarnate Wheel?"" He seemed surprised."" Nobody's explained it to you?"""" The only one I've really talked to about Talents is my grandfather."""" Yeah, but what about in school?""“Ah... no,"" I said."" I went to Librarian school, Kaz. I did hear a lot about the Great Depression, though."" Kaz snorted."" Fantasy books. Those Librarians..."" He sighed, squatting down by the floor and pulling out a stick. He grabbed a handful of dust from the corner, threw it out on the floor, then drew a circle in it."" There have been a lot of Smedries over the centuries,"" he said,""",The shorter man,"Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man","that pillar falling that let me know I was close to you. Sometimes, what looks like a mistake turns out to be kind of useful."""" I know that, but I still have trouble. Every time I think I've got my Talent figured out, I break something I didn't intend to."" The shorter man leaned against a pillar on the side of the hallway."" I know what you mean, Al. I spent most of my youth getting lost. I couldn't be trusted to go to the bathroom on my own because I'd end up in Mexico. Once, I stranded your father and myself on an island alone for two weeks because I couldn't figure out how to make the blasted Talent work."" He shook his head."" The thing is, the more powerful a Talent is, the harder it is to control. You and I– like your father and grandfather– have prime Talents. Right on the Incarnate Wheel, fairly pure. They're bound to give us lots of trouble."" I cocked my head."" Incarnate Wheel?"" He seemed surprised."" Nobody's explained it to you?"""" The only one I've really talked to about Talents is my grandfather."""" Yeah, but what about in school?""“Ah... no,"" I said."" I went to Librarian school, Kaz. I did hear a lot about the Great Depression, though."" Kaz snorted."" Fantasy books. Those Librarians..."" He sighed, squatting down by the floor and pulling out a stick. He grabbed a handful of dust from the corner, threw it out on the floor, then drew a circle in it."" There have been a lot of Smedries over the centuries,"" he said,"":Previous Entities: |Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man| ::: Right on the Incarnate Wheel, ",Kaz.M "The Rockers launched themselves into an extremely evil Sousa march,",162226,162277,True,5011:The Castle Rockers.?,"some, honey, here in my fishin hole? You want to fish in my pond, baby, you better have a big long pole.'' Fishin Blues.' Written by Sara Tidwell, originally performed by Sara and the Red- Top Boys, covered by everyone from Ma Rainey to the Lovin' Spoonful. The raunchy ones had been her specialty, double- entendre so thin you could read a newspaper through it... although reading hadn't been Sara's main interest, judging by her lyrics. Before the kid could go on to the next verse, something about how you got to wiggle when you wobble and get that big one way down deep, The Castle Rockers ran off a brass flourish that said' Shut up, everybody, we're comin atcha.' The kid quit playing his guitar; the juggler began catching his Indian clubs and dropping them swiftly onto the grass in a line. The Rockers launched themselves into an extremely evil Sousa march, music to commit serial murders by, and Kyra came running back to us.' The jugster's done. Will you tell me the story, Mike? Hansel and Panzel?'' It's Hansel and Gretel,' I said,' and I'll be happy to. But let's go where it's a little quieter, okay? The band is giving me a headache.'' Music hurt your headie?'' A little bit.'' We'll go by Mattie's car, then.'' Good thought.' Kyra ran ahead to stake out a bench on the edge of the common. Mattie gave me a long warm look, then her hand. I took it. Our fingers folded together as if they had been doing it for years. I thought, I'd like it to be slow, both of us",The Castle Rockers,"one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers","some, honey, here in my fishin hole? You want to fish in my pond, baby, you better have a big long pole.'' Fishin Blues.' Written by Sara Tidwell, originally performed by Sara and the Red- Top Boys, covered by everyone from Ma Rainey to the Lovin' Spoonful. The raunchy ones had been her specialty, double- entendre so thin you could read a newspaper through it... although reading hadn't been Sara's main interest, judging by her lyrics. Before the kid could go on to the next verse, something about how you got to wiggle when you wobble and get that big one way down deep, The Castle Rockers ran off a brass flourish that said' Shut up, everybody, we're comin atcha.' The kid quit playing his guitar; the juggler began catching his Indian clubs and dropping them swiftly onto the grass in a line. The Rockers launched themselves into an extremely evil Sousa march, music to commit serial murders by, and Kyra came running back to us.' The jugster's done. Will you tell me the story, Mike? Hansel and Panzel?'' It's Hansel and Gretel,' I said,' and I'll be happy to. But let's go where it's a little quieter, okay? The band is giving me a headache.'' Music hurt your headie?'' A little bit.'' We'll go by Mattie's car, then.'' Good thought.' Kyra ran ahead to stake out a bench on the edge of the common. Mattie gave me a long warm look, then her hand. I took it. Our fingers folded together as if they had been doing it for years. I thought, I'd like it to be slow, both of us:Previous Entities: |one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers| ::: The Rockers launched themselves into an extremely evil Sousa march, ","Kyra Mike Mattie Romeo Bissonette the old guy the redheaded guy the locals a strange man Bonnie Siddy Sid The Castle Rockers" I will approve it.”,40433,40450,True,1968:the ex - boss.M,"breakthrough. Not only had his ex- boss uttered those sweet words—“that’s right”—but he had revealed his true motive: he needed an ally in headquarters.“Is there any other help you need?” he asked.“Let me tell you everything,” the ex- boss responded. It turns out his former superior would be up for a promotion to vice president in two years. He desperately wanted to move up into this job. He needed someone in headquarters to lobby the company CEO.“I would help you in any way,” my student said.“But I could help with the networking and also talk you up to the CEO even if I were at headquarters with the consumer products division, right?”“That’s right,” he said.“If you get an offer from the consumer products unit, I will approve it.” Bingo! By asking questions that got him to“that’s right,” my student had achieved his goal. He also got his boss to reveal two“Black Swans,” the unspoken, underlying breakthrough dynamics of a negotiation(explored in more detail in Chapter 10):■ His boss needed someone to help him network and communicate in headquarters.■ His boss would be up for a promotion and needed someone to talk him up to the CEO. My student was able to win the job he desired on the consumer electronics division. And he’s been talking up his former boss.“I was stunned,” he wrote me in an email.“In this culture it is not really possible to know what a superior is thinking.” I have many opportunities to travel",the ex - boss,"The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss","breakthrough. Not only had his ex- boss uttered those sweet words—“that’s right”—but he had revealed his true motive: he needed an ally in headquarters.“Is there any other help you need?” he asked.“Let me tell you everything,” the ex- boss responded. It turns out his former superior would be up for a promotion to vice president in two years. He desperately wanted to move up into this job. He needed someone in headquarters to lobby the company CEO.“I would help you in any way,” my student said.“But I could help with the networking and also talk you up to the CEO even if I were at headquarters with the consumer products division, right?”“That’s right,” he said.“If you get an offer from the consumer products unit, I will approve it.” Bingo! By asking questions that got him to“that’s right,” my student had achieved his goal. He also got his boss to reveal two“Black Swans,” the unspoken, underlying breakthrough dynamics of a negotiation(explored in more detail in Chapter 10):■ His boss needed someone to help him network and communicate in headquarters.■ His boss would be up for a promotion and needed someone to talk him up to the CEO. My student was able to win the job he desired on the consumer electronics division. And he’s been talking up his former boss.“I was stunned,” he wrote me in an email.“In this culture it is not really possible to know what a superior is thinking.” I have many opportunities to travel:Previous Entities: |The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss| ::: I will approve it.” ",my student.M "It's Sid Commons,",76806,76864,True,2230:The chief security official.M,"have worked if it hadn't been for one thing: the passport official at Heathrow just happened to be Sid Commons, the ex- Green Beret who had served with Butler on bodyguard duty in Monte Carlo. The second Blunt opened his mouth alarm bells went off in Commons' head. The gentleman before him fitted the description Butler had faxed over perfectly. Right down to the strange teeth. Blue oil and water, if you don't mind. Commons pressed a button under his desk and, in seconds, a squad of security men relieved Blunt of his passport and took him into custody. The chief security official took out his mobile phone as soon as the detainee was under lock and key. He dialled an international number. It rang twice.' The Fowl residence.'' Butler? It's Sid Commons, in Heathrow. A man came through here you might be interested in. Funny teeth, neck tattoos, New Zealand accent. Detective Inspector Justin Barre faxed out the description from Scotland Yard a few days ago; he said you might be able to ID him.'' Do you still have him?' asked the manservant.' Yes. He's in one of our holding cells. They're running a check right now.'' How long will that take?'' A couple of hours, max. But if he's the professional you say he is, a computer check won't turn up anything. We need a confession to turn him over to Scotland Yard.'' I will meet you in the Arrivals hall under the departure board in thirty minutes,' said Butler, severing the connection. Sid Commons stared at his mobile phone. How could Butler possibly get there in thirty minutes from Ireland? It wasn't important. All Sid knew was that Butler had saved his life a dozen times in Monte Carlo all those",The chief security official,"the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official","have worked if it hadn't been for one thing: the passport official at Heathrow just happened to be Sid Commons, the ex- Green Beret who had served with Butler on bodyguard duty in Monte Carlo. The second Blunt opened his mouth alarm bells went off in Commons' head. The gentleman before him fitted the description Butler had faxed over perfectly. Right down to the strange teeth. Blue oil and water, if you don't mind. Commons pressed a button under his desk and, in seconds, a squad of security men relieved Blunt of his passport and took him into custody. The chief security official took out his mobile phone as soon as the detainee was under lock and key. He dialled an international number. It rang twice.' The Fowl residence.'' Butler? It's Sid Commons, in Heathrow. A man came through here you might be interested in. Funny teeth, neck tattoos, New Zealand accent. Detective Inspector Justin Barre faxed out the description from Scotland Yard a few days ago; he said you might be able to ID him.'' Do you still have him?' asked the manservant.' Yes. He's in one of our holding cells. They're running a check right now.'' How long will that take?'' A couple of hours, max. But if he's the professional you say he is, a computer check won't turn up anything. We need a confession to turn him over to Scotland Yard.'' I will meet you in the Arrivals hall under the departure board in thirty minutes,' said Butler, severing the connection. Sid Commons stared at his mobile phone. How could Butler possibly get there in thirty minutes from Ireland? It wasn't important. All Sid knew was that Butler had saved his life a dozen times in Monte Carlo all those:Previous Entities: |the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official| ::: It's Sid Commons, ",Sid Commons.M "but there’s been shootin— automatic weapons,",7032,7057,True,1783:The Central Maine Power guy.M,". The Central Maine Power guy passed on the directions willingly enough, then added:“If you’re serious about going to Lovell today, you’re gonna have to use Route 93. The Bog Road, some folks call it.” He raised a hand to Eddie and shook his head like a man forestalling an argument, although Eddie had not in fact said a word since asking his original question.“It’s seven miles longer, I know, and jouncy as a bugger, but you can’t get through East Stoneham today. Cops’ve got it blocked off. State Bears, local yokels, even the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department.”“You’re kidding,” Eddie said. It seemed a safe enough response. The power guy shook his head grimly.“No one seems to know exactly what’s up, but there’s been shootin— automatic weapons, maybe— and explosions.” He patted the battered and sawdusty walkie- talkie clipped to his belt.“I’ve even heard the t- word once or twice this afternoon. Not s’prised, either.” Eddie had no idea what the t- word might be, but knew Roland wanted to get going. He could feel the gunslinger’s impatience in his head; could almost see Roland’s impatient finger- twirling gesture, the one that meant Let’s go, let’s go.“I’m talking’bout terrorism,” the power guy said, then lowered his voice.“People don’t think shit like that can happen in America, buddy, but I got news for you, it can. If not today, then sooner or later. Someone’s gonna blow up the Statue of",The Central Maine Power guy,The Central Maine Power guy,". The Central Maine Power guy passed on the directions willingly enough, then added:“If you’re serious about going to Lovell today, you’re gonna have to use Route 93. The Bog Road, some folks call it.” He raised a hand to Eddie and shook his head like a man forestalling an argument, although Eddie had not in fact said a word since asking his original question.“It’s seven miles longer, I know, and jouncy as a bugger, but you can’t get through East Stoneham today. Cops’ve got it blocked off. State Bears, local yokels, even the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department.”“You’re kidding,” Eddie said. It seemed a safe enough response. The power guy shook his head grimly.“No one seems to know exactly what’s up, but there’s been shootin— automatic weapons, maybe— and explosions.” He patted the battered and sawdusty walkie- talkie clipped to his belt.“I’ve even heard the t- word once or twice this afternoon. Not s’prised, either.” Eddie had no idea what the t- word might be, but knew Roland wanted to get going. He could feel the gunslinger’s impatience in his head; could almost see Roland’s impatient finger- twirling gesture, the one that meant Let’s go, let’s go.“I’m talking’bout terrorism,” the power guy said, then lowered his voice.“People don’t think shit like that can happen in America, buddy, but I got news for you, it can. If not today, then sooner or later. Someone’s gonna blow up the Statue of:Previous Entities: |The Central Maine Power guy| ::: but there’s been shootin— automatic weapons, ",The Central Maine Power guy.M Skates off here.,104359,104379,True,3046:The teacher.?,"the future it may get tougher. They know that sooner or later, there will be a backlash. No matter how diplomatically they play it- and they are in the acquisition phase now, so they’re playing it very diplomatically. Because the fact is, countries don’t like to be dominated. They don’t like to be occupied- economically or militarily. And the Japanese figure some day the Americans will wake up.” I watched the kids skating in the rink. I listened to their laughter. I thought of my daughter. I thought of the four o’clock meeting. I said,“Why are we sitting here?”“Because,” he said. So we sat there. The teacher was rounding the kids up now, leading them off the ice.“Skates off here. Skates off here, please. That means you too, Alexander! Alexander!”“You know,” Connor said,“if you wanted to buy a Japanese company, you couldn’t do it. The people in the company would consider it shameful to be taken over by foreigners. Itwould be a disgrace. They would never allow“I thought you could. I thought the Japanese had liberalized their rules.” Connor smiled.“Technically. Yes. Technically, you can buy a Japanese company. But as a practical matter, you can’t. Because if you want to take over a company, you first have to approach its bank. And get the agreement of the bank. That’s what is necessary, in order to proceed. And the bank doesn’t agree.”“I thought General Motors owns Isuzu.”“GM owns a",The teacher,"my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher","the future it may get tougher. They know that sooner or later, there will be a backlash. No matter how diplomatically they play it- and they are in the acquisition phase now, so they’re playing it very diplomatically. Because the fact is, countries don’t like to be dominated. They don’t like to be occupied- economically or militarily. And the Japanese figure some day the Americans will wake up.” I watched the kids skating in the rink. I listened to their laughter. I thought of my daughter. I thought of the four o’clock meeting. I said,“Why are we sitting here?”“Because,” he said. So we sat there. The teacher was rounding the kids up now, leading them off the ice.“Skates off here. Skates off here, please. That means you too, Alexander! Alexander!”“You know,” Connor said,“if you wanted to buy a Japanese company, you couldn’t do it. The people in the company would consider it shameful to be taken over by foreigners. Itwould be a disgrace. They would never allow“I thought you could. I thought the Japanese had liberalized their rules.” Connor smiled.“Technically. Yes. Technically, you can buy a Japanese company. But as a practical matter, you can’t. Because if you want to take over a company, you first have to approach its bank. And get the agreement of the bank. That’s what is necessary, in order to proceed. And the bank doesn’t agree.”“I thought General Motors owns Isuzu.”“GM owns a:Previous Entities: |my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher| ::: Skates off here. ",Alexander.M "“Whatever,",21154,21159,True,177:Muffin.F,"I’d just had a bad dream, but I knew better. I’d been through too much in the last day to doubt what I’d seen. Somehow, I’d actually left my body while I slept. I’d been to Phoenix— thousands of miles away. The fiery dude was there. I hadn’t understood much of what he’d said, but he’d talked about sending his forces to capture the younglings. Gee, wonder who that could be? Muffin jumped off the bed and sniffed at the ivory headrest, looking up at me as if she were trying to tell me something.“You can have it,” I told her.“It’s uncomfortable.” She butted her head against it and stared at me accusingly.“Mrow.”“Whatever, cat.” I got up and showered. When I tried to get dressed, I found that my old clothes had disappeared in the night. Everything in the closet was my size, but way different than what I was used to— baggy drawstring pants and loose shirts, all plain white linen, and robes for cold weather, kind of what the fellahin, the peasants in Egypt, wear. It wasn’t exactly my style. Sadie likes to tell me that I don’t have a style. She complains that I dress like I’m an old man— button- down shirt, slacks, dress shoes. Okay, maybe. But here’s the thing. My dad had always drilled into my head that I had to dress my best. I remember the first time he explained it",Muffin,"Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin","I’d just had a bad dream, but I knew better. I’d been through too much in the last day to doubt what I’d seen. Somehow, I’d actually left my body while I slept. I’d been to Phoenix— thousands of miles away. The fiery dude was there. I hadn’t understood much of what he’d said, but he’d talked about sending his forces to capture the younglings. Gee, wonder who that could be? Muffin jumped off the bed and sniffed at the ivory headrest, looking up at me as if she were trying to tell me something.“You can have it,” I told her.“It’s uncomfortable.” She butted her head against it and stared at me accusingly.“Mrow.”“Whatever, cat.” I got up and showered. When I tried to get dressed, I found that my old clothes had disappeared in the night. Everything in the closet was my size, but way different than what I was used to— baggy drawstring pants and loose shirts, all plain white linen, and robes for cold weather, kind of what the fellahin, the peasants in Egypt, wear. It wasn’t exactly my style. Sadie likes to tell me that I don’t have a style. She complains that I dress like I’m an old man— button- down shirt, slacks, dress shoes. Okay, maybe. But here’s the thing. My dad had always drilled into my head that I had to dress my best. I remember the first time he explained it:Previous Entities: |Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin| ::: “Whatever, ",Muffin.F I think so.,40597,40623,True,911:Somebody.F,"weekend.' Or something like that, I don't remember the exact words."""" And what did you say?"""" I said,' Enjoy yourself.' What can you say when you get out of the shower and somebody says that to you? So she said,' I will, I will.' She was always coming up with shocking little comments."""" Did you ever believe her?"""" After a couple of months, I was beginning to."""" Did you ever have reason to think she was pregnant?"""" While she was here? At school? No."""" You're sure?"""" She never said anything. Besides, she was on the pill."""" Are you certain of that?"""" Yeah, I think so. At least, she made this big ceremony of it every morning. The pills are right there."""" Where?"" Ginnie pointed."" Right there on her desk. In that little bottle."" I got up and went to the desk, and picked up the plastic bottle. The label was from Beacon Pharmacy; there were no typed directions. I took out my notebook and wrote down the prescription number and the name of the doctor. Then I opened the bottle and shook out a pill. There were four left."" She took these every day?"""" Every single day,"" Ginnie said. I was no gynecologist and no pharmacologist, but I knew several things. First, that most birth- control pills were now sold in a dispenser to help a woman keep track of the days. Second, that the initial hormone dosage had been cut from ten",Somebody,"Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks","weekend.' Or something like that, I don't remember the exact words."""" And what did you say?"""" I said,' Enjoy yourself.' What can you say when you get out of the shower and somebody says that to you? So she said,' I will, I will.' She was always coming up with shocking little comments."""" Did you ever believe her?"""" After a couple of months, I was beginning to."""" Did you ever have reason to think she was pregnant?"""" While she was here? At school? No."""" You're sure?"""" She never said anything. Besides, she was on the pill."""" Are you certain of that?"""" Yeah, I think so. At least, she made this big ceremony of it every morning. The pills are right there."""" Where?"" Ginnie pointed."" Right there on her desk. In that little bottle."" I got up and went to the desk, and picked up the plastic bottle. The label was from Beacon Pharmacy; there were no typed directions. I took out my notebook and wrote down the prescription number and the name of the doctor. Then I opened the bottle and shook out a pill. There were four left."" She took these every day?"""" Every single day,"" Ginnie said. I was no gynecologist and no pharmacologist, but I knew several things. First, that most birth- control pills were now sold in a dispenser to help a woman keep track of the days. Second, that the initial hormone dosage had been cut from ten:Previous Entities: |Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks| ::: I think so. ",Joshua.M "Sleeping all day?""",27132,27144,True,168:Enore.F,"miles away, deep within repositories equal to Enore's, the signal arrived, was processed by quickly responding nano, and passed to the resident Mothri. There was Nar Edar Fomo Huubath the 1,937th, Lorca Demo Singa Zenth the 6,217th, Hitu Purla Borbu Rota the 5,973rd, and Pitho Mebra Tralo Tortna the 4,339th. Not a single one of whom had a brain in their heads. Or so it seemed to Enore. Rota, grumpy as always, was first to answer."" This had better be important— some of us have things to do."" Enore made it a habit to spy on her peers— and they on her. That being the case, she had a pretty good idea what Rota had been doing, and used the knowledge to score some verbal points."" Oh, really? Like what? Sleeping all day?"" Rota made a grunting noise."" All of us have to sleep— even you, oh eggless one."" Enore was far from eggless, though less fecund than the rest, and therefore sensitive. She was about to explode when Huubath cut in."" Don't we have enough problems without attacking each other? I'm ashamed."""" You're an idiot,"" Zenth put in,"" which is why they sent you here."""" And what of you?"" Tortna inquired caustically."" Did your beauty make them jealous?"" Zenth had lost her right rear leg in a duel and, while equipped with a nano- generated prosthesis, still felt the loss. Not just to her mobility— but to her attractiveness. Her mandibles clacked angrily.""",Enore,"Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota","miles away, deep within repositories equal to Enore's, the signal arrived, was processed by quickly responding nano, and passed to the resident Mothri. There was Nar Edar Fomo Huubath the 1,937th, Lorca Demo Singa Zenth the 6,217th, Hitu Purla Borbu Rota the 5,973rd, and Pitho Mebra Tralo Tortna the 4,339th. Not a single one of whom had a brain in their heads. Or so it seemed to Enore. Rota, grumpy as always, was first to answer."" This had better be important— some of us have things to do."" Enore made it a habit to spy on her peers— and they on her. That being the case, she had a pretty good idea what Rota had been doing, and used the knowledge to score some verbal points."" Oh, really? Like what? Sleeping all day?"" Rota made a grunting noise."" All of us have to sleep— even you, oh eggless one."" Enore was far from eggless, though less fecund than the rest, and therefore sensitive. She was about to explode when Huubath cut in."" Don't we have enough problems without attacking each other? I'm ashamed."""" You're an idiot,"" Zenth put in,"" which is why they sent you here."""" And what of you?"" Tortna inquired caustically."" Did your beauty make them jealous?"" Zenth had lost her right rear leg in a duel and, while equipped with a nano- generated prosthesis, still felt the loss. Not just to her mobility— but to her attractiveness. Her mandibles clacked angrily."":Previous Entities: |Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota| ::: Sleeping all day?"" ","Enore.F Rota.F" What will he do?...,32601,32751,True,1435:the instructor.?,"Watch carefully, please."" On the video screen, the pilot remained casual, unconcerned. But a few seconds later, he leaned forward, suddenly alert, frowning at his controls. Felix pointed to the instructor's console, and the array of screens."" Here you can see what he is seeing. On his Flight Management display, the slats indicator is flashing. And he's noticed it. Meanwhile, you see the plane gives a slight nose up..."" The hydraulics whirred, and the big cone of the simulator tilted upward a few degrees."" Mr. Ingram now checks his slats lever, as he should. He finds it is up and locked, which is puzzling, since it means he has an uncommanded slats deploy..."" The simulator remained tilted up."" So Mr. Ingram is thinking it over. He has plenty of time to decide what to do. The aircraft is quite stable on autopilot Let's see what he decides. Ah. He decides to play with his controls. He pulls the slats lever down, then up... He's trying to clear the warning. But that doesn't change anything. So. He now realizes he has a system problem on his aircraft. But he remains calm. He's still thinking... What will he do?... He changes the autopilot params... he descends to a lower altitude, and reduces his airspeed... absolutely correct... He is still in the nose- up attitude, but now at more favorable conditions of altitude and speed. He decides to try the slats lever again..."" The instructor said,"" Should I let him off the hook?'"" Why not?"" Felix said"" I believe we have made the point."" The instructor punched a button. The simulator tilted back to level."" And so,"" Felix said,"" Mr. Ingram is restored to normal flight. He makes a note of his problem for the maintenance crews, and he continues on his way to London."""" But he stayed in the autopilot"" Casey said."" What if he went out of it?"""" Why should he do that? He's in cruise flight; the autopilot has been operating the plane for at least half an hour."""" But suppose he did."" Felix shrugged, turned to the instructor."" Fail his",the instructor,"Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor","Watch carefully, please."" On the video screen, the pilot remained casual, unconcerned. But a few seconds later, he leaned forward, suddenly alert, frowning at his controls. Felix pointed to the instructor's console, and the array of screens."" Here you can see what he is seeing. On his Flight Management display, the slats indicator is flashing. And he's noticed it. Meanwhile, you see the plane gives a slight nose up..."" The hydraulics whirred, and the big cone of the simulator tilted upward a few degrees."" Mr. Ingram now checks his slats lever, as he should. He finds it is up and locked, which is puzzling, since it means he has an uncommanded slats deploy..."" The simulator remained tilted up."" So Mr. Ingram is thinking it over. He has plenty of time to decide what to do. The aircraft is quite stable on autopilot Let's see what he decides. Ah. He decides to play with his controls. He pulls the slats lever down, then up... He's trying to clear the warning. But that doesn't change anything. So. He now realizes he has a system problem on his aircraft. But he remains calm. He's still thinking... What will he do?... He changes the autopilot params... he descends to a lower altitude, and reduces his airspeed... absolutely correct... He is still in the nose- up attitude, but now at more favorable conditions of altitude and speed. He decides to try the slats lever again..."" The instructor said,"" Should I let him off the hook?'"" Why not?"" Felix said"" I believe we have made the point."" The instructor punched a button. The simulator tilted back to level."" And so,"" Felix said,"" Mr. Ingram is restored to normal flight. He makes a note of his problem for the maintenance crews, and he continues on his way to London."""" But he stayed in the autopilot"" Casey said."" What if he went out of it?"""" Why should he do that? He's in cruise flight; the autopilot has been operating the plane for at least half an hour."""" But suppose he did."" Felix shrugged, turned to the instructor."" Fail his:Previous Entities: |Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor| ::: What will he do?... ",Felix.M My arms were numb from propping up my head.,403,491,True,394:The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY.?,".”— Newsweek“The suspense is real.... You know they’re going to make it. Or do you? The last ten pages are exactly what they should be.”— The New York Times Book Review CONGO“Thrilling.”— The New York Times Book Review“Fascinating.”— The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY“A work of intelligence and craftsmanship... Written with grace and wit.”— Los Angeles Times“Exciting... Each episode is set against the background of the underworld, the lodging houses in the slums... the bordellos, the pubs, and the prisons.”— The Atlantic Monthly THE TERMINAL MAN“An absolutely riveting novel.”— Life“A fascinating, splendidly documented thriller.”— The New Yorker THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN“Tired out by a long day in the country, I was awake way past bedtime. My arms were numb from propping up my head. By turning from side to side, I had driven the cats from their place at the foot of the bed, and they were disgruntled. I was very likely disturbing my wife’s sleep. But I was well into Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain. And he had me convinced it was all really happening.”— CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN- HAUPT The New York Times“Relentlessly suspenseful... A hair- raising experience.”— The Pittsburgh Press“Hideously plausible suspense...[ that] will glue you to your chair.”— Detroit Free Press Books by Michael Crichton: Fiction: THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN THE TERMINAL MAN THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY EATERS OF THE DEAD CONGO SPHERE JURASSIC PARK RISING SUN DISCLOSURE THE LOST WORLD AIRFRAME Nonfiction: FIVE PATIENTS JASPER JOHNS ELECTRONIC LIFE TRAVELS Books published by The Ballantine Publishing Group are available at quantity discounts on bulk purchases for premium, educational, fund- raising, and special sales use. For details, please call 1- 800- 733- 3000. EATERS OF THE DEAD The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan, Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in A.D. 922 MICHAEL CRICHTON BALLANTINE BOOKS",The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY,"Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY",".”— Newsweek“The suspense is real.... You know they’re going to make it. Or do you? The last ten pages are exactly what they should be.”— The New York Times Book Review CONGO“Thrilling.”— The New York Times Book Review“Fascinating.”— The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY“A work of intelligence and craftsmanship... Written with grace and wit.”— Los Angeles Times“Exciting... Each episode is set against the background of the underworld, the lodging houses in the slums... the bordellos, the pubs, and the prisons.”— The Atlantic Monthly THE TERMINAL MAN“An absolutely riveting novel.”— Life“A fascinating, splendidly documented thriller.”— The New Yorker THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN“Tired out by a long day in the country, I was awake way past bedtime. My arms were numb from propping up my head. By turning from side to side, I had driven the cats from their place at the foot of the bed, and they were disgruntled. I was very likely disturbing my wife’s sleep. But I was well into Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain. And he had me convinced it was all really happening.”— CHRISTOPHER LEHMANN- HAUPT The New York Times“Relentlessly suspenseful... A hair- raising experience.”— The Pittsburgh Press“Hideously plausible suspense...[ that] will glue you to your chair.”— Detroit Free Press Books by Michael Crichton: Fiction: THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN THE TERMINAL MAN THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY EATERS OF THE DEAD CONGO SPHERE JURASSIC PARK RISING SUN DISCLOSURE THE LOST WORLD AIRFRAME Nonfiction: FIVE PATIENTS JASPER JOHNS ELECTRONIC LIFE TRAVELS Books published by The Ballantine Publishing Group are available at quantity discounts on bulk purchases for premium, educational, fund- raising, and special sales use. For details, please call 1- 800- 733- 3000. EATERS OF THE DEAD The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan, Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in A.D. 922 MICHAEL CRICHTON BALLANTINE BOOKS:Previous Entities: |Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY| ::: My arms were numb from propping up my head. ",Christopher Lehmann-Haupt.M "You spied on her,",29132,29176,True,770:an actress.?,"as a broody. It is the most rewarding work. Each little egg that I bring to hatching makes me feel satisfied in a most humble way."""" Thank you, 12- 8,"" Soren replied numbly. Then the Spotted Owl turned to Gylfie."" And I understand that you are an excellent moss tender. You, too, might advance to become a broody for small eggs. I am sure you shall find complete fulfillment in this task."" Gylfie nodded mutely. What an actress! For the next two nights, Soren and Gylfie argued about how they would confront Hortense."" I think we should just go up to her when she's alone,"" Gylfie said."" And we say,' Hortense, it has come to our attention..."""" What do you mean' come to our attention? You spied on her, Gylfie. That could make her nervous,' the come to our attention' bit. She might think a lot of owls have seen her."""" You're right."""" Why do we have to confront her at all?"""" Why? Well, what if she's part of something here? What if there are twenty Hortenses in St. Aggie's? What if there is some hidden network of... of disgruntled unmoon- blinked owls? Maybe they're planning a revolution."""" What's a revolution?"" Soren asked, and Gylfie blinked."" It's kind of like war but the sides aren't exactly equal. It's like the little fellows rising up against the big baddies,"" Gylfie said."" Oh,"" said Soren."" Look,"" Gylfie said,"" we have to make friends, real friends, with Hortense. Her nest is in the highest place in St. Aggie",an actress,"Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt","as a broody. It is the most rewarding work. Each little egg that I bring to hatching makes me feel satisfied in a most humble way."""" Thank you, 12- 8,"" Soren replied numbly. Then the Spotted Owl turned to Gylfie."" And I understand that you are an excellent moss tender. You, too, might advance to become a broody for small eggs. I am sure you shall find complete fulfillment in this task."" Gylfie nodded mutely. What an actress! For the next two nights, Soren and Gylfie argued about how they would confront Hortense."" I think we should just go up to her when she's alone,"" Gylfie said."" And we say,' Hortense, it has come to our attention..."""" What do you mean' come to our attention? You spied on her, Gylfie. That could make her nervous,' the come to our attention' bit. She might think a lot of owls have seen her."""" You're right."""" Why do we have to confront her at all?"""" Why? Well, what if she's part of something here? What if there are twenty Hortenses in St. Aggie's? What if there is some hidden network of... of disgruntled unmoon- blinked owls? Maybe they're planning a revolution."""" What's a revolution?"" Soren asked, and Gylfie blinked."" It's kind of like war but the sides aren't exactly equal. It's like the little fellows rising up against the big baddies,"" Gylfie said."" Oh,"" said Soren."" Look,"" Gylfie said,"" we have to make friends, real friends, with Hortense. Her nest is in the highest place in St. Aggie:Previous Entities: |Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt| ::: You spied on her, ","Soren.M Gylfie.F Hortense.F" time is of the essence.,31860,31882,True,2970:gentlemen.?,"‘ cuzye’re up in the heid, you think you know everythin’? Fra’ doon here ye’re nothing but dead weight, pal!’‘ Aye, right! I’m wi’ the elbows on this one! Where’d you be if it wuzn’t for us carryin’ ye aroound? Who’s ye think ye are?’‘ I’m Rob Anybody Feegle, as you ken well enough, an’ I’ve had enough o’ the lot o’ yez!’‘ OK, Rob, but it’s real stuffy in here!’‘ Ach, an’ I’m fed up wi’ the stomach complainin’, too!’‘ Gentlemen.’ This was the voice of the toad; no one else would dream of calling the Nac Mac Feegle gentlemen.‘ Gentlemen, time is of the essence. The cart will be here soon! You must not miss it!’‘ We need more time to practise, Toad! We’re walkin’ like a feller wi’ nae bones and a serious case o’ the trots!’ said a voice a little higher up than the rest.‘ At least you are walking. That’s good enough. I wish you luck, gentlemen.’ There was a cry from further along the thickets, where a lookout had been watching the road.‘ The cart’s comin’ doon the hill!’‘ OK, lads!’ shouted Rob Anybody.‘ Toad, you look after Jeannie, y’hear? She’ll need a thinkin’ laddie to rely on while I’m no’ here! Right, ye scunners! It’s do or die! Ye ken what to do! Ye lads on the",gentlemen,"the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","‘ cuzye’re up in the heid, you think you know everythin’? Fra’ doon here ye’re nothing but dead weight, pal!’‘ Aye, right! I’m wi’ the elbows on this one! Where’d you be if it wuzn’t for us carryin’ ye aroound? Who’s ye think ye are?’‘ I’m Rob Anybody Feegle, as you ken well enough, an’ I’ve had enough o’ the lot o’ yez!’‘ OK, Rob, but it’s real stuffy in here!’‘ Ach, an’ I’m fed up wi’ the stomach complainin’, too!’‘ Gentlemen.’ This was the voice of the toad; no one else would dream of calling the Nac Mac Feegle gentlemen.‘ Gentlemen, time is of the essence. The cart will be here soon! You must not miss it!’‘ We need more time to practise, Toad! We’re walkin’ like a feller wi’ nae bones and a serious case o’ the trots!’ said a voice a little higher up than the rest.‘ At least you are walking. That’s good enough. I wish you luck, gentlemen.’ There was a cry from further along the thickets, where a lookout had been watching the road.‘ The cart’s comin’ doon the hill!’‘ OK, lads!’ shouted Rob Anybody.‘ Toad, you look after Jeannie, y’hear? She’ll need a thinkin’ laddie to rely on while I’m no’ here! Right, ye scunners! It’s do or die! Ye ken what to do! Ye lads on the:Previous Entities: |the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: time is of the essence. ","Rob Anybody. Toad. Jeannie. " Boil– and then allow to simmer.”',79224,79249,True,82:Gytha.?,"Whemper recommended testing a bit in a cup of cold water, like toffee.'' How inconvenient that we didn't think to bring one, Magrat.'' I think we should begettingon, Esme. The night's nearly gone.'' Just don't blame me if it doesn't work properly, that's all. Lessee...“Baboon hair and...” Who's got the baboon hair? Oh, thank you, Gytha, though it looks more like cat hair to me, but never mind.“Baboon hair and mandrake root”, and if that's real mandrake I'm very surprised,“carrot juice and tongue of boot”, I see, a little humour, I suppose...'' Please hurry!'' All right, all right.“Owl hoot and glow- worm glimmer. Boil– and then allow to simmer.”'' You know, Esme, this doesn't taste half bad.'' You're not supposed to drink it, you daft doyenne!' Tomjon sat bolt upright in bed. That was them again, the same faces, the bickering voices, distorted by tune and space. Even after he looked out of the window, where fresh daylight was streaming through the city, he could still hear the voices grumbling into the distance, like old thunder, fading away...' I for one didn't believe it about the tongue of boot.'' It's still very runny. Do you think we should put some cornflour into it?'' It won't matter. Either he's on his way, or he isn' t...' He got up",Gytha,"ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha","Whemper recommended testing a bit in a cup of cold water, like toffee.'' How inconvenient that we didn't think to bring one, Magrat.'' I think we should begettingon, Esme. The night's nearly gone.'' Just don't blame me if it doesn't work properly, that's all. Lessee...“Baboon hair and...” Who's got the baboon hair? Oh, thank you, Gytha, though it looks more like cat hair to me, but never mind.“Baboon hair and mandrake root”, and if that's real mandrake I'm very surprised,“carrot juice and tongue of boot”, I see, a little humour, I suppose...'' Please hurry!'' All right, all right.“Owl hoot and glow- worm glimmer. Boil– and then allow to simmer.”'' You know, Esme, this doesn't taste half bad.'' You're not supposed to drink it, you daft doyenne!' Tomjon sat bolt upright in bed. That was them again, the same faces, the bickering voices, distorted by tune and space. Even after he looked out of the window, where fresh daylight was streaming through the city, he could still hear the voices grumbling into the distance, like old thunder, fading away...' I for one didn't believe it about the tongue of boot.'' It's still very runny. Do you think we should put some cornflour into it?'' It won't matter. Either he's on his way, or he isn' t...' He got up:Previous Entities: |ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha| ::: Boil– and then allow to simmer.”' ","Gytha.F Esme.F Magrat.F Tomjon.M" "“Ced’s talked about you,",23883,23893,True,239:Amos Diggory.?,"the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy.…” Amos Diggory peered good- naturedly around at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.“All these yours, Arthur?”“Oh no, only the redheads,” said Mr. Weasley, pointing out his children.“This is Hermione, friend of Ron’s— and Harry, another friend—”“Merlin’s beard,” said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening.“Harry? Harry Potter?”“Er— yeah,” said Harry. Harry was used to people looking curiously at him when they met him, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the lightning scar on his forehead, but it always made him feel uncomfortable.“Ced’s talked about you, of course,” said Amos Diggory.“Told us all about playing against you last year.… I said to him, I said— Ced, that’ll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will.… You beat Harry Potter!” Harry couldn’t think of any reply to this, so he remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.“Harry fell off his broom, Dad,” he muttered.“I told you… it was an accident.…”“Yes, but you didn’t fall off, did you?” roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back.“Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman… but the best man won, I’m sure Harry’d say the same, wouldn’t",Amos Diggory,"the second man, Amos Diggory","the tickets cost about that. Mind you, looks like I got off easy.…” Amos Diggory peered good- naturedly around at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny.“All these yours, Arthur?”“Oh no, only the redheads,” said Mr. Weasley, pointing out his children.“This is Hermione, friend of Ron’s— and Harry, another friend—”“Merlin’s beard,” said Amos Diggory, his eyes widening.“Harry? Harry Potter?”“Er— yeah,” said Harry. Harry was used to people looking curiously at him when they met him, used to the way their eyes moved at once to the lightning scar on his forehead, but it always made him feel uncomfortable.“Ced’s talked about you, of course,” said Amos Diggory.“Told us all about playing against you last year.… I said to him, I said— Ced, that’ll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will.… You beat Harry Potter!” Harry couldn’t think of any reply to this, so he remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling again. Cedric looked slightly embarrassed.“Harry fell off his broom, Dad,” he muttered.“I told you… it was an accident.…”“Yes, but you didn’t fall off, did you?” roared Amos genially, slapping his son on his back.“Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman… but the best man won, I’m sure Harry’d say the same, wouldn’t:Previous Entities: |the second man, Amos Diggory| ::: “Ced’s talked about you, ",Amos Diggory.M you won’t tell.”,23716,23742,True,968:her stone pit guardian.M,". Otulissa was startled when, in the middle of a very pleasant dream of swooping through a verdant forest on the track of a plump vole, she was nudged gently by her stone pit guardian. He was a large oafish Great Gray who liked his charges to call him Cubby. In the tradition of all the pit guardians, he was always promising Otulissa extra treats.“Sweetie, I hate to wake you. You were sleeping so nicely. I promise I’ll have something good and fat and bloody for you when you return. But my dear, right now— and this is quite an honor”—He hunched his shoulders up as if he were just tickled to death about what he was going to say next—“Who do you think wants to see you?” Then he giggled raucously.“Oh, sshhh! Don’t tell— I let slip a question, didn’t I? Well, you won’t tell.” Glaux, Otulissa loathed this creepy owl.“Of course, I won’t,” she answered.“Good girl,” he whispered.“But I’ll tell you— Skench, the Ablah General.” Otulissa blinked with surprise.“This is quite an honor, I would say,” he continued.“Follow me.” Otulissa followed the Great Gray through the narrow corridors and stony slots of St. Aggie’s Canyons. St. Aggie’s was a place made for walking more than flying. With its narrow corridors and endless skinny passageways, it was nearly impossible to spread one’s wings. The air always seemed dead, for nary a breeze stirred so deep in this rockbound place. And when one was required to fly, it was usually straight up from the",her stone pit guardian,"Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian",". Otulissa was startled when, in the middle of a very pleasant dream of swooping through a verdant forest on the track of a plump vole, she was nudged gently by her stone pit guardian. He was a large oafish Great Gray who liked his charges to call him Cubby. In the tradition of all the pit guardians, he was always promising Otulissa extra treats.“Sweetie, I hate to wake you. You were sleeping so nicely. I promise I’ll have something good and fat and bloody for you when you return. But my dear, right now— and this is quite an honor”—He hunched his shoulders up as if he were just tickled to death about what he was going to say next—“Who do you think wants to see you?” Then he giggled raucously.“Oh, sshhh! Don’t tell— I let slip a question, didn’t I? Well, you won’t tell.” Glaux, Otulissa loathed this creepy owl.“Of course, I won’t,” she answered.“Good girl,” he whispered.“But I’ll tell you— Skench, the Ablah General.” Otulissa blinked with surprise.“This is quite an honor, I would say,” he continued.“Follow me.” Otulissa followed the Great Gray through the narrow corridors and stony slots of St. Aggie’s Canyons. St. Aggie’s was a place made for walking more than flying. With its narrow corridors and endless skinny passageways, it was nearly impossible to spread one’s wings. The air always seemed dead, for nary a breeze stirred so deep in this rockbound place. And when one was required to fly, it was usually straight up from the:Previous Entities: |Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian| ::: you won’t tell.” ",Cubby.M This is a demonstration of my earnestness.,65981,66058,True,2084:contestant number two.?,"landing soundlessly on the balls of his feet.' I thought that was your speciality— changing the laws of science. Wasn't this project all about proving how every other scientist in the world is a dummy, except you?'' It's not that simple...' Kong began flipping his knife, catching it without so much as a glance at the blade. End over end it twirled, a silver fan in the air. Hypnotic.' I'm making it simple. I think you can get me a demon, and I think you can do it in less than seventeen months. So, here's what I am going to do.' He leaned down and heaved Juan Soto's chair upright. The security chief slumped forward on to the table.' I am going to hurt Mister Soto. Simple as that. There is nothing you can do to stop that happening. This is a demonstration of my earnestness. It connects you with the reality of your situation. And then you know I mean business. So, after that, you start talking. And if you don't start talking, then we move on to lucky contestant number two.' Minerva had no doubt that contestant number two was her father.' Please, Mister Kong, there is no need for any of this. I am telling you the truth.'' Oh, it's please now, is it?' said Kong in mock surprise.' And Mister Kong too. What happened to idiot and moron?'' Don't kill him. He's a nice man. He has a family.' Kong grabbed a bunch of Soto's hair, yanking his head back. The chief's Adam's apple stuck out like a plum.' He's an incompetent,' snarled Kong.' Look how easily your demon escaped. See how simple it was for me to take over.' Let him live,' pleaded Minerva.'",contestant number two,"Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two","landing soundlessly on the balls of his feet.' I thought that was your speciality— changing the laws of science. Wasn't this project all about proving how every other scientist in the world is a dummy, except you?'' It's not that simple...' Kong began flipping his knife, catching it without so much as a glance at the blade. End over end it twirled, a silver fan in the air. Hypnotic.' I'm making it simple. I think you can get me a demon, and I think you can do it in less than seventeen months. So, here's what I am going to do.' He leaned down and heaved Juan Soto's chair upright. The security chief slumped forward on to the table.' I am going to hurt Mister Soto. Simple as that. There is nothing you can do to stop that happening. This is a demonstration of my earnestness. It connects you with the reality of your situation. And then you know I mean business. So, after that, you start talking. And if you don't start talking, then we move on to lucky contestant number two.' Minerva had no doubt that contestant number two was her father.' Please, Mister Kong, there is no need for any of this. I am telling you the truth.'' Oh, it's please now, is it?' said Kong in mock surprise.' And Mister Kong too. What happened to idiot and moron?'' Don't kill him. He's a nice man. He has a family.' Kong grabbed a bunch of Soto's hair, yanking his head back. The chief's Adam's apple stuck out like a plum.' He's an incompetent,' snarled Kong.' Look how easily your demon escaped. See how simple it was for me to take over.' Let him live,' pleaded Minerva.':Previous Entities: |Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two| ::: This is a demonstration of my earnestness. ",Kong.M "It's nonsense,",53290,53351,True,396:Benson.M,"a public relations firm in Washington. Although the firm had a neutral name— the Institute for Aviation Research— she knew it was a PR firm representing the European consortium that made Airbus. The release was formatted to look like a breaking wire- service story, complete with headline at the top. It said: JAA DELAYS CERTIFICATION OF N-22 WIDEBODY JET CITING CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS CONCERNS She sighed. It was going to be a hell of a day. WAR ROOM 7:00 a.m. Casey climbed the metal stairs to the War Room. When she reached the catwalk John Marder was there, pacing back and forth, waiting for her."" Casey."""" Morning, John."""" You've seen this JAA thing?"" He held up the fax."" Yes, I have."""" It's nonsense, of course, but Edgarton drilled a hole. He's very upset. First, two N-22 incidents in two days, and now this. He's worried we're going to get creamed in the press. And he has no confidence that Benson's Media Relations people will handle this right."" Bill Benson was one of the old Norton hands; he had handled media relations since the days when the company lived on military contracts and didn't tell the press a damned thing. Testy and blunt, Benson had never adjusted to the post- Watergate world, where journalists were celebrities who brought down governments. He was famous for feuding with reporters."" This fax may generate press interest, Casey. Especially among reporters who don't know how screwed up the JAA is. And let's face it, they won't want to talk to press flacks. They'll want an executive in the company. So Hal wants all the inquiries on the JAA routed to you.""' To me,"" she said. She was thinking, Forget it. She already had a job",Benson,"a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson","a public relations firm in Washington. Although the firm had a neutral name— the Institute for Aviation Research— she knew it was a PR firm representing the European consortium that made Airbus. The release was formatted to look like a breaking wire- service story, complete with headline at the top. It said: JAA DELAYS CERTIFICATION OF N-22 WIDEBODY JET CITING CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS CONCERNS She sighed. It was going to be a hell of a day. WAR ROOM 7:00 a.m. Casey climbed the metal stairs to the War Room. When she reached the catwalk John Marder was there, pacing back and forth, waiting for her."" Casey."""" Morning, John."""" You've seen this JAA thing?"" He held up the fax."" Yes, I have."""" It's nonsense, of course, but Edgarton drilled a hole. He's very upset. First, two N-22 incidents in two days, and now this. He's worried we're going to get creamed in the press. And he has no confidence that Benson's Media Relations people will handle this right."" Bill Benson was one of the old Norton hands; he had handled media relations since the days when the company lived on military contracts and didn't tell the press a damned thing. Testy and blunt, Benson had never adjusted to the post- Watergate world, where journalists were celebrities who brought down governments. He was famous for feuding with reporters."" This fax may generate press interest, Casey. Especially among reporters who don't know how screwed up the JAA is. And let's face it, they won't want to talk to press flacks. They'll want an executive in the company. So Hal wants all the inquiries on the JAA routed to you.""' To me,"" she said. She was thinking, Forget it. She already had a job:Previous Entities: |a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson| ::: It's nonsense, ","It's nonsense, Casey. F" Lots of Japanese go to American universities.”,104175,104191,True,4025:the Japanese.?,"into American technology? Buying professorships at M.I.T.?”“It’s not illegal. They’re supporting scholarship. A noble ideal.” I frowned.“So you think it’s okay?”“No,” he said.“I don’t think it’s okay at all. If you give up control of your own institutions you give up everything. And generally, whoever pays for an institution controls it. If the Japanese are willing to put up the money- and if the American government and American industry aren’t- then the Japanese will control American education. You know they already own ten American colleges. Own them outright. Bought them for the training of their young people. So that they can be assured of the ability to send young Japanese to America.”“But they already can do that. Lots of Japanese go to American universities.” N“Yes. But as usual, the Japanese are planning ahead. They know in the future it may get tougher. They know that sooner or later, there will be a backlash. No matter how diplomatically they play it- and they are in the acquisition phase now, so they’re playing it very diplomatically. Because the fact is, countries don’t like to be dominated. They don’t like to be occupied- economically or militarily. And the Japanese figure some day the Americans will wake up.” I watched the kids skating in the rink. I listened to their laughter. I thought of my daughter. I thought of the four o’clock meeting. I said,“Why are we sitting here?”“Because,” he said. So we sat",the Japanese,"Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher","into American technology? Buying professorships at M.I.T.?”“It’s not illegal. They’re supporting scholarship. A noble ideal.” I frowned.“So you think it’s okay?”“No,” he said.“I don’t think it’s okay at all. If you give up control of your own institutions you give up everything. And generally, whoever pays for an institution controls it. If the Japanese are willing to put up the money- and if the American government and American industry aren’t- then the Japanese will control American education. You know they already own ten American colleges. Own them outright. Bought them for the training of their young people. So that they can be assured of the ability to send young Japanese to America.”“But they already can do that. Lots of Japanese go to American universities.” N“Yes. But as usual, the Japanese are planning ahead. They know in the future it may get tougher. They know that sooner or later, there will be a backlash. No matter how diplomatically they play it- and they are in the acquisition phase now, so they’re playing it very diplomatically. Because the fact is, countries don’t like to be dominated. They don’t like to be occupied- economically or militarily. And the Japanese figure some day the Americans will wake up.” I watched the kids skating in the rink. I listened to their laughter. I thought of my daughter. I thought of the four o’clock meeting. I said,“Why are we sitting here?”“Because,” he said. So we sat:Previous Entities: |Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher| ::: Lots of Japanese go to American universities.” ",Debbie.F "“Got him,”",101543,101547,True,3176:a crumbling mummy.?,"he spread- eagled himself as he slid, he might be able to slow enough… He looked down and saw the climbers coming toward him, in a tide that was tumbling upward. The ancestors rose up the face of the pyramid silently, like creepers, each new row settling into position on the shoulders of the generation beneath, while the younger ones climbed on over them. Bony hands grabbed Teppic as the wave of edificeers broke around him, and he was half- pushed, half- pulled up the sloping wall. Voices like the creak of sarcophagi filled his ears, moaning encouragement.“Well done, boy,” groaned a crumbling mummy, hauling him bodily onto its shoulder.“You remind me of me when I was alive. To you, son.”“Got him,” said the corpse above, lifting Teppic easily on one outstretched arm.“That’s a fine family spirit, lad. Best wishes from your great- great- great- great uncle, although I don’t suppose you remember me. Coming up.” Other ancestors were climbing on past Teppic as he rose from hand to hand. Ancient fingers with a grip like steel clutched at him, hoisting him onward. The pyramid grew narrower. Down below, Ptaclusp watched thoughtfully.“What a workforce,” he said.“I mean, the ones at the bottom are supporting the whole weight!”“Dad,” said IIb.“I think we’d better run. Those gods are getting closer.”“Do you think we could employ them?” said Ptaclusp",a crumbling mummy,"Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy","he spread- eagled himself as he slid, he might be able to slow enough… He looked down and saw the climbers coming toward him, in a tide that was tumbling upward. The ancestors rose up the face of the pyramid silently, like creepers, each new row settling into position on the shoulders of the generation beneath, while the younger ones climbed on over them. Bony hands grabbed Teppic as the wave of edificeers broke around him, and he was half- pushed, half- pulled up the sloping wall. Voices like the creak of sarcophagi filled his ears, moaning encouragement.“Well done, boy,” groaned a crumbling mummy, hauling him bodily onto its shoulder.“You remind me of me when I was alive. To you, son.”“Got him,” said the corpse above, lifting Teppic easily on one outstretched arm.“That’s a fine family spirit, lad. Best wishes from your great- great- great- great uncle, although I don’t suppose you remember me. Coming up.” Other ancestors were climbing on past Teppic as he rose from hand to hand. Ancient fingers with a grip like steel clutched at him, hoisting him onward. The pyramid grew narrower. Down below, Ptaclusp watched thoughtfully.“What a workforce,” he said.“I mean, the ones at the bottom are supporting the whole weight!”“Dad,” said IIb.“I think we’d better run. Those gods are getting closer.”“Do you think we could employ them?” said Ptaclusp:Previous Entities: |Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy| ::: “Got him,” ",Teppic.M We believe that freedom bestows dignity and that to enslave a mind or a population denies that freedom and destroys that dignity.,50339,50412,True,198:Ga’Hoole.?,"to take them all in, every Guardian, every Frost Beak and Glauxspeed soldier, every Kielian snake draped from the balconies.“My friends, soldiers, snakes, and owls, it was in the time of the copper- rose rain of three years past when we first engaged the Pure Ones. Many rains have come and gone since then. Winter, the time of the white rain, is about to set in. Many have died because of these tyrants. The first to die was our dear Strix Struma and last, Glaux willing, is Bruce, veteran Snowy of the Flame Squadron. This mighty enemy nearly overran us With the terrible power they held at St. Aggie’s they had become a threat to all of owlkind, but we fought well; we are victorious.“We entered this war for simple and honorable reasons: We believe in the sovereign freedom of every living thing, be it owl, snake, or bear. We believe that freedom bestows dignity and that to enslave a mind or a population denies that freedom and destroys that dignity. If our civilization is to endure, and flourish, it will only do so in freedom and dignity.“Now is the moment when we must give our heartfelt thanks and tribute to our brothers and sisters from the Northern Kingdoms without whose immense support our task would have been doomed. Frost Beaks! Glauxspeed division! Ice Daggers! Kielian snakes! We thank you and salute your courage.” At this, a mighty hooting broke out from the owls of Ga’Hoole as they cheered the warriors from the Northern Kingdoms. After several minutes, Ezylryb pumped his wings as a sign for quiet.“Great sacrifices have been made these past years. I wish I could look into the future and assure you that there will be no more. But one can never be certain. We have seen how the Pure Ones distorted the single word‘ pure’ until it became synonymous with hatred, destruction,",Ga’Hoole,"the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole","to take them all in, every Guardian, every Frost Beak and Glauxspeed soldier, every Kielian snake draped from the balconies.“My friends, soldiers, snakes, and owls, it was in the time of the copper- rose rain of three years past when we first engaged the Pure Ones. Many rains have come and gone since then. Winter, the time of the white rain, is about to set in. Many have died because of these tyrants. The first to die was our dear Strix Struma and last, Glaux willing, is Bruce, veteran Snowy of the Flame Squadron. This mighty enemy nearly overran us With the terrible power they held at St. Aggie’s they had become a threat to all of owlkind, but we fought well; we are victorious.“We entered this war for simple and honorable reasons: We believe in the sovereign freedom of every living thing, be it owl, snake, or bear. We believe that freedom bestows dignity and that to enslave a mind or a population denies that freedom and destroys that dignity. If our civilization is to endure, and flourish, it will only do so in freedom and dignity.“Now is the moment when we must give our heartfelt thanks and tribute to our brothers and sisters from the Northern Kingdoms without whose immense support our task would have been doomed. Frost Beaks! Glauxspeed division! Ice Daggers! Kielian snakes! We thank you and salute your courage.” At this, a mighty hooting broke out from the owls of Ga’Hoole as they cheered the warriors from the Northern Kingdoms. After several minutes, Ezylryb pumped his wings as a sign for quiet.“Great sacrifices have been made these past years. I wish I could look into the future and assure you that there will be no more. But one can never be certain. We have seen how the Pure Ones distorted the single word‘ pure’ until it became synonymous with hatred, destruction,:Previous Entities: |the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole| ::: We believe that freedom bestows dignity and that to enslave a mind or a population denies that freedom and destroys that dignity. ",Ezylryb.M "Yes,",31476,31505,True,1000:a new assistant.F,"."""" Betsy Ross, from Cupertino, Mr. Sanders,"" she said. She looked at him."" Don't say anything."""" Okay."""" Everybody says something. Something about the flag. I get really sick of it."""" Okay."""" My whole life."""" Okay. Fine."""" I'll tell Miss Johnson you're here."" Tom."" Meredith Johnson waved from behind her desk, her other hand holding the phone."" Come in, sit down."" Her office had a view north toward downtown Seattle: the Space Needle, the Arly towers, the SODO building. The city looked glorious in the afternoon sun.“I’ll just finish this up."" She turned back to the phone."" Yes, Ed, I'm with Tom now, we'll go over all of that. Yes. He's brought the documentation with him."" Sanders held up the manila folder containing the drive data. She pointed to her briefcase, which was lying open on the corner of the desk, and gestured for him to put it inside. She turned back to the phone."" Yes, Ed, I think the due diligence will go smoothly, and there certainly isn't any impulse to hold anything back... No, no... Well, we can do it first thing in the morning if you like."" Sanders put the folder in her briefcase. Meredith was saying,"" Right, Ed, right. Absolutely."" She came toward Tom and sat with one hip on the edge of the desk, her navy blue skirt riding up her thigh. She wasn't wearing stockings."" Everybody agrees",a new assistant,"Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant","."""" Betsy Ross, from Cupertino, Mr. Sanders,"" she said. She looked at him."" Don't say anything."""" Okay."""" Everybody says something. Something about the flag. I get really sick of it."""" Okay."""" My whole life."""" Okay. Fine."""" I'll tell Miss Johnson you're here."" Tom."" Meredith Johnson waved from behind her desk, her other hand holding the phone."" Come in, sit down."" Her office had a view north toward downtown Seattle: the Space Needle, the Arly towers, the SODO building. The city looked glorious in the afternoon sun.“I’ll just finish this up."" She turned back to the phone."" Yes, Ed, I'm with Tom now, we'll go over all of that. Yes. He's brought the documentation with him."" Sanders held up the manila folder containing the drive data. She pointed to her briefcase, which was lying open on the corner of the desk, and gestured for him to put it inside. She turned back to the phone."" Yes, Ed, I think the due diligence will go smoothly, and there certainly isn't any impulse to hold anything back... No, no... Well, we can do it first thing in the morning if you like."" Sanders put the folder in her briefcase. Meredith was saying,"" Right, Ed, right. Absolutely."" She came toward Tom and sat with one hip on the edge of the desk, her navy blue skirt riding up her thigh. She wasn't wearing stockings."" Everybody agrees:Previous Entities: |Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant| ::: Yes, ",Meredith.F what a prince you are!”,13173,13182,True,98:the Great Gray.M,"n’t do better than a grog tree for finding out the latest news, gossip, and stories of the owl kingdoms. Before I came even close to the tree, I was careful to stash the few coals that I had brought back in a clever sling that Fengo had fashioned for me from the horn and sinew of a moose that he and some of his clan had brought down. It was perfect for carrying coals, being completely fireproof. I didn’t want anybody getting too curious about where I had been or where I was heading. Of course, that was the first question I encountered. A trufynkken Great Gray tumbled off a branch and nearly whacked me on the head. A huge belch ripped from him and then he yarped the most enormous pellet I had ever seen.“Oh, what a prince you are!” a voice exclaimed behind me. I nearly took straight off. The last thing I wanted anyone to know was my true identity. But I quickly realized that the owl who said this was referring to the Great Gray.“Sorry, mate.” The Great Gray dipped his head in apology and then fell flat on his beak.“Out cold, the old sot.” It was a rather pretty Barred Owl who had spoken.“Lovely, ain’t he?” She looked at me, her amber eyes a bit bleary with grog.“Now, what be your name, handsome, and where be you heading?” I had no intention of giving an accurate answer.“Falen,” I answered, with the first name that popped into my head.",the Great Gray,"Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray","n’t do better than a grog tree for finding out the latest news, gossip, and stories of the owl kingdoms. Before I came even close to the tree, I was careful to stash the few coals that I had brought back in a clever sling that Fengo had fashioned for me from the horn and sinew of a moose that he and some of his clan had brought down. It was perfect for carrying coals, being completely fireproof. I didn’t want anybody getting too curious about where I had been or where I was heading. Of course, that was the first question I encountered. A trufynkken Great Gray tumbled off a branch and nearly whacked me on the head. A huge belch ripped from him and then he yarped the most enormous pellet I had ever seen.“Oh, what a prince you are!” a voice exclaimed behind me. I nearly took straight off. The last thing I wanted anyone to know was my true identity. But I quickly realized that the owl who said this was referring to the Great Gray.“Sorry, mate.” The Great Gray dipped his head in apology and then fell flat on his beak.“Out cold, the old sot.” It was a rather pretty Barred Owl who had spoken.“Lovely, ain’t he?” She looked at me, her amber eyes a bit bleary with grog.“Now, what be your name, handsome, and where be you heading?” I had no intention of giving an accurate answer.“Falen,” I answered, with the first name that popped into my head.:Previous Entities: |Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray| ::: what a prince you are!” ",The Great Gray.M "but tonight,",22988,23101,True,188:the Whiskered Screech.M,"a perpetual squint, and his beak had a notch in it.“I’ve never seen a more disreputable- looking owl,” Gyl- fie whispered.“Great Glaux, look at his foot! His talons!” She paused.“Or lack of!” The Whiskered Screech, indeed, had only three talons on one foot. And just as Soren was blinking in a mixture of astonishment and horror, the old owl swung his head about and fixed Soren in his squinted gaze. Soren thought his gizzard was going to drop right out of him.“So, Elvanryb,” Boron turned and addressed another owl, a Great Gray.“It is your notion that we need to have a search- and- rescue attachment chaw on the colliering missions?”“Not all, Boron. I think they are only necessary when we are in areas near battle zones. So often the parents are off fighting. In normal circumstances, the parents are there if a fire breaks out, but tonight, for instance, we had to pick up that little Pygmy and a Northern Saw- whet. We got them back, but it taxed our chaw, believe me— carrying coals and injured owlets. Can’t exactly drop them in the coal bucket. And I don’t even like to think of the ones we might have missed and left behind.” The old Whiskered Screech raised his deformed foot.“Yes, Ezylryb?” Boron nodded to the owl.“Question for Bubo.” the Whiskered Screech’s voice was a low growl.“You think this fire was natural or more trouble with the rogue raids?”“No telling, sir. The rogues make good targets, and it wouldn’t be the first time raiding one caused a fire.”“Hmmm,” the Whiskered Screech replied, and then scratched his head with the second of the three remaining talons of one foot.“Next order of business,” Boron said.“Something about starvation in Ambala?” Ambala! Soren and Gylfie looked at each other. Ambala was where their friend the great Hortense came from. When they first had met",the Whiskered Screech,"the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech","a perpetual squint, and his beak had a notch in it.“I’ve never seen a more disreputable- looking owl,” Gyl- fie whispered.“Great Glaux, look at his foot! His talons!” She paused.“Or lack of!” The Whiskered Screech, indeed, had only three talons on one foot. And just as Soren was blinking in a mixture of astonishment and horror, the old owl swung his head about and fixed Soren in his squinted gaze. Soren thought his gizzard was going to drop right out of him.“So, Elvanryb,” Boron turned and addressed another owl, a Great Gray.“It is your notion that we need to have a search- and- rescue attachment chaw on the colliering missions?”“Not all, Boron. I think they are only necessary when we are in areas near battle zones. So often the parents are off fighting. In normal circumstances, the parents are there if a fire breaks out, but tonight, for instance, we had to pick up that little Pygmy and a Northern Saw- whet. We got them back, but it taxed our chaw, believe me— carrying coals and injured owlets. Can’t exactly drop them in the coal bucket. And I don’t even like to think of the ones we might have missed and left behind.” The old Whiskered Screech raised his deformed foot.“Yes, Ezylryb?” Boron nodded to the owl.“Question for Bubo.” the Whiskered Screech’s voice was a low growl.“You think this fire was natural or more trouble with the rogue raids?”“No telling, sir. The rogues make good targets, and it wouldn’t be the first time raiding one caused a fire.”“Hmmm,” the Whiskered Screech replied, and then scratched his head with the second of the three remaining talons of one foot.“Next order of business,” Boron said.“Something about starvation in Ambala?” Ambala! Soren and Gylfie looked at each other. Ambala was where their friend the great Hortense came from. When they first had met:Previous Entities: |the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech| ::: but tonight, ","Soren.M Gylfie.F Boron.M Elvanryb.?> Ezylryb.M Bubo.M " “How about you?,53026,53039,True,374:The engineer.M,"of those poor bastards keep flying— and breathing— for another day.” Sam looked over at Murph.“Alright, I know why Magnolia became a diver, but how about you?” The engineer folded his hands.“I lost my wife to cancer, and my son to the flu, a little over four years ago.” He bowed his head.“I miss them every goddamn day. But I always wanted to see the surface— imagine how it must have been once. Figured I have nothing to lose.” X realized how little he still knew about the divers from the other teams.“Sorry to hear about your family, Murph,” he said.“I lost my wife about a year back.” He turned to Sam.“How about you? Why’d you saddle up to jump?” Sam didn’t look entirely sure he wanted to talk. After a moment, he said,“I joined the Militia a few years back, thinking it was the best way to protect the ship. After the food riots, I realized maybe I could make a difference some other way than cracking heads.”“I’m glad you picked diving,” X said.“And I’m glad all of you are on Raptor.”“Thanks,” Sam said.“Good to be here, sir.” X looked at his watch. It was after eight in the evening. He had lost track of time, and Tin was still with Layla’s family.“Sorry I got to duck out early,” he said,“but I got a kid",The engineer,"Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli","of those poor bastards keep flying— and breathing— for another day.” Sam looked over at Murph.“Alright, I know why Magnolia became a diver, but how about you?” The engineer folded his hands.“I lost my wife to cancer, and my son to the flu, a little over four years ago.” He bowed his head.“I miss them every goddamn day. But I always wanted to see the surface— imagine how it must have been once. Figured I have nothing to lose.” X realized how little he still knew about the divers from the other teams.“Sorry to hear about your family, Murph,” he said.“I lost my wife about a year back.” He turned to Sam.“How about you? Why’d you saddle up to jump?” Sam didn’t look entirely sure he wanted to talk. After a moment, he said,“I joined the Militia a few years back, thinking it was the best way to protect the ship. After the food riots, I realized maybe I could make a difference some other way than cracking heads.”“I’m glad you picked diving,” X said.“And I’m glad all of you are on Raptor.”“Thanks,” Sam said.“Good to be here, sir.” X looked at his watch. It was after eight in the evening. He had lost track of time, and Tin was still with Layla’s family.“Sorry I got to duck out early,” he said,“but I got a kid:Previous Entities: |Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli| ::: “How about you? ",X.M ” Evelyn says.,134499,134502,True,466:factions.?,", and not sure I could make it through one. But today would be Choosing Day, if we still had factions, and it’s time to take a step forward, even if it’s a small one. Evelyn puts a hand on my shoulder and looks out at the fields. The crops that were once isolated to the areas around Amity headquarters have spread, and continue to spread through all the grassy spaces around the city. Sometimes I miss the desolate, empty land. But right now I don’t mind driving through the rows and rows of corn or wheat. I see people among the plants, checking the soil with handheld devices designed by former Bureau scientists. They wear red and blue and green and purple.“What’s it like, living without factions?” Evelyn says.“It’s very ordinary,” I say. I smile at her.“You’ll love it.” I take Evelyn to my apartment just north of the river. It’s on one of the lower floors, but through the abundant windows I can see a wide stretch of buildings. I was one of the first settlers in the new Chicago, so I got to choose where I lived. Zeke, Shauna, Christina, Amar, and George opted to live in the higher floors of the Hancock building, and Caleb and Cara both moved back to the apartments near Millennium Park, but I came here because it was beautiful, and because it was nowhere near either of my old homes.“My neighbor is a history expert, he came from the fringe,”",factions,"Shelly, Hana",", and not sure I could make it through one. But today would be Choosing Day, if we still had factions, and it’s time to take a step forward, even if it’s a small one. Evelyn puts a hand on my shoulder and looks out at the fields. The crops that were once isolated to the areas around Amity headquarters have spread, and continue to spread through all the grassy spaces around the city. Sometimes I miss the desolate, empty land. But right now I don’t mind driving through the rows and rows of corn or wheat. I see people among the plants, checking the soil with handheld devices designed by former Bureau scientists. They wear red and blue and green and purple.“What’s it like, living without factions?” Evelyn says.“It’s very ordinary,” I say. I smile at her.“You’ll love it.” I take Evelyn to my apartment just north of the river. It’s on one of the lower floors, but through the abundant windows I can see a wide stretch of buildings. I was one of the first settlers in the new Chicago, so I got to choose where I lived. Zeke, Shauna, Christina, Amar, and George opted to live in the higher floors of the Hancock building, and Caleb and Cara both moved back to the apartments near Millennium Park, but I came here because it was beautiful, and because it was nowhere near either of my old homes.“My neighbor is a history expert, he came from the fringe,”:Previous Entities: |Shelly, Hana| ::: ” Evelyn says. ",Evelyn.F "” Matthew says,",58390,58397,True,1:Erudite.?,". But none of us lashed out at our loved ones.“Her argument has a few holes in it, doesn’t it,” says Matthew. He’s watching me from behind his desk, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair.“Yeah,” I say.“Some of the people here want to blame genetic damage for everything,” he says.“It’s easier for them to accept than the truth, which is that they can’t know everything about people and why they act the way they do.”“Everyone has to blame something for the way the world is,” I say.“For my father it was the Erudite.”“I probably shouldn’t tell you that the Erudite were always my favorite, then,” Matthew says, smiling a little.“Really?” I straighten.“Why?”“I don’t know, I guess I agree with them. That if everyone would just keep learning about the world around them, they would have far fewer problems.”“I’ve been wary of them my whole life,” I say, resting my chin on my hand.“My father hated the Erudite, so I learned to hate them too, and everything they did with their time. Only now I’m thinking he was wrong. Or just... biased.”“About the Erudite or about learning?” I shrug.“Both. So many of the Erudite helped me when I didn’t ask them to.” Will, Fernando, Cara— all Erudite, all some of",Erudite,"this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother",". But none of us lashed out at our loved ones.“Her argument has a few holes in it, doesn’t it,” says Matthew. He’s watching me from behind his desk, tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair.“Yeah,” I say.“Some of the people here want to blame genetic damage for everything,” he says.“It’s easier for them to accept than the truth, which is that they can’t know everything about people and why they act the way they do.”“Everyone has to blame something for the way the world is,” I say.“For my father it was the Erudite.”“I probably shouldn’t tell you that the Erudite were always my favorite, then,” Matthew says, smiling a little.“Really?” I straighten.“Why?”“I don’t know, I guess I agree with them. That if everyone would just keep learning about the world around them, they would have far fewer problems.”“I’ve been wary of them my whole life,” I say, resting my chin on my hand.“My father hated the Erudite, so I learned to hate them too, and everything they did with their time. Only now I’m thinking he was wrong. Or just... biased.”“About the Erudite or about learning?” I shrug.“Both. So many of the Erudite helped me when I didn’t ask them to.” Will, Fernando, Cara— all Erudite, all some of:Previous Entities: |this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother| ::: ” Matthew says, ",Matthew.M you will be seeing me in court.”,17091,17133,True,174:Lester.M,"a bitch will run.” He got up.“This isn’t finished.”“It is,” I said. Knowing it wasn’t. But if things went all right, we were closer to the end than we had been. If. He started across the dooryard, then turned back. He used his silk handkerchief to mop off his face again, then said,“If you think those 100 acres are yours just because you’ve scared your wife away... sent her packing to her aunt in Des Moines or a sister in Minnesota—”“Check Omaha,” I said, smiling.“Or Sain’-Loo. She had no use for her relations, but she was crazy about the idea of living in Sain’-Loo. God knows why.”“If you think you’ll plant and harvest out there, you’d better think again. That land’s not yours. If you so much as drop a seed there, you will be seeing me in court.” I said,“I’m sure you’ll hear from her as soon as she gets a bad case of broke- itis.” What I wanted to say was, No, it’s not mine... but it’s not yours, either. It’s just going to sit there. And that’s all right, because it will be mine in seven years, when I go to court to have her declared legally dead. I can wait. Seven years without smelling pigshit when the wind’s out of the west? Seven years without hearing the screams of dying hogs(so much like the screams of a dying woman) or seeing their intestines float down a creek that’s red with blood? That sounds like an excellent seven years to me.“Have yourself",Lester,"the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester","a bitch will run.” He got up.“This isn’t finished.”“It is,” I said. Knowing it wasn’t. But if things went all right, we were closer to the end than we had been. If. He started across the dooryard, then turned back. He used his silk handkerchief to mop off his face again, then said,“If you think those 100 acres are yours just because you’ve scared your wife away... sent her packing to her aunt in Des Moines or a sister in Minnesota—”“Check Omaha,” I said, smiling.“Or Sain’-Loo. She had no use for her relations, but she was crazy about the idea of living in Sain’-Loo. God knows why.”“If you think you’ll plant and harvest out there, you’d better think again. That land’s not yours. If you so much as drop a seed there, you will be seeing me in court.” I said,“I’m sure you’ll hear from her as soon as she gets a bad case of broke- itis.” What I wanted to say was, No, it’s not mine... but it’s not yours, either. It’s just going to sit there. And that’s all right, because it will be mine in seven years, when I go to court to have her declared legally dead. I can wait. Seven years without smelling pigshit when the wind’s out of the west? Seven years without hearing the screams of dying hogs(so much like the screams of a dying woman) or seeing their intestines float down a creek that’s red with blood? That sounds like an excellent seven years to me.“Have yourself:Previous Entities: |the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester| ::: you will be seeing me in court.” ",Rex.M "“Not too far from here,”",41439,41446,True,244:Seamus Finnigan.M,"right—”“I don’t remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger,” said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville.“Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly.” Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.“Help me!” he moaned to Hermione.“Hey, Harry,” said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry’s brass scales,“have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning— they reckon Sirius Black’s been sighted.”“Where?” said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely.“Not too far from here,” said Seamus, who looked excited.“It was a Muggle who saw him.’ Course, she didn’t really understand. The Muggles think he’s just an ordinary criminal, don’t they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone.”“Not too far from here...,” Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely.“What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?” 126 THE BOGGART IN THE WARDROBE But Malfoy’s eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed on Harry. He leaned across the table.“Thinking of trying to catch Black single- handed, Potter?”“Yeah, that’s right,”",Seamus Finnigan,"Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan","right—”“I don’t remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger,” said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville.“Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly.” Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.“Help me!” he moaned to Hermione.“Hey, Harry,” said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry’s brass scales,“have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning— they reckon Sirius Black’s been sighted.”“Where?” said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely.“Not too far from here,” said Seamus, who looked excited.“It was a Muggle who saw him.’ Course, she didn’t really understand. The Muggles think he’s just an ordinary criminal, don’t they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone.”“Not too far from here...,” Ron repeated, looking significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely.“What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?” 126 THE BOGGART IN THE WARDROBE But Malfoy’s eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed on Harry. He leaned across the table.“Thinking of trying to catch Black single- handed, Potter?”“Yeah, that’s right,”:Previous Entities: |Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan| ::: “Not too far from here,” ",Seamus Finnigan. M “He tried to kill us!”,11740,11747,True,114:H’rath.M,"nasty edge to his voice. But when I stared at the lemming, I saw something green coiled within it.“No!” I shrieked this time, and with my talons kicked the lemming off the edge of the ice shelf. A terrible hiss scalded the air as a bright eerie green thing slithered through the gathering darkness.“A flying snake!” H’rath shouted, and we backed ourselves against the wall of the ice shelf. The snake coiled at once as if to strike. I rose straight up into the air. And although I scarcely remembered it later, I was told that I spoke in strange words and at once the snake appeared to go yeep but then turned and glided off into the night. The Great Gray was gone by the time we recovered.“He tried to kill us!” H’rath said in stunned disbelief.“He tried to kill you,” Siv said.“You’re right,” H’rath said.“He said that the prince should eat first.” And we all knew which prince he meant. At that moment they both turned to me.“Grank,” H’rath whispered.“You saved my life. How did you know?”“I’m not sure. I just see things sometimes.”“But never quite like this!” Siv said. She was right. Never quite like this.“Yes,” I said softly.“Never quite like this.” For I, too, was mystified.“Grank,” Siv said again, and stepped toward me, her lovely amber eyes glistening.“",H’rath,"the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray","nasty edge to his voice. But when I stared at the lemming, I saw something green coiled within it.“No!” I shrieked this time, and with my talons kicked the lemming off the edge of the ice shelf. A terrible hiss scalded the air as a bright eerie green thing slithered through the gathering darkness.“A flying snake!” H’rath shouted, and we backed ourselves against the wall of the ice shelf. The snake coiled at once as if to strike. I rose straight up into the air. And although I scarcely remembered it later, I was told that I spoke in strange words and at once the snake appeared to go yeep but then turned and glided off into the night. The Great Gray was gone by the time we recovered.“He tried to kill us!” H’rath said in stunned disbelief.“He tried to kill you,” Siv said.“You’re right,” H’rath said.“He said that the prince should eat first.” And we all knew which prince he meant. At that moment they both turned to me.“Grank,” H’rath whispered.“You saved my life. How did you know?”“I’m not sure. I just see things sometimes.”“But never quite like this!” Siv said. She was right. Never quite like this.“Yes,” I said softly.“Never quite like this.” For I, too, was mystified.“Grank,” Siv said again, and stepped toward me, her lovely amber eyes glistening.“:Previous Entities: |the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray| ::: “He tried to kill us!” ",H’rath.M Sue?”,32655,32665,True,213:Helen.F,"?” Sue mimicked Miss Geer, the spinster chairman(apt enough term for Miss Mustache) of the Decoration Committee.“Yeah, but why not the Refreshment Committee or the Entertainment Committee? Less back, more mind. The mind, that's my area. Besides, you're not even—” She bit down on the words.“Going?” Susan shrugged and picked up her chalk again. She had a monstrous writer's cramp.“No, but I still want it to be nice.” She added shyly:“Tommy's going.” They worked in silence for a bit, and then Helen stopped again. No one was near them; the closest was Holly Marshall, on the other end of the mural, coloring the gondola's keel.“Can I ask you about it, Sue?” Helen asked finally.“God, everybody's talking.”“Sure.” Sue stopped coloring and flexed her hand.“Maybe I ought to tell someone, just so the story stays straight. I asked Tommy to take Carrie. I'm hoping it'll bring her out of herself a little... knock down some of the barriers. I think I owe her that much.”“Where does that put the rest of us?” Helen asked without rancor. Sue shrugged.“You have to make up your own mind about what we did, Helen. I'm in no position to throw stones. But I don't want people to think I'm, uh...”“Playing martyr?”“Something like that.”“And",Helen,"a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen","?” Sue mimicked Miss Geer, the spinster chairman(apt enough term for Miss Mustache) of the Decoration Committee.“Yeah, but why not the Refreshment Committee or the Entertainment Committee? Less back, more mind. The mind, that's my area. Besides, you're not even—” She bit down on the words.“Going?” Susan shrugged and picked up her chalk again. She had a monstrous writer's cramp.“No, but I still want it to be nice.” She added shyly:“Tommy's going.” They worked in silence for a bit, and then Helen stopped again. No one was near them; the closest was Holly Marshall, on the other end of the mural, coloring the gondola's keel.“Can I ask you about it, Sue?” Helen asked finally.“God, everybody's talking.”“Sure.” Sue stopped coloring and flexed her hand.“Maybe I ought to tell someone, just so the story stays straight. I asked Tommy to take Carrie. I'm hoping it'll bring her out of herself a little... knock down some of the barriers. I think I owe her that much.”“Where does that put the rest of us?” Helen asked without rancor. Sue shrugged.“You have to make up your own mind about what we did, Helen. I'm in no position to throw stones. But I don't want people to think I'm, uh...”“Playing martyr?”“Something like that.”“And:Previous Entities: |a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen| ::: Sue?” ",Helen.F "“Xeno’s the name,”",67285,67291,True,2250:the fat man.M,"an arrow?”“Like I said. Really weird. You stay here. I’ll whistle if it’s safe to follow me.”“What will you do if it isn’t safe?”“Scream.” He climbed the dune again and, after brushing as much sand as possible off his clothing, stood up and waved his cap at the little crowd. An arrow took it out of his hands.“Oops!” said the fat man.“Sorry!” He scurried across the trampled sand to where Teppic was standing and staring at his stinging fingers.“Just had it in my hand,” he panted.“Many apologies, didn’t realize it was loaded. Whatever will you think of me?” Teppic took a deep breath.“Xeno’s the name,” gasped the fat man, before he could speak.“Are you hurt? We did put up warning signs, I’m sure. Did you come in over the desert? You must be thirsty. Would you like a drink? Who are you? You haven’t seen a tortoise up there, have you? Damned fast things, go like greased thunderbolts, there’s no stopping the little buggers.” Teppic deflated again.“Tortoises?” he said.“Are we talking about those, you know, stones on legs?”“That’s right, that’s right,” said Xeno.“Take your eyes off them for a second, and vazoom!”“Vazoom?” said Teppic. He knew about tortoises. There were tortoises in the Old",the fat man,"Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man","an arrow?”“Like I said. Really weird. You stay here. I’ll whistle if it’s safe to follow me.”“What will you do if it isn’t safe?”“Scream.” He climbed the dune again and, after brushing as much sand as possible off his clothing, stood up and waved his cap at the little crowd. An arrow took it out of his hands.“Oops!” said the fat man.“Sorry!” He scurried across the trampled sand to where Teppic was standing and staring at his stinging fingers.“Just had it in my hand,” he panted.“Many apologies, didn’t realize it was loaded. Whatever will you think of me?” Teppic took a deep breath.“Xeno’s the name,” gasped the fat man, before he could speak.“Are you hurt? We did put up warning signs, I’m sure. Did you come in over the desert? You must be thirsty. Would you like a drink? Who are you? You haven’t seen a tortoise up there, have you? Damned fast things, go like greased thunderbolts, there’s no stopping the little buggers.” Teppic deflated again.“Tortoises?” he said.“Are we talking about those, you know, stones on legs?”“That’s right, that’s right,” said Xeno.“Take your eyes off them for a second, and vazoom!”“Vazoom?” said Teppic. He knew about tortoises. There were tortoises in the Old:Previous Entities: |Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man| ::: “Xeno’s the name,” ",Xeno.M “You mean the mayor...,45791,45807,True,114:Barton Snode.M,"is private,” he said.“No one here but me.”“But anyone could come along,” said Doon.“What we have to say is secret, and very important.”“Very important?” said Snode.“Secret?” His face brightened. Grunting, he raised himself up from his chair and motioned them into a narrow hallway off to the side of the main hall.“What is it?” he said. They told him. As they spoke, interrupting each other to make sure they got in all the details, the guard’s eyebrows gradually lifted higher and higher over his eyes.“You saw this room?” he said.“This is true? Are you sure?” He was chewing faster now.“You mean the mayor... you mean the mayor is...” At that moment, a little way down the hall, a door opened. Through it came three more guards, including— Lina spotted him by his beard— the chief guard. They strode forward, talking to each other in low voices, and as they passed, the chief guard threw a quick glance at Lina. Does he recognize me? Lina wondered. She couldn’t tell. Barton Snode finished his sentence in a husky whisper.“You mean... the mayor is stealing?”“That’s right,” said Doon.“We thought you should be informed, because who else can arrest the mayor? And once you’ve done that, the guards can put all the things he’s stolen back where they came from.”“And then tell",Barton Snode,"the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo","is private,” he said.“No one here but me.”“But anyone could come along,” said Doon.“What we have to say is secret, and very important.”“Very important?” said Snode.“Secret?” His face brightened. Grunting, he raised himself up from his chair and motioned them into a narrow hallway off to the side of the main hall.“What is it?” he said. They told him. As they spoke, interrupting each other to make sure they got in all the details, the guard’s eyebrows gradually lifted higher and higher over his eyes.“You saw this room?” he said.“This is true? Are you sure?” He was chewing faster now.“You mean the mayor... you mean the mayor is...” At that moment, a little way down the hall, a door opened. Through it came three more guards, including— Lina spotted him by his beard— the chief guard. They strode forward, talking to each other in low voices, and as they passed, the chief guard threw a quick glance at Lina. Does he recognize me? Lina wondered. She couldn’t tell. Barton Snode finished his sentence in a husky whisper.“You mean... the mayor is stealing?”“That’s right,” said Doon.“We thought you should be informed, because who else can arrest the mayor? And once you’ve done that, the guards can put all the things he’s stolen back where they came from.”“And then tell:Previous Entities: |the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo| ::: “You mean the mayor... ",Barton Snode.M These are fertility drugs.,106449,106487,True,775:Officer Lowry.F,"She glanced at the syringes. She turned to Georgia’s daughter.“Were these prescribed to you by a physician?”“Yes.”“Do they involve matters of reproduction?”“Yes.”“How old are you?”“Sixteen.”“Can I see some ID?”“She’s sixteen, all right,” Georgia Bellarmino said, leaning forward.“And I want to know—”“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the policewoman said.“If she is sixteen, and these drugs involve reproductive issues, you have no right to be informed.”“What do you mean I have no right to be informed? She’s my daughter. She’s sixteen.”“That’s the law, ma’am.”“But that law is for abortions. She isn’t having an abortion. I don’t know what the hell she is doing. These are fertility drugs. She’s shooting up fertility drugs.”“I’m sorry, I can’t help you on this.”“You mean my daughter is allowed to inject drugs into her body, and I am not allowed to know what is going on?”“Not if she won’t tell you, no.”“And what about her doctor?” Officer Lowry shook her head.“He can’t tell you, either. Doctor- patient privilege.” Georgia Bellarmino collected the syringes and threw them back in the bag.“This is ridiculous.”“I don’t make the laws,” the policewoman said.“I just enforce them.” They were driving home.“Honey,” Georgia said.“Are you trying to get pregnant?”“No.” Sitting there with her",Officer Lowry,"McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry","She glanced at the syringes. She turned to Georgia’s daughter.“Were these prescribed to you by a physician?”“Yes.”“Do they involve matters of reproduction?”“Yes.”“How old are you?”“Sixteen.”“Can I see some ID?”“She’s sixteen, all right,” Georgia Bellarmino said, leaning forward.“And I want to know—”“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the policewoman said.“If she is sixteen, and these drugs involve reproductive issues, you have no right to be informed.”“What do you mean I have no right to be informed? She’s my daughter. She’s sixteen.”“That’s the law, ma’am.”“But that law is for abortions. She isn’t having an abortion. I don’t know what the hell she is doing. These are fertility drugs. She’s shooting up fertility drugs.”“I’m sorry, I can’t help you on this.”“You mean my daughter is allowed to inject drugs into her body, and I am not allowed to know what is going on?”“Not if she won’t tell you, no.”“And what about her doctor?” Officer Lowry shook her head.“He can’t tell you, either. Doctor- patient privilege.” Georgia Bellarmino collected the syringes and threw them back in the bag.“This is ridiculous.”“I don’t make the laws,” the policewoman said.“I just enforce them.” They were driving home.“Honey,” Georgia said.“Are you trying to get pregnant?”“No.” Sitting there with her:Previous Entities: |McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry| ::: These are fertility drugs. ",Georgia Bellarmino.F "“You should be proud,”",45783,45789,True,282:Sylvana.F,"to be careful so as not to arouse suspicion. The plan was to excavate a tunnel that extended to an old fir tree that had been blown down in the winterlies. It was a rotten old tree and the stump was nearly hollow, which would provide them with an easy way out and into a flight zone that was well beyond the position of the enemy. Once the tunnel was completed, not only would the Strix Struma Strikers be able to get out, but the other tactical units would as well. These divisions would then encircle the enemy and begin a pincer movement. The besiegers would become the besieged. Now, after only two weeks of hard work, they were almost there. Sylvana estimated that there were only another four days of work, five at the most.“You should be proud,” she said at the end of their shift.“You especially, Soren, Twilight, and Gylfie. This did not come naturally to you.” Muriel and Digger nodded.“But you have learned to excavate as finely as any Burrowing Owl.” At just that moment, Octavia slithered down the tunnel.“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Sylvana, there is a problem.”“What’s the problem?” Sylvana asked.“Dewlap.”“Dewlap?” Soren felt a queasiness in his gizzard, and he looked at Digger.“I’m not sure what it’s all about, Sylvana, but Ezylryb wants to see you at once in his hollow.”“Well, I’ll be right there.”“A special project? That",Sylvana,"Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana","to be careful so as not to arouse suspicion. The plan was to excavate a tunnel that extended to an old fir tree that had been blown down in the winterlies. It was a rotten old tree and the stump was nearly hollow, which would provide them with an easy way out and into a flight zone that was well beyond the position of the enemy. Once the tunnel was completed, not only would the Strix Struma Strikers be able to get out, but the other tactical units would as well. These divisions would then encircle the enemy and begin a pincer movement. The besiegers would become the besieged. Now, after only two weeks of hard work, they were almost there. Sylvana estimated that there were only another four days of work, five at the most.“You should be proud,” she said at the end of their shift.“You especially, Soren, Twilight, and Gylfie. This did not come naturally to you.” Muriel and Digger nodded.“But you have learned to excavate as finely as any Burrowing Owl.” At just that moment, Octavia slithered down the tunnel.“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Sylvana, there is a problem.”“What’s the problem?” Sylvana asked.“Dewlap.”“Dewlap?” Soren felt a queasiness in his gizzard, and he looked at Digger.“I’m not sure what it’s all about, Sylvana, but Ezylryb wants to see you at once in his hollow.”“Well, I’ll be right there.”“A special project? That:Previous Entities: |Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana| ::: “You should be proud,” ",Sylvana.F “That’s cloud cover?”,29750,29756,True,463:Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE.?,"lesson. Never knew it was a setup.”“Okay,” Travis said,“put the data out, and let’s feed them. I want something that'll give them a sense of confidence for the next forty- eight hours or more— until they figure out that we’ve screwed them.”“Delighted,” Rogers said, and he moved off to Beta terminal. Travis sighed. The feeding would soon begin, and he hoped it would protect his team in the field— long enough for them to get to the diamonds first. 5. Dangerous Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE HIM.“How unequivocal is that signature?”“Pretty damn unequivocal. Here’s the pissup, nine days ago, and it’s not even epicentered.”“That’s cloud cover?”“No, that’s not cloud cover, it’s too black. That’s ejecta from the signature.”“Hell.” Elliot opened his eyes to see dawn breaking as a thin red line against blue- black through the windows of the passenger compartment. His watch read 5:11— five in the morning, San Francisco time. He had slept only two hours since calling Seamans. He yawned and glanced down at Amy, curled up in her nest of blankets on the floor. Amy snored loudly. The other bunks were unoccupied. He heard soft voices again, and looked toward the computer console. Jensen and Irving were staring at a screen and talking quietly.“Dangerous signature. We got a computer projection on that?”“Coming. It’ll take a while",Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE,"Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE","lesson. Never knew it was a setup.”“Okay,” Travis said,“put the data out, and let’s feed them. I want something that'll give them a sense of confidence for the next forty- eight hours or more— until they figure out that we’ve screwed them.”“Delighted,” Rogers said, and he moved off to Beta terminal. Travis sighed. The feeding would soon begin, and he hoped it would protect his team in the field— long enough for them to get to the diamonds first. 5. Dangerous Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE HIM.“How unequivocal is that signature?”“Pretty damn unequivocal. Here’s the pissup, nine days ago, and it’s not even epicentered.”“That’s cloud cover?”“No, that’s not cloud cover, it’s too black. That’s ejecta from the signature.”“Hell.” Elliot opened his eyes to see dawn breaking as a thin red line against blue- black through the windows of the passenger compartment. His watch read 5:11— five in the morning, San Francisco time. He had slept only two hours since calling Seamans. He yawned and glanced down at Amy, curled up in her nest of blankets on the floor. Amy snored loudly. The other bunks were unoccupied. He heard soft voices again, and looked toward the computer console. Jensen and Irving were staring at a screen and talking quietly.“Dangerous signature. We got a computer projection on that?”“Coming. It’ll take a while:Previous Entities: |Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE| ::: “That’s cloud cover?” ",Irving. M "to honor,",103392,103477,True,2182:Those.F,"here?”“I thought they answered to Rhys.”“They answer to both, but they were trained by Azriel first.”“Are they spying on me?”“No.” She frowned at a loose thread in her rain cloud– colored shirt. Her chin- length dark hair swayed as she lifted her head.“Rhys has told them time and again not to, but I don’t think Azriel will ever trust me fully. So they’re reporting on my movements. And with good reason.”“Why?”“Why not? I’d be disappointed if Rhysand’s spymaster didn’t keep tabs on me. Even go against orders to do so.”“Rhys doesn’t punish him for disobeying?” Those silver eyes glowed.“The Court of Dreams is founded on three things: to defend, to honor, and to cherish. Were you expecting brute strength and obedience? Many of Rhysand’s top officials have little to no power. He values loyalty, cunning, compassion. And Azriel, despite his disobedience, is acting to defend his court, his people. So, no. Rhysand does not punish that. There are rules, but they are flexible.”“What about the Tithe?”“What Tithe?” I stood from the little bench.“The Tithe— taxes, whatever. Twice a year.”“There are taxes on city dwellers, but there is no Tithe.” She clicked her tongue.“But the High Lord of Spring enacts one.” I didn’t want to think about it entirely, not yet— not with that letter now on its way to him, if not already delivered. So I reached for the small box on the vanity and pulled out her amulet.“Here.” I handed over the gold- and- jewel- encrusted thing.“Thank you.” Amren’s brows rose as I dropped it into her waiting palm.“You gave it back.”",Those,"Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those","here?”“I thought they answered to Rhys.”“They answer to both, but they were trained by Azriel first.”“Are they spying on me?”“No.” She frowned at a loose thread in her rain cloud– colored shirt. Her chin- length dark hair swayed as she lifted her head.“Rhys has told them time and again not to, but I don’t think Azriel will ever trust me fully. So they’re reporting on my movements. And with good reason.”“Why?”“Why not? I’d be disappointed if Rhysand’s spymaster didn’t keep tabs on me. Even go against orders to do so.”“Rhys doesn’t punish him for disobeying?” Those silver eyes glowed.“The Court of Dreams is founded on three things: to defend, to honor, and to cherish. Were you expecting brute strength and obedience? Many of Rhysand’s top officials have little to no power. He values loyalty, cunning, compassion. And Azriel, despite his disobedience, is acting to defend his court, his people. So, no. Rhysand does not punish that. There are rules, but they are flexible.”“What about the Tithe?”“What Tithe?” I stood from the little bench.“The Tithe— taxes, whatever. Twice a year.”“There are taxes on city dwellers, but there is no Tithe.” She clicked her tongue.“But the High Lord of Spring enacts one.” I didn’t want to think about it entirely, not yet— not with that letter now on its way to him, if not already delivered. So I reached for the small box on the vanity and pulled out her amulet.“Here.” I handed over the gold- and- jewel- encrusted thing.“Thank you.” Amren’s brows rose as I dropped it into her waiting palm.“You gave it back.”:Previous Entities: |Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those| ::: to honor, ",Amren.F "“Time compels me,”",174370,174375,True,860:the Reverend Mother.F,"- presence. Be your daughter- presence. Absorb the fear... soothe... use your courage and your strength... gently now... gently....” The other whirling mote swept near, and Jessica compelled herself to touch it. Terror threatened to overwhelm her. She fought it the only way she knew:“I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer....” The litany brought a semblance of calm. The other mote lay quiescent against her. Words won’t work, Jessica told herself. She reduced herself to basic emotional reactions, radiated love, comfort, a warm snuggling of protection. The terror receded. Again, the presence of the old Reverend Mother asserted itself, but now there was a tripling of mutual awareness— two active and one that lay quietly absorbing.“Time compels me,” the Reverend Mother said within the awareness.“I have much to give you. And I do not know if your daughter can accept all this while remaining sane. But it must be: the needs of the tribe are paramount.”“What—”“Remain silent and accept!” Experiences began to unroll before Jessica. It was like a lecture strip in a subliminal training projector at the Bene Gesserit school... but faster... blindingly faster. Yet... distinct. She knew each experience as it happened: there was a lover— virile, bearded, with the Fremen eyes, and Jessica saw his strength and tenderness, all of him in one blink- moment, through the Reverend Mother’s memory. There was no time now to think of what this might be doing",the Reverend Mother,"the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother","- presence. Be your daughter- presence. Absorb the fear... soothe... use your courage and your strength... gently now... gently....” The other whirling mote swept near, and Jessica compelled herself to touch it. Terror threatened to overwhelm her. She fought it the only way she knew:“I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer....” The litany brought a semblance of calm. The other mote lay quiescent against her. Words won’t work, Jessica told herself. She reduced herself to basic emotional reactions, radiated love, comfort, a warm snuggling of protection. The terror receded. Again, the presence of the old Reverend Mother asserted itself, but now there was a tripling of mutual awareness— two active and one that lay quietly absorbing.“Time compels me,” the Reverend Mother said within the awareness.“I have much to give you. And I do not know if your daughter can accept all this while remaining sane. But it must be: the needs of the tribe are paramount.”“What—”“Remain silent and accept!” Experiences began to unroll before Jessica. It was like a lecture strip in a subliminal training projector at the Bene Gesserit school... but faster... blindingly faster. Yet... distinct. She knew each experience as it happened: there was a lover— virile, bearded, with the Fremen eyes, and Jessica saw his strength and tenderness, all of him in one blink- moment, through the Reverend Mother’s memory. There was no time now to think of what this might be doing:Previous Entities: |the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother| ::: “Time compels me,” ",The Reverend Mother.F "Oh,""",5972,5975,True,331:his great grandfather.M,"have done, would have been quite appropriate from you, but no. Too busy. Too modern. Too sceptical- till you suddenly find yourself in a bit of a fix and come over suddenly all astrally- minded!"" He shook his head- carefully, so as not to disturb the slumber of the other one, which was already becoming restive."" Well, I don't know, young Zaphod,"" he continued,"" I think I'll have to think about this one."""" One minute ten,"" said Ford hollowly. Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth peered at him curiously."" Why does that man keep talking in numbers?"" he said."" Those numbers,"" said Zaphod tersely,"" are the time we've got left to live."""" Oh,"" said his great grandfather. He grunted to himself."" Doesn't apply to me, of course,"" he said and moved off to a dimmer recess of the bridge in search of something else to poke around at. Zaphod felt he was teetering on the edge of madness and wondered if he shouldn't just jump over and have done with it."" Great Grandfather,"" he said,"" It applies to us! We are still alive, and we are about to lose our lives."""" Good job too."""" What?"""" What use is your life to anyone? When I think of what you've made of it the phrase` pig's ear' comes irresistibly to my mind."""" But I was President of the Galaxy, man",his great grandfather,"Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather","have done, would have been quite appropriate from you, but no. Too busy. Too modern. Too sceptical- till you suddenly find yourself in a bit of a fix and come over suddenly all astrally- minded!"" He shook his head- carefully, so as not to disturb the slumber of the other one, which was already becoming restive."" Well, I don't know, young Zaphod,"" he continued,"" I think I'll have to think about this one."""" One minute ten,"" said Ford hollowly. Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth peered at him curiously."" Why does that man keep talking in numbers?"" he said."" Those numbers,"" said Zaphod tersely,"" are the time we've got left to live."""" Oh,"" said his great grandfather. He grunted to himself."" Doesn't apply to me, of course,"" he said and moved off to a dimmer recess of the bridge in search of something else to poke around at. Zaphod felt he was teetering on the edge of madness and wondered if he shouldn't just jump over and have done with it."" Great Grandfather,"" he said,"" It applies to us! We are still alive, and we are about to lose our lives."""" Good job too."""" What?"""" What use is your life to anyone? When I think of what you've made of it the phrase` pig's ear' comes irresistibly to my mind."""" But I was President of the Galaxy, man:Previous Entities: |Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather| ::: Oh,"" ",Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth.M I’m all right.,73524,73548,True,84:Althea.F,"And at that moment, a gasp arose from the Grackle Street side of the crowd, and all heads turned. Down the sidewalk, slowly and slightly tippily, came Althea Tower. She was wrapped in a voluminous gray cape, and although she had tried to fasten her hair back with a ribbon, most of it had come loose, and the breeze made it float around her head. She was so short and slight that she looked almost like a child— a frail, excited child, hurrying toward the place where something was happening. People were so amazed to see her that they just stared as she came closer. At last, two young men ran forward to help her. They led her into the park. People crowded around her, and Nickie heard her say,“Yes, thank you, yes, I’m all right. A girl came and shouted at me— that girl right there”—she pointed at Nickie, smiling—“and, well, I woke up.” Then she murmured something to the young man on her left and tilted her head in the direction of Mrs. Beeson. They walked with her to where Mrs. Beeson stood flabbergasted, her eyes darting back and forth between Althea coming toward her and Sausage squirming in the arms of the dark- haired woman. Althea took Mrs. Beeson by the arm, and the two of them went apart from the crowd to talk. Nickie, who knew what they would be talking about, saw no need to stay any longer. She left the park and the chaos of people and dogs behind and carried Otis back toward Greenhaven. When she was halfway there, Crystal, who had driven home and parked the car, came running toward her",Althea,the Prophet,"And at that moment, a gasp arose from the Grackle Street side of the crowd, and all heads turned. Down the sidewalk, slowly and slightly tippily, came Althea Tower. She was wrapped in a voluminous gray cape, and although she had tried to fasten her hair back with a ribbon, most of it had come loose, and the breeze made it float around her head. She was so short and slight that she looked almost like a child— a frail, excited child, hurrying toward the place where something was happening. People were so amazed to see her that they just stared as she came closer. At last, two young men ran forward to help her. They led her into the park. People crowded around her, and Nickie heard her say,“Yes, thank you, yes, I’m all right. A girl came and shouted at me— that girl right there”—she pointed at Nickie, smiling—“and, well, I woke up.” Then she murmured something to the young man on her left and tilted her head in the direction of Mrs. Beeson. They walked with her to where Mrs. Beeson stood flabbergasted, her eyes darting back and forth between Althea coming toward her and Sausage squirming in the arms of the dark- haired woman. Althea took Mrs. Beeson by the arm, and the two of them went apart from the crowd to talk. Nickie, who knew what they would be talking about, saw no need to stay any longer. She left the park and the chaos of people and dogs behind and carried Otis back toward Greenhaven. When she was halfway there, Crystal, who had driven home and parked the car, came running toward her:Previous Entities: |the Prophet| ::: I’m all right. ",Althea Tower. Did she choose the conference room?”,54051,54061,True,377:Cheryl.F,"seem particularly surprised by her sudden change. Sitting up on the desk, she kept pushing at him, almost angrily. The man stepped away. His back was still to us. We couldn’t see his face. As soon as he had stepped back, she changed again: smiling, kittenish now. With slow movements, she got off the desk and adjusted her skirt, twisting her body provocatively as she looked around. We could see his ear and the side of his face, just enough to see that his jaw was moving. He was talking to her. She smiled at him, and came forward, slid her arms around his neck. Then they began kissing again, their hands moving over each other. Walking slowly through the office, toward the conference room.“So. Did she choose the conference room?”“Hard to say.”“Shit, I still can’t see his face.” By now they were near the center of the room, and the camera was shooting almost directly down. All we saw was the top of his head. I said,“Does he look Japanese to you?”“Fuck. Who can tell. How many other cameras were in that room?”“Four others.”“Well. His face can’t be blocked in all four. We’ll nail his ass.“I said,“You know, Tom, this guy looks pretty big. He looks taller than she is. And she was a tall girl.”“Who can tell, in this angle? I can’t tell anything except he has a",Cheryl,"The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl","seem particularly surprised by her sudden change. Sitting up on the desk, she kept pushing at him, almost angrily. The man stepped away. His back was still to us. We couldn’t see his face. As soon as he had stepped back, she changed again: smiling, kittenish now. With slow movements, she got off the desk and adjusted her skirt, twisting her body provocatively as she looked around. We could see his ear and the side of his face, just enough to see that his jaw was moving. He was talking to her. She smiled at him, and came forward, slid her arms around his neck. Then they began kissing again, their hands moving over each other. Walking slowly through the office, toward the conference room.“So. Did she choose the conference room?”“Hard to say.”“Shit, I still can’t see his face.” By now they were near the center of the room, and the camera was shooting almost directly down. All we saw was the top of his head. I said,“Does he look Japanese to you?”“Fuck. Who can tell. How many other cameras were in that room?”“Four others.”“Well. His face can’t be blocked in all four. We’ll nail his ass.“I said,“You know, Tom, this guy looks pretty big. He looks taller than she is. And she was a tall girl.”“Who can tell, in this angle? I can’t tell anything except he has a:Previous Entities: |The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl| ::: Did she choose the conference room?” ",Tom.M you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends.,78995,79084,True,818:the headmaster.?,", reddening slightly.“You are Muggle- born?”“Half- blood, sir,” said Riddle.“Muggle father, witch mother.”“And are both your parents—?”“My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me— Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.” Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically.“The thing is, Tom,” he sighed,“special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances.…”“You mean all these attacks, sir?” said Riddle, and Harry’s heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything.“Precisely,” said the headmaster.“My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl.… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the— er— source of all this unpleasantness.…” Riddle’s eyes had widened.“Sir— if the person was caught— if it all stopped—”“What do you mean?” said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair.“Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?”“No, sir,” said Riddle quickly. But Harry was sure it was the same sort of“no” that he himself had given Dumbledore. Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed.“You may go, Tom.…” Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room. Harry followed him. Down the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped, and so did Harry, watching him. Harry",the headmaster,"Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet",", reddening slightly.“You are Muggle- born?”“Half- blood, sir,” said Riddle.“Muggle father, witch mother.”“And are both your parents—?”“My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me— Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.” Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically.“The thing is, Tom,” he sighed,“special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances.…”“You mean all these attacks, sir?” said Riddle, and Harry’s heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything.“Precisely,” said the headmaster.“My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl.… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the— er— source of all this unpleasantness.…” Riddle’s eyes had widened.“Sir— if the person was caught— if it all stopped—”“What do you mean?” said Dippet with a squeak in his voice, sitting up in his chair.“Riddle, do you mean you know something about these attacks?”“No, sir,” said Riddle quickly. But Harry was sure it was the same sort of“no” that he himself had given Dumbledore. Dippet sank back, looking faintly disappointed.“You may go, Tom.…” Riddle slid off his chair and slouched out of the room. Harry followed him. Down the moving spiral staircase they went, emerging next to the gargoyle in the darkening corridor. Riddle stopped, and so did Harry, watching him. Harry:Previous Entities: |Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet| ::: you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. ",Dippet.M Now you bring… these?”,159173,159215,True,386:Clytius.M,". She spread her arms. Blazing torches appeared in her hands.“It has been millennia since I fought at the side of a demigod, but Hazel Levesque has proven herself worthy. What do you say, Clytius? Shall we play with fire?” IF THE GIANT HAD RUN AWAY SCREAMING, Hazel would’ve been grateful. Then they all could have taken the rest of the day off. Clytius disappointed her. When he saw the goddess’s torches blazing, the giant seemed to recover his wits. He stomped his foot, shaking the floor and almost stepping on Annabeth’s arm. Dark smoke billowed around him until Annabeth and Percy were totally hidden. Hazel could see nothing but the giant’s gleaming eyes.“Bold words.” Clytius spoke from Leo’s mouth.“You forget, goddess. When we last met, you had the help of Hercules and Dionysus— the most powerful heroes in the world, both of them destined to become gods. Now you bring… these?” Leo’s unconscious body contorted in pain.“Stop it!” Hazel yelled. She didn’t plan what happened next. She simply knew she had to protect her friends. She imagined them behind her, the same way she’d imagined new tunnels appearing in Pasiphaë’s Labyrinth. Leo dissolved. He reappeared at Hazel’s feet, along with Percy and Annabeth. The Mist whirled around her, spilling over the stones and enveloping her friends. Where the white Mist met the dark smoke of Clytius, it steamed and sizzled, like lava rolling into the sea. Leo opened his eyes and gasped.“Wh- what…?” Annabeth and Percy remained motionless, but Hazel could sense their heartbeats getting stronger, their breath coming more evenly. On Hecate’s shoulder, Gale the",Clytius,"the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius",". She spread her arms. Blazing torches appeared in her hands.“It has been millennia since I fought at the side of a demigod, but Hazel Levesque has proven herself worthy. What do you say, Clytius? Shall we play with fire?” IF THE GIANT HAD RUN AWAY SCREAMING, Hazel would’ve been grateful. Then they all could have taken the rest of the day off. Clytius disappointed her. When he saw the goddess’s torches blazing, the giant seemed to recover his wits. He stomped his foot, shaking the floor and almost stepping on Annabeth’s arm. Dark smoke billowed around him until Annabeth and Percy were totally hidden. Hazel could see nothing but the giant’s gleaming eyes.“Bold words.” Clytius spoke from Leo’s mouth.“You forget, goddess. When we last met, you had the help of Hercules and Dionysus— the most powerful heroes in the world, both of them destined to become gods. Now you bring… these?” Leo’s unconscious body contorted in pain.“Stop it!” Hazel yelled. She didn’t plan what happened next. She simply knew she had to protect her friends. She imagined them behind her, the same way she’d imagined new tunnels appearing in Pasiphaë’s Labyrinth. Leo dissolved. He reappeared at Hazel’s feet, along with Percy and Annabeth. The Mist whirled around her, spilling over the stones and enveloping her friends. Where the white Mist met the dark smoke of Clytius, it steamed and sizzled, like lava rolling into the sea. Leo opened his eyes and gasped.“Wh- what…?” Annabeth and Percy remained motionless, but Hazel could sense their heartbeats getting stronger, their breath coming more evenly. On Hecate’s shoulder, Gale the:Previous Entities: |the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius| ::: Now you bring… these?” ",Hecate.F "“That is what you came to tell us,",128237,128249,True,173:Hana.F,". But Hana just bends her head, hiding her face from me. Their living room smells like garlic and onion, maybe remnants from that night’s dinner. I lean my shoulder into the white wall by the doorway. Hanging crookedly next to me is a picture of the family— Zeke as a toddler, Uriah as a baby, balancing on his mother’s lap. Their father’s face is pierced in several places, nose and ear and lip, but his wide, bright smile and dark complexion are more familiar to me, because he passed them both to his sons.“He has been in a coma since then,” I say.“And...”“And he isn’t going to wake up,” Hana says, her voice strained.“That is what you came to tell us, right?”“Yes,” I say.“I came to collect you so that you can make a decision on his behalf.”“A decision?” Zeke says.“You mean, to unplug him or not?”“Zeke,” Hana says, and she shakes her head. He sinks back into the couch. The cushions seem to wrap around him.“Of course we don’t want to keep him alive that way,” Hana says.“He would want to move on. But we would like to go see him.” I nod.“Of course. But there’s something else I should say. The attack... it was a kind of uprising that involved some of the people from the place where we were staying. And",Hana,"the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know",". But Hana just bends her head, hiding her face from me. Their living room smells like garlic and onion, maybe remnants from that night’s dinner. I lean my shoulder into the white wall by the doorway. Hanging crookedly next to me is a picture of the family— Zeke as a toddler, Uriah as a baby, balancing on his mother’s lap. Their father’s face is pierced in several places, nose and ear and lip, but his wide, bright smile and dark complexion are more familiar to me, because he passed them both to his sons.“He has been in a coma since then,” I say.“And...”“And he isn’t going to wake up,” Hana says, her voice strained.“That is what you came to tell us, right?”“Yes,” I say.“I came to collect you so that you can make a decision on his behalf.”“A decision?” Zeke says.“You mean, to unplug him or not?”“Zeke,” Hana says, and she shakes her head. He sinks back into the couch. The cushions seem to wrap around him.“Of course we don’t want to keep him alive that way,” Hana says.“He would want to move on. But we would like to go see him.” I nod.“Of course. But there’s something else I should say. The attack... it was a kind of uprising that involved some of the people from the place where we were staying. And:Previous Entities: |the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know| ::: “That is what you came to tell us, ",Hana.F "I’m going to pee,",43104,43121,True,1294:the timid man.M,"said, inhaling hot air. I reached in the back for my overnight bag and my laptop. I’d stowed them under the seat of the timid man.“I have to take a piss,” said Growly, releasing his seat belt.“Dave...” said the man with the briefcase, in a warning tone.“Fuck, it’s just for a minute.”“Dave-” an embarrassed glance toward me, then lowering his voice:“They said, we don’t get out of the helicopter, remember?”“Aw hell. I can’t wait another hour. Anyway, what’s the difference?” He gestured toward the surrounding desert.“There’s nothing the fuck out here for a million miles.”“But, Dave-”“You guys give me a pain. I’m going to pee, damn it.” He hefted his bulk up, and moved toward the door. I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation because by then I had taken off my earphones. Growly was clambering out. I grabbed my bags, turned and moved away, crouched beneath the blades. They cast a flickering shadow on the pad. I came to the edge of the pad where the concrete ended abruptly in a dirt path that threaded among the clumps of cholla cactus toward the blocky white power building fifty yards away. There was no one to greet me- in fact, no one in sight at all. Looking back, I saw Growly zip up his trousers and climb back into the helicopter. The pilot pulled the door shut and lifted off, waving to me as he rose into the air.",the timid man,"Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man","said, inhaling hot air. I reached in the back for my overnight bag and my laptop. I’d stowed them under the seat of the timid man.“I have to take a piss,” said Growly, releasing his seat belt.“Dave...” said the man with the briefcase, in a warning tone.“Fuck, it’s just for a minute.”“Dave-” an embarrassed glance toward me, then lowering his voice:“They said, we don’t get out of the helicopter, remember?”“Aw hell. I can’t wait another hour. Anyway, what’s the difference?” He gestured toward the surrounding desert.“There’s nothing the fuck out here for a million miles.”“But, Dave-”“You guys give me a pain. I’m going to pee, damn it.” He hefted his bulk up, and moved toward the door. I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation because by then I had taken off my earphones. Growly was clambering out. I grabbed my bags, turned and moved away, crouched beneath the blades. They cast a flickering shadow on the pad. I came to the edge of the pad where the concrete ended abruptly in a dirt path that threaded among the clumps of cholla cactus toward the blocky white power building fifty yards away. There was no one to greet me- in fact, no one in sight at all. Looking back, I saw Growly zip up his trousers and climb back into the helicopter. The pilot pulled the door shut and lifted off, waving to me as he rose into the air.:Previous Entities: |Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man| ::: I’m going to pee, ",Growly.M if you decide you want to arrange mail service.”,71990,72008,True,2454:my editors.?,"a one- to- one equation, like“We can’t say that or they’ll pull their ads.” It’s more subtle than that. Sometimes I look at my editors, and I can tell they won’t go with certain stories because they are afraid. They don’t even know what they are afraid of. They’re just afraid.”“So much for a free press.”“Hey,” Ken said.“This is not the time for sophomore bullshit. You know how itworks. The American press reports the prevailing opinion. The prevailing opinion is the opinion of the group in power. The Japanese are now in power. The press reports the prevailing opinion as usual. No surprises. Just take care.”“I will.”“And don’t hesitate to call, if you decide you want to arrange mail service.” I wanted to talk to Connor@ I was beginning to understand why Connor had been worried, and why he had wanted to conclude the investigation quickly. Because a well- iiiounted campaign of innuendo is a fearsome thing. A skillful practitioner- and the Weasel was skillful--- would arrange it so that a new story came out, day after day, even when nothing happened. You got headlines like GRAND JURY UNDECIDED ON POLICEMAN’S GUILT when in fact the grand jury hadn’t met yet. But people saw the headlines, day after day, and drew their own conclusions. The truth was, there was always a way to spin it. At the end of the innuendo campaign, if your subject was found blameless, you could still mount a headline like GRAND JURY FAILS TO FIND POLICEMAN",my editors,"Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors","a one- to- one equation, like“We can’t say that or they’ll pull their ads.” It’s more subtle than that. Sometimes I look at my editors, and I can tell they won’t go with certain stories because they are afraid. They don’t even know what they are afraid of. They’re just afraid.”“So much for a free press.”“Hey,” Ken said.“This is not the time for sophomore bullshit. You know how itworks. The American press reports the prevailing opinion. The prevailing opinion is the opinion of the group in power. The Japanese are now in power. The press reports the prevailing opinion as usual. No surprises. Just take care.”“I will.”“And don’t hesitate to call, if you decide you want to arrange mail service.” I wanted to talk to Connor@ I was beginning to understand why Connor had been worried, and why he had wanted to conclude the investigation quickly. Because a well- iiiounted campaign of innuendo is a fearsome thing. A skillful practitioner- and the Weasel was skillful--- would arrange it so that a new story came out, day after day, even when nothing happened. You got headlines like GRAND JURY UNDECIDED ON POLICEMAN’S GUILT when in fact the grand jury hadn’t met yet. But people saw the headlines, day after day, and drew their own conclusions. The truth was, there was always a way to spin it. At the end of the innuendo campaign, if your subject was found blameless, you could still mount a headline like GRAND JURY FAILS TO FIND POLICEMAN:Previous Entities: |Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors| ::: if you decide you want to arrange mail service.” ",Ken.M "The living are all the same.""",5207,5224,True,124:Zaphod Beeblebrox.M,". He peered through the dim light. He thrust out a bony finger at his great grandson."" Ah,"" he snapped."" Zaphod Beeblebrox. The last of our great line. Zaphod Beeblebrox the Nothingth."""" The First."""" The Nothingth,"" spat the figure. Zaphod hated his voice. It always seemed to him to screech like fingernails across the blackboard of what he liked to think of as his soul. He shifted awkwardly in his seat."" Er, yeah,"" he muttered,"" Er, look, I'm really sorry about the flowers, I meant to send them along, but you know, the shop was fresh out of wreaths and..."""" You forget!"" snapped Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth."" Well..."""" Too busy. Never think of other people. The living are all the same."""" Two minutes, Zaphod,"" whispered Ford in an awed whisper. Zaphod fidgeted nervously."" Yeah, but I did mean to send them,"" he said."" And I'll write to my great grandmother as well, just as soon as we get out of this..."""" Your great grandmother,"" mused the gaunt little figure to himself."" Yeah,"" said Zaphod,"" Er, how is she? Tell you what, I'll go and see her. But first we've just got to..."""" Your late great grandmother and I are very well,"" rasped Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth."" Ah. Oh."""" But very disappointed in you, young Zaphod..."""" Yeah well..."" Zaphod felt strangely powerless to take",Zaphod Beeblebrox,"Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox",". He peered through the dim light. He thrust out a bony finger at his great grandson."" Ah,"" he snapped."" Zaphod Beeblebrox. The last of our great line. Zaphod Beeblebrox the Nothingth."""" The First."""" The Nothingth,"" spat the figure. Zaphod hated his voice. It always seemed to him to screech like fingernails across the blackboard of what he liked to think of as his soul. He shifted awkwardly in his seat."" Er, yeah,"" he muttered,"" Er, look, I'm really sorry about the flowers, I meant to send them along, but you know, the shop was fresh out of wreaths and..."""" You forget!"" snapped Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth."" Well..."""" Too busy. Never think of other people. The living are all the same."""" Two minutes, Zaphod,"" whispered Ford in an awed whisper. Zaphod fidgeted nervously."" Yeah, but I did mean to send them,"" he said."" And I'll write to my great grandmother as well, just as soon as we get out of this..."""" Your great grandmother,"" mused the gaunt little figure to himself."" Yeah,"" said Zaphod,"" Er, how is she? Tell you what, I'll go and see her. But first we've just got to..."""" Your late great grandmother and I are very well,"" rasped Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth."" Ah. Oh."""" But very disappointed in you, young Zaphod..."""" Yeah well..."" Zaphod felt strangely powerless to take:Previous Entities: |Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox| ::: The living are all the same."" ",Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth.M Every scroll and book.”,99810,99829,True,3548:the high priest.M,". Truly, I did not realize what was happening. I thought it was refreshing, nothing more, I suspected nothing. I noted the passing of the rituals, not the years.”“Come from a long- lived family, do you?” said Teppicymon sarcastically. Dios stared at him, his lips moving.“Family,” he said at last, his voice softened from its normal bark.“Family. Yes. I must have had a family, mustn’t I. But, you know, I can’t remember. Memory is the first thing that goes. The pyramids don’t seem to preserve it, strangely.”“This is Dios, the footnote- keeper of history?” said Teppicymon.“Ah.” The high priest smiled.“Memory goes from the head. But it is all around me. Every scroll and book.”“That’s the history of the kingdom, man!”“Yes. My memory.” The king relaxed a little. Sheer horrified fascination was unravelling the knot of fury.“How old are you?” he said.“I think… seven thousand years. But sometimes it seems much longer.”“Really seven thousand years?”“Yes,” said Dios.“How could any man stand it?” said the king. Dios shrugged.“Seven thousand years is just one day at a time,” he said. Slowly, with the occasional wince, he got down on one knee and held up his staff in shaking hands.“O kings,” he said,“I have always existed only to serve.” There was a",the high priest,"the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue",". Truly, I did not realize what was happening. I thought it was refreshing, nothing more, I suspected nothing. I noted the passing of the rituals, not the years.”“Come from a long- lived family, do you?” said Teppicymon sarcastically. Dios stared at him, his lips moving.“Family,” he said at last, his voice softened from its normal bark.“Family. Yes. I must have had a family, mustn’t I. But, you know, I can’t remember. Memory is the first thing that goes. The pyramids don’t seem to preserve it, strangely.”“This is Dios, the footnote- keeper of history?” said Teppicymon.“Ah.” The high priest smiled.“Memory goes from the head. But it is all around me. Every scroll and book.”“That’s the history of the kingdom, man!”“Yes. My memory.” The king relaxed a little. Sheer horrified fascination was unravelling the knot of fury.“How old are you?” he said.“I think… seven thousand years. But sometimes it seems much longer.”“Really seven thousand years?”“Yes,” said Dios.“How could any man stand it?” said the king. Dios shrugged.“Seven thousand years is just one day at a time,” he said. Slowly, with the occasional wince, he got down on one knee and held up his staff in shaking hands.“O kings,” he said,“I have always existed only to serve.” There was a:Previous Entities: |the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue| ::: Every scroll and book.” ",Teppicymon.M "“no matter what happens,",60100,60110,True,371:Julie.F,"Mira River. After a great day on the water, everyone was smiling and soaked as they piled into Jeeps and pickups for the ride to an inn in a nearby village. José told tall tales as he drove the lead truck, Julie to his right with their eleven- month- old baby in her lap. They were five minutes from the inn when three men jumped into the road and aimed guns at the truck. A fourth man emerged and held a revolver to Julie’s head as the thugs pulled José from the car and forced him into the truck bed. The kidnappers then ordered the caravan through several small towns to a fork in the road, where they got out and walked José past Julie’s seat in the cab.“Just remember,” Julie said,“no matter what happens, I love you.”“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” José answered. And then he and his captors disappeared into the jungle. The captors wanted$ 5 million. We wanted to buy time. Ever since the Dos Palmas debacle and the Pittsburgh epiphany, I had been raring to employ the lessons we’d learned about calibrated questions. So when José was kidnapped, I sent my guys down to Ecuador and told them that we had a new strategy. The kidnapping would provide an opportunity to prove this approach.“All we’re going to say is,‘ Hey, how do we know José is okay? How are we supposed to pay until we know José is okay?’ Again and again,” I told them. Although they were queasy about untested techniques, my",Julie,"Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter","Mira River. After a great day on the water, everyone was smiling and soaked as they piled into Jeeps and pickups for the ride to an inn in a nearby village. José told tall tales as he drove the lead truck, Julie to his right with their eleven- month- old baby in her lap. They were five minutes from the inn when three men jumped into the road and aimed guns at the truck. A fourth man emerged and held a revolver to Julie’s head as the thugs pulled José from the car and forced him into the truck bed. The kidnappers then ordered the caravan through several small towns to a fork in the road, where they got out and walked José past Julie’s seat in the cab.“Just remember,” Julie said,“no matter what happens, I love you.”“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” José answered. And then he and his captors disappeared into the jungle. The captors wanted$ 5 million. We wanted to buy time. Ever since the Dos Palmas debacle and the Pittsburgh epiphany, I had been raring to employ the lessons we’d learned about calibrated questions. So when José was kidnapped, I sent my guys down to Ecuador and told them that we had a new strategy. The kidnapping would provide an opportunity to prove this approach.“All we’re going to say is,‘ Hey, how do we know José is okay? How are we supposed to pay until we know José is okay?’ Again and again,” I told them. Although they were queasy about untested techniques, my:Previous Entities: |Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter| ::: “no matter what happens, ",Julie.F "so he spared me,",81949,82014,True,2903:The wind god.M,"arrow, and you fell in love.” Favonius snorted.“You make it sound so simple. Alas, love is never simple. You see, the god Apollo also liked Hyacinthus. He claimed they were just friends. I don’t know. But one day I came across them together, playing a game of quoits—” There was that weird word again.“Quoits?”“A game with those hoops,” Nico explained, though his voice was brittle.“Like horseshoes.”“Sort of,” Favonius said.“At any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding out the truth, I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring right at Hyacinthus’s head and… well.” The wind god sighed.“As Hyacinthus died, Apollo turned him into a flower, the hyacinth. I’m sure Apollo would’ve taken horrible vengeance on me, but Cupid offered me his protection. I’d done a terrible thing, but I’d been driven mad by love, so he spared me, on the condition that I work for him forever.” CUPID. The name echoed through the ruins again.“That would be my cue.” Favonius stood.“Think long and hard about how you proceed, Nico di Angelo. You can not lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you… well, your fate will be even sadder than mine.” Jason felt like his brain was turning back into wind. He didn’t understand what Favonius was talking about, or why Nico seemed so shaken, but he had no time to think about it. The wind god disappeared in a swirl of red and gold. The summer air suddenly felt oppressive. The ground shook, and Jason and Nico drew their swords. So. The voice rushed past Jason’s ear like a bullet. When he turned, no one",The wind god,"the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god","arrow, and you fell in love.” Favonius snorted.“You make it sound so simple. Alas, love is never simple. You see, the god Apollo also liked Hyacinthus. He claimed they were just friends. I don’t know. But one day I came across them together, playing a game of quoits—” There was that weird word again.“Quoits?”“A game with those hoops,” Nico explained, though his voice was brittle.“Like horseshoes.”“Sort of,” Favonius said.“At any rate, I was jealous. Instead of confronting them and finding out the truth, I shifted the wind and sent a heavy metal ring right at Hyacinthus’s head and… well.” The wind god sighed.“As Hyacinthus died, Apollo turned him into a flower, the hyacinth. I’m sure Apollo would’ve taken horrible vengeance on me, but Cupid offered me his protection. I’d done a terrible thing, but I’d been driven mad by love, so he spared me, on the condition that I work for him forever.” CUPID. The name echoed through the ruins again.“That would be my cue.” Favonius stood.“Think long and hard about how you proceed, Nico di Angelo. You can not lie to Cupid. If you let your anger rule you… well, your fate will be even sadder than mine.” Jason felt like his brain was turning back into wind. He didn’t understand what Favonius was talking about, or why Nico seemed so shaken, but he had no time to think about it. The wind god disappeared in a swirl of red and gold. The summer air suddenly felt oppressive. The ground shook, and Jason and Nico drew their swords. So. The voice rushed past Jason’s ear like a bullet. When he turned, no one:Previous Entities: |the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god| ::: so he spared me, ",Favonius.M "He's not a team player,",100813,100823,True,3766:One of them.?,"that fucking car?"" Garvin said."" I don't know, Bob."""" I told him to wait."""" I know, Bob. I'm trying to get him."""" Christ Almighty, the simplest things. Can't even get the fucking cars to work right."""" Maybe he had to go to the bathroom."""" So? How long does that take? Goddamn Sanders. Could you believe him?"""" No, I couldn't, Bob."""" I just don't understand. He won't deal with me on this. And I'm bending over backward here. I offer him his job back, I offer him his stock back, I offer him everything. And what does he do? Jesus."""" He's not a team player, Bob."""" You got that right. And he's not willing to meet us. We've got to get him to come to the table."""" Yes we do, Bob."""" He's not feeling it,"" Garvin said."" That's the problem."""" The story ran this morning. It can't have made him happy."""" Well, he's not feeling it."" Garvin paced again."" There's the car,"" Blackburn said, pointing down the street. The Lincoln sedan was driving toward them."" Finally,"" Garvin said."" Now look, Phil. I'm tired of wasting time on Sanders. We tried being nice, and it didn't work. That's the long and the short of it.",One of them,"a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them","that fucking car?"" Garvin said."" I don't know, Bob."""" I told him to wait."""" I know, Bob. I'm trying to get him."""" Christ Almighty, the simplest things. Can't even get the fucking cars to work right."""" Maybe he had to go to the bathroom."""" So? How long does that take? Goddamn Sanders. Could you believe him?"""" No, I couldn't, Bob."""" I just don't understand. He won't deal with me on this. And I'm bending over backward here. I offer him his job back, I offer him his stock back, I offer him everything. And what does he do? Jesus."""" He's not a team player, Bob."""" You got that right. And he's not willing to meet us. We've got to get him to come to the table."""" Yes we do, Bob."""" He's not feeling it,"" Garvin said."" That's the problem."""" The story ran this morning. It can't have made him happy."""" Well, he's not feeling it."" Garvin paced again."" There's the car,"" Blackburn said, pointing down the street. The Lincoln sedan was driving toward them."" Finally,"" Garvin said."" Now look, Phil. I'm tired of wasting time on Sanders. We tried being nice, and it didn't work. That's the long and the short of it.:Previous Entities: |a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them| ::: He's not a team player, ",Garvin.M "he’s such a sweetie,",191655,191704,True,3816:A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair.F,"us at Hogwarts, remember?”“Teach?” repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled.“Me? Did I?” And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.“Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!” But just then a head poked out of a door at the far end of the corridor and a voice called,“Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?” A motherly- looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair came bustling up the corridor, smiling warmly at Harry and the others.“Oh, Gilderoy, you’ve got visitors! How lovely, and on Christmas Day, too! Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can’t think why, he’s such a sweetie, aren’t you?”“We’re doing autographs!” Gilderoy told the Healer with another glittering smile.“They want loads of them, won’t take no for an answer! I just hope we’ve got enough photographs!”“Listen to him,” said the Healer, taking Lockhart’s arm and beaming fondly at him as though he were a precocious two- year- old.“He was rather well known a few years ago; we very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory might be starting to come back. Will you step this way? He’s in a closed ward, you know, he must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents, the door’s usually kept locked… not that he’s dangerous! But",A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair,"Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair","us at Hogwarts, remember?”“Teach?” repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled.“Me? Did I?” And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.“Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!” But just then a head poked out of a door at the far end of the corridor and a voice called,“Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?” A motherly- looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair came bustling up the corridor, smiling warmly at Harry and the others.“Oh, Gilderoy, you’ve got visitors! How lovely, and on Christmas Day, too! Do you know, he never gets visitors, poor lamb, and I can’t think why, he’s such a sweetie, aren’t you?”“We’re doing autographs!” Gilderoy told the Healer with another glittering smile.“They want loads of them, won’t take no for an answer! I just hope we’ve got enough photographs!”“Listen to him,” said the Healer, taking Lockhart’s arm and beaming fondly at him as though he were a precocious two- year- old.“He was rather well known a few years ago; we very much hope that this liking for giving autographs is a sign that his memory might be starting to come back. Will you step this way? He’s in a closed ward, you know, he must have slipped out while I was bringing in the Christmas presents, the door’s usually kept locked… not that he’s dangerous! But:Previous Entities: |Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair| ::: he’s such a sweetie, ",A motherly-looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair.F But I definitely want a copy.,16963,16995,True,1158:her boss.M,"voice, but to deliver the mirror in an inquisitive tone. The intention behind most mirrors should be“Please, help me understand.” Every time you mirror someone, they will reword what they’ve said. They will never say it exactly the same way they said it the first time. Ask someone,“What do you mean by that?” and you’re likely to incite irritation or defensiveness. A mirror, however, will get you the clarity you want while signaling respect and concern for what the other person is saying.“Yes,” her boss responded,“one for us and one for the customer.”“I’m sorry, so you are saying that the client is asking for a copy and we need a copy for internal use?”“Actually, I’ll check with the client— they haven’t asked for anything. But I definitely want a copy. That’s just how I do business.”“Absolutely,” she responded.“Thanks for checking with the customer. Where would you like to store the in- house copy? There’s no more space in the file room here.”“It’s fine. You can store it anywhere,” he said, slightly perturbed now.“Anywhere?” she mirrored again, with calm concern. When another person’s tone of voice or body language is inconsistent with his words, a good mirror can be particularly useful. In this case, it caused her boss to take a nice, long pause— something he did not often do. My student sat silent.“As a matter of fact, you can put them in my office,” he said, with more composure than he’d had the whole",her boss,"the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss","voice, but to deliver the mirror in an inquisitive tone. The intention behind most mirrors should be“Please, help me understand.” Every time you mirror someone, they will reword what they’ve said. They will never say it exactly the same way they said it the first time. Ask someone,“What do you mean by that?” and you’re likely to incite irritation or defensiveness. A mirror, however, will get you the clarity you want while signaling respect and concern for what the other person is saying.“Yes,” her boss responded,“one for us and one for the customer.”“I’m sorry, so you are saying that the client is asking for a copy and we need a copy for internal use?”“Actually, I’ll check with the client— they haven’t asked for anything. But I definitely want a copy. That’s just how I do business.”“Absolutely,” she responded.“Thanks for checking with the customer. Where would you like to store the in- house copy? There’s no more space in the file room here.”“It’s fine. You can store it anywhere,” he said, slightly perturbed now.“Anywhere?” she mirrored again, with calm concern. When another person’s tone of voice or body language is inconsistent with his words, a good mirror can be particularly useful. In this case, it caused her boss to take a nice, long pause— something he did not often do. My student sat silent.“As a matter of fact, you can put them in my office,” he said, with more composure than he’d had the whole:Previous Entities: |the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss| ::: But I definitely want a copy. ",Her boss.M "miss,",39462,39537,True,1454:the coachman.M,"him. In slightly less than an instant, the moaning man was surrounded by a ring of Feegles, armed to whatever teeth they still possessed with claymores, more claymores, bludgeons, axes, clubs and at least one more claymore. Tiffany had no idea where they had been hiding; a Feegle could hide behind a hair.‘ Don’t hurt him,’ she shouted.‘ He wasn’t going to hurt me! He’s very ill! But make yourselves useful and tidy up all this broken glass!’ She crouched down in the road and held the man’s hand.‘ How long have you had jumping bones, sir?’‘ Oh, I’ve been a martyr to them these past twenty years, miss, a martyr,’ the coachman moaned.‘ It’s the jolting of the coach, you see. It’s the suspenders– they don’t work! I don’t think I get more than just one decent night’s sleep in five, miss, and that’s the truth; I have a little snooze, turn over, like you do, and there’s this little click and then it’s agony, believe me.’ Except for a few dots on the edge of sight, there was no one else around apart from, of course, for a bunch of Nac Mac Feegles who, against all common sense, had perfected the art of hiding behind one another.‘ Well, I think I may be able to help you,’ Tiffany said. Some witches used a shambles to see into the present, and, with any luck, into the future as well. In the smoky gloom of the Feegle mound, the kelda was practising what she called the hiddlins– the things you did and passed on but, on the whole, passed them on as a secret. And she was acutely aware of Amber watching with clear interest. A strange child, she thought. She sees, she hears",the coachman,"Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman","him. In slightly less than an instant, the moaning man was surrounded by a ring of Feegles, armed to whatever teeth they still possessed with claymores, more claymores, bludgeons, axes, clubs and at least one more claymore. Tiffany had no idea where they had been hiding; a Feegle could hide behind a hair.‘ Don’t hurt him,’ she shouted.‘ He wasn’t going to hurt me! He’s very ill! But make yourselves useful and tidy up all this broken glass!’ She crouched down in the road and held the man’s hand.‘ How long have you had jumping bones, sir?’‘ Oh, I’ve been a martyr to them these past twenty years, miss, a martyr,’ the coachman moaned.‘ It’s the jolting of the coach, you see. It’s the suspenders– they don’t work! I don’t think I get more than just one decent night’s sleep in five, miss, and that’s the truth; I have a little snooze, turn over, like you do, and there’s this little click and then it’s agony, believe me.’ Except for a few dots on the edge of sight, there was no one else around apart from, of course, for a bunch of Nac Mac Feegles who, against all common sense, had perfected the art of hiding behind one another.‘ Well, I think I may be able to help you,’ Tiffany said. Some witches used a shambles to see into the present, and, with any luck, into the future as well. In the smoky gloom of the Feegle mound, the kelda was practising what she called the hiddlins– the things you did and passed on but, on the whole, passed them on as a secret. And she was acutely aware of Amber watching with clear interest. A strange child, she thought. She sees, she hears:Previous Entities: |Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman| ::: miss, ",Tiffany.F You don’t expect to find a dragon around the corner!”,13148,13187,True,151:Mooty.M,"minutes ago. Finding that you are dead is mitigated by also finding that there really is a you who can find you dead. The alley opposite was empty again.“That was really strange,” said Mooty. EXTREMELY UNUSUAL, CERTAINLY.“Did you see that? What was it?” Mooty looked up at the dark figure emerging from the shadows.“Who’re you, anyway?” he added suspiciously. GUESS, said the voice. Mooty peered at the hooded figure.“Cor!” he said.“I thought you dint turn up for the likes o’ me.” I TURN UP FOR EVERYONE.“I mean in… person, sort of thing.” SOMETIMES. ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS.“Yeah, well,” said Mooty,“this is one of them, all right! I mean, it looked like a bloody dragon! What’s a man to do? You don’t expect to find a dragon around the corner!” AND NOW, IF YOU WOULD CARE TO STEP THIS WAY… said Death, laying a skeletal hand on Mooty’s shoulder.“Do you know, a fortune teller once told me I’d die in my bed, surrounded by grieving great- grandchildren,” said Mooty, following the stately figure.“What do you think of that, eh?” I THINK SHE WAS WRONG.“A bloody dragon,” said Mooty.“Fire breathing, too. Did I suffer much?” NO. IT WAS PRACTICALLY INSTANTANEOUS.“That’s good. I wouldn’t like to think I’d suffered much.” Mooty looked around him.“What happens now?” he said. Behind them, the rain washed the little heap of black ash into the mud.",Mooty,"Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty","minutes ago. Finding that you are dead is mitigated by also finding that there really is a you who can find you dead. The alley opposite was empty again.“That was really strange,” said Mooty. EXTREMELY UNUSUAL, CERTAINLY.“Did you see that? What was it?” Mooty looked up at the dark figure emerging from the shadows.“Who’re you, anyway?” he added suspiciously. GUESS, said the voice. Mooty peered at the hooded figure.“Cor!” he said.“I thought you dint turn up for the likes o’ me.” I TURN UP FOR EVERYONE.“I mean in… person, sort of thing.” SOMETIMES. ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS.“Yeah, well,” said Mooty,“this is one of them, all right! I mean, it looked like a bloody dragon! What’s a man to do? You don’t expect to find a dragon around the corner!” AND NOW, IF YOU WOULD CARE TO STEP THIS WAY… said Death, laying a skeletal hand on Mooty’s shoulder.“Do you know, a fortune teller once told me I’d die in my bed, surrounded by grieving great- grandchildren,” said Mooty, following the stately figure.“What do you think of that, eh?” I THINK SHE WAS WRONG.“A bloody dragon,” said Mooty.“Fire breathing, too. Did I suffer much?” NO. IT WAS PRACTICALLY INSTANTANEOUS.“That’s good. I wouldn’t like to think I’d suffered much.” Mooty looked around him.“What happens now?” he said. Behind them, the rain washed the little heap of black ash into the mud.:Previous Entities: |Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty| ::: You don’t expect to find a dragon around the corner!” ",Mooty.M and make wine for the dead!”,108161,108185,True,376:Shezmu.M,"tall and lion- headed.“I am Shezmu!” he bellowed.“Yes, you might’ve mentioned that already,” I said.“I’m wondering, um, what sort of titles you’ve earned over the years, eh? Lord of this and that?”“I am Osiris’s royal executioner!” he yelled, smashing a fist into the water and rocking our boat.“I am the Lord of Blood and Wine!”“Brilliant,” I said, trying not to get sick.“Er, how are blood and wine connected, exactly?”“Garrr!” He leaned forward and bared his fangs, which were not any prettier up close. His mane was matted with nasty bits of dead fish and river moss.“Lord Osiris lets me behead the wicked! I crush them in my wine press, and make wine for the dead!” I made a mental note never to drink the wine of the dead. You’re doing well. Isis’s voice gave me a start. She’d been quiet so long, I’d almost forgotten her. Ask him about his other duties.“And what are your other duties... O powerful wine demon guy?”“I am Lord of...” He flexed his muscles for maximum effect.“Perfume!” He grinned at me, apparently waiting for terror to set it.“Oh, my!” I said.“That must make your enemies tremble.”“Ha, ha, ha! Yes! Would you like to try a free sample?” He ripped a slimy leather pouch off his belt, and brought out a clay pot filled with sweet",Shezmu,"Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu","tall and lion- headed.“I am Shezmu!” he bellowed.“Yes, you might’ve mentioned that already,” I said.“I’m wondering, um, what sort of titles you’ve earned over the years, eh? Lord of this and that?”“I am Osiris’s royal executioner!” he yelled, smashing a fist into the water and rocking our boat.“I am the Lord of Blood and Wine!”“Brilliant,” I said, trying not to get sick.“Er, how are blood and wine connected, exactly?”“Garrr!” He leaned forward and bared his fangs, which were not any prettier up close. His mane was matted with nasty bits of dead fish and river moss.“Lord Osiris lets me behead the wicked! I crush them in my wine press, and make wine for the dead!” I made a mental note never to drink the wine of the dead. You’re doing well. Isis’s voice gave me a start. She’d been quiet so long, I’d almost forgotten her. Ask him about his other duties.“And what are your other duties... O powerful wine demon guy?”“I am Lord of...” He flexed his muscles for maximum effect.“Perfume!” He grinned at me, apparently waiting for terror to set it.“Oh, my!” I said.“That must make your enemies tremble.”“Ha, ha, ha! Yes! Would you like to try a free sample?” He ripped a slimy leather pouch off his belt, and brought out a clay pot filled with sweet:Previous Entities: |Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu| ::: and make wine for the dead!” ",Shezmu.M do be careful!”,25734,25746,True,187:Trader Mags.F,"when she had flown back with it. Bubbles breathed a sigh of relief.“Yes, ma’am, that’s what I say, art for art.” But her relief was short- lived. Mags was shrieking again.“There is only one Rogue smith who makes art, only one who lives near silver to melt down. And that is the Rogue smith of the Silverveil. She would NEVER trade this for a scrap of painting— never. You ninny! How could you not have seen that something was wrong? Something terrible has happened to the Rogue smith of Silverveil. I must go. Go right away.”“It warn’t my fault, ma’am. Really, it warn’t my fault!” Bubbles was crying as Trader Mags flew out of the chapel.“Be careful of crows, ma’am, do be careful!” CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Of Sky and Trail Lochinvyrr.” Coryn repeated the strange- sounding word.“So that is what you call it, that moment when a wolf and the dying animal look at each other.” Hamish nodded.“Our ways are odd, I know.”“It is odd, but it’s beautiful. It’s as if the animal is giving permission for its death.”“Yes, and the killer acknowledges that it is a worthy life he asks for.”“Asks. Not takes.”“No, we never take. And therefore the spirit of the animal we killed will follow the spirit trail of stars to the cave of souls in the sky.”“That sounds like our owl heaven. We call it glaumora. But",Trader Mags,"Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags","when she had flown back with it. Bubbles breathed a sigh of relief.“Yes, ma’am, that’s what I say, art for art.” But her relief was short- lived. Mags was shrieking again.“There is only one Rogue smith who makes art, only one who lives near silver to melt down. And that is the Rogue smith of the Silverveil. She would NEVER trade this for a scrap of painting— never. You ninny! How could you not have seen that something was wrong? Something terrible has happened to the Rogue smith of Silverveil. I must go. Go right away.”“It warn’t my fault, ma’am. Really, it warn’t my fault!” Bubbles was crying as Trader Mags flew out of the chapel.“Be careful of crows, ma’am, do be careful!” CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Of Sky and Trail Lochinvyrr.” Coryn repeated the strange- sounding word.“So that is what you call it, that moment when a wolf and the dying animal look at each other.” Hamish nodded.“Our ways are odd, I know.”“It is odd, but it’s beautiful. It’s as if the animal is giving permission for its death.”“Yes, and the killer acknowledges that it is a worthy life he asks for.”“Asks. Not takes.”“No, we never take. And therefore the spirit of the animal we killed will follow the spirit trail of stars to the cave of souls in the sky.”“That sounds like our owl heaven. We call it glaumora. But:Previous Entities: |Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags| ::: do be careful!” ",Bubbles.F “My name is Tris.”,93784,93790,True,4855:Some people.?,"arm and drags me backward, into one of the aluminum lean- tos. Inside everything is tinted blue from the tarp that covers the walls, insulating the structure against the cold. The floor is covered with plywood, and standing in front of me is a small, thin woman with a grubby face.“You don’t want to be out there,” she says.“They’ll lash out at anyone, no matter how young she is.”“They?” I say.“Lots of angry people here in the fringe,” the woman says.“Some people’s anger makes them want to kill everyone they perceive as an enemy. Some people’s makes them more constructive.”“Well, thank you for the help,” I say.“My name is Tris.”“Amy. Sit.”“I can’t,” I say.“My friends are out there.”“Then you should wait until the hordes of people run to wherever your friends are, and then sneak up on them from behind.” That sounds smart. I sink to the floor, my gun digging into my leg. The bulletproof vest is so stiff it’s hard to get comfortable, but I do the best I can to seem relaxed. I hear people running outside and shouting. Amy flicks the corner of the tarp back to see outside.“So you and your friends aren’t soldiers,” Amy says, still looking outside.“Which means you must be Genetic Welfare types, right?”“No,” I say.“",Some people,"Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly","arm and drags me backward, into one of the aluminum lean- tos. Inside everything is tinted blue from the tarp that covers the walls, insulating the structure against the cold. The floor is covered with plywood, and standing in front of me is a small, thin woman with a grubby face.“You don’t want to be out there,” she says.“They’ll lash out at anyone, no matter how young she is.”“They?” I say.“Lots of angry people here in the fringe,” the woman says.“Some people’s anger makes them want to kill everyone they perceive as an enemy. Some people’s makes them more constructive.”“Well, thank you for the help,” I say.“My name is Tris.”“Amy. Sit.”“I can’t,” I say.“My friends are out there.”“Then you should wait until the hordes of people run to wherever your friends are, and then sneak up on them from behind.” That sounds smart. I sink to the floor, my gun digging into my leg. The bulletproof vest is so stiff it’s hard to get comfortable, but I do the best I can to seem relaxed. I hear people running outside and shouting. Amy flicks the corner of the tarp back to see outside.“So you and your friends aren’t soldiers,” Amy says, still looking outside.“Which means you must be Genetic Welfare types, right?”“No,” I say.“:Previous Entities: |Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: “My name is Tris.” ",Tris.F “You can come in now.,22640,22655,True,710:another owl.F,"“Good light, Twi,” Digger said.“Good light, Soren,” Gylfie said.“Good light, Gylf,” Soren replied. And then added.“Good light, Mrs. Plithiver.” But Mrs. Plithiver was already sound asleep. CHAPTER NINE A Parliament of Owls The four owls were in the antechamber of another hollow called the parliament. They were waiting to be admitted for their meeting with Boron and Barran.“Very important business inside, young’uns,” an owl on guard spoke in the soft tings of a Boreal Owl.“We won’t take long,” Gylfie said. I hope not, thought Soren. He was frightened. The other three had decided that he should be the one to speak. Another owl stuck her head out.“You can come in now. But be quiet and wait your turn.” She indicated a branch where they should perch. Soren looked about. It was not an especially large hollow, not nearly as big as the one in which they had first been welcomed by Boron and Barran. There were candles, of course, and there was one long white branch from a tree that Soren thought was called a birch that had been bent into a half circle. It was on this white branch that the owls of the parliament, no more than a dozen, perched. He recognized the elderly Strix Struma, the Spotted Owl he had met the night before. She perched next to a Great Horned Owl of an unusual ruddy color with even more unusual very black talons. Then there was an ancient and decrepit Whiskered Screech, who appeared to have the worst case of",another owl,"another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl","“Good light, Twi,” Digger said.“Good light, Soren,” Gylfie said.“Good light, Gylf,” Soren replied. And then added.“Good light, Mrs. Plithiver.” But Mrs. Plithiver was already sound asleep. CHAPTER NINE A Parliament of Owls The four owls were in the antechamber of another hollow called the parliament. They were waiting to be admitted for their meeting with Boron and Barran.“Very important business inside, young’uns,” an owl on guard spoke in the soft tings of a Boreal Owl.“We won’t take long,” Gylfie said. I hope not, thought Soren. He was frightened. The other three had decided that he should be the one to speak. Another owl stuck her head out.“You can come in now. But be quiet and wait your turn.” She indicated a branch where they should perch. Soren looked about. It was not an especially large hollow, not nearly as big as the one in which they had first been welcomed by Boron and Barran. There were candles, of course, and there was one long white branch from a tree that Soren thought was called a birch that had been bent into a half circle. It was on this white branch that the owls of the parliament, no more than a dozen, perched. He recognized the elderly Strix Struma, the Spotted Owl he had met the night before. She perched next to a Great Horned Owl of an unusual ruddy color with even more unusual very black talons. Then there was an ancient and decrepit Whiskered Screech, who appeared to have the worst case of:Previous Entities: |another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl| ::: “You can come in now. ","Digger.M Soren.M Gylfie.F Mrs. Plithiver.F Boron.? Barran.? Strix Struma.F Whiskered Screech.?" "“Or an H,”",8901,8906,True,2548:someone else.?,"did people always blame kids for things like this? As far as Grover could tell, grown- ups caused a lot more trouble in the world than kids.“On the other hand,” said Mrs. Beeson,“it could be a threat, or a warning. We’ve heard the reports about someone wandering around in the hills.” She glanced back at the bloody rag hanging in the window.“It might even be a message of some sort. It looks to me like that stain could be a letter, maybe an S, or an R.” Grover squinted at the stain on the cloth. To him it looked more like an A, or maybe even just a random blotch.“It might be a B,” said someone standing near him.“Or an H,” said someone else. Mrs. Beeson nodded.“Could be,” she said.“The S could stand for sin. Or if it’s an R it could stand for ruin. If you’ll let me have that piece of cloth, Ralph, I’ll show it to Althea and see if she has anything to say about it.” Just then Wayne Hollister happened to pass by, saw the crowd, and chimed in about what he’d seen in the night. His story frightened people even more than the blood and the broken glass. All around him, Grover heard them murmuring: Someone’s out there. He’s given us a warning. What does he mean to do? He’s trying to scare us. One woman began to cry. Hoyt McCoy,",someone else,"The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney","did people always blame kids for things like this? As far as Grover could tell, grown- ups caused a lot more trouble in the world than kids.“On the other hand,” said Mrs. Beeson,“it could be a threat, or a warning. We’ve heard the reports about someone wandering around in the hills.” She glanced back at the bloody rag hanging in the window.“It might even be a message of some sort. It looks to me like that stain could be a letter, maybe an S, or an R.” Grover squinted at the stain on the cloth. To him it looked more like an A, or maybe even just a random blotch.“It might be a B,” said someone standing near him.“Or an H,” said someone else. Mrs. Beeson nodded.“Could be,” she said.“The S could stand for sin. Or if it’s an R it could stand for ruin. If you’ll let me have that piece of cloth, Ralph, I’ll show it to Althea and see if she has anything to say about it.” Just then Wayne Hollister happened to pass by, saw the crowd, and chimed in about what he’d seen in the night. His story frightened people even more than the blood and the broken glass. All around him, Grover heard them murmuring: Someone’s out there. He’s given us a warning. What does he mean to do? He’s trying to scare us. One woman began to cry. Hoyt McCoy,:Previous Entities: |The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney| ::: “Or an H,” ",Hoyt McCoy.M and the protocol in talking to him.,6773,6832,True,554:A White House staffer.?,"our encrypted cables get intercepted by the Russians. We know the Japanese and the Israelis have cracked all our codes. We just pray the Russians can't do it yet. But you see what I mean, the problem. About reading minds."""" Oh yes."""" Your report will have to take that into consideration."" Norman promised it would. A White House staffer said to him,"" You realize the President will want to talk to these aliens personally. He's that kind of man."""" Uh- huh,"" Norman said."" And I mean, the publicity value here, the exposure, is incalculable. The President meets with the aliens at Camp David. What a media moment."""" A real moment,"" Norman agreed."" So the aliens will need to be informed by an advance man of who the President is, and the protocol in talking to him. You can't have the President of the United States talking to people from another galaxy or whatever on television without advance preparation. Do you think the aliens'll speak English?"""" Doubtful,"" Norman said."" So someone may need to learn their language, is that it?"""" It's hard to say."""" Perhaps the aliens would be more comfortable meeting with an advance man from one of our ethnic minorities,"" the White House man said."" Anyway, it's a possibility. Think about it."" Norman promised he would think about it. The Pentagon liaison, a Major General, took him to lunch and over coffee casually asked,"" What sorts of armaments do you see these aliens having?"""" I'm not sure,"" Norman said."" Well, that's the crux of it, isn't it? And what about their vulnerabilities? I mean, the aliens might not even be human at",A White House staffer,"two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer","our encrypted cables get intercepted by the Russians. We know the Japanese and the Israelis have cracked all our codes. We just pray the Russians can't do it yet. But you see what I mean, the problem. About reading minds."""" Oh yes."""" Your report will have to take that into consideration."" Norman promised it would. A White House staffer said to him,"" You realize the President will want to talk to these aliens personally. He's that kind of man."""" Uh- huh,"" Norman said."" And I mean, the publicity value here, the exposure, is incalculable. The President meets with the aliens at Camp David. What a media moment."""" A real moment,"" Norman agreed."" So the aliens will need to be informed by an advance man of who the President is, and the protocol in talking to him. You can't have the President of the United States talking to people from another galaxy or whatever on television without advance preparation. Do you think the aliens'll speak English?"""" Doubtful,"" Norman said."" So someone may need to learn their language, is that it?"""" It's hard to say."""" Perhaps the aliens would be more comfortable meeting with an advance man from one of our ethnic minorities,"" the White House man said."" Anyway, it's a possibility. Think about it."" Norman promised he would think about it. The Pentagon liaison, a Major General, took him to lunch and over coffee casually asked,"" What sorts of armaments do you see these aliens having?"""" I'm not sure,"" Norman said."" Well, that's the crux of it, isn't it? And what about their vulnerabilities? I mean, the aliens might not even be human at:Previous Entities: |two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer| ::: and the protocol in talking to him. ",Norman.M "And the paper faces a substantial exposure already.""",114626,114641,True,394:Eleanor.F,"Kaplan turned and continued up. Shaking his head, Sanders continued down. In the newsroom of the Seattle Port- Intelligencer, Connie Walsh looked up from her computer terminal and said,"" You've got to be kidding."""" No, I'm not,"" Eleanor Vries said, standing over her."" I'm killing this story."" She dropped the printout back on Walsh's desk."" But you know who my source is,"" Walsh said."" And you know Jake was listening in to the entire conversation. We have very good notes, Eleanor. Very complete notes."""" I know."""" So, given the source, how can the company possibly sue?"" Walsh said."" Eleanor: I have the fucking story."""" You have a story. And the paper faces a substantial exposure already."""" Already? From what?"""" The Mr. Piggy column."""" Oh, for Christ's sake. There's no way to claim identification from that column."" Vries pulled out a xerox of the column. She had marked several passages in yellow highlighter."" Company X is said to be a high- tech company in Seattle that just named a woman to a high position. Mr. Piggy is said to be her subordinate. He is said to have brought a sexual harassment action. Mr. Piggy's wife is an attorney with young children. You say Mr. Piggy's charge is without merit, that he is a drunk and a womanizer. I think Sanders can absolutely claim identification and sue for defamation."""" But this is a column. An opinion piece.",Eleanor,"Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor","Kaplan turned and continued up. Shaking his head, Sanders continued down. In the newsroom of the Seattle Port- Intelligencer, Connie Walsh looked up from her computer terminal and said,"" You've got to be kidding."""" No, I'm not,"" Eleanor Vries said, standing over her."" I'm killing this story."" She dropped the printout back on Walsh's desk."" But you know who my source is,"" Walsh said."" And you know Jake was listening in to the entire conversation. We have very good notes, Eleanor. Very complete notes."""" I know."""" So, given the source, how can the company possibly sue?"" Walsh said."" Eleanor: I have the fucking story."""" You have a story. And the paper faces a substantial exposure already."""" Already? From what?"""" The Mr. Piggy column."""" Oh, for Christ's sake. There's no way to claim identification from that column."" Vries pulled out a xerox of the column. She had marked several passages in yellow highlighter."" Company X is said to be a high- tech company in Seattle that just named a woman to a high position. Mr. Piggy is said to be her subordinate. He is said to have brought a sexual harassment action. Mr. Piggy's wife is an attorney with young children. You say Mr. Piggy's charge is without merit, that he is a drunk and a womanizer. I think Sanders can absolutely claim identification and sue for defamation."""" But this is a column. An opinion piece.:Previous Entities: |Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor| ::: And the paper faces a substantial exposure already."" ",Eleanor Vries. "Lord,”",66236,66242,True,327:Nunepi.M,"speak while looking at Idaho.“Lord, if we…”“Look at me!” Leto commanded. Nunepi jerked his gaze up to Leto’s face.“I will inform you only this once,” Leto said.“I have no sexual habits whatsoever. None.” Perspiration rolled off Nunepi’s face. He stared at Leto with the fixed intensity of a trapped animal. When Nunepi found his voice, it no longer was the low, controlled instrument of a diplomat, but a trembling and fearful thing.“Lord, I… there must be a mistake of…”“Be still, you Tleilaxu sneak!” Leto roared. Then:“I am a metamorphic vector of the holy sandworm— Shai- Hulud! I am your God!”“Forgive us, Lord,” Nunepi whispered.“Forgive you?” Leto’s voice was full of sweet reason.“Of course I forgive you. That is your God’s function. Your crime is forgiven. However, your stupidity requires a response.”“Lord, if I could but…”“Be still! The spice allotment passes over the Tleilaxu for this decade. You get nothing. As for you personally, my Fish Speakers will now take you into the plaza.” Two burly guardswomen moved in and held Nunepi’s arms. They looked up to Leto for instructions.“In the plaza,” Leto said,“his clothing is to be stripped from him. He is to be publicly flogged— fifty lashes.” Nunepi struggled against the grip of his guards, consternation on",Nunepi,"Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi","speak while looking at Idaho.“Lord, if we…”“Look at me!” Leto commanded. Nunepi jerked his gaze up to Leto’s face.“I will inform you only this once,” Leto said.“I have no sexual habits whatsoever. None.” Perspiration rolled off Nunepi’s face. He stared at Leto with the fixed intensity of a trapped animal. When Nunepi found his voice, it no longer was the low, controlled instrument of a diplomat, but a trembling and fearful thing.“Lord, I… there must be a mistake of…”“Be still, you Tleilaxu sneak!” Leto roared. Then:“I am a metamorphic vector of the holy sandworm— Shai- Hulud! I am your God!”“Forgive us, Lord,” Nunepi whispered.“Forgive you?” Leto’s voice was full of sweet reason.“Of course I forgive you. That is your God’s function. Your crime is forgiven. However, your stupidity requires a response.”“Lord, if I could but…”“Be still! The spice allotment passes over the Tleilaxu for this decade. You get nothing. As for you personally, my Fish Speakers will now take you into the plaza.” Two burly guardswomen moved in and held Nunepi’s arms. They looked up to Leto for instructions.“In the plaza,” Leto said,“his clothing is to be stripped from him. He is to be publicly flogged— fifty lashes.” Nunepi struggled against the grip of his guards, consternation on:Previous Entities: |Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi| ::: Lord,” ",Nunepi.M yes.,10591,10631,True,976:The jury.?,"them to make a profit. For himself. He never cared about me at all. He just wanted to take my cells.”“Do you know what those cells were worth?”“The drug company said three billion dollars.” The jury gasped. CH002 A lex had been watching the jury all during the latest testimony. Their faces were impassive, but nobody moved, nobody shifted. The gasps were involuntary, evidence of how deeply engaged they were with what they were hearing. And the jury remained transfixed as the questions continued:“Mr. Burnet, did Dr. Gross ever apologize to you for misleading you?”“No.”“Did he ever offer to share his profit with you?”“No.”“Did you ask him to?”“Eventually I did, yes. When I realized what he had already done. They were my cells, from my body. I thought I should have something to say about what was done with them.”“But he refused?”“Yes. He said it was none of my business what he did with my cells.” The jury reacted to that. Several turned and looked at Dr. Gross. That was a good sign, too, Alex thought.“One final question, Mr. Burnet. Did you ever sign an authorization for Dr. Gross to use your cells for any commercial purposes?”“No.”“You never authorized their sale?”“Never. But he did it anyway.”“No further questions.” The judge called a fifteen- minute recess, and when the court reconvened, the UCLA attorneys began the cross- examination. For this trial, UCLA had hired Raeper and Cross, a downtown firm that specialized in high- stakes corporate",The jury,"Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury","them to make a profit. For himself. He never cared about me at all. He just wanted to take my cells.”“Do you know what those cells were worth?”“The drug company said three billion dollars.” The jury gasped. CH002 A lex had been watching the jury all during the latest testimony. Their faces were impassive, but nobody moved, nobody shifted. The gasps were involuntary, evidence of how deeply engaged they were with what they were hearing. And the jury remained transfixed as the questions continued:“Mr. Burnet, did Dr. Gross ever apologize to you for misleading you?”“No.”“Did he ever offer to share his profit with you?”“No.”“Did you ask him to?”“Eventually I did, yes. When I realized what he had already done. They were my cells, from my body. I thought I should have something to say about what was done with them.”“But he refused?”“Yes. He said it was none of my business what he did with my cells.” The jury reacted to that. Several turned and looked at Dr. Gross. That was a good sign, too, Alex thought.“One final question, Mr. Burnet. Did you ever sign an authorization for Dr. Gross to use your cells for any commercial purposes?”“No.”“You never authorized their sale?”“Never. But he did it anyway.”“No further questions.” The judge called a fifteen- minute recess, and when the court reconvened, the UCLA attorneys began the cross- examination. For this trial, UCLA had hired Raeper and Cross, a downtown firm that specialized in high- stakes corporate:Previous Entities: |Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury| ::: yes. ",Alex “He’s foraging for food in the,40245,40252,True,1591:The young man.M,"Lots of work to do.” She smiles at me, then walks away. I don’t want her to leave— now that she’s gone, I’m left with David and the memory of how I yelled at him yesterday. He doesn’t say anything about it, just scans his badge in the door sensor to open it. The room beyond it is an office with no windows. A young man, maybe Tobias’s age, sits at one desk, and another one, across the room, is empty. The young man looks up when we come in, taps something on his computer screen, and stands.“Hello, sir,” he says.“Can I help you?”“Matthew. Where’s your supervisor?” David says.“He’s foraging for food in the cafeteria,” Matthew says.“Well, maybe you can help me, then. I’ll need Natalie Wright’s file loaded on a portable screen. Can you do that?” Wright? I think. Was that my mother’s real last name?“Of course,” Matthew says, and he sits again. He types something on his computer and pulls up a series of documents that I’m not close enough to see clearly.“Okay, it just has to transfer.“You must be Natalie’s daughter, Beatrice.” He props his chin on his hand and looks at me critically. His eyes are so dark they look black, and they slant a little at the edges. He does not look impressed or surprised to see me.“You",The young man,"Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man","Lots of work to do.” She smiles at me, then walks away. I don’t want her to leave— now that she’s gone, I’m left with David and the memory of how I yelled at him yesterday. He doesn’t say anything about it, just scans his badge in the door sensor to open it. The room beyond it is an office with no windows. A young man, maybe Tobias’s age, sits at one desk, and another one, across the room, is empty. The young man looks up when we come in, taps something on his computer screen, and stands.“Hello, sir,” he says.“Can I help you?”“Matthew. Where’s your supervisor?” David says.“He’s foraging for food in the cafeteria,” Matthew says.“Well, maybe you can help me, then. I’ll need Natalie Wright’s file loaded on a portable screen. Can you do that?” Wright? I think. Was that my mother’s real last name?“Of course,” Matthew says, and he sits again. He types something on his computer and pulls up a series of documents that I’m not close enough to see clearly.“Okay, it just has to transfer.“You must be Natalie’s daughter, Beatrice.” He props his chin on his hand and looks at me critically. His eyes are so dark they look black, and they slant a little at the edges. He does not look impressed or surprised to see me.“You:Previous Entities: |Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man| ::: “He’s foraging for food in the ",Matthew.M "“We’ll put them in a box with a timed lock,",321,342,True,177:the chief builder.M,"and the assistant builder, both of them weary, sat down to speak of the future.“They must not leave the city for at least two hundred years,” said the chief builder.“Or perhaps two hundred and twenty.”“Is that long enough?” asked his assistant.“It should be. We can’t know for sure.”“And when the time comes,” said the assistant,“how will they know what to do?”“We’ll provide them with instructions, of course,” the chief builder replied.“But who will keep the instructions? Who can we trust to keep them safe and secret all that time?”“The mayor of the city will keep the instructions,” said the chief builder.“We’ll put them in a box with a timed lock, set to open on the proper date.”“And will we tell the mayor what’s in the box?” the assistant asked.“No, just that it’s information they won’t need and must not see until the box opens of its own accord.”“So the first mayor will pass the box to the next mayor, and that one to the next, and so on down through the years, all of them keeping it secret, all that time?”“What else can we do?” asked the chief builder.“Nothing about this endeavor is certain. There may be no one left in the city by then or no safe place for them to come back to.” So the first mayor of Ember was given the box, told to guard it carefully, and solemnly sworn to",the chief builder,"Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant","and the assistant builder, both of them weary, sat down to speak of the future.“They must not leave the city for at least two hundred years,” said the chief builder.“Or perhaps two hundred and twenty.”“Is that long enough?” asked his assistant.“It should be. We can’t know for sure.”“And when the time comes,” said the assistant,“how will they know what to do?”“We’ll provide them with instructions, of course,” the chief builder replied.“But who will keep the instructions? Who can we trust to keep them safe and secret all that time?”“The mayor of the city will keep the instructions,” said the chief builder.“We’ll put them in a box with a timed lock, set to open on the proper date.”“And will we tell the mayor what’s in the box?” the assistant asked.“No, just that it’s information they won’t need and must not see until the box opens of its own accord.”“So the first mayor will pass the box to the next mayor, and that one to the next, and so on down through the years, all of them keeping it secret, all that time?”“What else can we do?” asked the chief builder.“Nothing about this endeavor is certain. There may be no one left in the city by then or no safe place for them to come back to.” So the first mayor of Ember was given the box, told to guard it carefully, and solemnly sworn to:Previous Entities: |Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant| ::: “We’ll put them in a box with a timed lock, ","the chief builder.M the assistant.M" "” with me,",128018,128031,True,3499:mime artists.?,"all, rigid job protection. Thus, in return for an agreed average level of crime per annum, the thieves themselves saw to it that unauthorized crime was met with the full force of Injustice, which was generally a stick with nails in it. 1Lit:“Good day! Good day! What is all of this that is going on here(in this place)?” 1“Listen, sunshine[ lit:“the stare of the great hot eye in the sky whose fiery gaze penetrates the mouth of the cavern”] I don’t want to have to give anyone a smacking, so if you play B’tduz 2A popular dwarfish game which consists of standing a few feet apart and throwing large rocks at one another’s head. 3Lit:“All correctly beamed and propped?” with me, I’ll play B’tduz with you. Okay?” 1“Evening, all.”(Lit:“Felicitations to all present at the closing of the day.”) 1Like a bouncer, but trolls use more force. 1And mime artists. It was a strange aversion, but there you are. Anyone in baggy trousers and a white face who tried to ply their art anywhere within Ankh’s crumbling walls would very quickly find themselves in a scorpion pit, on one wall of which was painted the advice: Learn The Words. 1While being bang alongside the idea of necessary cruelty, of course. 1Only until their third clutch, of course. After that they’re dams. 1The Guild of Fire Fighters had been outlawed by the Patrician the previous year after many complaints. The point was that, if you bought a contract from the Guild",mime artists,"Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists","all, rigid job protection. Thus, in return for an agreed average level of crime per annum, the thieves themselves saw to it that unauthorized crime was met with the full force of Injustice, which was generally a stick with nails in it. 1Lit:“Good day! Good day! What is all of this that is going on here(in this place)?” 1“Listen, sunshine[ lit:“the stare of the great hot eye in the sky whose fiery gaze penetrates the mouth of the cavern”] I don’t want to have to give anyone a smacking, so if you play B’tduz 2A popular dwarfish game which consists of standing a few feet apart and throwing large rocks at one another’s head. 3Lit:“All correctly beamed and propped?” with me, I’ll play B’tduz with you. Okay?” 1“Evening, all.”(Lit:“Felicitations to all present at the closing of the day.”) 1Like a bouncer, but trolls use more force. 1And mime artists. It was a strange aversion, but there you are. Anyone in baggy trousers and a white face who tried to ply their art anywhere within Ankh’s crumbling walls would very quickly find themselves in a scorpion pit, on one wall of which was painted the advice: Learn The Words. 1While being bang alongside the idea of necessary cruelty, of course. 1Only until their third clutch, of course. After that they’re dams. 1The Guild of Fire Fighters had been outlawed by the Patrician the previous year after many complaints. The point was that, if you bought a contract from the Guild:Previous Entities: |Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists| ::: ” with me, ",Mooty. M "“You might consider going to Beyond the Beyond yourself,”",2382,2393,True,121:Silvertip.?,"insane owl. Simon knew he had survived, and Kludd wanted everyone to think he was dead. It would work to his purposes.” Tup paused, then added,“Of course, now he is dead.”“But your mother is far from dead,” the owl called Silvertip said.“She is alive and well, and flying about getting hireclaws and Rogue smiths. They say she wants to have them make her fire claws.”“But Gwyndor refused,” Silvertip said.“Gwyndor! I know Gwyndor,” Nyroc said.“He’ll tell you that I’m not like my parents.”“Gwyndor ain’t here to tell us any such thing, young’un,” Tup replied.“He’s gone to Beyond the Beyond.”“You might consider going to Beyond the Beyond yourself,” Silvertip said in a thoughtful voice.“They don’t ask questions there about who you are or where you come from. They don’t care.”“It’s a place for outcasts like yourself,” Hortense added.“Outcasts like myself,” Nyroc whispered softly. Is that what I am? Is that all I am ever to be? An outcast, destined to live in a desolate place full of creatures so desperate they have nowhere else to go? Was this to be Nyroc’s great destiny? The sum, the end result, of his so- called free will? His gizzard twisted in confusion. Without Nyroc noticing, the three Great Grays silently lofted themselves into the air and were gone. For three dreary days, Nyroc slept in the fishy-",Silvertip,"the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup","insane owl. Simon knew he had survived, and Kludd wanted everyone to think he was dead. It would work to his purposes.” Tup paused, then added,“Of course, now he is dead.”“But your mother is far from dead,” the owl called Silvertip said.“She is alive and well, and flying about getting hireclaws and Rogue smiths. They say she wants to have them make her fire claws.”“But Gwyndor refused,” Silvertip said.“Gwyndor! I know Gwyndor,” Nyroc said.“He’ll tell you that I’m not like my parents.”“Gwyndor ain’t here to tell us any such thing, young’un,” Tup replied.“He’s gone to Beyond the Beyond.”“You might consider going to Beyond the Beyond yourself,” Silvertip said in a thoughtful voice.“They don’t ask questions there about who you are or where you come from. They don’t care.”“It’s a place for outcasts like yourself,” Hortense added.“Outcasts like myself,” Nyroc whispered softly. Is that what I am? Is that all I am ever to be? An outcast, destined to live in a desolate place full of creatures so desperate they have nowhere else to go? Was this to be Nyroc’s great destiny? The sum, the end result, of his so- called free will? His gizzard twisted in confusion. Without Nyroc noticing, the three Great Grays silently lofted themselves into the air and were gone. For three dreary days, Nyroc slept in the fishy-:Previous Entities: |the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup| ::: “You might consider going to Beyond the Beyond yourself,” ",Silvertip.M "Every month,",74735,74764,True,696:Ramon Valdez.M,"that mankind was doing on the planet had upset the delicate balance of nature. The pollution, the rampant industrialization, the loss of habitat— when animals were squeezed and cornered, they behaved viciously, in a desperate effort to survive. That was the explanation for the ghastly attack he had witnessed. The natural world was in collapse. He mentioned this to the very handsome naturalist Ramon Valdez, who had accompanied him. Valdez shook his head.“No, Señor Sanger, this is always the way it has been since my father and grandfather, and grandfather before. They always spoke of the jaguar attacks in the night. It is part of the cycle of life.”“But there are more attacks now,” Sanger said.“Because of all the pollution…”“No, señor. There is no change. Every month, the jaguars take two to four turtles. We have records going back many years.”“The violence we see here is not normal.” A short distance away, the jaguar was still eating the mother. Bones still crunching.“But it is normal,” Ramon Valdez said.“It is the way things are.” Sanger did not want to talk about it anymore. Clearly, Valdez was an apologist for the industrialists and polluters, the big American companies that dominated Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. Not surprising to find such a person here, since the CIA had controlled Costa Rica for decades. This wasn’t a country; it was a subsidiary of American business interests. And American businesses did not give a damn for the environment. Ramon Valdez said,“The jaguars must eat, too. I think better a turtle than to take",Ramon Valdez,"Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger","that mankind was doing on the planet had upset the delicate balance of nature. The pollution, the rampant industrialization, the loss of habitat— when animals were squeezed and cornered, they behaved viciously, in a desperate effort to survive. That was the explanation for the ghastly attack he had witnessed. The natural world was in collapse. He mentioned this to the very handsome naturalist Ramon Valdez, who had accompanied him. Valdez shook his head.“No, Señor Sanger, this is always the way it has been since my father and grandfather, and grandfather before. They always spoke of the jaguar attacks in the night. It is part of the cycle of life.”“But there are more attacks now,” Sanger said.“Because of all the pollution…”“No, señor. There is no change. Every month, the jaguars take two to four turtles. We have records going back many years.”“The violence we see here is not normal.” A short distance away, the jaguar was still eating the mother. Bones still crunching.“But it is normal,” Ramon Valdez said.“It is the way things are.” Sanger did not want to talk about it anymore. Clearly, Valdez was an apologist for the industrialists and polluters, the big American companies that dominated Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. Not surprising to find such a person here, since the CIA had controlled Costa Rica for decades. This wasn’t a country; it was a subsidiary of American business interests. And American businesses did not give a damn for the environment. Ramon Valdez said,“The jaguars must eat, too. I think better a turtle than to take:Previous Entities: |Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger| ::: Every month, ",Ramon Valdez.M You must be very old.”,25007,25026,True,1170:The new king.M,".”“Yes, sire. Here we have bronze, sire.”“Do I really have to wear this gold mask?”“The Face of the Sun, sire. Handed down through all the ages. Yes, sire. On all public occasions, sire.” Teppic peered out through the eye slots. It was certainly a handsome face. It smiled faintly. He remembered his father visiting the nursery one day and forgetting to take it off; Teppic had screamed the place down.“It’s rather heavy.”“It is weighted with the centuries,” said Dios, and passed over the obsidian Reaping Hook of Justice.“Have you been a priest long, Dios?”“Many years, sire, man and eunuch. Now—”“Father said you were high priest even in grandad’s time. You must be very old.”“Well- preserved, sire. The gods have been kind to me,” said Dios, in the face of the evidence.“And now, sire, if we could just hold this as well…”“What is it?”“The Honeycomb of Increase, sire. Very important.” Teppic juggled it into position.“I expect you’ve seen a lot of changes,” he said politely. A look of pain passed over the old priest’s face, but quickly, as if it was in a hurry to get away.“No, sire,” he said smoothly,“I have been very fortunate.”“Oh. What’s this?”“The Sheaf of Plenty, sire. Extremely significant, very symbolic.”“",The new king,"Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king",".”“Yes, sire. Here we have bronze, sire.”“Do I really have to wear this gold mask?”“The Face of the Sun, sire. Handed down through all the ages. Yes, sire. On all public occasions, sire.” Teppic peered out through the eye slots. It was certainly a handsome face. It smiled faintly. He remembered his father visiting the nursery one day and forgetting to take it off; Teppic had screamed the place down.“It’s rather heavy.”“It is weighted with the centuries,” said Dios, and passed over the obsidian Reaping Hook of Justice.“Have you been a priest long, Dios?”“Many years, sire, man and eunuch. Now—”“Father said you were high priest even in grandad’s time. You must be very old.”“Well- preserved, sire. The gods have been kind to me,” said Dios, in the face of the evidence.“And now, sire, if we could just hold this as well…”“What is it?”“The Honeycomb of Increase, sire. Very important.” Teppic juggled it into position.“I expect you’ve seen a lot of changes,” he said politely. A look of pain passed over the old priest’s face, but quickly, as if it was in a hurry to get away.“No, sire,” he said smoothly,“I have been very fortunate.”“Oh. What’s this?”“The Sheaf of Plenty, sire. Extremely significant, very symbolic.”“:Previous Entities: |Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king| ::: You must be very old.” ",Dios.M and,34661,34734,True,946:the old ryb.M,"I found that word‘ feint’ so… so… How should I put it… fetching?” He swiveled his head about and seemed to fix each owl in the yellow glare of his crinkled- up eye.“Because, that is precisely what we are going to do— create a feint. But not just a feint, but an immense illusion, the likes of which has never been seen. We number only a little more than twenty owls, but they will think we are hundreds.”“How is that, Ezylryb?” Barran asked, genuinely perplexed.“All of those owls— the Pure Ones— are Barn Owls, are they not?” Everyone nodded.“And Barn Owls are known for what?” He looked directly at Soren.“Their hearing, of course. Their superb, unequaled ability to hear. We are going to get within range of the fire but still be undercover. We are going to divide up into three teams and peg- out as we used to say up in the Northern Kingdoms. I shall lead one peg, Barran shall lead one, and, my dear, your estimable mate Boron”—he swung his head to the old Snowy monarch of the tree, who along with Barran led search- and- rescue—“will lead the third. The reason I have chosen the three of us is because we know the odd language of the Northern Kingdoms and the Great North Waters, for they were once home to all of us.”“I know a little bit, too, Ezylryb,” Otulissa piped up.“Of course, wouldn’t you know it?” Gylfie whispered to Soren.“The gift of blab works in all languages.”“Yes, I do recall your study of the Northern Kingdoms for your mission into St. Aggie’s, my dear. That will be helpful.” The previous winter, when the Chaw of Chaws had been sent on a special",the old ryb,"Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb","I found that word‘ feint’ so… so… How should I put it… fetching?” He swiveled his head about and seemed to fix each owl in the yellow glare of his crinkled- up eye.“Because, that is precisely what we are going to do— create a feint. But not just a feint, but an immense illusion, the likes of which has never been seen. We number only a little more than twenty owls, but they will think we are hundreds.”“How is that, Ezylryb?” Barran asked, genuinely perplexed.“All of those owls— the Pure Ones— are Barn Owls, are they not?” Everyone nodded.“And Barn Owls are known for what?” He looked directly at Soren.“Their hearing, of course. Their superb, unequaled ability to hear. We are going to get within range of the fire but still be undercover. We are going to divide up into three teams and peg- out as we used to say up in the Northern Kingdoms. I shall lead one peg, Barran shall lead one, and, my dear, your estimable mate Boron”—he swung his head to the old Snowy monarch of the tree, who along with Barran led search- and- rescue—“will lead the third. The reason I have chosen the three of us is because we know the odd language of the Northern Kingdoms and the Great North Waters, for they were once home to all of us.”“I know a little bit, too, Ezylryb,” Otulissa piped up.“Of course, wouldn’t you know it?” Gylfie whispered to Soren.“The gift of blab works in all languages.”“Yes, I do recall your study of the Northern Kingdoms for your mission into St. Aggie’s, my dear. That will be helpful.” The previous winter, when the Chaw of Chaws had been sent on a special:Previous Entities: |Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb| ::: and ",Ezylryb.M Ha!”,97886,97893,True,563:Cal.M,"girl must be lying,” Zethes said.“Khione was not beaten at the Wolf House. She said it was a… ah, what is the term? A tactical retreat.”“Treats?” Cal asked.“Treats are good.” Piper pushed the big guy’s chest playfully.“No, Cal. He means that your sister ran away.”“I did not!” Khione shrieked.“What did Hera call you?” Piper mused.“Right— a D- list goddess!” She burst out laughing again, and her amusement was so genuine, Zethes and Cal started laughing too.“That is très bon!” Zethes said.“A D- list goddess. Ha!”“Ha!” Cal said.“Sister ran away! Ha!” Khione’s white dress began to steam. Ice formed over Zethes’s and Cal’s mouths, plugging them up.“Show us this secret of yours, Piper McLean,” Khione growled.“Then pray I leave you on this ship intact. If you are toying with us, I will show you the horrors of frostbite. I doubt Zethes will still want you if you have no fingers or toes… perhaps no nose or ears.” Zethes and Cal spat the ice plugs out of their mouths.“The pretty girl would look less pretty without a nose,” Zethes admitted. Piper had seen pictures of frostbite victims. The threat terrified her, but she didn’t let it show.“Come on, then.” She led the way to the prow,",Cal,"Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal","girl must be lying,” Zethes said.“Khione was not beaten at the Wolf House. She said it was a… ah, what is the term? A tactical retreat.”“Treats?” Cal asked.“Treats are good.” Piper pushed the big guy’s chest playfully.“No, Cal. He means that your sister ran away.”“I did not!” Khione shrieked.“What did Hera call you?” Piper mused.“Right— a D- list goddess!” She burst out laughing again, and her amusement was so genuine, Zethes and Cal started laughing too.“That is très bon!” Zethes said.“A D- list goddess. Ha!”“Ha!” Cal said.“Sister ran away! Ha!” Khione’s white dress began to steam. Ice formed over Zethes’s and Cal’s mouths, plugging them up.“Show us this secret of yours, Piper McLean,” Khione growled.“Then pray I leave you on this ship intact. If you are toying with us, I will show you the horrors of frostbite. I doubt Zethes will still want you if you have no fingers or toes… perhaps no nose or ears.” Zethes and Cal spat the ice plugs out of their mouths.“The pretty girl would look less pretty without a nose,” Zethes admitted. Piper had seen pictures of frostbite victims. The threat terrified her, but she didn’t let it show.“Come on, then.” She led the way to the prow,:Previous Entities: |Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal| ::: Ha!” ","Piper.F Zethes.M Khione.F Cal.M" "incorporating Beast,",48548,48578,True,6182:wizards.?,"violet color and he could see Ministry of Magic stamped along the edge of their wings.“Just inter- departmental memos,” Mr. Weasley muttered to him.“We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable… droppings all over the desks…” As they clattered upwards again the memos flapped around the lamp swaying from the lift’s ceiling.“Level Five, Department of International Magical Co-operation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats.” When the doors opened, two of the memos zoomed out with a few more of the witches and wizards, but several more memos zoomed in, so that the light from the lamp flickered and flashed overhead as they darted around it.“Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau.”“S’cuse,” said the wizard carrying the fire- breathing chicken and he left the lift pursued by a little flock of memos. The doors clanged shut yet again.“Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters and Muggle- Worthy Excuse Committee.” Everybody left the lift on this floor except Mr. Weasley, Harry and a witch who was reading an extremely long piece of parchment that was trailing on the floor. The remaining memos continued to soar around the lamp as the lift juddered upwards again, then the doors opened and the voice made its announcement.“Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services.”“This is us,",wizards,"Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle","violet color and he could see Ministry of Magic stamped along the edge of their wings.“Just inter- departmental memos,” Mr. Weasley muttered to him.“We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable… droppings all over the desks…” As they clattered upwards again the memos flapped around the lamp swaying from the lift’s ceiling.“Level Five, Department of International Magical Co-operation, incorporating the International Magical Trading Standards Body, the International Magical Office of Law and the International Confederation of Wizards, British Seats.” When the doors opened, two of the memos zoomed out with a few more of the witches and wizards, but several more memos zoomed in, so that the light from the lamp flickered and flashed overhead as they darted around it.“Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau.”“S’cuse,” said the wizard carrying the fire- breathing chicken and he left the lift pursued by a little flock of memos. The doors clanged shut yet again.“Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters and Muggle- Worthy Excuse Committee.” Everybody left the lift on this floor except Mr. Weasley, Harry and a witch who was reading an extremely long piece of parchment that was trailing on the floor. The remaining memos continued to soar around the lamp as the lift juddered upwards again, then the doors opened and the voice made its announcement.“Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services.”“This is us,:Previous Entities: |Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle| ::: incorporating Beast, ","Mr. Weasley.M Harry.M the witch.F" ‘ We have new orders.’,124479,124485,True,447:Dakota.?,"steamed. But, when the fireworks faded, no serious damage had been done. Octavian reacted first. He stomped his feet and yelled,‘ NO! NO, NO! RELOAD!’ No one in the First Cohort moved. Nico heard the tromping of boots to his right. The Fifth Cohort was marching towards them double- time, Dakota in the lead. Further downhill, the rest of the legion was trying to form up, but the Second, Third and Fourth Cohorts were now surrounded by a sea of ill- tempered monstrous allies. The auxilia forces didn’t look happy about the explosion overhead. No doubt they’d been waiting for Camp Half- Blood to go up in flames so they’d get chargrilled demigod for breakfast.‘ Octavian!’ Dakota called.‘ We have new orders.’ Octavian’s left eye twitched so violently it looked like it might explode.‘ Orders? From whom? Not from me!’‘ From Reyna,’ Dakota said, loud enough to make sure everyone in the First Cohort could hear.‘ She’s ordered us to stand down.’‘ Reyna?’ Octavian laughed, though no one seemed to get the joke.‘ You mean the outlaw I sent you to arrest? The ex- praetor who conspired to betray her own people with this Graecus?’ He jabbed his finger in Nico’s chest.‘ You’re taking orders from her?’ The Fifth Cohort formed up behind their centurion, uneasily facing their comrades in the First. Dakota crossed his arms stubbornly.‘ Reyna is the praetor until voted otherwise by the",Dakota,"The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil","steamed. But, when the fireworks faded, no serious damage had been done. Octavian reacted first. He stomped his feet and yelled,‘ NO! NO, NO! RELOAD!’ No one in the First Cohort moved. Nico heard the tromping of boots to his right. The Fifth Cohort was marching towards them double- time, Dakota in the lead. Further downhill, the rest of the legion was trying to form up, but the Second, Third and Fourth Cohorts were now surrounded by a sea of ill- tempered monstrous allies. The auxilia forces didn’t look happy about the explosion overhead. No doubt they’d been waiting for Camp Half- Blood to go up in flames so they’d get chargrilled demigod for breakfast.‘ Octavian!’ Dakota called.‘ We have new orders.’ Octavian’s left eye twitched so violently it looked like it might explode.‘ Orders? From whom? Not from me!’‘ From Reyna,’ Dakota said, loud enough to make sure everyone in the First Cohort could hear.‘ She’s ordered us to stand down.’‘ Reyna?’ Octavian laughed, though no one seemed to get the joke.‘ You mean the outlaw I sent you to arrest? The ex- praetor who conspired to betray her own people with this Graecus?’ He jabbed his finger in Nico’s chest.‘ You’re taking orders from her?’ The Fifth Cohort formed up behind their centurion, uneasily facing their comrades in the First. Dakota crossed his arms stubbornly.‘ Reyna is the praetor until voted otherwise by the:Previous Entities: |The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil| ::: ‘ We have new orders.’ ",Dakota.M "“Because he was a brutal,",2225,2258,True,124:Tup.M,"replied.“What happened?” Nyroc asked with a sick feeling stealing over his gizzard.“It was horrible.” Tup spoke now.“You see, Simon was a pilgrim owl who had come here from the Glauxian Retreat in the Northern Kingdoms to do good, help the weak, serve the poor. Your father, Kludd, had just been in a bloody and fiery encounter with the Ga’Hoolian owls. His mask was actually melting on his face. It was Simon who rescued him and nursed him back to health.”“And he killed this Simon?” The three Great Grays nodded.“But why? Why would he kill an owl who helped him?” Tup stepped forward on the branch and fastened his gleaming yellow eyes onto Nyroc’s black ones.“Because he was a brutal, insane owl. Simon knew he had survived, and Kludd wanted everyone to think he was dead. It would work to his purposes.” Tup paused, then added,“Of course, now he is dead.”“But your mother is far from dead,” the owl called Silvertip said.“She is alive and well, and flying about getting hireclaws and Rogue smiths. They say she wants to have them make her fire claws.”“But Gwyndor refused,” Silvertip said.“Gwyndor! I know Gwyndor,” Nyroc said.“He’ll tell you that I’m not like my parents.”“Gwyndor ain’t here to tell us any such thing, young’un,” Tup replied.“He’s gone to Beyond the Beyond.”“You might consider going to Beyond the Beyond yourself,” Silvertip said in a thoughtful voice.“They don’t ask questions there about",Tup,"the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup","replied.“What happened?” Nyroc asked with a sick feeling stealing over his gizzard.“It was horrible.” Tup spoke now.“You see, Simon was a pilgrim owl who had come here from the Glauxian Retreat in the Northern Kingdoms to do good, help the weak, serve the poor. Your father, Kludd, had just been in a bloody and fiery encounter with the Ga’Hoolian owls. His mask was actually melting on his face. It was Simon who rescued him and nursed him back to health.”“And he killed this Simon?” The three Great Grays nodded.“But why? Why would he kill an owl who helped him?” Tup stepped forward on the branch and fastened his gleaming yellow eyes onto Nyroc’s black ones.“Because he was a brutal, insane owl. Simon knew he had survived, and Kludd wanted everyone to think he was dead. It would work to his purposes.” Tup paused, then added,“Of course, now he is dead.”“But your mother is far from dead,” the owl called Silvertip said.“She is alive and well, and flying about getting hireclaws and Rogue smiths. They say she wants to have them make her fire claws.”“But Gwyndor refused,” Silvertip said.“Gwyndor! I know Gwyndor,” Nyroc said.“He’ll tell you that I’m not like my parents.”“Gwyndor ain’t here to tell us any such thing, young’un,” Tup replied.“He’s gone to Beyond the Beyond.”“You might consider going to Beyond the Beyond yourself,” Silvertip said in a thoughtful voice.“They don’t ask questions there about:Previous Entities: |the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup| ::: “Because he was a brutal, ","Nyroc.M Tup.M Silvertip.M Simon.M Kludd.M " “Aaargh!”,38921,38924,True,1392:The polar bear.F,"will not be won by evacuation, nor will it be won by animals hunkering down in their burrows or their winter dens until the fighting ends. We need to muster an expeditionary force. Sveep, you have done so much already. Do you think you can recruit and lead a fighting force of polar bears?” The polar bear had agreed. Already she had gathered the non- pregnant females who denned near her to meet her at a designated time on the westernmost shore of the Bay of Kiel, where they would travel the overland route and find their way to Beyond the Beyond. Sveep was not sure why, but the king said that the Beyond would be the battleground. She was just approaching the inlet where Svarr denned and began emitting soft sonorous growls to greet him.“Aaargh!” The reply came from deep in the den. She had been heard. Sveep rolled on her back, folded her huge paws across her stomach, and floated about while she waited for Svarr to come to the entrance of his cave. Finally, he appeared. He looked cross.“What in the name of Ursa are you doing here?”“A visit.”“It’s not that time.”“I know. What do you think I am…” She was about to say“a stupid puffin?” but she clamped her mouth shut. Sveep sighed and then said crisply,“Look, conversation closed about cubs and all that stuff.”“All that stuff! You’re talking, madam, of my progeny.” Svarr tried to look",The polar bear,"12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear","will not be won by evacuation, nor will it be won by animals hunkering down in their burrows or their winter dens until the fighting ends. We need to muster an expeditionary force. Sveep, you have done so much already. Do you think you can recruit and lead a fighting force of polar bears?” The polar bear had agreed. Already she had gathered the non- pregnant females who denned near her to meet her at a designated time on the westernmost shore of the Bay of Kiel, where they would travel the overland route and find their way to Beyond the Beyond. Sveep was not sure why, but the king said that the Beyond would be the battleground. She was just approaching the inlet where Svarr denned and began emitting soft sonorous growls to greet him.“Aaargh!” The reply came from deep in the den. She had been heard. Sveep rolled on her back, folded her huge paws across her stomach, and floated about while she waited for Svarr to come to the entrance of his cave. Finally, he appeared. He looked cross.“What in the name of Ursa are you doing here?”“A visit.”“It’s not that time.”“I know. What do you think I am…” She was about to say“a stupid puffin?” but she clamped her mouth shut. Sveep sighed and then said crisply,“Look, conversation closed about cubs and all that stuff.”“All that stuff! You’re talking, madam, of my progeny.” Svarr tried to look:Previous Entities: |12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear| ::: “Aaargh!” ","Sveep.F Svarr.M" It continued to jabber at me in that infuriating language.,37806,37871,True,1094:Mine.F,"trail had ended here, at the Library of Alexandria. Could he really have come because he'd grown frustrated? Had he traded his soul for the answers he sought, just so that he could finally stop searching? I shivered, glancing at the Curators, who floated behind us."" Bastille,"" I said."" You said that one of them spoke to you?"""" Yeah,"" she said."" Kept trying to get me to borrow a book.”"" It spoke to you in English?"""" Well, Nalhallan,"" she said."" But it's pretty much the same thing. Why?"""" Mine spoke to me in a language I didn't understand.”"" Mine did that at first too,"" she said."" Several of them surrounded me and searched through my possessions. They grabbed the supply list and several of the labels off of the foodstuffs. Then, they left– all except for that one behind us. It continued to jabber at me in that infuriating language. It was only after I'd been caught that it started speaking Nalhallan."" I glanced again at the Curator s. They use traps, I thought. But not ones that kill- ones that keep people tangled up. They separate everyone who comes in, then they make each one wander the hallways, lost. They talk to us in a language they know we don't understand when they could easily speak in English instead. This whole place is all about annoying people. The Curators are trying to make us frustrated. All so that we’ll give up and take one of the books they’re offering."" So,"" Bastille said."" What's our plan?” I shrugged."" Why ask me?"""" Because you're in charge, Alcatraz,"" she said, sighing."" What's your problem, anyway? Half the",Mine,"Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine","trail had ended here, at the Library of Alexandria. Could he really have come because he'd grown frustrated? Had he traded his soul for the answers he sought, just so that he could finally stop searching? I shivered, glancing at the Curators, who floated behind us."" Bastille,"" I said."" You said that one of them spoke to you?"""" Yeah,"" she said."" Kept trying to get me to borrow a book.”"" It spoke to you in English?"""" Well, Nalhallan,"" she said."" But it's pretty much the same thing. Why?"""" Mine spoke to me in a language I didn't understand.”"" Mine did that at first too,"" she said."" Several of them surrounded me and searched through my possessions. They grabbed the supply list and several of the labels off of the foodstuffs. Then, they left– all except for that one behind us. It continued to jabber at me in that infuriating language. It was only after I'd been caught that it started speaking Nalhallan."" I glanced again at the Curator s. They use traps, I thought. But not ones that kill- ones that keep people tangled up. They separate everyone who comes in, then they make each one wander the hallways, lost. They talk to us in a language they know we don't understand when they could easily speak in English instead. This whole place is all about annoying people. The Curators are trying to make us frustrated. All so that we’ll give up and take one of the books they’re offering."" So,"" Bastille said."" What's our plan?” I shrugged."" Why ask me?"""" Because you're in charge, Alcatraz,"" she said, sighing."" What's your problem, anyway? Half the:Previous Entities: |Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine| ::: It continued to jabber at me in that infuriating language. ",Alcatraz.M Kitten?,85910,85933,True,244:Famine.?,"in a fight was odds of about twenty to one, but failing that a sockful of half- brick and a dark alley to lurk in was generally considered a better bet than any two magic swords you cared to name. He sat down again.“Up,” he commanded. The carpet did not respond. Rincewind peered at the pattern, then lifted a corner of the carpet and tried to make out if the underside was any better.“All right,” he conceded,“down. Very, very carefully. Down.”“Sheep,” slurred War.“It was sheep.” His helmeted head hit the bar with a clang. He raised it again.“Sheep.”“Nonono,” said Famine, raising a thin finger unsteadily.“Some other domess… dummist… tame animal. Like pig. Heifer. Kitten? Like that. Not sheep.”“Bees,” said Pestilence, and slid gently out of his seat.“Okay,” said War, ignoring him,“right. Once again, then. From the top.” He rapped the side of his glass for the note.“We are poor little… unidentified domesticated animals… that have lost our way…” he quavered.“Baabaabaa,” muttered Pestilence, from the floor. War shook his head.“It isn’t the same, you know,” he said.“Not without him. He used to come in beautifully on the bass.”“Baabaabaa,” Pestilence repeated.“Oh, shut up,” said War, and reached uncertainly for a bottle. The gale buffeted the top of the tower, a hot",Famine,"Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine","in a fight was odds of about twenty to one, but failing that a sockful of half- brick and a dark alley to lurk in was generally considered a better bet than any two magic swords you cared to name. He sat down again.“Up,” he commanded. The carpet did not respond. Rincewind peered at the pattern, then lifted a corner of the carpet and tried to make out if the underside was any better.“All right,” he conceded,“down. Very, very carefully. Down.”“Sheep,” slurred War.“It was sheep.” His helmeted head hit the bar with a clang. He raised it again.“Sheep.”“Nonono,” said Famine, raising a thin finger unsteadily.“Some other domess… dummist… tame animal. Like pig. Heifer. Kitten? Like that. Not sheep.”“Bees,” said Pestilence, and slid gently out of his seat.“Okay,” said War, ignoring him,“right. Once again, then. From the top.” He rapped the side of his glass for the note.“We are poor little… unidentified domesticated animals… that have lost our way…” he quavered.“Baabaabaa,” muttered Pestilence, from the floor. War shook his head.“It isn’t the same, you know,” he said.“Not without him. He used to come in beautifully on the bass.”“Baabaabaa,” Pestilence repeated.“Oh, shut up,” said War, and reached uncertainly for a bottle. The gale buffeted the top of the tower, a hot:Previous Entities: |Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine| ::: Kitten? ",Famine.M "“Caleb and his lab buddies made them for me,”",135542,135553,True,114:Shauna.F,"We screamed his name into the echo chamber of the Pit. Still, I know that Zeke is remembering him today, just as the rest of us are, even though this last act of Dauntless bravery is for Tris.“Got something to show you,” Shauna says, and she tosses the blanket aside, revealing complicated metal braces on her legs. They go all the way up to her hips and wrap around her belly like a cage. She smiles at me, and with a gear- grinding sound, her feet shift to the ground in front of the chair, and in fits and starts, she stands. Despite the serious occasion, I smile.“Well, look at that,” I say.“I’d forgotten how tall you are.”“Caleb and his lab buddies made them for me,” she says.“Still getting the hang of it, but they say I might be able to run someday.”“Nice,” I say.“Where is he, anyway?”“He and Amar will meet us at the end of the line,” she says.“Someone has to be there to catch the first person.”“He’s still sort of a pansycake,” Zeke says.“But I’m coming around to him.”“Hm,” I say, not committing. The truth is, I’ve made my peace with Caleb, but I still can’t be around him for long. His gestures, his inflections, his manner, they are hers. They make him into just a whisper of her, and that",Shauna,"A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know","We screamed his name into the echo chamber of the Pit. Still, I know that Zeke is remembering him today, just as the rest of us are, even though this last act of Dauntless bravery is for Tris.“Got something to show you,” Shauna says, and she tosses the blanket aside, revealing complicated metal braces on her legs. They go all the way up to her hips and wrap around her belly like a cage. She smiles at me, and with a gear- grinding sound, her feet shift to the ground in front of the chair, and in fits and starts, she stands. Despite the serious occasion, I smile.“Well, look at that,” I say.“I’d forgotten how tall you are.”“Caleb and his lab buddies made them for me,” she says.“Still getting the hang of it, but they say I might be able to run someday.”“Nice,” I say.“Where is he, anyway?”“He and Amar will meet us at the end of the line,” she says.“Someone has to be there to catch the first person.”“He’s still sort of a pansycake,” Zeke says.“But I’m coming around to him.”“Hm,” I say, not committing. The truth is, I’ve made my peace with Caleb, but I still can’t be around him for long. His gestures, his inflections, his manner, they are hers. They make him into just a whisper of her, and that:Previous Entities: |A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know| ::: “Caleb and his lab buddies made them for me,” ",Shauna.F And keep your mouth shut.”,37545,37586,True,1750:the lawyer.?,"What the hell was that all about?” VANCOUVER THURSDAY, AUGUST 26 12:44 P.M. Thunder rumbled ominously. Looking out the front windows of his office, Nat Damon sighed. He had always known that that submarine lease would mean trouble. After the check bounced, he had canceled the order, hoping that that would be the end of it. But it wasn’t. For weeks and weeks he had heard nothing, but then one of the men, the lawyer in the shiny suit, had come back unexpectedly to poke a finger in his face and tell him that he had signed a nondisclosure agreement and could not discuss any aspect of the submarine lease with anybody, or risk a lawsuit.“Maybe we’ll win, and maybe we’ll lose,” the lawyer said.“But either way, you’re out of business, friend. Your house is mortgaged. You’re in debt for the rest of your life. So, think it over. And keep your mouth shut.” All during this, Damon’s heart was pounding. Because the fact was, Damon had already been contacted by some sort of revenue service guy. A man named Kenner, who was coming to Damon’s office that very afternoon. To ask a few questions, he had said. Damon had been afraid that this Kenner would show up while the lawyer was still in his office, but now the lawyer was driving away. His car, a nondescript Buick sedan with Ontario plates, drove through the boatyard, and was gone. Damon started to clean up the office, getting ready to go home. He was toying with the idea of leaving before Kenner arrived. Kenner was some revenue agent. Damon had done nothing wrong. He didn’t have to meet any revenue agent. And",the lawyer,"the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren","What the hell was that all about?” VANCOUVER THURSDAY, AUGUST 26 12:44 P.M. Thunder rumbled ominously. Looking out the front windows of his office, Nat Damon sighed. He had always known that that submarine lease would mean trouble. After the check bounced, he had canceled the order, hoping that that would be the end of it. But it wasn’t. For weeks and weeks he had heard nothing, but then one of the men, the lawyer in the shiny suit, had come back unexpectedly to poke a finger in his face and tell him that he had signed a nondisclosure agreement and could not discuss any aspect of the submarine lease with anybody, or risk a lawsuit.“Maybe we’ll win, and maybe we’ll lose,” the lawyer said.“But either way, you’re out of business, friend. Your house is mortgaged. You’re in debt for the rest of your life. So, think it over. And keep your mouth shut.” All during this, Damon’s heart was pounding. Because the fact was, Damon had already been contacted by some sort of revenue service guy. A man named Kenner, who was coming to Damon’s office that very afternoon. To ask a few questions, he had said. Damon had been afraid that this Kenner would show up while the lawyer was still in his office, but now the lawyer was driving away. His car, a nondescript Buick sedan with Ontario plates, drove through the boatyard, and was gone. Damon started to clean up the office, getting ready to go home. He was toying with the idea of leaving before Kenner arrived. Kenner was some revenue agent. Damon had done nothing wrong. He didn’t have to meet any revenue agent. And:Previous Entities: |the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren| ::: And keep your mouth shut.” ",the man in the shiny suit.M "Amos,”",14190,14195,True,193:Gran.F,"look that bad, considering what we’d been through. Then he looked at Carter and grunted.“Terrible timing,” he muttered.“But there’s no other way. They’ll have to come with me.”“Excuse me?” I said.“I’m not going anywhere with some strange man with biscuit on his face!” He did in fact have biscuit crumbs on his face, but he apparently didn’t care, as he didn’t bother to check.“I’m no stranger, Sadie,” he said.“Don’t you remember?” It was creepy hearing him talk to me in such a familiar way. I felt I should know him. I looked at Carter, but he seemed just as mystified as I was.“No, Amos,” Gran said, trembling.“You can’t take Sadie. We had an agreement.”“Julius broke that agreement tonight,” Amos said.“You know you can’t care for Sadie anymore— not after what’s happened. Their only chance is to come with me.”“Why should we go anywhere with you?” Carter asked.“You almost got in a fight with Dad!” Amos looked at the workbag in Carter’s lap.“I see you kept your father’s bag. That’s good. You’ll need it. As for getting into fights, Julius and I did that quite a lot. If you didn’t notice, Carter, I was trying to stop him from doing something rash. If he’d listened to me,",Gran,"the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps","look that bad, considering what we’d been through. Then he looked at Carter and grunted.“Terrible timing,” he muttered.“But there’s no other way. They’ll have to come with me.”“Excuse me?” I said.“I’m not going anywhere with some strange man with biscuit on his face!” He did in fact have biscuit crumbs on his face, but he apparently didn’t care, as he didn’t bother to check.“I’m no stranger, Sadie,” he said.“Don’t you remember?” It was creepy hearing him talk to me in such a familiar way. I felt I should know him. I looked at Carter, but he seemed just as mystified as I was.“No, Amos,” Gran said, trembling.“You can’t take Sadie. We had an agreement.”“Julius broke that agreement tonight,” Amos said.“You know you can’t care for Sadie anymore— not after what’s happened. Their only chance is to come with me.”“Why should we go anywhere with you?” Carter asked.“You almost got in a fight with Dad!” Amos looked at the workbag in Carter’s lap.“I see you kept your father’s bag. That’s good. You’ll need it. As for getting into fights, Julius and I did that quite a lot. If you didn’t notice, Carter, I was trying to stop him from doing something rash. If he’d listened to me,:Previous Entities: |the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps| ::: Amos,” ",Amos.M "“Computational Genetics,",143726,143752,True,234:Langton.?,"Biology, Intelligence, and Technology of Self- Organizing Machines. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000. Reggia, James A., Reiner Schulz, Gerald S. Wilkinson, and Juan Uriagereka.“Conditions Enabling the Evolution of Inter- Agent Signaling in an Artificial World.” Artificial Life, V. 7, 2001, p. 3. Reynolds, Craig R.“An Evolved, Vision- Based Model of Obstacle Avoidance Behavior” in Langton, ed., Artificial Life III. Schelling, Thomas C. Micromotives and Macrobehavior. New York: Norton, 1978. Solem, Johndale C.“The Motility of Microrobots,” in Langton, et al., Artificial Life III. Wooldridge, Michael. Reasoning About Rational Agents. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000. Yaeger, Larry.“Computational Genetics, Physiology, Metabolism, Neural Systems, Learning, Vision, and Behavior or PolyWorld: Life in a New Context,” in Langton, ed., Artificial Life III. The End",Langton,"Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","Biology, Intelligence, and Technology of Self- Organizing Machines. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000. Reggia, James A., Reiner Schulz, Gerald S. Wilkinson, and Juan Uriagereka.“Conditions Enabling the Evolution of Inter- Agent Signaling in an Artificial World.” Artificial Life, V. 7, 2001, p. 3. Reynolds, Craig R.“An Evolved, Vision- Based Model of Obstacle Avoidance Behavior” in Langton, ed., Artificial Life III. Schelling, Thomas C. Micromotives and Macrobehavior. New York: Norton, 1978. Solem, Johndale C.“The Motility of Microrobots,” in Langton, et al., Artificial Life III. Wooldridge, Michael. Reasoning About Rational Agents. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2000. Yaeger, Larry.“Computational Genetics, Physiology, Metabolism, Neural Systems, Learning, Vision, and Behavior or PolyWorld: Life in a New Context,” in Langton, ed., Artificial Life III. The End:Previous Entities: |Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: “Computational Genetics, ",Sheila.F the Golgafrinchans are the people you are descended from.,65088,65169,True,1780:the native and banged on the rock.?,", not these poor creatures here."" He went over to where the apemen creatures were rummaging listlessly with the stone letters. He shook his head."" Put the Scrabble away, Arthur,"" he said,"" it won't save the human race, because this lot aren't going to be the human race. The human race is currently sitting round a rock on the other side of this hill making documentaries about themselves."" Arthur winced."" There must be something we can do,"" he said. A terrible sense of desolation thrilled through his body that he should be here, on the Earth, the Earth which had lost its future in a horrifying arbitrary catastrophe and which now seemed set to lose its past as well."" No,"" said Ford,"" there's nothing we can do. This doesn't change the history of the Earth, you see, this is the history of the Earth. Like it or leave it, the Golgafrinchans are the people you are descended from. in two million years they get destroyed by the Vogons. History is never altered you see, it just fits together like a jigsaw. Funny old thing, life, isn't it?"" He picked up the letter Q and hurled it into a distant pivet bush where it hit a young rabbit. The rabbit hurtled off in terror and didn't stop till it was set upon and eaten by a fox which choked on one of its bones and died on the bank of a stream which subsequently washed it away. During the following weeks Ford Prefect swallowed his pride and struck up a relationship with a girl who had been a personnel officer on Golgafrincham, and he was terribly upset when she suddenly passed away as a result of drinking water from a pool that had been polluted by the body of a dead fox. The only moral it is possible to draw from this story is that one should never throw the letter Q into a pivet bush, but unfortunately there are times when",the native and banged on the rock,"the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock",", not these poor creatures here."" He went over to where the apemen creatures were rummaging listlessly with the stone letters. He shook his head."" Put the Scrabble away, Arthur,"" he said,"" it won't save the human race, because this lot aren't going to be the human race. The human race is currently sitting round a rock on the other side of this hill making documentaries about themselves."" Arthur winced."" There must be something we can do,"" he said. A terrible sense of desolation thrilled through his body that he should be here, on the Earth, the Earth which had lost its future in a horrifying arbitrary catastrophe and which now seemed set to lose its past as well."" No,"" said Ford,"" there's nothing we can do. This doesn't change the history of the Earth, you see, this is the history of the Earth. Like it or leave it, the Golgafrinchans are the people you are descended from. in two million years they get destroyed by the Vogons. History is never altered you see, it just fits together like a jigsaw. Funny old thing, life, isn't it?"" He picked up the letter Q and hurled it into a distant pivet bush where it hit a young rabbit. The rabbit hurtled off in terror and didn't stop till it was set upon and eaten by a fox which choked on one of its bones and died on the bank of a stream which subsequently washed it away. During the following weeks Ford Prefect swallowed his pride and struck up a relationship with a girl who had been a personnel officer on Golgafrincham, and he was terribly upset when she suddenly passed away as a result of drinking water from a pool that had been polluted by the body of a dead fox. The only moral it is possible to draw from this story is that one should never throw the letter Q into a pivet bush, but unfortunately there are times when:Previous Entities: |the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock| ::: the Golgafrinchans are the people you are descended from. ",Ford. "He merely told me Stilgar wanted me.""",163806,163845,True,494:Agarves.M,", you recall? And when... Stilgar sent me to you, he said for me to tell you that I carried his final obedience."""" Final obedience,"" she echoed."" What'd he mean by that?"""" I don't know, Lady Alia,"" he pleaded."" Explain to me again what you saw,"" she ordered, and she wondered at how cold her skin felt."" I saw..."" He bobbed his head nervously, looked at the floor in front of Alia."" I saw the Holy Consort dead upon the floor of the central passage, and Javid lay dead nearby in a side passage. The women already were preparing them for Huanui."""" And Stilgar summoned you to this scene?"""" That is true, My Lady. Stilgar summoned me. He sent Modibo, the Bent One, his messenger in sietch. Modibo gave me no warning. He merely told me Stilgar wanted me."""" And you saw my husband's body there on the floor?"" He met her eyes with a darting glance, returned his attention once more to the floor in front of her before nodding."" Yes, My Lady. And Javid dead nearby. Stilgar told me... told me that the Holy Consort had slain Javid."""" And my husband, you say Stilgar--"""" He said it to me with his own mouth, My Lady. Stilgar said he had done this. He said the Holy Consort provoked him to rage."""" Rage,"" Alia repeated."" How was that done?"""" He didn't say. No one said. I asked and no one said."""" And that's when you were sent to me",Agarves,"a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves",", you recall? And when... Stilgar sent me to you, he said for me to tell you that I carried his final obedience."""" Final obedience,"" she echoed."" What'd he mean by that?"""" I don't know, Lady Alia,"" he pleaded."" Explain to me again what you saw,"" she ordered, and she wondered at how cold her skin felt."" I saw..."" He bobbed his head nervously, looked at the floor in front of Alia."" I saw the Holy Consort dead upon the floor of the central passage, and Javid lay dead nearby in a side passage. The women already were preparing them for Huanui."""" And Stilgar summoned you to this scene?"""" That is true, My Lady. Stilgar summoned me. He sent Modibo, the Bent One, his messenger in sietch. Modibo gave me no warning. He merely told me Stilgar wanted me."""" And you saw my husband's body there on the floor?"" He met her eyes with a darting glance, returned his attention once more to the floor in front of her before nodding."" Yes, My Lady. And Javid dead nearby. Stilgar told me... told me that the Holy Consort had slain Javid."""" And my husband, you say Stilgar--"""" He said it to me with his own mouth, My Lady. Stilgar said he had done this. He said the Holy Consort provoked him to rage."""" Rage,"" Alia repeated."" How was that done?"""" He didn't say. No one said. I asked and no one said."""" And that's when you were sent to me:Previous Entities: |a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves| ::: He merely told me Stilgar wanted me."" ",Stilgar.M “Do you know what a crampon is?”,45092,45101,True,1669:The face on the other side of the slit.?,"this a window? Look, I’m lowering a rope.” A thick silken cord, knotted at intervals, dropped past her shoulder. She stared at it for a second or two, and then kicked off her curly- toed shoes and climbed up it. The face on the other side of the slit was half- concealed by a black hood, but she could just make out a worried expression.“Don’t despair,” it said.“I wasn’t despairing. I was trying to get some sleep.”“Oh. Pardon me, I’m sure. I’ll just go away and leave you, shall I?”“But in the morning I shall wake up and then I’ll despair. What are you standing on, demon?”“Do you know what a crampon is?”“No.”“Well, it’s two of them.” They stared at each other in silence.“OK,” said the face at last.“I’ll have to go around and come in through the door. Don’t go away.” And with that it vanished upward. Ptraci let herself slide back down to the chilly stones of the floor. Come in through the door! She wondered how it could manage that. Humans would need to open it first. She crouched in the furthest corner of the cell, staring at the small rectangle of wood. Long minutes went past. At one point she thought she heard a tiny noise, like a gasp. A little later there was subtle clink of metal, so slight as to be almost beyond",The face on the other side of the slit,"The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit","this a window? Look, I’m lowering a rope.” A thick silken cord, knotted at intervals, dropped past her shoulder. She stared at it for a second or two, and then kicked off her curly- toed shoes and climbed up it. The face on the other side of the slit was half- concealed by a black hood, but she could just make out a worried expression.“Don’t despair,” it said.“I wasn’t despairing. I was trying to get some sleep.”“Oh. Pardon me, I’m sure. I’ll just go away and leave you, shall I?”“But in the morning I shall wake up and then I’ll despair. What are you standing on, demon?”“Do you know what a crampon is?”“No.”“Well, it’s two of them.” They stared at each other in silence.“OK,” said the face at last.“I’ll have to go around and come in through the door. Don’t go away.” And with that it vanished upward. Ptraci let herself slide back down to the chilly stones of the floor. Come in through the door! She wondered how it could manage that. Humans would need to open it first. She crouched in the furthest corner of the cell, staring at the small rectangle of wood. Long minutes went past. At one point she thought she heard a tiny noise, like a gasp. A little later there was subtle clink of metal, so slight as to be almost beyond:Previous Entities: |The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit| ::: “Do you know what a crampon is?” ",The face on the other side of the slit.M but try not to leap in front of blades anytime soon.”,195790,195821,True,1100:the healer.F,"out.” But the amusement faded as he again surveyed Cassian. The wound that was now sealed over. The Suriel wasn’t your fault. I loosed a breath as Cassian’s eyelids began to shift and flutter. I know. I’d already added its death to my ever- growing list of things I’d soon make Hybern pay for. Long minutes passed, and we stood in silence. I did not ask where Nesta was. Mor barely acknowledged me. And Rhys… He perched on the foot of the cot as Cassian’s eyes at last opened, and the general let out a groan of pain.“That’s what you get,” the healer chided, gathering her supplies,“for stepping in front of a sword.” She frowned at him.“Rest tonight and tomorrow. I know better than to insist on a third day after that, but try not to leap in front of blades anytime soon.” Cassian just blinked rather dazedly at her before she bowed to Rhys and me and left.“How bad,” he asked, his voice hoarse.“How bad was your injury,” Rhys said mildly,“or how badly did we have our asses kicked?” Cassian blinked again. Slowly. As if whatever sedative he’d been given still held sway.“To answer the second question,” Rhys went on, Mor and Azriel backing away a step or two as something sharpened in my mate’s voice,“we managed. Keir took heavy hits, but… we won. Barely. To answer the first…” Rhys bared his teeth.“Don’t you ever pull that kind of shit again.” The glaze wore off Cassian’s eyes as he",the healer,"Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan","out.” But the amusement faded as he again surveyed Cassian. The wound that was now sealed over. The Suriel wasn’t your fault. I loosed a breath as Cassian’s eyelids began to shift and flutter. I know. I’d already added its death to my ever- growing list of things I’d soon make Hybern pay for. Long minutes passed, and we stood in silence. I did not ask where Nesta was. Mor barely acknowledged me. And Rhys… He perched on the foot of the cot as Cassian’s eyes at last opened, and the general let out a groan of pain.“That’s what you get,” the healer chided, gathering her supplies,“for stepping in front of a sword.” She frowned at him.“Rest tonight and tomorrow. I know better than to insist on a third day after that, but try not to leap in front of blades anytime soon.” Cassian just blinked rather dazedly at her before she bowed to Rhys and me and left.“How bad,” he asked, his voice hoarse.“How bad was your injury,” Rhys said mildly,“or how badly did we have our asses kicked?” Cassian blinked again. Slowly. As if whatever sedative he’d been given still held sway.“To answer the second question,” Rhys went on, Mor and Azriel backing away a step or two as something sharpened in my mate’s voice,“we managed. Keir took heavy hits, but… we won. Barely. To answer the first…” Rhys bared his teeth.“Don’t you ever pull that kind of shit again.” The glaze wore off Cassian’s eyes as he:Previous Entities: |Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan| ::: but try not to leap in front of blades anytime soon.” ",healer.F "“That’s as clear as Earth needs,”",196393,196402,True,2456:the bumbler.M,"such a tame world as this, are always hungry. He stacked the stones at the head of the hole, a scar lined with earth so rich it could have been black satin. Oy lay by Jake’s head, watching the gunslinger come and go, saying nothing. He’d always been different from his kind as they were since the world had moved on; Roland had even speculated that it was Oy’s extraordinary chattiness that had caused the others in his tet to expel him, and not gently, either. When they’d come upon this fellow, not too far from the town of River Crossing, he’d been scrawny to the point of starvation, and with a half- healed bite- mark on one flank. The bumbler had loved Jake from the first:“That’s as clear as Earth needs,” Cort might have said(or Roland’s own father, for that matter). And it was to Jake the bumbler had talked the most. Roland had an idea that Oy might fall mostly silent now that the boy was dead, and this thought was another way of defining what was lost. He remembered the boy standing before the people of Calla Bryn Sturgis in the torchlight, his face young and fair, as if he would live forever. I am Jake Chambers, son of Elmer, the Line of Eld, the ka- tet of the Ninety and Nine, he had said, and oh, aye, for here he was in the Ninety and Nine, with his grave all dug, clean and ready for him. Roland began to weep again. He put his",the bumbler,"the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King","such a tame world as this, are always hungry. He stacked the stones at the head of the hole, a scar lined with earth so rich it could have been black satin. Oy lay by Jake’s head, watching the gunslinger come and go, saying nothing. He’d always been different from his kind as they were since the world had moved on; Roland had even speculated that it was Oy’s extraordinary chattiness that had caused the others in his tet to expel him, and not gently, either. When they’d come upon this fellow, not too far from the town of River Crossing, he’d been scrawny to the point of starvation, and with a half- healed bite- mark on one flank. The bumbler had loved Jake from the first:“That’s as clear as Earth needs,” Cort might have said(or Roland’s own father, for that matter). And it was to Jake the bumbler had talked the most. Roland had an idea that Oy might fall mostly silent now that the boy was dead, and this thought was another way of defining what was lost. He remembered the boy standing before the people of Calla Bryn Sturgis in the torchlight, his face young and fair, as if he would live forever. I am Jake Chambers, son of Elmer, the Line of Eld, the ka- tet of the Ninety and Nine, he had said, and oh, aye, for here he was in the Ninety and Nine, with his grave all dug, clean and ready for him. Roland began to weep again. He put his:Previous Entities: |the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King| ::: “That’s as clear as Earth needs,” ",Roland.M Don’t you remember?’,8707,8731,True,414:Beryl Grace.F,"Despite his attempts to alter his destiny– joining the worst cohort, trying to change the camp traditions, taking the least glamorous missions and befriending the least popular kids– he had been made praetor anyway. As a son of Jupiter, his future had been assured. He remembered what Hercules had said to him at the Straits of Gibraltar: It’s not easy being a son of Zeus. Too much pressure. Eventually, it can make a guy snap. Now Jason was here, drawn as taut as a bowstring.‘ You left me,’ he told his mother.‘ That wasn’t Jupiter or Juno. That was you.’ Beryl Grace stepped forward. The worry lines around her eyes, the pained tightness in her mouth reminded Jason of his sister, Thalia.‘ Dearest, I told you I would come back. Those were my last words to you. Don’t you remember?’ Jason shivered. In the ruins of the Wolf House his mother had hugged him one last time. She had smiled, but her eyes were full of tears. It’s all right, she had promised. But even as a little kid Jason had known it wasn’t all right. Wait here. I will be back for you, dearest. I will see you soon. She hadn’t come back. Instead, Jason had wandered the ruins, crying and alone, calling for his mother and for Thalia– until the wolves came for him. His mother’s unkept promise was at the core of who he was. He’d built his whole life around the irritation of her words, like the grain of sand at the centre of a pearl. People lie. Promises are",Beryl Grace,"ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace","Despite his attempts to alter his destiny– joining the worst cohort, trying to change the camp traditions, taking the least glamorous missions and befriending the least popular kids– he had been made praetor anyway. As a son of Jupiter, his future had been assured. He remembered what Hercules had said to him at the Straits of Gibraltar: It’s not easy being a son of Zeus. Too much pressure. Eventually, it can make a guy snap. Now Jason was here, drawn as taut as a bowstring.‘ You left me,’ he told his mother.‘ That wasn’t Jupiter or Juno. That was you.’ Beryl Grace stepped forward. The worry lines around her eyes, the pained tightness in her mouth reminded Jason of his sister, Thalia.‘ Dearest, I told you I would come back. Those were my last words to you. Don’t you remember?’ Jason shivered. In the ruins of the Wolf House his mother had hugged him one last time. She had smiled, but her eyes were full of tears. It’s all right, she had promised. But even as a little kid Jason had known it wasn’t all right. Wait here. I will be back for you, dearest. I will see you soon. She hadn’t come back. Instead, Jason had wandered the ruins, crying and alone, calling for his mother and for Thalia– until the wolves came for him. His mother’s unkept promise was at the core of who he was. He’d built his whole life around the irritation of her words, like the grain of sand at the centre of a pearl. People lie. Promises are:Previous Entities: |ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace| ::: Don’t you remember?’ ",Jason.M "“So sit down and have a drink,",20085,20128,True,920:the thiefmaster.?,"When he was directly in front of Ymor he said:“I’ve come for the tourist.”“Is it any of your business, Zlorf?”“Yes. Grinjo, Urmond— take him.” Two of the assassins stepped forward. Then Stren was in front of them, his sword appearing to materialize an inch from their throats without having to pass through the intervening air.“Possibly I could only kill one of you,” he murmured,“but I suggest you ask yourselves— which one?”“Look up, Zlorf,” said Ymor. A row of yellow, baleful eyes looked down from the darkness among the rafters.“One step more and you’ll leave here with fewer eyeballs than you came with,” said the thiefmaster.“So sit down and have a drink, Zlorf, and let’s talk about this sensibly. I thought we had an agreement. You don’t rob— I don’t kill. Not for payment, that is,” he added after a pause. Zlorf took the proferred beer.“So?” he said.“I’ll kill him. Then you rob him. Is he that funny looking one over there?”“Yes.” Zlorf stared at Twoflower, who grinned at him. He shrugged. He seldom wasted time wondering why people wanted other people dead. It was just a living.“Who is your client, may I ask?” said Ymor. Zlorf held up a hand.“Please!” he protested.“Professional etiquette.”“Of course. By the way—”“Yes?”“I believe I have a couple of guards outside—”“Had.”“And some others in the doorway across the street—”“Formerly",the thiefmaster,"Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf","When he was directly in front of Ymor he said:“I’ve come for the tourist.”“Is it any of your business, Zlorf?”“Yes. Grinjo, Urmond— take him.” Two of the assassins stepped forward. Then Stren was in front of them, his sword appearing to materialize an inch from their throats without having to pass through the intervening air.“Possibly I could only kill one of you,” he murmured,“but I suggest you ask yourselves— which one?”“Look up, Zlorf,” said Ymor. A row of yellow, baleful eyes looked down from the darkness among the rafters.“One step more and you’ll leave here with fewer eyeballs than you came with,” said the thiefmaster.“So sit down and have a drink, Zlorf, and let’s talk about this sensibly. I thought we had an agreement. You don’t rob— I don’t kill. Not for payment, that is,” he added after a pause. Zlorf took the proferred beer.“So?” he said.“I’ll kill him. Then you rob him. Is he that funny looking one over there?”“Yes.” Zlorf stared at Twoflower, who grinned at him. He shrugged. He seldom wasted time wondering why people wanted other people dead. It was just a living.“Who is your client, may I ask?” said Ymor. Zlorf held up a hand.“Please!” he protested.“Professional etiquette.”“Of course. By the way—”“Yes?”“I believe I have a couple of guards outside—”“Had.”“And some others in the doorway across the street—”“Formerly:Previous Entities: |Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf| ::: “So sit down and have a drink, ","Stren.M Ymor.M Grinjo.? Urmond.? Zlorf.M Twoflower.?" I can tell my people that I will not declare war until there is proof of your death.”,75709,75734,True,40:Eckbert.M,"his words.“You are always my son,” Eckbert answered.“But the situation with the pirates has changed everything. Everyone believes you are dead, and I can not allow that belief to change.” They were silent for several seconds. Finally, Jaron spoke.“If I came home, would you declare war on Avenia for sinking that ship?” Eckbert sighed heavily.“I would have to, because you could provide the proof that it was Avenian pirates who attacked a ship with a royal onboard. If I start a war with Avenia, Gelyn will almost certainly align with them, and we shall be nearly surrounded by enemies. Carthya could not survive that war.”“And if I remain missing, would you have to declare war?”“If you remain missing, I can tell my people that I will not declare war until there is proof of your death.”“Then we both know what has to happen.” Jaron had said it matter- of- factly. He had considered this possibility, but hoped against it.“What about Darius and Mother?”“Darius… misses you. But he knows there are sacrifices we make for the good of Carthya. Your mother doesn’t know you’ve been found. Obviously, she would want you to come home to her, but she doesn’t see the enemies that surround us, not like I do.”“We’ve always had enemies at our borders.”“But not all at the same time. Since you’ve been missing, they have backed off our borders. Royal courtesy in our time of mourning for you. But the news is worse. I have",Eckbert,"the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert","his words.“You are always my son,” Eckbert answered.“But the situation with the pirates has changed everything. Everyone believes you are dead, and I can not allow that belief to change.” They were silent for several seconds. Finally, Jaron spoke.“If I came home, would you declare war on Avenia for sinking that ship?” Eckbert sighed heavily.“I would have to, because you could provide the proof that it was Avenian pirates who attacked a ship with a royal onboard. If I start a war with Avenia, Gelyn will almost certainly align with them, and we shall be nearly surrounded by enemies. Carthya could not survive that war.”“And if I remain missing, would you have to declare war?”“If you remain missing, I can tell my people that I will not declare war until there is proof of your death.”“Then we both know what has to happen.” Jaron had said it matter- of- factly. He had considered this possibility, but hoped against it.“What about Darius and Mother?”“Darius… misses you. But he knows there are sacrifices we make for the good of Carthya. Your mother doesn’t know you’ve been found. Obviously, she would want you to come home to her, but she doesn’t see the enemies that surround us, not like I do.”“We’ve always had enemies at our borders.”“But not all at the same time. Since you’ve been missing, they have backed off our borders. Royal courtesy in our time of mourning for you. But the news is worse. I have:Previous Entities: |the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert| ::: I can tell my people that I will not declare war until there is proof of your death.” ",Eckbert.M Oh.,84244,84253,True,1440:The sailor.M,"sir."" There was a flatness to this man that Norman found odd. The sailor was looking around the habitat, and for a moment Norman saw the environment through his eyes— the damp interior, the wrecked consoles, the foam- spattered walls. It looked like they had fought a war in here."" We've had a rough time,"" Norman said."" I can see that, sir."""" Three of us have died."""" I'm sorry to hear that, sir."" That flatness again. Neutrality. Was he being proper? Was he worried about a pending court- martial? Was it something else entirely?"" Where have you come from?"" Norman said."" Come from, sir?"""" What ship."""" Oh. The Sea Hornet, sir."""" It's topside now?"""" Yes, sir, it is."""" Well, let's get moving,"" Norman said."" Tell the others you're here."""" Yes, sir."" The seaman went away. Norman stood and shouted,"" Yahoo! We're saved!"""" AT LEAST HE WASN'T an illusion,"" Norman said, staring at the screen."" There he is, big as life, on the monitor."""" Yes. There he is. But where'd he go?"" Beth said. For the last hour, they had searched the habitat thoroughly. There was no sign of the black crewman. There was no sign of a submarine outside. There was no evidence of surface ships. The balloon they",The sailor,"a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor","sir."" There was a flatness to this man that Norman found odd. The sailor was looking around the habitat, and for a moment Norman saw the environment through his eyes— the damp interior, the wrecked consoles, the foam- spattered walls. It looked like they had fought a war in here."" We've had a rough time,"" Norman said."" I can see that, sir."""" Three of us have died."""" I'm sorry to hear that, sir."" That flatness again. Neutrality. Was he being proper? Was he worried about a pending court- martial? Was it something else entirely?"" Where have you come from?"" Norman said."" Come from, sir?"""" What ship."""" Oh. The Sea Hornet, sir."""" It's topside now?"""" Yes, sir, it is."""" Well, let's get moving,"" Norman said."" Tell the others you're here."""" Yes, sir."" The seaman went away. Norman stood and shouted,"" Yahoo! We're saved!"""" AT LEAST HE WASN'T an illusion,"" Norman said, staring at the screen."" There he is, big as life, on the monitor."""" Yes. There he is. But where'd he go?"" Beth said. For the last hour, they had searched the habitat thoroughly. There was no sign of the black crewman. There was no sign of a submarine outside. There was no evidence of surface ships. The balloon they:Previous Entities: |a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor| ::: Oh. ",Norman.M ‘ This is deep inside o’,60641,60647,True,2728:the big wee hag.F,"which is not the same as silence. A hush is what you get in cathedrals at midnight.‘ OK, lads,’ Rob Anybody whispered.‘ We dinnae ken what we’re goin’ tae find, so ye tread as light as e’er foot can fall, unnerstan’? Let’s find the big wee hag.’ They nodded, and stepped forward like ghosts. The land rose slightly ahead of them, to some kind of earthworks. They advanced on it carefully, wary of ambush, but nothing stopped them as they climbed two long mounds in the turf which made a sort of cross.‘ Man- made,’ said Big Yan, when they reached the top.‘ Just like in the old days, Rob.’ The silence sucked his speech away.‘ This is deep inside o’ the big wee hag’s head,’ said Rob Anybody, looking around warily.‘ We dinnae know whut made‘ em.’‘ I dinnae like this, Rob,’ said a Feegle.‘ It’s too quiet.’‘ Aye, Slightly Sane Georgie, it is that—’‘ You are my sunshine, my only su–’‘ Daft Wullie!’ snapped Rob, without taking his eyes off the strange landscape. The singing stopped.‘ Aye, Rob?’ said Daft Wullie from behind him.‘ Ye ken I said I’d tell ye when ye wuz guilty o’ stupid and inna- pro- pre- ate behaviour?’‘ Aye, Rob,’ said Daft Wullie.‘ That wuz another one o’ those times,",the big wee hag,"Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","which is not the same as silence. A hush is what you get in cathedrals at midnight.‘ OK, lads,’ Rob Anybody whispered.‘ We dinnae ken what we’re goin’ tae find, so ye tread as light as e’er foot can fall, unnerstan’? Let’s find the big wee hag.’ They nodded, and stepped forward like ghosts. The land rose slightly ahead of them, to some kind of earthworks. They advanced on it carefully, wary of ambush, but nothing stopped them as they climbed two long mounds in the turf which made a sort of cross.‘ Man- made,’ said Big Yan, when they reached the top.‘ Just like in the old days, Rob.’ The silence sucked his speech away.‘ This is deep inside o’ the big wee hag’s head,’ said Rob Anybody, looking around warily.‘ We dinnae know whut made‘ em.’‘ I dinnae like this, Rob,’ said a Feegle.‘ It’s too quiet.’‘ Aye, Slightly Sane Georgie, it is that—’‘ You are my sunshine, my only su–’‘ Daft Wullie!’ snapped Rob, without taking his eyes off the strange landscape. The singing stopped.‘ Aye, Rob?’ said Daft Wullie from behind him.‘ Ye ken I said I’d tell ye when ye wuz guilty o’ stupid and inna- pro- pre- ate behaviour?’‘ Aye, Rob,’ said Daft Wullie.‘ That wuz another one o’ those times,:Previous Entities: |Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: ‘ This is deep inside o’ ",Rob Anybody. "“My sister actually had a friend who was a wet pooper,",6482,6512,True,144:Silver.M,"small band of owls.“I think I smell gulls nearby.” Otulissa turned her beak upwind.“Oh, Great Glaux, here they come. The stench is appalling,” Otulissa muttered.“Those seagulls! Scum of the avian world.”“Are they really that bad?” Nut Beam asked.“You can smell them, can’t you? And they’re wet poopers on top of it all!”“Wet poopers!” Silver and Nut Beam said at once.“I’ve never met a wet pooper. I can’t imagine,” Nut Beam said.“Well then, don’t try,” Otulissa snapped testily.“It’s hard to believe that they never yarp pellets at all,” Nut Beam continued to muse.“My sister actually had a friend who was a wet pooper, but they wouldn’t let her bring him home. I think he was a warbler,” Silver announced.“Oh, Glaux, here we go again,” said Martin.“I think maybe I’ve met one once,” said Nut Beam.“Well, it’s not something to be proud of. It’s disgusting,” Otulissa replied.“You’re starting to sound like a nest- maid snake, Otulissa,” said Soren, and laughed. Nest- maid snakes were notoriously disdainful of all birds except owls because of what they considered their inferior and less noble digestive systems due to their inability to yarp pellets. All of their waste was splatted out from the other end, which nest- maids considered vile and disgusting.“They give us a lot of good information about weather, Otulissa,” Soren said.“You mean a lot",Silver,"Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver","small band of owls.“I think I smell gulls nearby.” Otulissa turned her beak upwind.“Oh, Great Glaux, here they come. The stench is appalling,” Otulissa muttered.“Those seagulls! Scum of the avian world.”“Are they really that bad?” Nut Beam asked.“You can smell them, can’t you? And they’re wet poopers on top of it all!”“Wet poopers!” Silver and Nut Beam said at once.“I’ve never met a wet pooper. I can’t imagine,” Nut Beam said.“Well then, don’t try,” Otulissa snapped testily.“It’s hard to believe that they never yarp pellets at all,” Nut Beam continued to muse.“My sister actually had a friend who was a wet pooper, but they wouldn’t let her bring him home. I think he was a warbler,” Silver announced.“Oh, Glaux, here we go again,” said Martin.“I think maybe I’ve met one once,” said Nut Beam.“Well, it’s not something to be proud of. It’s disgusting,” Otulissa replied.“You’re starting to sound like a nest- maid snake, Otulissa,” said Soren, and laughed. Nest- maid snakes were notoriously disdainful of all birds except owls because of what they considered their inferior and less noble digestive systems due to their inability to yarp pellets. All of their waste was splatted out from the other end, which nest- maids considered vile and disgusting.“They give us a lot of good information about weather, Otulissa,” Soren said.“You mean a lot:Previous Entities: |Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver| ::: “My sister actually had a friend who was a wet pooper, ","Otulissa.F Nut Beam.? Silver.? Martin.M Soren.M" "My word,",43935,43966,True,297:a witch.F,"got a real one!’ A few seconds later, a voice by Tiffany’s ear said,‘ Derek is sometimes mistaken and you might have found the broomstick. You are a witch, aren’t you? Show me!’ Tiffany vanished. She did it without thinking– or, rather, thinking so fast that her thoughts had no time to wave to her as they flashed by. Only when the man, who was apparently Derek, was staring open- mouthed at nothing at all did she realize that she had faded into the foreground so quickly because disobeying that voice behind her would definitely be an unwise thing to do. A witch was standing behind her: most definitely a witch, and a skilled one too.‘ Very good,’ said the voice approvingly.‘ Very good indeed, young woman. I can still see you, of course, because I was watching very carefully. My word, a real one.’‘ I’m going to turn round, you know,’ Tiffany warned.‘ I don’t recall saying that you couldn’t, my dear.’ Tiffany turned round and was faced with the witch of nightmares: battered hat, wart- encrusted nose, claw- like hands, blackened teeth and– Tiffany looked down– oh yes, big black boots. You did not have to be very familiar with Boffo’s catalogue to see that the speaker was wearing the full range of cosmetics in the‘ Hag in a Hurry’ range(‘ Because you’re Worthless’).‘ I think we should continue this conversation in my workshop,’ said the horrible hag, disappearing into the floor.‘ Just stand on the trapdoor when it comes back up, will you?",a witch,"The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer","got a real one!’ A few seconds later, a voice by Tiffany’s ear said,‘ Derek is sometimes mistaken and you might have found the broomstick. You are a witch, aren’t you? Show me!’ Tiffany vanished. She did it without thinking– or, rather, thinking so fast that her thoughts had no time to wave to her as they flashed by. Only when the man, who was apparently Derek, was staring open- mouthed at nothing at all did she realize that she had faded into the foreground so quickly because disobeying that voice behind her would definitely be an unwise thing to do. A witch was standing behind her: most definitely a witch, and a skilled one too.‘ Very good,’ said the voice approvingly.‘ Very good indeed, young woman. I can still see you, of course, because I was watching very carefully. My word, a real one.’‘ I’m going to turn round, you know,’ Tiffany warned.‘ I don’t recall saying that you couldn’t, my dear.’ Tiffany turned round and was faced with the witch of nightmares: battered hat, wart- encrusted nose, claw- like hands, blackened teeth and– Tiffany looked down– oh yes, big black boots. You did not have to be very familiar with Boffo’s catalogue to see that the speaker was wearing the full range of cosmetics in the‘ Hag in a Hurry’ range(‘ Because you’re Worthless’).‘ I think we should continue this conversation in my workshop,’ said the horrible hag, disappearing into the floor.‘ Just stand on the trapdoor when it comes back up, will you?:Previous Entities: |The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer| ::: My word, ",Tiffany.F Think strong.,93460,93473,True,601:Edgar Lynn.?,"”“I don’t want him old. Especially when he’s tired, he sometimes looks old.”“Don’tworry,” the assistant said.“All right now,” Lynn said.“That’s enough for now. Senator? Shall we try a run- through?” Senator Morton said,“Where does this begin?”“Line?” A script girl said,“” Perhaps like me... Morton said,“Then we’ve already done the first part?” Edgar Lynn said,“That’s right, love. We start here with your turn to the camera, and you give us a very strong, very direct masculine look, and begin“Perhaps like me.” Right?”“Okay,” Morton said.“Remember. Think masculine. Think strong. Think in control.” Morton said,“Can we shoot it?” Woodson said,“Lynn’s going to piss him off.” Edgar Lynn said,“All right. Shoot the rehearsal. Here we go.” Senator Morton walked toward the camera.“Perhaps like me,” he said,“you’re concerned about the erosion of our national position in recent years. America is still the greatest military power, but our security depends on our ability to defend ourselves militarily and economically. And it is economically that America has fallen behind. How far behind? Well, under the last two administrations, America has gone from the greatest creditor nation to the greatest debtor nation the world has ever seen. Our industries have fallen behind the rest of the world. Our workers are less educated",Edgar Lynn,"a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn","”“I don’t want him old. Especially when he’s tired, he sometimes looks old.”“Don’tworry,” the assistant said.“All right now,” Lynn said.“That’s enough for now. Senator? Shall we try a run- through?” Senator Morton said,“Where does this begin?”“Line?” A script girl said,“” Perhaps like me... Morton said,“Then we’ve already done the first part?” Edgar Lynn said,“That’s right, love. We start here with your turn to the camera, and you give us a very strong, very direct masculine look, and begin“Perhaps like me.” Right?”“Okay,” Morton said.“Remember. Think masculine. Think strong. Think in control.” Morton said,“Can we shoot it?” Woodson said,“Lynn’s going to piss him off.” Edgar Lynn said,“All right. Shoot the rehearsal. Here we go.” Senator Morton walked toward the camera.“Perhaps like me,” he said,“you’re concerned about the erosion of our national position in recent years. America is still the greatest military power, but our security depends on our ability to defend ourselves militarily and economically. And it is economically that America has fallen behind. How far behind? Well, under the last two administrations, America has gone from the greatest creditor nation to the greatest debtor nation the world has ever seen. Our industries have fallen behind the rest of the world. Our workers are less educated:Previous Entities: |a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn| ::: Think strong. ",Edgar Lynn.M “Feel no pain.”,151437,151442,True,3325:The faerie in black.F,"pleading of the dead faerie beside her. I couldn’t do it. But she held my gaze— held my gaze and nodded. As I lifted the ash dagger, something inside me fractured so completely that there would be no hope of ever repairing it. No matter how many years passed, no matter how many times I might try to paint her face. More faeries wailed now— her kinsmen and friends. The dagger was a weight in my hand— my hand, shining and coated with the blood of that first faerie. It would be more honorable to refuse— to die, rather than murder innocents. But… but…“Let me enter eternity,” she repeated, lifting her chin.“Fear no evil,” she whispered— just for me.“Feel no pain.” I gripped her delicate, bony shoulder and drove the dagger into her heart. She gasped, and blood spilled onto the ground like a splattering of rain. Her eyes were closed when I looked at her face again. She slumped to the floor and didn’t move. I went somewhere far, far away from myself. The faeries were stirring now— shifting, many whispering and weeping. I dropped the dagger, and the knock of ash on marble roared in my ears. Why was Amarantha still smiling, with only one person left between myself and freedom? I glanced at Rhysand, but his attention was fixed upon Amarantha. One faerie— and then we were free. Just one more swing of my arm. And maybe one more after that— maybe one more swing,",The faerie in black,"This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black","pleading of the dead faerie beside her. I couldn’t do it. But she held my gaze— held my gaze and nodded. As I lifted the ash dagger, something inside me fractured so completely that there would be no hope of ever repairing it. No matter how many years passed, no matter how many times I might try to paint her face. More faeries wailed now— her kinsmen and friends. The dagger was a weight in my hand— my hand, shining and coated with the blood of that first faerie. It would be more honorable to refuse— to die, rather than murder innocents. But… but…“Let me enter eternity,” she repeated, lifting her chin.“Fear no evil,” she whispered— just for me.“Feel no pain.” I gripped her delicate, bony shoulder and drove the dagger into her heart. She gasped, and blood spilled onto the ground like a splattering of rain. Her eyes were closed when I looked at her face again. She slumped to the floor and didn’t move. I went somewhere far, far away from myself. The faeries were stirring now— shifting, many whispering and weeping. I dropped the dagger, and the knock of ash on marble roared in my ears. Why was Amarantha still smiling, with only one person left between myself and freedom? I glanced at Rhysand, but his attention was fixed upon Amarantha. One faerie— and then we were free. Just one more swing of my arm. And maybe one more after that— maybe one more swing,:Previous Entities: |This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black| ::: “Feel no pain.” ",The faerie beside her. bleeding to death.,47551,47586,True,158:Rana.?,"she needs a pelvic fracture workup as well.”“Yes,” I said.“That’s what I was told last night. Is there a problem?”“Actually, there is. Your wife is refusing treatment.”“She is?”“Last night, she allowed us to take X- rays and to set the fractures in her wrist. We’ve explained to her that X- rays are limited in what we can see, and that it is quite important for her to have an MRI, but she is refusing that.” I said,“Why?”“She says she doesn’t need it.”“Of course she needs it,” I said.“Yes, she does, Mr. Forman,” Rana said.“I don’t want to alarm you but the concern with pelvic fracture is massive hemorrhaging into the abdomen and, well, bleeding to death. It can happen very quickly, and-”“What do you want me to do?”“We’d like you to talk to her.”“Of course. Put her on.”“Unfortunately, she’s gone for some additional X- rays just now. Is there a number where you can be reached? Your cell phone? All right. One other thing, Mr. Forman, we weren’t able to take a psychiatric history from your wife...”“Why is that?”“She refuses to talk about it. I’m referring to drugs, any history of behavioral disorders, that kind of thing. Can you shed any light in that area?”“I’ll try...”“I don’t want to alarm you, but your wife has been, well, a bit on",Rana,"Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana","she needs a pelvic fracture workup as well.”“Yes,” I said.“That’s what I was told last night. Is there a problem?”“Actually, there is. Your wife is refusing treatment.”“She is?”“Last night, she allowed us to take X- rays and to set the fractures in her wrist. We’ve explained to her that X- rays are limited in what we can see, and that it is quite important for her to have an MRI, but she is refusing that.” I said,“Why?”“She says she doesn’t need it.”“Of course she needs it,” I said.“Yes, she does, Mr. Forman,” Rana said.“I don’t want to alarm you but the concern with pelvic fracture is massive hemorrhaging into the abdomen and, well, bleeding to death. It can happen very quickly, and-”“What do you want me to do?”“We’d like you to talk to her.”“Of course. Put her on.”“Unfortunately, she’s gone for some additional X- rays just now. Is there a number where you can be reached? Your cell phone? All right. One other thing, Mr. Forman, we weren’t able to take a psychiatric history from your wife...”“Why is that?”“She refuses to talk about it. I’m referring to drugs, any history of behavioral disorders, that kind of thing. Can you shed any light in that area?”“I’ll try...”“I don’t want to alarm you, but your wife has been, well, a bit on:Previous Entities: |Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana| ::: bleeding to death. ",Rana.F “so crude— but effective!”,177497,177504,True,317:Travers.?,"fall into step beside him and head along the crooked, cobbled street toward the place where the snowy- white Gringotts stood towering over the other little shops. Ron sloped along beside them, and Harry and Griphook followed. A watchful Death Eater was the very last thing they needed, and the worst of it was, with Travers marching at what he believed to be Bellatrix’s side, there was no means for Harry to communicate with Hermione or Ron. All too soon they arrived at the foot of the marble steps leading up to the great bronze doors. As Griphook had already warned them, the liveried goblins who usually flanked the entrance had been replaced by two wizards, both of whom were clutching long thin golden rods.“Ah, Probity Probes,” sighed Travers theatrically,“so crude— but effective!” And he set off up the steps, nodding left and right to the wizards, who raised the golden rods and passed them up and down his body. The Probes, Harry knew, detected spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. Knowing that he had only seconds; Harry pointed Draco’s wand at each of the guards in turn and murmured,“Confundo” twice. Unnoticed by Travers, who was looking through the bronze doors at the inner hall, each of the guards gave a little start as the spells hit them. Hermione’s long black hair rippled behind her as she climbed the steps.“One moment, madam,” said the guard, raising his Probe.“But you’ve just done that!” said Hermione in Bellatrix’s commanding, arrogant voice.",Travers,"the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers","fall into step beside him and head along the crooked, cobbled street toward the place where the snowy- white Gringotts stood towering over the other little shops. Ron sloped along beside them, and Harry and Griphook followed. A watchful Death Eater was the very last thing they needed, and the worst of it was, with Travers marching at what he believed to be Bellatrix’s side, there was no means for Harry to communicate with Hermione or Ron. All too soon they arrived at the foot of the marble steps leading up to the great bronze doors. As Griphook had already warned them, the liveried goblins who usually flanked the entrance had been replaced by two wizards, both of whom were clutching long thin golden rods.“Ah, Probity Probes,” sighed Travers theatrically,“so crude— but effective!” And he set off up the steps, nodding left and right to the wizards, who raised the golden rods and passed them up and down his body. The Probes, Harry knew, detected spells of concealment and hidden magical objects. Knowing that he had only seconds; Harry pointed Draco’s wand at each of the guards in turn and murmured,“Confundo” twice. Unnoticed by Travers, who was looking through the bronze doors at the inner hall, each of the guards gave a little start as the spells hit them. Hermione’s long black hair rippled behind her as she climbed the steps.“One moment, madam,” said the guard, raising his Probe.“But you’ve just done that!” said Hermione in Bellatrix’s commanding, arrogant voice.:Previous Entities: |the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers| ::: “so crude— but effective!” ",Travers.M "no doubt of it,”",22380,22397,True,340:Mirlat.?,"one of them here had been wakened time after time in ghola flesh. There was a fleshly continuity in this Council that no other people had ever achieved. Mirlat himself had seen the Prophet with his own eyes. Scytale had spoken to Muad’dib! Learning how the flesh could be renewed and the memories restored, they had condensed this power into a single government whose potency was confined lest it be demanded everywhere. Only the witches had a similar storehouse of experience upon which to draw and they moved with fearful caution, terrified that they might produce another Kwisatz Haderach! Waff said these things to his councillors, adding:“The time for action has come.” When no one spoke disagreement, Waff said:“This manifesto has a single author. Every analysis agrees. Mirlat?”“Written by one person and that person a true Atreides, no doubt of it,” Mirlat agreed.“All at the powindah conference affirmed this,” Waff said.“Even a third- stage Guild steersman agrees.”“But that one person has produced a thing that excites violent reactions among diverse peoples,” Mirlat argued.“Have we ever questioned the Atreides talent for disruption?” Waff asked.“When the powindah showed me this document I knew God had sent us a signal.”“Do the witches still deny authorship?” Torg the Younger asked. How alertly apt he is, Waff thought.“Every powindah religion is called into question by this manifesto,” Waff said.“Every faith except ours is left hanging in limbo.”“Exactly the problem!” Mirlat pounced.“But only we know this,” Waff",Mirlat,"Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat","one of them here had been wakened time after time in ghola flesh. There was a fleshly continuity in this Council that no other people had ever achieved. Mirlat himself had seen the Prophet with his own eyes. Scytale had spoken to Muad’dib! Learning how the flesh could be renewed and the memories restored, they had condensed this power into a single government whose potency was confined lest it be demanded everywhere. Only the witches had a similar storehouse of experience upon which to draw and they moved with fearful caution, terrified that they might produce another Kwisatz Haderach! Waff said these things to his councillors, adding:“The time for action has come.” When no one spoke disagreement, Waff said:“This manifesto has a single author. Every analysis agrees. Mirlat?”“Written by one person and that person a true Atreides, no doubt of it,” Mirlat agreed.“All at the powindah conference affirmed this,” Waff said.“Even a third- stage Guild steersman agrees.”“But that one person has produced a thing that excites violent reactions among diverse peoples,” Mirlat argued.“Have we ever questioned the Atreides talent for disruption?” Waff asked.“When the powindah showed me this document I knew God had sent us a signal.”“Do the witches still deny authorship?” Torg the Younger asked. How alertly apt he is, Waff thought.“Every powindah religion is called into question by this manifesto,” Waff said.“Every faith except ours is left hanging in limbo.”“Exactly the problem!” Mirlat pounced.“But only we know this,” Waff:Previous Entities: |Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat| ::: no doubt of it,” ",Mirlat.M "“Fifty million volts right up the old tubes,”",23061,23071,True,334:Hubie.?,".“How's your heart, Hubie?” she asked.“You kids,” Hubie said, scraping the head off Sue's beer with a table knife and filling the mug the rest of the way.“You don't understand nothing. I plugged in my electric razor this morning and got a hundred and ten volts right through this pacemaker. You kids don't know what that's like, am I right?”“I guess not.”“No. Christ Jesus forbid you should ever have to find out. How long can my old ticker take it? You kids'll all find out when I buy the farm and those urban renewal poops turn this place into a parking lot. That's a dime.” She pushed her dime across the marble.“Fifty million volts right up the old tubes,” Hubie said darkly, and stared down at the small bulge in his breast pocket. Sue went over and slid carefully into the vacant side of Chris's booth. She was looking exceptionally pretty, her black hair held by a shamrock- green band and a tight basque blouse that accentuated her firm, upthrust breasts.“How are you, Chris?”“Bitchin' good,” Chris said a little too blithely.“You heard the latest? I'm out of the prom. I bet that cocksucker Grayle loses his job, though.” Sue had heard the latest. Along with everyone at Ewen.“Daddy's suing them,” Chris went on. Over her shoulder:“Billeee! Come over here and say hi to Sue.” He dropped his magazine",Hubie,"the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie",".“How's your heart, Hubie?” she asked.“You kids,” Hubie said, scraping the head off Sue's beer with a table knife and filling the mug the rest of the way.“You don't understand nothing. I plugged in my electric razor this morning and got a hundred and ten volts right through this pacemaker. You kids don't know what that's like, am I right?”“I guess not.”“No. Christ Jesus forbid you should ever have to find out. How long can my old ticker take it? You kids'll all find out when I buy the farm and those urban renewal poops turn this place into a parking lot. That's a dime.” She pushed her dime across the marble.“Fifty million volts right up the old tubes,” Hubie said darkly, and stared down at the small bulge in his breast pocket. Sue went over and slid carefully into the vacant side of Chris's booth. She was looking exceptionally pretty, her black hair held by a shamrock- green band and a tight basque blouse that accentuated her firm, upthrust breasts.“How are you, Chris?”“Bitchin' good,” Chris said a little too blithely.“You heard the latest? I'm out of the prom. I bet that cocksucker Grayle loses his job, though.” Sue had heard the latest. Along with everyone at Ewen.“Daddy's suing them,” Chris went on. Over her shoulder:“Billeee! Come over here and say hi to Sue.” He dropped his magazine:Previous Entities: |the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie| ::: “Fifty million volts right up the old tubes,” ",Hubie.M "“No,”",27097,27100,True,343:Echo.F,". I don’t blame you, but you can’t have it. I belong to me.” Hazel sighed in exasperation. She glanced at the sun, which was sinking fast. Then she gestured with her sword toward the edge of the crater.“Leo, could we talk for a minute?”“Excuse us,” Leo told Narcissus.“Echo, want to come with?”“Come with,” Echo confirmed. The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos. Hazel led the way until they were out of earshot.“Nemesis was right,” she said.“Some demigods can’t change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again.”“No,” Leo said.“No,” Echo agreed.“We need that bronze,” Leo said.“If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him.”“A chance to save him,” Echo said gratefully. Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand.“It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us,” she said.“And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow.” Leo pondered that. The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mentioned that Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldn’t see his reflection anymore. Leo didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out what the goddess meant by agitated. He’d also had experience with mobs of",Echo,"Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph",". I don’t blame you, but you can’t have it. I belong to me.” Hazel sighed in exasperation. She glanced at the sun, which was sinking fast. Then she gestured with her sword toward the edge of the crater.“Leo, could we talk for a minute?”“Excuse us,” Leo told Narcissus.“Echo, want to come with?”“Come with,” Echo confirmed. The nymphs clustered around Narcissus again and began recording new videos and taking more photos. Hazel led the way until they were out of earshot.“Nemesis was right,” she said.“Some demigods can’t change their nature. Narcissus is going to stay there until he dies again.”“No,” Leo said.“No,” Echo agreed.“We need that bronze,” Leo said.“If we take it away, it might give Narcissus a reason to snap out of it. Echo could have a chance to save him.”“A chance to save him,” Echo said gratefully. Hazel stabbed her sword in the sand.“It could also make several dozen nymphs very angry with us,” she said.“And Narcissus might still know how to shoot his bow.” Leo pondered that. The sun was just about down. Nemesis had mentioned that Narcissus got agitated after dark, probably because he couldn’t see his reflection anymore. Leo didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out what the goddess meant by agitated. He’d also had experience with mobs of:Previous Entities: |Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph| ::: “No,” ",Echo.F "“He just said,‘ Come back in six months.’”",9677,9690,True,1354:The lawyer.?,". His clothes had hung on his frame; he looked like a dying man. Now he looked strong, like the construction worker he had been all his life. He didn’t look like a man who became frightened easily. Alex knew these questions were essential to establish a basis for fraud, and a basis for mental distress. But it had to be done carefully. And their lead lawyer, she knew, had a bad habit of ignoring his own notes once the testimony was rolling. The lawyer said,“What happened next, Mr. Burnet?”“I went in for tests. Dr. Gross repeated everything. He even did another liver biopsy.”“With what result?”“He told me to come back in six months.”“Why?”“He just said,‘ Come back in six months.’”“How did you feel at this time?”“I felt healthy. But I figured I’d had a relapse.”“Dr. Gross told you that?”“No. He never told me anything. Nobody at the hospital ever told me anything. They just said,‘ Come back in six months.’” Naturally enough, her father believed he was still sick. He met a woman he might have married, but didn’t because he thought he did not have long to live. He sold his house and moved into a small apartment, so he wouldn’t have a mortgage.“It sounds like you were waiting to die,” the attorney said.“Objection!”“I’ll withdraw the question. But let’s move on. Mr.",The lawyer,"Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer",". His clothes had hung on his frame; he looked like a dying man. Now he looked strong, like the construction worker he had been all his life. He didn’t look like a man who became frightened easily. Alex knew these questions were essential to establish a basis for fraud, and a basis for mental distress. But it had to be done carefully. And their lead lawyer, she knew, had a bad habit of ignoring his own notes once the testimony was rolling. The lawyer said,“What happened next, Mr. Burnet?”“I went in for tests. Dr. Gross repeated everything. He even did another liver biopsy.”“With what result?”“He told me to come back in six months.”“Why?”“He just said,‘ Come back in six months.’”“How did you feel at this time?”“I felt healthy. But I figured I’d had a relapse.”“Dr. Gross told you that?”“No. He never told me anything. Nobody at the hospital ever told me anything. They just said,‘ Come back in six months.’” Naturally enough, her father believed he was still sick. He met a woman he might have married, but didn’t because he thought he did not have long to live. He sold his house and moved into a small apartment, so he wouldn’t have a mortgage.“It sounds like you were waiting to die,” the attorney said.“Objection!”“I’ll withdraw the question. But let’s move on. Mr.:Previous Entities: |Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer| ::: “He just said,‘ Come back in six months.’” ",Alex be careful.”,61394,61409,True,333:Doyle.?,".” Doyle ran his hands through his hair.“Have you seen Harry Block?” Block was the town's Commissioner of Public Utilities, and that included water.“Nope. But Chief Deighan says they got water in the old Rennett Block across town. They're laying hose now. I collared some kids, and they're settin' up a hospital in the police station. They're good boys, but they're gonna get blood on your floor, Otis.” Otis Doyle felt unreality surge over him. Surely this conversation couldn't be happening in Chamberlain. Couldn't.“That's all right, Tommy. You did right. You go back there and start calling every doctor in the phone book. I'm going over to Summer Street.”“Okay, Otis. If you see that crazy broad, be careful.”“Who?” Doyle was not a barking man, but now he did. Tom Quillan flinched back.“Carrie. Carrie White.”“Who? How do you know?” Quillan blinked slowly.“I dunno. It just sort of... came to me.” From the national AP ticker, 11:46 P.M.: CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE(AP) A DISASTER OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS HAS STRUCK THE TOWN OF CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE, TONIGHT. A FIRE, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEGUN AT EWEN(U- WIN) HIGH SCHOOL DURING A SCHOOL DANCE, HAS SPREAD TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, RESULTING IN MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS THAT HAVE LEVELED MUCH OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA. A RESIDENTIAL AREA TO THE WEST OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS ALSO REPORTED TO BE BURNING. HOWEVER, MOST CONCERN",Doyle,"the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan",".” Doyle ran his hands through his hair.“Have you seen Harry Block?” Block was the town's Commissioner of Public Utilities, and that included water.“Nope. But Chief Deighan says they got water in the old Rennett Block across town. They're laying hose now. I collared some kids, and they're settin' up a hospital in the police station. They're good boys, but they're gonna get blood on your floor, Otis.” Otis Doyle felt unreality surge over him. Surely this conversation couldn't be happening in Chamberlain. Couldn't.“That's all right, Tommy. You did right. You go back there and start calling every doctor in the phone book. I'm going over to Summer Street.”“Okay, Otis. If you see that crazy broad, be careful.”“Who?” Doyle was not a barking man, but now he did. Tom Quillan flinched back.“Carrie. Carrie White.”“Who? How do you know?” Quillan blinked slowly.“I dunno. It just sort of... came to me.” From the national AP ticker, 11:46 P.M.: CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE(AP) A DISASTER OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS HAS STRUCK THE TOWN OF CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE, TONIGHT. A FIRE, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEGUN AT EWEN(U- WIN) HIGH SCHOOL DURING A SCHOOL DANCE, HAS SPREAD TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, RESULTING IN MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS THAT HAVE LEVELED MUCH OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA. A RESIDENTIAL AREA TO THE WEST OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS ALSO REPORTED TO BE BURNING. HOWEVER, MOST CONCERN:Previous Entities: |the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan| ::: be careful.” ",Quillan.M "my,”",68896,68901,True,274:my grandfather.M,"of Forgotten Language texts in the heart of Librarian power. I suspect we'll find your father there. The place is carefully guarded, however, and even one such as I will have difficulty sneaking in."""" Lad, I don t know about this,"" Grandpa said."" The heart of Librarian power?"" I asked, ignoring him."" Where is that?"""" They call it the Library of Congress,"" Shasta said."" But it's really something far grander. The Highbrary, a bunker the size of a city, hidden underneath Washington, D.C., in the United States, deep within the Hushlands."" That got my grandfather's attention."" The Highbrary?"" he asked. He got an almost dreamy look in his eyes."" My, my,” he said."" I've always wanted to infiltrate that place...."" That's my grandfather for you. He might have lost his Talent, but he was still a Smedry."" The Highbrary will contain the formulas for all Librarian weapon antidotes,"" Shasta said, almost teasingly."" If you want to cure your friends, it is the place to go."" Grandpa looked even more eager, but he held himself back."" The lad and I will discuss it, Shasta. If we agree to this little endeavor, then you'll be coming as a prisoner, carefully watched over. That's the only way I’d agree to it.” Shasta smiled again, glancing at me."" Very well,” she said, then waved to",my grandfather,Aluki,"of Forgotten Language texts in the heart of Librarian power. I suspect we'll find your father there. The place is carefully guarded, however, and even one such as I will have difficulty sneaking in."""" Lad, I don t know about this,"" Grandpa said."" The heart of Librarian power?"" I asked, ignoring him."" Where is that?"""" They call it the Library of Congress,"" Shasta said."" But it's really something far grander. The Highbrary, a bunker the size of a city, hidden underneath Washington, D.C., in the United States, deep within the Hushlands."" That got my grandfather's attention."" The Highbrary?"" he asked. He got an almost dreamy look in his eyes."" My, my,” he said."" I've always wanted to infiltrate that place...."" That's my grandfather for you. He might have lost his Talent, but he was still a Smedry."" The Highbrary will contain the formulas for all Librarian weapon antidotes,"" Shasta said, almost teasingly."" If you want to cure your friends, it is the place to go."" Grandpa looked even more eager, but he held himself back."" The lad and I will discuss it, Shasta. If we agree to this little endeavor, then you'll be coming as a prisoner, carefully watched over. That's the only way I’d agree to it.” Shasta smiled again, glancing at me."" Very well,” she said, then waved to:Previous Entities: |Aluki| ::: my,” ",Grandpa keep em from getting electrocuted!,155418,155455,True,1175:Gaskie.M,"! God bless Dinky Earnshaw!” Gaskie o’ Tego, meanwhile, wrapped one good- sized hand around James Cagney’s neck and the other around Jakli’s. Gaskie had an idea son of a bitching crowhead Jakli had been on the verge of running, but there was no time to worry about that now. He needed them both. And—“Boss!” Finli shouted.“Boss, grab the Earnshaw kid! Something about this smells!” And— With Cag’s face pressing against one of his cheeks and Jakli’s against the other, the Wease(who thought as clearly as anyone that terrible morning) was finally able to make himself heard. Gaskie, meanwhile, repeated his command: divide up the armed guards and put them with the retreating Breakers.“Don’t try to stop them, but stay with them! And for Christ’s sake, keep em from getting electrocuted! Keep em off the fence if they go past Main Stree—” Before he could finish this admonishment, a figure came plummeting out of the thickening smoke. It was Gangli, the compound doctor, his white coat on fire, his roller skates still on his feet. And— Susannah Dean took up a position at the left rear corner of Damli House, coughing. She saw three of the sons of bitches— Gaskie, Jakli, and Cagney, had she but known it. Before she could draw a bead, eddying smoke blotted them out. When it cleared, Jakli and Cag were gone, rounding up armed guards to act as sheepdogs who would at least try to protect their panicked charges, even if they could not immediately stop them. Gaskie was still there, and Susannah took him with a single headshot. Pimli didn’t see it",Gaskie,"Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie","! God bless Dinky Earnshaw!” Gaskie o’ Tego, meanwhile, wrapped one good- sized hand around James Cagney’s neck and the other around Jakli’s. Gaskie had an idea son of a bitching crowhead Jakli had been on the verge of running, but there was no time to worry about that now. He needed them both. And—“Boss!” Finli shouted.“Boss, grab the Earnshaw kid! Something about this smells!” And— With Cag’s face pressing against one of his cheeks and Jakli’s against the other, the Wease(who thought as clearly as anyone that terrible morning) was finally able to make himself heard. Gaskie, meanwhile, repeated his command: divide up the armed guards and put them with the retreating Breakers.“Don’t try to stop them, but stay with them! And for Christ’s sake, keep em from getting electrocuted! Keep em off the fence if they go past Main Stree—” Before he could finish this admonishment, a figure came plummeting out of the thickening smoke. It was Gangli, the compound doctor, his white coat on fire, his roller skates still on his feet. And— Susannah Dean took up a position at the left rear corner of Damli House, coughing. She saw three of the sons of bitches— Gaskie, Jakli, and Cagney, had she but known it. Before she could draw a bead, eddying smoke blotted them out. When it cleared, Jakli and Cag were gone, rounding up armed guards to act as sheepdogs who would at least try to protect their panicked charges, even if they could not immediately stop them. Gaskie was still there, and Susannah took him with a single headshot. Pimli didn’t see it:Previous Entities: |Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie| ::: keep em from getting electrocuted! ",Gaskie "“Please don’t do that,”",4630,4637,True,37:Latamer.M,"slipped a noose over Latamer’s neck and pulled it so that it was nearly tightened. Roden froze, waiting to see what I’d do next. Getting the rope off my wrists had been an easy matter. Knotting it into a noose was a bit trickier, although now was not the time to admire my handiwork. Roden didn’t look impressed with my behind- the- back knot tying. Clearly, he’d never attempted something like that before, or he would have been. Or maybe he just didn’t want me to strangle Latamer in front of him.“Not an inch closer to me,” I warned Roden.“Or else I’ll dump him over the side of the cart and you can describe to Conner the sound of his snapping neck.”“Please don’t do that,” Latamer breathed. Roden sat back down.“I don’t care if you kill him and I don’t care if you run away. Leave if you want, and pray Conner’s vigils don’t find you.” I stood, apologized to Latamer for threatening to kill him, then gave a ceremonial bow to Roden. The bow might’ve been a mistake. Midway through standing up straight, Cregan whacked me in the back with the flat end of his sword. I fell forward, all air knocked from my lungs.“You know what’d happen to me if I let you get away, boy?” Cregan snarled. I knew, and I wasn’t entirely opposed to it.“You said you’d kill anyone who tried to escape,” Roden reminded",Latamer,"somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer","slipped a noose over Latamer’s neck and pulled it so that it was nearly tightened. Roden froze, waiting to see what I’d do next. Getting the rope off my wrists had been an easy matter. Knotting it into a noose was a bit trickier, although now was not the time to admire my handiwork. Roden didn’t look impressed with my behind- the- back knot tying. Clearly, he’d never attempted something like that before, or he would have been. Or maybe he just didn’t want me to strangle Latamer in front of him.“Not an inch closer to me,” I warned Roden.“Or else I’ll dump him over the side of the cart and you can describe to Conner the sound of his snapping neck.”“Please don’t do that,” Latamer breathed. Roden sat back down.“I don’t care if you kill him and I don’t care if you run away. Leave if you want, and pray Conner’s vigils don’t find you.” I stood, apologized to Latamer for threatening to kill him, then gave a ceremonial bow to Roden. The bow might’ve been a mistake. Midway through standing up straight, Cregan whacked me in the back with the flat end of his sword. I fell forward, all air knocked from my lungs.“You know what’d happen to me if I let you get away, boy?” Cregan snarled. I knew, and I wasn’t entirely opposed to it.“You said you’d kill anyone who tried to escape,” Roden reminded:Previous Entities: |somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer| ::: “Please don’t do that,” ",Latamer.M "' Just ask Central,",12088,12097,True,216:Terryl.?,"here. There'll be a riot. I guarantee it.'' Two humans?' said the head of security.' Inside the terminal? Are you nuts?' Holly was running out of patience, and time.' Do you see this?' she demanded, pointing to the insignia on her helmet.' I'm LEP. A captain. No rent- a- cop gnome is going to stand in the way of my orders.' Terryl drew himself up to his full height, which was about seventy centimetres.' Yeah, I heard a you. The crazy girly captain. Caused quite a stir up here last year, didn't you? My tax ingots gonna be payin' for that little screw- up for quite some time.'' Just ask Central, you bureaucratic idiot.'' Call me what you want, missy. We have our rules here, and without confirmation from below, ain't nuthin I can do to change'em.' Specially not fer some gun- totin' girly with an attitude problem.'' Well get on the blower to Police Plaza then!' Terryl sniffed.' The magma flares have just started actin' up. It's hard to get a line. Maybe I'll try again, after my rounds. Just you take yourself a seat in the departure lounge.' Holly's hand strayed towards her buzz baton.' You know what you're doing, don't you?'' What?' croaked the gnome.' You're obstructing an LEP operation.'' I ain't obstructin' nuthin'",Terryl,"Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl","here. There'll be a riot. I guarantee it.'' Two humans?' said the head of security.' Inside the terminal? Are you nuts?' Holly was running out of patience, and time.' Do you see this?' she demanded, pointing to the insignia on her helmet.' I'm LEP. A captain. No rent- a- cop gnome is going to stand in the way of my orders.' Terryl drew himself up to his full height, which was about seventy centimetres.' Yeah, I heard a you. The crazy girly captain. Caused quite a stir up here last year, didn't you? My tax ingots gonna be payin' for that little screw- up for quite some time.'' Just ask Central, you bureaucratic idiot.'' Call me what you want, missy. We have our rules here, and without confirmation from below, ain't nuthin I can do to change'em.' Specially not fer some gun- totin' girly with an attitude problem.'' Well get on the blower to Police Plaza then!' Terryl sniffed.' The magma flares have just started actin' up. It's hard to get a line. Maybe I'll try again, after my rounds. Just you take yourself a seat in the departure lounge.' Holly's hand strayed towards her buzz baton.' You know what you're doing, don't you?'' What?' croaked the gnome.' You're obstructing an LEP operation.'' I ain't obstructin' nuthin':Previous Entities: |Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl| ::: ' Just ask Central, ",Holly.F I believe that’s what killed him.,63436,63559,True,270:Quarles.?,"found in a local hotel on Sunday when efforts by hotel staff to contact him met with no response. The resident of a nearby room had complained of“a smell like bad meat,” and a hotel chambermaid reported hearing“muffled shouting or crying, like a man in pain” late Friday afternoon. After knocking repeatedly and receiving no response, the hotel’s Chief of Security used his pass- key and discovered the body of Mr. James, slumped over the room’s writing desk.“I saw a pistol and assumed he had shot himself,” the security man said,“but no- one had reported a gunshot, and there was no smell of expended powder. When I checked the gun, I determined it was a badly maintained.25, and not loaded.“By then, of course, I had seen the blood. I have never seen anything like that before, and never want to again. He had bitten himself all over— arms, legs, ankles, even his toes. Nor was that all. It was clear he had been busy with some sort of writing project, but he had chewed up the paper, as well. It was all over the floor. It looked like paper does when rats chew it up to make their nests. In the end, he chewed his own wrists open. I believe that’s what killed him. He certainly must have been deranged.” Little is known of Mr. James at this writing. Ronald Quarles, the head librarian at the Omaha Public Library, took Mr. James on in late 1926.“He was obviously down on his luck, and handicapped by the loss of a hand, but he knew his books and his references were good,” Quarles said.“He was collegial but distant. I believe he had been doing factory work before applying for a position here, and he told people that before losing his hand, he had owned a small farm in Hemingford County.” The World- Herald is interested in the unfortunate Mr. James, and solicits information from any readers who may have known him. The body is being held at the Omaha County Morgue, pending disposition by next of kin.“If",Quarles,"a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles","found in a local hotel on Sunday when efforts by hotel staff to contact him met with no response. The resident of a nearby room had complained of“a smell like bad meat,” and a hotel chambermaid reported hearing“muffled shouting or crying, like a man in pain” late Friday afternoon. After knocking repeatedly and receiving no response, the hotel’s Chief of Security used his pass- key and discovered the body of Mr. James, slumped over the room’s writing desk.“I saw a pistol and assumed he had shot himself,” the security man said,“but no- one had reported a gunshot, and there was no smell of expended powder. When I checked the gun, I determined it was a badly maintained.25, and not loaded.“By then, of course, I had seen the blood. I have never seen anything like that before, and never want to again. He had bitten himself all over— arms, legs, ankles, even his toes. Nor was that all. It was clear he had been busy with some sort of writing project, but he had chewed up the paper, as well. It was all over the floor. It looked like paper does when rats chew it up to make their nests. In the end, he chewed his own wrists open. I believe that’s what killed him. He certainly must have been deranged.” Little is known of Mr. James at this writing. Ronald Quarles, the head librarian at the Omaha Public Library, took Mr. James on in late 1926.“He was obviously down on his luck, and handicapped by the loss of a hand, but he knew his books and his references were good,” Quarles said.“He was collegial but distant. I believe he had been doing factory work before applying for a position here, and he told people that before losing his hand, he had owned a small farm in Hemingford County.” The World- Herald is interested in the unfortunate Mr. James, and solicits information from any readers who may have known him. The body is being held at the Omaha County Morgue, pending disposition by next of kin.“If:Previous Entities: |a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles| ::: I believe that’s what killed him. ",Quarles.M "“Do you,",87074,87124,True,424:The Frenchman.M,"the man was sitting placidly and taking no notes.“Tell us,” Hacklett said,“how you came to escape from the Spanish warship, once captured?”“It was through the efforts of the Frenchman, Sanson, who performed with most estimable bravery.”“You regard this Sanson highly?”“Indeed I do, for I owe him my very life.”“So be it,” Hacklett said. He turned in his chair.“Call the first witness in evidence, Mr. Andre Sanson!”“Andre Sanson!” Hunter turned to the door, astounded again, as Sanson walked into the courtroom. The Frenchman moved quickly, with smooth, liquid strides, and took his place in the witness box. He raised his right hand.“Do you, Andre Sanson, solemnly promise and swear on the Holy Evangelists to bear true and faithful witness between the king and the prisoner in relation to the fact or facts of piracy and robbery he does now stand accused of, so help you God?”“I do.” Sanson lowered his right hand, and looked directly at Hunter. The gaze was flat and pitying. He held the glance for several seconds, until Hacklett spoke.“Mr. Sanson.”“Sir.”“Mr. Sanson, Mr. Hunter has given his own account of the proceedings of this voyage. We wish to hear the story in your own words, as a witness whose valor has already been remarked by the accused. Will you tell us, please, what was the purpose of the voyage of Cassandra— as you understood it in the first instance?”“The cutting of logwood.”“And did you discover differently at any time?”“I did.”“Please explain to the court.”“After we sailed on",The Frenchman,"A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman","the man was sitting placidly and taking no notes.“Tell us,” Hacklett said,“how you came to escape from the Spanish warship, once captured?”“It was through the efforts of the Frenchman, Sanson, who performed with most estimable bravery.”“You regard this Sanson highly?”“Indeed I do, for I owe him my very life.”“So be it,” Hacklett said. He turned in his chair.“Call the first witness in evidence, Mr. Andre Sanson!”“Andre Sanson!” Hunter turned to the door, astounded again, as Sanson walked into the courtroom. The Frenchman moved quickly, with smooth, liquid strides, and took his place in the witness box. He raised his right hand.“Do you, Andre Sanson, solemnly promise and swear on the Holy Evangelists to bear true and faithful witness between the king and the prisoner in relation to the fact or facts of piracy and robbery he does now stand accused of, so help you God?”“I do.” Sanson lowered his right hand, and looked directly at Hunter. The gaze was flat and pitying. He held the glance for several seconds, until Hacklett spoke.“Mr. Sanson.”“Sir.”“Mr. Sanson, Mr. Hunter has given his own account of the proceedings of this voyage. We wish to hear the story in your own words, as a witness whose valor has already been remarked by the accused. Will you tell us, please, what was the purpose of the voyage of Cassandra— as you understood it in the first instance?”“The cutting of logwood.”“And did you discover differently at any time?”“I did.”“Please explain to the court.”“After we sailed on:Previous Entities: |A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman| ::: “Do you, ",Andre Sanson.M ye have a point there.’,70121,70131,True,107:Feegle.?,"want anyone to get jumpy.’ The sergeant nodded. It was not as if he had any other option. As the guards moved away, dragging their unconscious colleague with them and trying not to look like, well, guards who were turning a walk away as closely into a running away as was possible, Tiffany knelt down by Rob Anybody and lowered her voice.‘ Look, Rob, I know about the secret tunnels.’‘ What scunner told ye about the secret tunnels?’‘ I am the hag o’ the hills, Rob,’ said Tiffany soothingly.‘ Shouldn’t I know about the tunnels? You are Feegles, and no Feegle will sleep in a house with only one entrance, right?’ The Feegle was calming down a bit now.‘ Oh aye, ye have a point there.’‘ Then can I please suggest you go and fetch young Amber? Nobody is going to touch the mound.’ After a little hesitation, Rob Anybody sprang into the entrance hole and was gone. It took some time for him to return– time Tiffany thankfully used by getting the sergeant to come back and help her gather up the guards’ dropped weapons– and when Rob did resurface he was accompanied by a great many more Feegles and the kelda. And also by a rather reluctant Amber, who blinked nervously in the daylight and said,‘ Oh, crivens!’ Tiffany knew that her own smile was false when she said,‘ I’ve come to take you home, Amber.’ Well, at least I’m not stupid enough to say something like‘ Won’t",Feegle,"the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust","want anyone to get jumpy.’ The sergeant nodded. It was not as if he had any other option. As the guards moved away, dragging their unconscious colleague with them and trying not to look like, well, guards who were turning a walk away as closely into a running away as was possible, Tiffany knelt down by Rob Anybody and lowered her voice.‘ Look, Rob, I know about the secret tunnels.’‘ What scunner told ye about the secret tunnels?’‘ I am the hag o’ the hills, Rob,’ said Tiffany soothingly.‘ Shouldn’t I know about the tunnels? You are Feegles, and no Feegle will sleep in a house with only one entrance, right?’ The Feegle was calming down a bit now.‘ Oh aye, ye have a point there.’‘ Then can I please suggest you go and fetch young Amber? Nobody is going to touch the mound.’ After a little hesitation, Rob Anybody sprang into the entrance hole and was gone. It took some time for him to return– time Tiffany thankfully used by getting the sergeant to come back and help her gather up the guards’ dropped weapons– and when Rob did resurface he was accompanied by a great many more Feegles and the kelda. And also by a rather reluctant Amber, who blinked nervously in the daylight and said,‘ Oh, crivens!’ Tiffany knew that her own smile was false when she said,‘ I’ve come to take you home, Amber.’ Well, at least I’m not stupid enough to say something like‘ Won’t:Previous Entities: |the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust| ::: ye have a point there.’ ",Rob Anybody.M "I've been over it,""",25637,25644,True,1089:A slim young man in white ducks.M,"the garbage from Louisburg Square. His wife answered the door. She was a plain girl, about seven months' pregnant. She looked worried."" What do you want?"""" I'd like to talk to your husband. My name's Berry. I'm a pathologist at the Lincoln."" She gave me a hard suspicious glance."" My husband is trying to sleep. He's been on call for the last two days, and he's tired. He's trying to sleep."""" It's very important."" A slim young man in white ducks appeared behind her. He looked more than tired; he looked exhausted and afraid. He said,"" What is it?"""" I'd like to talk to you about Karen Randall."""" I've been over it,"" he said,"" a dozen times. Talk to Dr. Carr about it."""" I did."" Whiting ran his hands through his hair, then said to his wife,"" It's O.K., honey. Get me some coffee, would you?"" He turned to me."" Want some coffee?"""" Please,"" I said. We sat in the living room. The apartment was small, the furniture cheap and rickety. But I felt at home: it had been only a few years since I had done my own internship. I knew all about the money problems, the stresses, the hellish hours, and the slop work you had to do. I knew about the irritating calls from nurses in the middle of the night, asking you to",A slim young man in white ducks,"Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks","the garbage from Louisburg Square. His wife answered the door. She was a plain girl, about seven months' pregnant. She looked worried."" What do you want?"""" I'd like to talk to your husband. My name's Berry. I'm a pathologist at the Lincoln."" She gave me a hard suspicious glance."" My husband is trying to sleep. He's been on call for the last two days, and he's tired. He's trying to sleep."""" It's very important."" A slim young man in white ducks appeared behind her. He looked more than tired; he looked exhausted and afraid. He said,"" What is it?"""" I'd like to talk to you about Karen Randall."""" I've been over it,"" he said,"" a dozen times. Talk to Dr. Carr about it."""" I did."" Whiting ran his hands through his hair, then said to his wife,"" It's O.K., honey. Get me some coffee, would you?"" He turned to me."" Want some coffee?"""" Please,"" I said. We sat in the living room. The apartment was small, the furniture cheap and rickety. But I felt at home: it had been only a few years since I had done my own internship. I knew all about the money problems, the stresses, the hellish hours, and the slop work you had to do. I knew about the irritating calls from nurses in the middle of the night, asking you to:Previous Entities: |Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks| ::: I've been over it,"" ",Whiting.M "princess,’",54985,54993,True,567:Enceladus.M,"of the last heroes is spilled here, the Acropolis shall be razed. This hill shall crumble, and the entire city shall be consumed by the Earth Mother. We will be the masters of Creation!’ The crowd hollered and howled, but the giantess Periboia didn’t look convinced.‘ You tempt fate, Father,’ she said.‘ The demigods have friends here as well as enemies. It is not wise–’‘ WISE?’ Porphyrion rose from his throne. All the giants took a step back.‘ Enceladus, my counsellor, explain to my daughter what wisdom is!’ The fiery giant came forward. His eyes glowed like diamonds. Piper loathed his face. She’d seen it too many times in her dreams when her father was held captive.‘ You need not worry, princess,’ Enceladus said.‘ We have taken Delphi. Apollo was driven out of Olympus in shame. The future is closed to the gods. They stumble forward blindly. As for tempting fate…’ He gestured to his left, and a smaller giant shuffled forward. He had ratty grey hair, a wrinkled face and eyes that were milky with cataracts. Instead of armour, he wore a tattered sackcloth tunic. His dragon- scale legs were as white as frost. He didn’t look like much, but Piper noticed that the other monsters kept their distance. Even Porphyrion leaned away from the old giant.‘ This is Thoon,’ Enceladus said.‘ Just as many of us were born to kill certain gods, Thoon was born to kill the Three Fates. He will strangle",Enceladus,"the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus","of the last heroes is spilled here, the Acropolis shall be razed. This hill shall crumble, and the entire city shall be consumed by the Earth Mother. We will be the masters of Creation!’ The crowd hollered and howled, but the giantess Periboia didn’t look convinced.‘ You tempt fate, Father,’ she said.‘ The demigods have friends here as well as enemies. It is not wise–’‘ WISE?’ Porphyrion rose from his throne. All the giants took a step back.‘ Enceladus, my counsellor, explain to my daughter what wisdom is!’ The fiery giant came forward. His eyes glowed like diamonds. Piper loathed his face. She’d seen it too many times in her dreams when her father was held captive.‘ You need not worry, princess,’ Enceladus said.‘ We have taken Delphi. Apollo was driven out of Olympus in shame. The future is closed to the gods. They stumble forward blindly. As for tempting fate…’ He gestured to his left, and a smaller giant shuffled forward. He had ratty grey hair, a wrinkled face and eyes that were milky with cataracts. Instead of armour, he wore a tattered sackcloth tunic. His dragon- scale legs were as white as frost. He didn’t look like much, but Piper noticed that the other monsters kept their distance. Even Porphyrion leaned away from the old giant.‘ This is Thoon,’ Enceladus said.‘ Just as many of us were born to kill certain gods, Thoon was born to kill the Three Fates. He will strangle:Previous Entities: |the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus| ::: princess,’ ",Enceladus.M Mr,40267,40282,True,141:Mr Carpetlayer.M,"as he took off his huge overcoat(with many a grunt and minor scream) and stood him so that his hands rested on the coach. Tiffany concentrated, feeling the man’s back through his thin vest and– yes, there it was, a jumping bone. She stepped across to the horses, whispering a word into each fly- flicking ear, just to be on the safe side. Then she went back to Mr Carpetlayer, who was waiting obediently, not daring to move. As she rolled up her sleeves, he said,‘ You’re not going to turn me into anything unnatural, are you, miss? I wouldn’t want to be a spider. Mortally afraid of spiders, and all my clothes are made for a man with two legs.’‘ Why in the world would you think I’d turn you into anything, Mr Carpetlayer?’ said Tiffany, gently running her hand down his spine.‘ Well, saving your honour’s presence, miss, I thought that’s what witches do, miss– nasty things, miss, earwigs and all that.’‘ Who told you that?’‘ Can’t rightly say,’ said the coachman.‘ It’s just sort of… you know, what everybody knows.’ Tiffany placed her fingers carefully, found the jumping bone, said,‘ This might smart a little,’ and pushed the bone back into place. The coachman screamed again. His horses tried to bolt, but their legs were not doing business as usual, not with the word still ringing in their ears. Tiffany had felt ashamed at the time, a year ago",Mr Carpetlayer,"HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer","as he took off his huge overcoat(with many a grunt and minor scream) and stood him so that his hands rested on the coach. Tiffany concentrated, feeling the man’s back through his thin vest and– yes, there it was, a jumping bone. She stepped across to the horses, whispering a word into each fly- flicking ear, just to be on the safe side. Then she went back to Mr Carpetlayer, who was waiting obediently, not daring to move. As she rolled up her sleeves, he said,‘ You’re not going to turn me into anything unnatural, are you, miss? I wouldn’t want to be a spider. Mortally afraid of spiders, and all my clothes are made for a man with two legs.’‘ Why in the world would you think I’d turn you into anything, Mr Carpetlayer?’ said Tiffany, gently running her hand down his spine.‘ Well, saving your honour’s presence, miss, I thought that’s what witches do, miss– nasty things, miss, earwigs and all that.’‘ Who told you that?’‘ Can’t rightly say,’ said the coachman.‘ It’s just sort of… you know, what everybody knows.’ Tiffany placed her fingers carefully, found the jumping bone, said,‘ This might smart a little,’ and pushed the bone back into place. The coachman screamed again. His horses tried to bolt, but their legs were not doing business as usual, not with the word still ringing in their ears. Tiffany had felt ashamed at the time, a year ago:Previous Entities: |HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer| ::: Mr ",Tiffany.F "We are not looking at fault,""",35911,35919,True,1327:the aged knight.?,"third one was an elderly, bearded knight who was dangerous in a"" Stop playing your rap music so loud, you darn kids! Plus, I could kill you too"" sort of way. Judging by their expressions, they were not happy to see my grandfather and me."" Lord Smedry,"" the man with the chin said,"" Why have you interrupted these proceedings? You know you have no authority here."""" If I let that stop me, I'd never have any fun!"" Grandpa Smedry said."" This is not about fun, Lord Smedry,"" Bastille's mother said."" It's about justice."""" Oh, and since when has it been' just' to punish someone for things that were not their fault?"""" We are not looking at fault,"" said the aged knight."" If a knight is incapable of protecting his or her charges, then that knight must be removed from his or her station. It is not young Bastille's fault if we promoted her too quickly and–“"" You didn't promote her too quickly,"" I snapped."" Bastille is the most amazing knight in your ranks.""“And you know much about the knights in our ranks, young Smedry?"" the aged knight asked. He was right. I felt a little foolish– but then when has that ever stopped a Smedry?"" No,"" I admitted."" But I do know that Bastille has done a fantastic job of protecting my grandfather and me. She's an excellent soldier– I saw her go head-",the aged knight,"Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight","third one was an elderly, bearded knight who was dangerous in a"" Stop playing your rap music so loud, you darn kids! Plus, I could kill you too"" sort of way. Judging by their expressions, they were not happy to see my grandfather and me."" Lord Smedry,"" the man with the chin said,"" Why have you interrupted these proceedings? You know you have no authority here."""" If I let that stop me, I'd never have any fun!"" Grandpa Smedry said."" This is not about fun, Lord Smedry,"" Bastille's mother said."" It's about justice."""" Oh, and since when has it been' just' to punish someone for things that were not their fault?"""" We are not looking at fault,"" said the aged knight."" If a knight is incapable of protecting his or her charges, then that knight must be removed from his or her station. It is not young Bastille's fault if we promoted her too quickly and–“"" You didn't promote her too quickly,"" I snapped."" Bastille is the most amazing knight in your ranks.""“And you know much about the knights in our ranks, young Smedry?"" the aged knight asked. He was right. I felt a little foolish– but then when has that ever stopped a Smedry?"" No,"" I admitted."" But I do know that Bastille has done a fantastic job of protecting my grandfather and me. She's an excellent soldier– I saw her go head-:Previous Entities: |Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight| ::: We are not looking at fault,"" ",the aged knight.M "This system projects a 99% certainty of a class one intrusion approximately forty- five seconds from now.""",22309,22350,True,648:the security system.?,"his jaw, and attempted to speak. The roboticist backed away and raised the stunner. Doon knew she was afraid and felt the same way."" Don't do it— once was enough."" Mary looked doubtful."" You won't go crazy on me?"" The android shook his head."" It's tempting, but no, I won't."" Mary allowed her arm to drop. The stunner was pointed at the floor."" Good. The rider came in the arm, and no, I don't have the gear to evict it. Of equal interest is the fact that a mob has formed— we don't have a lot of time."" As if to confirm Mary's statement, the security system chose that particular moment to interrupt."" Condition Red, I repeat, Condition Red. Fifteen individuals armed with incendiary devices are crossing the street. This system projects a 99% certainty of a class one intrusion approximately forty- five seconds from now."" Alternatives raced each other through Doon's CPU as he struggled to his feet. They all boiled down to three main strategies: Run like hell, fight to win, or stall for time. The first possibility would leave the roboticist begging on the streets— and the second would result in a pointless bloodbath. The Church would send another mob, and another, until victory was achieved. The android turned to Mary."" Do you trust me?"""" Within limits."""" That will suffice... now listen carefully. You must prepare two packs, one filled with food, ammo, and whatever medical supplies you may have. And don't forget trade items. Once that pack is ready, load a second one. There aren't a lot of droid docs left,",the security system,"Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite","his jaw, and attempted to speak. The roboticist backed away and raised the stunner. Doon knew she was afraid and felt the same way."" Don't do it— once was enough."" Mary looked doubtful."" You won't go crazy on me?"" The android shook his head."" It's tempting, but no, I won't."" Mary allowed her arm to drop. The stunner was pointed at the floor."" Good. The rider came in the arm, and no, I don't have the gear to evict it. Of equal interest is the fact that a mob has formed— we don't have a lot of time."" As if to confirm Mary's statement, the security system chose that particular moment to interrupt."" Condition Red, I repeat, Condition Red. Fifteen individuals armed with incendiary devices are crossing the street. This system projects a 99% certainty of a class one intrusion approximately forty- five seconds from now."" Alternatives raced each other through Doon's CPU as he struggled to his feet. They all boiled down to three main strategies: Run like hell, fight to win, or stall for time. The first possibility would leave the roboticist begging on the streets— and the second would result in a pointless bloodbath. The Church would send another mob, and another, until victory was achieved. The android turned to Mary."" Do you trust me?"""" Within limits."""" That will suffice... now listen carefully. You must prepare two packs, one filled with food, ammo, and whatever medical supplies you may have. And don't forget trade items. Once that pack is ready, load a second one. There aren't a lot of droid docs left,:Previous Entities: |Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite| ::: This system projects a 99% certainty of a class one intrusion approximately forty- five seconds from now."" ","Mary.F Doon.M" "“Impossible on Arrakis,”",68766,68771,True,456:Bewt.M,"quality in his voice, said,“Growth is limited by that necessity which is present in the least amount. And, naturally, the least favorable condition controls the growth rate.”“It’s rare to find members of a Great House aware of planetological problems,” Kynes said.“Water is the least favorable condition for life on Arrakis. And remember that growth itself can produce unfavorable conditions unless treated with extreme care.” Jessica sensed a hidden message in Kynes’ words, but knew she was missing it.“Growth,” she said.“Do you mean Arrakis can have an orderly cycle of water to sustain human life under more favorable conditions?”“Impossible!” the water magnate barked. Jessica turned her attention to Bewt.“Impossible?”“Impossible on Arrakis,” he said.“Don’t listen to this dreamer. All the laboratory evidence is against him.” Kynes looked at Bewt, and Jessica noted that the other conversations around the table had stopped while people concentrated on this new interchange.“Laboratory evidence tends to blind us to a very simple fact,” Kynes said.“That fact is this: we are dealing here with matters that originated and exist out- of- doors where plants and animals carry on their normal existence.”“Normal!” Bewt snorted.“Nothing about Arrakis is normal!”“Quite the contrary,” Kynes said.“Certain harmonies could be set up here along self- sustaining lines. You merely have to understand the limits of the planet and the pressures upon it.”“",Bewt,"the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt","quality in his voice, said,“Growth is limited by that necessity which is present in the least amount. And, naturally, the least favorable condition controls the growth rate.”“It’s rare to find members of a Great House aware of planetological problems,” Kynes said.“Water is the least favorable condition for life on Arrakis. And remember that growth itself can produce unfavorable conditions unless treated with extreme care.” Jessica sensed a hidden message in Kynes’ words, but knew she was missing it.“Growth,” she said.“Do you mean Arrakis can have an orderly cycle of water to sustain human life under more favorable conditions?”“Impossible!” the water magnate barked. Jessica turned her attention to Bewt.“Impossible?”“Impossible on Arrakis,” he said.“Don’t listen to this dreamer. All the laboratory evidence is against him.” Kynes looked at Bewt, and Jessica noted that the other conversations around the table had stopped while people concentrated on this new interchange.“Laboratory evidence tends to blind us to a very simple fact,” Kynes said.“That fact is this: we are dealing here with matters that originated and exist out- of- doors where plants and animals carry on their normal existence.”“Normal!” Bewt snorted.“Nothing about Arrakis is normal!”“Quite the contrary,” Kynes said.“Certain harmonies could be set up here along self- sustaining lines. You merely have to understand the limits of the planet and the pressures upon it.”“:Previous Entities: |the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt| ::: “Impossible on Arrakis,” ",Kynes.M "“It’s,",6136,6147,True,124:Brother Fingers.?,"copy. It has taken me years to track it down,” said the Supreme Grand Master.“It’s in the handwriting of Tubal de Malachite, a great student of dragon lore. His actual handwriting. He summoned dragons of all sizes. And so can you.” There was another long, awkward silence.“Um,” said Brother Doorkeeper.“Sounds a bit like, you know… magic to me,” said Brother Watchtower, in the nervous tone of the man who has spotted which cup the pea is hidden under but doesn’t like to say.“I mean, not wishing to question your supreme wisdomship and that, but… well… you know… magic…” His voice trailed off.“Yeah,” said Brother Plasterer uncomfortably.“It’s, er, the wizards, see,” said Brother Fingers.“You prob’ly dint know this, when you was banged up with them venerable herberts on their mountain, but the wizards around here come down on you like a ton of bricks if they catches you doin’ anything like that.”“Demarcation, they call it,” said Brother Plasterer.“Like, I don’t go around fiddling with the mystic interleaved wossnames of causality, and they don’t do any plastering.”“I fail to see the problem,” said the Supreme Grand Master. In fact, he saw it all too clearly. This was the last hurdle. Help their tiny little minds over this, and he held the world in the palm of his hand. Their stupefyingly unintelligent self- interest hadn’t let him down so far",Brother Fingers,"Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin","copy. It has taken me years to track it down,” said the Supreme Grand Master.“It’s in the handwriting of Tubal de Malachite, a great student of dragon lore. His actual handwriting. He summoned dragons of all sizes. And so can you.” There was another long, awkward silence.“Um,” said Brother Doorkeeper.“Sounds a bit like, you know… magic to me,” said Brother Watchtower, in the nervous tone of the man who has spotted which cup the pea is hidden under but doesn’t like to say.“I mean, not wishing to question your supreme wisdomship and that, but… well… you know… magic…” His voice trailed off.“Yeah,” said Brother Plasterer uncomfortably.“It’s, er, the wizards, see,” said Brother Fingers.“You prob’ly dint know this, when you was banged up with them venerable herberts on their mountain, but the wizards around here come down on you like a ton of bricks if they catches you doin’ anything like that.”“Demarcation, they call it,” said Brother Plasterer.“Like, I don’t go around fiddling with the mystic interleaved wossnames of causality, and they don’t do any plastering.”“I fail to see the problem,” said the Supreme Grand Master. In fact, he saw it all too clearly. This was the last hurdle. Help their tiny little minds over this, and he held the world in the palm of his hand. Their stupefyingly unintelligent self- interest hadn’t let him down so far:Previous Entities: |Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin| ::: “It’s, ","Supreme Grand Master.M Brother Doorkeeper.M Brother Watchtower.M Brother Plasterer.M Brother Fingers.M" "It’s nae easy,",32146,32158,True,1218:the one just here.?,", which had been so long that he could tuck it into his belt? Not a hair was left. He had to go around with a scarf over his face, in case the sight of his poor pink chin frightened the ladies... It was probably witches, people agreed, and made a few more curse- nets to hang in their windows. However... On the far side of the Chalk, where the long green slopes came down to the flat fields of the plain, there were big thickets of bramble and hawthorn. Usually, these were alive with birdsong, but this particular one, the one just here, was alive with cussing.‘ Ach, crivens! Will ye no’ mind where ye’re puttin’ yer foot, ye spavie!’‘ I cannae help it! It’s nae easy, bein’ a knee!’‘ Ye think ye got troubles? Ye wannae be doon here in the boots! That old man Swindell couldnae ha’ washed his feet in years! It’s fair reekin’ doon here!’‘ Reekin’, izzit? Well, you try bein’ in this pocket! Them ferrets ne’er got oot to gae to the lavie, if you get my meanin’!’‘ Crivens! Will ye dafties no’ shut up?’‘ Oh, aye? Hark at him! Just‘ cuz ye’re up in the heid, you think you know everythin’? Fra’ doon here ye’re nothing but dead weight, pal!’‘ Aye, right! I’m wi’ the elbows on this one! Where’d you be if it wuzn’t for",the one just here,"The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here",", which had been so long that he could tuck it into his belt? Not a hair was left. He had to go around with a scarf over his face, in case the sight of his poor pink chin frightened the ladies... It was probably witches, people agreed, and made a few more curse- nets to hang in their windows. However... On the far side of the Chalk, where the long green slopes came down to the flat fields of the plain, there were big thickets of bramble and hawthorn. Usually, these were alive with birdsong, but this particular one, the one just here, was alive with cussing.‘ Ach, crivens! Will ye no’ mind where ye’re puttin’ yer foot, ye spavie!’‘ I cannae help it! It’s nae easy, bein’ a knee!’‘ Ye think ye got troubles? Ye wannae be doon here in the boots! That old man Swindell couldnae ha’ washed his feet in years! It’s fair reekin’ doon here!’‘ Reekin’, izzit? Well, you try bein’ in this pocket! Them ferrets ne’er got oot to gae to the lavie, if you get my meanin’!’‘ Crivens! Will ye dafties no’ shut up?’‘ Oh, aye? Hark at him! Just‘ cuz ye’re up in the heid, you think you know everythin’? Fra’ doon here ye’re nothing but dead weight, pal!’‘ Aye, right! I’m wi’ the elbows on this one! Where’d you be if it wuzn’t for:Previous Entities: |The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here| ::: It’s nae easy, ",The old man Swindell. “Very inventive those young owls.”,38591,38598,True,"1055:the plump , elderly nest - maid snake.F","the Beyond hard to hold. Uglamore followed, as did the rest of the platoon.“So, Octavia,” Ezylryb settled onto his favorite parlor perch in his hollow and plucked a dried caterpillar from a small dish, his favorite snack food.“Our young Guardians, the Chaw of Chaws, have become quite proficient in torch fighting. Simply amazing what they can do with a blazing branch. I mean, we have always had a flame squadron. But it was a rather minor unit, and they only used burning branches defensively, never offensively as these young owls did. They have essentially invented a new weapon.”“Yes, sir, that they did,” said the plump, elderly nest- maid snake, as she dusted off the piles of books.“Very inventive those young owls.”“Yes, I suppose they are the fruits of an open free- thinking society.”“Nothing wrong with that, sir,” Octavia replied.“No, nothing at all.” Octavia, however, could tell that something was wrong by the tone in Ezylryb’s voice.“But don’t you think it’s rather ironic that years ago I hung up my battle claws, hid them away in that back chamber of the hollow? And now something even more destructive, more deadly than battle claws has been invented, not to mention the flecks. Glaux, those flecks are dangerous.”“Yes, sir, that they are.” Octavia knew that Ezylryb was, as he was sometimes inclined to do, approaching by a very circuitous route the heart of","the plump , elderly nest - maid snake","a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake","the Beyond hard to hold. Uglamore followed, as did the rest of the platoon.“So, Octavia,” Ezylryb settled onto his favorite parlor perch in his hollow and plucked a dried caterpillar from a small dish, his favorite snack food.“Our young Guardians, the Chaw of Chaws, have become quite proficient in torch fighting. Simply amazing what they can do with a blazing branch. I mean, we have always had a flame squadron. But it was a rather minor unit, and they only used burning branches defensively, never offensively as these young owls did. They have essentially invented a new weapon.”“Yes, sir, that they did,” said the plump, elderly nest- maid snake, as she dusted off the piles of books.“Very inventive those young owls.”“Yes, I suppose they are the fruits of an open free- thinking society.”“Nothing wrong with that, sir,” Octavia replied.“No, nothing at all.” Octavia, however, could tell that something was wrong by the tone in Ezylryb’s voice.“But don’t you think it’s rather ironic that years ago I hung up my battle claws, hid them away in that back chamber of the hollow? And now something even more destructive, more deadly than battle claws has been invented, not to mention the flecks. Glaux, those flecks are dangerous.”“Yes, sir, that they are.” Octavia knew that Ezylryb was, as he was sometimes inclined to do, approaching by a very circuitous route the heart of:Previous Entities: |a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake| ::: “Very inventive those young owls.” ",Ezylryb.M And— Master Launchcontroller?”,76695,76714,True,2453:the Launchcontroller.M,"Arch- astronomer frowned.“What else have you got to say, man?” The Launchcontroller swallowed. All this was very unfair on him, he was a practical magician rather than a diplomat, and that was why some wiser brains had seen to it that he would be the one to pass on the news.“A monster has come out of the sea and it’s attacking the ships in the harbor,” he said.“A runner just arrived from there.”“A big monster?” said the Arch- astronomer.“Not particularly, although it is said to be exceptionally fierce, lord.” The ruler of Krull and the Circumfence considered this for a moment, then shrugged.“The sea is full of monsters,” he said.“It is one of its prime attributes. Have it dealt with. And— Master Launchcontroller?”“Lord?”“If I am further vexed, you will recall that two people are due to be sacrificed. I may feel generous and increase the number.”“Yes, lord.” The Master Launchcontroller scuttled away, relieved to be out of the autocrat’s sight. The Potent Voyager, no longer the blank bronze shell that had been smashed from the mold a few days earlier, rested in its cradle on top of a wooden tower in the center of the arena. In front of it a railway ran down toward the Edge, where for the space of a few yards it turned suddenly upward. The late Dactylos Goldeneyes, who had designed the launching pad as well as the Potent Voyager itself, had claimed that this last touch was merely to ensure that the",the Launchcontroller,"the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller","Arch- astronomer frowned.“What else have you got to say, man?” The Launchcontroller swallowed. All this was very unfair on him, he was a practical magician rather than a diplomat, and that was why some wiser brains had seen to it that he would be the one to pass on the news.“A monster has come out of the sea and it’s attacking the ships in the harbor,” he said.“A runner just arrived from there.”“A big monster?” said the Arch- astronomer.“Not particularly, although it is said to be exceptionally fierce, lord.” The ruler of Krull and the Circumfence considered this for a moment, then shrugged.“The sea is full of monsters,” he said.“It is one of its prime attributes. Have it dealt with. And— Master Launchcontroller?”“Lord?”“If I am further vexed, you will recall that two people are due to be sacrificed. I may feel generous and increase the number.”“Yes, lord.” The Master Launchcontroller scuttled away, relieved to be out of the autocrat’s sight. The Potent Voyager, no longer the blank bronze shell that had been smashed from the mold a few days earlier, rested in its cradle on top of a wooden tower in the center of the arena. In front of it a railway ran down toward the Edge, where for the space of a few yards it turned suddenly upward. The late Dactylos Goldeneyes, who had designed the launching pad as well as the Potent Voyager itself, had claimed that this last touch was merely to ensure that the:Previous Entities: |the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller| ::: And— Master Launchcontroller?” ",Arch-astronomer.M "Giddyup,",33326,33335,True,107:Mr Crabber.?,"you up into the mountains, sir. You can catch one in Twoshirts, sir. I never go any further than Twoshirts, sir. But you won’t be able to get the stage today, sir.’‘ Why not?’‘ I’ve got to make stops at the other villages, sir, and it’s a long way, and on Wednesdays it runs early, sir, and this cart can only go so fast, sir, and—’‘ If we— I dinnae catch yon coach today I’ll gi’e ye the hidin’ o’ yer life,’ growled the passenger.‘ But if I do catch yon coach today, I’ll gie ye five o’ them gold coins.’ Mr Crabber took a deep breath, and yelled:‘ Hi! Hyah! Giddyup, Henry!’ All in all, it seemed to Tiffany, most of what witches did really was very similar to work. Dull work. Miss Level didn’t even use her broomstick very much. That was a bit depressing. It was all a bit… well, goody- goody. Obviously that was better than being baddy- baddy, but a little more… excitement would be nice. Tiffany wouldn’t like anyone to think she’d expected to be issued with a magic wand on Day One but, well, the way Miss Level talked about magic, the whole point of witchcraft lay in not using any. Mind you, Tiffany thought she would be depressingly good at not using any. It was doing the simplest magic that was hard. Miss Level patiently showed her how to make a",Mr Crabber,"Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","you up into the mountains, sir. You can catch one in Twoshirts, sir. I never go any further than Twoshirts, sir. But you won’t be able to get the stage today, sir.’‘ Why not?’‘ I’ve got to make stops at the other villages, sir, and it’s a long way, and on Wednesdays it runs early, sir, and this cart can only go so fast, sir, and—’‘ If we— I dinnae catch yon coach today I’ll gi’e ye the hidin’ o’ yer life,’ growled the passenger.‘ But if I do catch yon coach today, I’ll gie ye five o’ them gold coins.’ Mr Crabber took a deep breath, and yelled:‘ Hi! Hyah! Giddyup, Henry!’ All in all, it seemed to Tiffany, most of what witches did really was very similar to work. Dull work. Miss Level didn’t even use her broomstick very much. That was a bit depressing. It was all a bit… well, goody- goody. Obviously that was better than being baddy- baddy, but a little more… excitement would be nice. Tiffany wouldn’t like anyone to think she’d expected to be issued with a magic wand on Day One but, well, the way Miss Level talked about magic, the whole point of witchcraft lay in not using any. Mind you, Tiffany thought she would be depressingly good at not using any. It was doing the simplest magic that was hard. Miss Level patiently showed her how to make a:Previous Entities: |Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: Giddyup, ",Mr Crabber.M “Self de- featheration?”,29550,29556,True,261:The H’ryth.M,"from his eyes, which signified deep wisdom, had intensified.“Do you know what has happened since you’ve been gone? What I have just this morning been informed of?” The plumage on the H’ryth’s head had been closely clipped except for the single blue feather that stood straight up. This was the identifying mark of all spiritual guides, the pikyus in the owlery. The feather quivered with his rage.“No, honorable Gup Theosang. Enlighten me.”“An alert page from the Dragon Court has just discovered that a score of owls has fled.”“What?” Tengshu felt a quaking deep in his gizzard.“They used the same strategy as the perfidious Orlando.” The H’ryth’s voice, which was usually smooth, was rasping.“Self de- featheration?”“Yes, and undoubtedly there were some accomplices. Two, possibly three, lower- echelon servants have gone with them.” Tengshu was aghast. He closed his eyes.“I am deeply sorry. I should not have abandoned my post at the Wind’s Gates.” Gup Theosang’s wings sagged a bit as he perched on the branch of petrified wood in the hollow at the very highest point in the Mountain of Time, a place known as the Hollow of Supreme Concentration.“It is not your fault. They would have found some other route to the River of Wind.”“Perhaps, but my qui lines might have detected their track, some remnant feather from their flight.” Gup Theosang was an owl of great empathy.“I do not need",The H’ryth,"Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth","from his eyes, which signified deep wisdom, had intensified.“Do you know what has happened since you’ve been gone? What I have just this morning been informed of?” The plumage on the H’ryth’s head had been closely clipped except for the single blue feather that stood straight up. This was the identifying mark of all spiritual guides, the pikyus in the owlery. The feather quivered with his rage.“No, honorable Gup Theosang. Enlighten me.”“An alert page from the Dragon Court has just discovered that a score of owls has fled.”“What?” Tengshu felt a quaking deep in his gizzard.“They used the same strategy as the perfidious Orlando.” The H’ryth’s voice, which was usually smooth, was rasping.“Self de- featheration?”“Yes, and undoubtedly there were some accomplices. Two, possibly three, lower- echelon servants have gone with them.” Tengshu was aghast. He closed his eyes.“I am deeply sorry. I should not have abandoned my post at the Wind’s Gates.” Gup Theosang’s wings sagged a bit as he perched on the branch of petrified wood in the hollow at the very highest point in the Mountain of Time, a place known as the Hollow of Supreme Concentration.“It is not your fault. They would have found some other route to the River of Wind.”“Perhaps, but my qui lines might have detected their track, some remnant feather from their flight.” Gup Theosang was an owl of great empathy.“I do not need:Previous Entities: |Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth| ::: “Self de- featheration?” ",Tengshu.M you told me you were.,2298,2320,True,1451:The boyfriend.M,". The couple had promptly fallen into an argument. In truth, Marshall felt that Marisa and the boyfriend didn’t seem to belong together. He was American, a beefy, red- faced fellow built like a footballer, with longish hair and wire- frame glasses that did not suit his thick features. He looked like a pig trying to appear scholarly. His name was Jim, and he was angry with Marisa, apparently because she had spent the previous night away from him.“I don’t know why you won’t tell me where you were,” he kept repeating.“It is none of your business, that’s why.”“But I thought we were going to have dinner together.”“Jimmy, I told you we were not.”“No, you told me you were. And I was waiting at the hotel for you. All night.”“So? No one made you. You could go out. Enjoy yourself.”“But I was waiting for you.”“Jimmy, you do not own me.” She was exasperated by him, sighing, throwing up her hands, or slapping her bare knees. Her legs were crossed, and the short skirt rode up high.“I do as I please.”“That’s clear.”“Yes,” she said, and at that moment she turned to Marshall and said,“What is that you are reading? It looks very complicated.” At first Marshall was alarmed. She was clearly talking to him to taunt the boyfriend. He did not want to be drawn into the couple’s dispute.“It’s physics,”",The boyfriend,"Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend",". The couple had promptly fallen into an argument. In truth, Marshall felt that Marisa and the boyfriend didn’t seem to belong together. He was American, a beefy, red- faced fellow built like a footballer, with longish hair and wire- frame glasses that did not suit his thick features. He looked like a pig trying to appear scholarly. His name was Jim, and he was angry with Marisa, apparently because she had spent the previous night away from him.“I don’t know why you won’t tell me where you were,” he kept repeating.“It is none of your business, that’s why.”“But I thought we were going to have dinner together.”“Jimmy, I told you we were not.”“No, you told me you were. And I was waiting at the hotel for you. All night.”“So? No one made you. You could go out. Enjoy yourself.”“But I was waiting for you.”“Jimmy, you do not own me.” She was exasperated by him, sighing, throwing up her hands, or slapping her bare knees. Her legs were crossed, and the short skirt rode up high.“I do as I please.”“That’s clear.”“Yes,” she said, and at that moment she turned to Marshall and said,“What is that you are reading? It looks very complicated.” At first Marshall was alarmed. She was clearly talking to him to taunt the boyfriend. He did not want to be drawn into the couple’s dispute.“It’s physics,”:Previous Entities: |Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend| ::: you told me you were. ",Jim.M But he has no strength in this form.,122595,122662,True,390:Sobek.M,"peace or we’ll destroy you!” Good, Horus said.“Destroy” is good. Sobek roared with laughter.“Your sense of humor has improved, Horus. You and your kitty will destroy me?” He turned his mucus- filmed eyes on Bast.“What brings you to my realm, cat goddess? I thought you didn’t like the water!” On the last word, he aimed his staff and shot forth a torrent of green water. Bast was too quick. She jumped and came down behind Sobek with her avatar fully formed— a massive, glowing cat- headed warrior.“Traitor!” Bast yelled.“Why do you side with chaos? Your duty is to the king!”“What king?” Sobek roared.“Ra? Ra is gone. Osiris is dead again, the weakling! And this boy child can not restore the empire. There was a time I supported Horus, yes. But he has no strength in this form. He has no followers. Set offers power. Set offers fresh meat. I think I will start with godling flesh!” He turned on me and swung his staff. I rolled away from his strike, but his free hand shot out and grabbed me around the waist. I just wasn’t quick enough. Bast tensed, preparing to launch herself at the enemy, but before she could, Sobek dropped his staff, grasped me with both massive hands, and dragged me into the water. The next thing I knew I was drowning in the cold green murk. I couldn’t see or breathe. I sank into the depths as Sobek’s hands crushed the air out of my lungs. Now or never! Horus said. Let me take control. No, I replied. I’ll die first. I found the thought strangely calming. If I was already dead, there was no point in being",Sobek,"Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek","peace or we’ll destroy you!” Good, Horus said.“Destroy” is good. Sobek roared with laughter.“Your sense of humor has improved, Horus. You and your kitty will destroy me?” He turned his mucus- filmed eyes on Bast.“What brings you to my realm, cat goddess? I thought you didn’t like the water!” On the last word, he aimed his staff and shot forth a torrent of green water. Bast was too quick. She jumped and came down behind Sobek with her avatar fully formed— a massive, glowing cat- headed warrior.“Traitor!” Bast yelled.“Why do you side with chaos? Your duty is to the king!”“What king?” Sobek roared.“Ra? Ra is gone. Osiris is dead again, the weakling! And this boy child can not restore the empire. There was a time I supported Horus, yes. But he has no strength in this form. He has no followers. Set offers power. Set offers fresh meat. I think I will start with godling flesh!” He turned on me and swung his staff. I rolled away from his strike, but his free hand shot out and grabbed me around the waist. I just wasn’t quick enough. Bast tensed, preparing to launch herself at the enemy, but before she could, Sobek dropped his staff, grasped me with both massive hands, and dragged me into the water. The next thing I knew I was drowning in the cold green murk. I couldn’t see or breathe. I sank into the depths as Sobek’s hands crushed the air out of my lungs. Now or never! Horus said. Let me take control. No, I replied. I’ll die first. I found the thought strangely calming. If I was already dead, there was no point in being:Previous Entities: |Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek| ::: But he has no strength in this form. ",Sobek.M "I’m told,",17703,17743,True,176:Lombardazzi.?,"job—”“Your job is to hold the rest of the guys in the dugout,” Jersey Joe says.“Send Blakely… Katsanis… down here on his own. He’ll be gone when the rest of the guys get to the locker room. Then we’ll try to sort this clusterfuck out.”“What the hell do I tell them?”“Team meeting. Free ice cream. I don’t care. You just hold them for five minutes.” I says to Lombardazzi,“No one tipped? No one? You mean no one heard the radio broadcasts and tried calling Pop Blakely to say how great it was that his kid was tearing up the bigs?”“I imagine one or two might have tried,” Lombardazzi said.“Folks from Iowa do come to the big city from time to time, I’m told, and I imagine a few people visiting New York listen to the Titans or read about em in the paper—”“I prefer the Yankees,” one of the bluesuits chimes in.“If I want your opinion, I’ll rattle the bars in your cage,” Lombardazzi said.“Until then, shut up and die right.” I looked at Joe, feeling sick. Getting a bad call and getting run off the field during my first managerial stint now seemed like the very least of my problems.“Get him in here alone,” Joe said.“I don’t care how. The guys shouldn’t have to see this.” He thought it over and added:“And the kid shouldn’t have to see them seeing it. No matter what he did.” If it matters— and I know it don’t— we lost that game two to one",Lombardazzi,"the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade","job—”“Your job is to hold the rest of the guys in the dugout,” Jersey Joe says.“Send Blakely… Katsanis… down here on his own. He’ll be gone when the rest of the guys get to the locker room. Then we’ll try to sort this clusterfuck out.”“What the hell do I tell them?”“Team meeting. Free ice cream. I don’t care. You just hold them for five minutes.” I says to Lombardazzi,“No one tipped? No one? You mean no one heard the radio broadcasts and tried calling Pop Blakely to say how great it was that his kid was tearing up the bigs?”“I imagine one or two might have tried,” Lombardazzi said.“Folks from Iowa do come to the big city from time to time, I’m told, and I imagine a few people visiting New York listen to the Titans or read about em in the paper—”“I prefer the Yankees,” one of the bluesuits chimes in.“If I want your opinion, I’ll rattle the bars in your cage,” Lombardazzi said.“Until then, shut up and die right.” I looked at Joe, feeling sick. Getting a bad call and getting run off the field during my first managerial stint now seemed like the very least of my problems.“Get him in here alone,” Joe said.“I don’t care how. The guys shouldn’t have to see this.” He thought it over and added:“And the kid shouldn’t have to see them seeing it. No matter what he did.” If it matters— and I know it don’t— we lost that game two to one:Previous Entities: |the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade| ::: I’m told, ",Lombardazzi.M "“You find more than one tonight,",85444,85454,True,735:Manuel.M,"evolution? Tourists changed everything else about a country, why not its wildlife? Because if a turtle happened to possess some quality— perhaps a tolerance for flashlights, or the ability to make a plaintive, pained mothering sound— if they had something that drew tourists and kept them hanging around into the night, then those turtles would be more likely to survive, and their eggs more likely to survive, and their offspring more likely to survive. Differential survival that resulted from being a tourist attraction. That had been the joke, in school. But, of course, it was theoretically possible. And if what Manuel was telling him was true… Manuel saw him and waved. He stood as Julio approached.“This way,” he said, and started down the beach.“You find more than one tonight, Julio?”“Just one. Of that kind I was speaking of.”“Muy bien.” They walked down the beach in silence. But they had not gone far— perhaps a hundred yards or so— when Julio saw the faint purple glow, low to the sand, and pulsing slightly.“That’s it?”“That’s it,” Manuel said. She was a female of perhaps one hundred kilos, a meter and a quarter long. She had characteristic shell plates, about the size of his palm. Brownish, streaked with black. She was half buried in the sand, digging a pit at the rear with her flippers. Julio stood over her and watched.“It starts and stops,” Manuel said. And then it began again. A",Manuel,"The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp","evolution? Tourists changed everything else about a country, why not its wildlife? Because if a turtle happened to possess some quality— perhaps a tolerance for flashlights, or the ability to make a plaintive, pained mothering sound— if they had something that drew tourists and kept them hanging around into the night, then those turtles would be more likely to survive, and their eggs more likely to survive, and their offspring more likely to survive. Differential survival that resulted from being a tourist attraction. That had been the joke, in school. But, of course, it was theoretically possible. And if what Manuel was telling him was true… Manuel saw him and waved. He stood as Julio approached.“This way,” he said, and started down the beach.“You find more than one tonight, Julio?”“Just one. Of that kind I was speaking of.”“Muy bien.” They walked down the beach in silence. But they had not gone far— perhaps a hundred yards or so— when Julio saw the faint purple glow, low to the sand, and pulsing slightly.“That’s it?”“That’s it,” Manuel said. She was a female of perhaps one hundred kilos, a meter and a quarter long. She had characteristic shell plates, about the size of his palm. Brownish, streaked with black. She was half buried in the sand, digging a pit at the rear with her flippers. Julio stood over her and watched.“It starts and stops,” Manuel said. And then it began again. A:Previous Entities: |The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp| ::: “You find more than one tonight, ",Manuel.M Now there are plants.,73518,73589,True,377:al - Fali.M,"can not abandon the desert."""" Hah!"" Alia sneered."" The superstitious riffraff of the Inner Desert fear the ecological transformation. They--"""" I hear you, Ghadhean,"" Jessica said."" If the worms go, the spice goes. If the spice goes, what coin do we have to buy our way?"" Sounds of surprise: gasps and startled whispers could be heard spreading across the Great Hall. The Chamber echoed to the sound. Alia shrugged."" Superstitious nonsense!"" Al- Fali lifted his right hand to point at Alia."" I speak to the Mother of Moisture, not to the Coan- Teen!"" Alia's hands gripped the arms of her throne, but she remained seated. Al- Fali looked at Jessica."" Once it was the land where nothing grew. Now there are plants. They spread like lice upon a wound. There have been clouds and rain along the belt of Dune! Rain, My Lady! Oh, precious mother of Muad'Dib, as sleep is death's brother, so is rain on the Belt of Dune. It is the death of us all."""" We do only what Liet- Kynes and Muad'Dib himself designed for us to do,"" Alia protested."" What is all of this superstitious gabble? We revere the words of Liet- Kynes, who told us:' I wish to see this entire planet caught up in a net of green plants.' So it will be."""" And what of the worms and the spice?"" Jessica asked."" There'll always be some desert,"" Alia said."" The worms will survive."" She's lying, Jessica thought. Why does she lie?"" Help us, Mother of Moisture,"" al- Fali pleaded. With an abrupt sensation of double vision, Jessica felt her awareness lurch, propelled by the old Naib's words. It was",al - Fali,"Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali","can not abandon the desert."""" Hah!"" Alia sneered."" The superstitious riffraff of the Inner Desert fear the ecological transformation. They--"""" I hear you, Ghadhean,"" Jessica said."" If the worms go, the spice goes. If the spice goes, what coin do we have to buy our way?"" Sounds of surprise: gasps and startled whispers could be heard spreading across the Great Hall. The Chamber echoed to the sound. Alia shrugged."" Superstitious nonsense!"" Al- Fali lifted his right hand to point at Alia."" I speak to the Mother of Moisture, not to the Coan- Teen!"" Alia's hands gripped the arms of her throne, but she remained seated. Al- Fali looked at Jessica."" Once it was the land where nothing grew. Now there are plants. They spread like lice upon a wound. There have been clouds and rain along the belt of Dune! Rain, My Lady! Oh, precious mother of Muad'Dib, as sleep is death's brother, so is rain on the Belt of Dune. It is the death of us all."""" We do only what Liet- Kynes and Muad'Dib himself designed for us to do,"" Alia protested."" What is all of this superstitious gabble? We revere the words of Liet- Kynes, who told us:' I wish to see this entire planet caught up in a net of green plants.' So it will be."""" And what of the worms and the spice?"" Jessica asked."" There'll always be some desert,"" Alia said."" The worms will survive."" She's lying, Jessica thought. Why does she lie?"" Help us, Mother of Moisture,"" al- Fali pleaded. With an abrupt sensation of double vision, Jessica felt her awareness lurch, propelled by the old Naib's words. It was:Previous Entities: |Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali| ::: Now there are plants. ",Alia.F all of them?”,4656,4663,True,182:Hugh.M,"into place.“Hallo yourself,” Hugh riposted. The stranger smiled widely fumbled yet again in the pouch. This time his hand came out holding a large gold coin. It was in fact slightly larger than an 8000- dollar Ankhian crown and the design on it was unfamiliar, but it spoke inside Hugh’s mind in a language he understood perfectly. My current owner, it said, is in need of succor and assistance; why not give it to him, so you and me can go off somewhere and enjoy ourselves? Subtle changes in the beggar’s posture made the stranger feel more at ease. He consulted the small book again.“I wish to be directed to a hotel, tavern, lodging house, inn, hospice, caravanserai,” he said.“What, all of them?” said Hugh, taken aback.“?” said the stranger. Hugh was aware that a small crowd of fishwives, shellfish diggers and freelance gawpers were watching them with interest.“Look,” he said,“I know a good tavern, is that enough?” He shuddered to think of the gold coin escaping from his life. He’d keep that one, even if Ymor confiscated all the rest. And the big chest that comprised most of the newcomer’s luggage looked to be full of gold, Hugh decided. The four- eyed man looked at his book.“I would like to be directed to a hotel, place of repose, tavern, a—”“Yes, all right. Come on then,” said Hugh hurriedly. He picked up",Hugh,"FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh","into place.“Hallo yourself,” Hugh riposted. The stranger smiled widely fumbled yet again in the pouch. This time his hand came out holding a large gold coin. It was in fact slightly larger than an 8000- dollar Ankhian crown and the design on it was unfamiliar, but it spoke inside Hugh’s mind in a language he understood perfectly. My current owner, it said, is in need of succor and assistance; why not give it to him, so you and me can go off somewhere and enjoy ourselves? Subtle changes in the beggar’s posture made the stranger feel more at ease. He consulted the small book again.“I wish to be directed to a hotel, tavern, lodging house, inn, hospice, caravanserai,” he said.“What, all of them?” said Hugh, taken aback.“?” said the stranger. Hugh was aware that a small crowd of fishwives, shellfish diggers and freelance gawpers were watching them with interest.“Look,” he said,“I know a good tavern, is that enough?” He shuddered to think of the gold coin escaping from his life. He’d keep that one, even if Ymor confiscated all the rest. And the big chest that comprised most of the newcomer’s luggage looked to be full of gold, Hugh decided. The four- eyed man looked at his book.“I would like to be directed to a hotel, place of repose, tavern, a—”“Yes, all right. Come on then,” said Hugh hurriedly. He picked up:Previous Entities: |FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh| ::: all of them?” ",Hugh.M "“I dunno,",198095,198105,True,454:Amycus.M,"her and prodded her backside with his big toe.“I think she might be dead!” he shouted with delight.“Oh, look,” whispered Luna happily, as the Ravenclaws crowded in around Alecto.“They’re pleased!”“Yeah… great…” Harry closed his eyes, and as his scar throbbed he chose to sink again into Voldemort’s mind.… He was moving along the tunnel into the first cave.… He had chosen to make sure of the locket before coming… but that would not take him long.… There was a rap on the common room door and every Ravenclaw froze. From the other side, Harry heard the soft, musical voice that issued from the eagle door knocker:“Where do Vanished objects go?”“I dunno, do I? Shut it!” snarled an uncouth voice that Harry knew was that of the Carrow brother, Amycus.“Alecto? Alecto? Are you there? Have you got him? Open the door!” The Ravenclaws were whispering amongst themselves, terrified. Then, without warning, there came a series of loud bangs, as though somebody was firing a gun into the door.“ALECTO! If he comes, and we haven’t got Potter— d’you want to go the same way as the Malfoys? ANSWER ME!” Amycus bellowed, shaking the door for all he was worth, but still it did not open. The Ravenclaws were all backing away, and some of the most frightened began scampering back up the staircase to their beds. Then, just as Harry was wondering whether he ought not",Amycus,"the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus","her and prodded her backside with his big toe.“I think she might be dead!” he shouted with delight.“Oh, look,” whispered Luna happily, as the Ravenclaws crowded in around Alecto.“They’re pleased!”“Yeah… great…” Harry closed his eyes, and as his scar throbbed he chose to sink again into Voldemort’s mind.… He was moving along the tunnel into the first cave.… He had chosen to make sure of the locket before coming… but that would not take him long.… There was a rap on the common room door and every Ravenclaw froze. From the other side, Harry heard the soft, musical voice that issued from the eagle door knocker:“Where do Vanished objects go?”“I dunno, do I? Shut it!” snarled an uncouth voice that Harry knew was that of the Carrow brother, Amycus.“Alecto? Alecto? Are you there? Have you got him? Open the door!” The Ravenclaws were whispering amongst themselves, terrified. Then, without warning, there came a series of loud bangs, as though somebody was firing a gun into the door.“ALECTO! If he comes, and we haven’t got Potter— d’you want to go the same way as the Malfoys? ANSWER ME!” Amycus bellowed, shaking the door for all he was worth, but still it did not open. The Ravenclaws were all backing away, and some of the most frightened began scampering back up the staircase to their beds. Then, just as Harry was wondering whether he ought not:Previous Entities: |the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus| ::: “I dunno, ",Amycus.M He’ll have yer fingers– oh.,75134,75153,True,387:Fang.M,".‘ He’s still a bit scary, isn’t he?’‘ Come off it, you’ve ridden him, haven’t you?’ said Ron. Harry stepped forwards and bowed low to the Hippogriff without breaking eye contact or blinking. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a bow too.‘ How are you?’ Harry asked him in a low voice, moving forwards to stroke the feathery head.‘ Missing him? But you’re OK here with Hagrid, aren’t you?’‘ Oi!’ said a loud voice. Hagrid had come striding round the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forwards.‘ Git away from him! He’ll have yer fingers– oh. It’s yeh lot.’ Fang was jumping up at Hermione and Ron, attempting to lick their ears. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him.‘ Oh dear!’ said Hermione, looking stricken.‘ Don’t worry about it,’ said Harry grimly. He walked over to the door and knocked loudly.‘ Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!’ There was no sound from within.‘ If you don’t open the door, we’ll blast it open!’ Harry said, pulling out his wand.‘ Harry!’ said Hermione, sounding shocked.‘ You can’t possibly–’‘ Yeah, I can!’ said Harry.‘ Stand back–",Fang,"Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang",".‘ He’s still a bit scary, isn’t he?’‘ Come off it, you’ve ridden him, haven’t you?’ said Ron. Harry stepped forwards and bowed low to the Hippogriff without breaking eye contact or blinking. After a few seconds, Buckbeak sank into a bow too.‘ How are you?’ Harry asked him in a low voice, moving forwards to stroke the feathery head.‘ Missing him? But you’re OK here with Hagrid, aren’t you?’‘ Oi!’ said a loud voice. Hagrid had come striding round the corner of his cabin wearing a large flowery apron and carrying a sack of potatoes. His enormous boarhound, Fang, was at his heels; Fang gave a booming bark and bounded forwards.‘ Git away from him! He’ll have yer fingers– oh. It’s yeh lot.’ Fang was jumping up at Hermione and Ron, attempting to lick their ears. Hagrid stood and looked at them all for a split second, then turned and strode into his cabin, slamming the door behind him.‘ Oh dear!’ said Hermione, looking stricken.‘ Don’t worry about it,’ said Harry grimly. He walked over to the door and knocked loudly.‘ Hagrid! Open up, we want to talk to you!’ There was no sound from within.‘ If you don’t open the door, we’ll blast it open!’ Harry said, pulling out his wand.‘ Harry!’ said Hermione, sounding shocked.‘ You can’t possibly–’‘ Yeah, I can!’ said Harry.‘ Stand back–:Previous Entities: |Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang| ::: He’ll have yer fingers– oh. ","Hagrid.M Harry.M Hermione.F Ron.M Buckbeak.? Fang.?" "your elm,",46324,46386,True,"1627:the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop.M",", witches seldom ever bought one. They were heirlooms, passed down the generations from witch to witch, sometimes needing a new handle, sometimes needing new bristles, but, of course, always remaining the same broomstick. Tiffany’s stick had been left to her by Miss Treason. It was uncomfortable and not very fast and had the occasional habit of going backwards when it rained, and when the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging, echoing workshop saw it, he shook his head and made a sucking noise through his teeth, as if the sight of the thing had really spoiled his day, and he might have to go away and have a little cry.‘ Well, it’s elm, isn’t it,’ he said to an uncaring world in general.‘ It’s a lowland wood, your elm, heavy and slow, and of course there’s your beetles to consider. Very prone to beetles, your elm. Struck by lightning, was it? Not a good wood for lightning, your elm. Attracts it, so they say. Tendency to owls as well.’ Tiffany nodded and tried to look knowledgeable; she had made up the lightning strike, because the truth, while a valuable thing, was just too stupid, embarrassing and unbelievable. Another, and almost identical, dwarf materialized behind his colleague.‘ Should have gone for ash.’‘ Oh yes,’ said the first dwarf gloomily.‘ Can’t go wrong with ash.’ He prodded Tiffany’s broomstick and sighed again.‘ Looks like it’s got the start of bracket fungus in the base joint,’ the second dwarf suggested.‘ Wouldn’t be surprised at anything, with your elm,’ said the first dwarf.‘ Look, can you just patch it up enough to get me home?’ Tiffany asked.‘ Oh, we don’t“patch","the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop","the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop",", witches seldom ever bought one. They were heirlooms, passed down the generations from witch to witch, sometimes needing a new handle, sometimes needing new bristles, but, of course, always remaining the same broomstick. Tiffany’s stick had been left to her by Miss Treason. It was uncomfortable and not very fast and had the occasional habit of going backwards when it rained, and when the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging, echoing workshop saw it, he shook his head and made a sucking noise through his teeth, as if the sight of the thing had really spoiled his day, and he might have to go away and have a little cry.‘ Well, it’s elm, isn’t it,’ he said to an uncaring world in general.‘ It’s a lowland wood, your elm, heavy and slow, and of course there’s your beetles to consider. Very prone to beetles, your elm. Struck by lightning, was it? Not a good wood for lightning, your elm. Attracts it, so they say. Tendency to owls as well.’ Tiffany nodded and tried to look knowledgeable; she had made up the lightning strike, because the truth, while a valuable thing, was just too stupid, embarrassing and unbelievable. Another, and almost identical, dwarf materialized behind his colleague.‘ Should have gone for ash.’‘ Oh yes,’ said the first dwarf gloomily.‘ Can’t go wrong with ash.’ He prodded Tiffany’s broomstick and sighed again.‘ Looks like it’s got the start of bracket fungus in the base joint,’ the second dwarf suggested.‘ Wouldn’t be surprised at anything, with your elm,’ said the first dwarf.‘ Look, can you just patch it up enough to get me home?’ Tiffany asked.‘ Oh, we don’t“patch:Previous Entities: |the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop| ::: your elm, ","the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging, echoing workshop.M" too.”,25207,25222,True,167:Bravd.?,"look, I didn’t make it—”“Sure, sure,” said the Weasel soothingly. He turned away and swung himself into the saddle of the horse that Bravd was holding. A few moments later the two heroes were just specks under a cloud of dust, heading down toward the charcoal city. Rincewind stared muzzily at the recumbent tourist. At two recumbent tourists. In his somewhat defenseless state a stray thought, wandering through the dimensions in search of a mind to harbor it, slid into his brain.“Here’s another fine mess you’ve got me into,” he moaned, and slumped backward.“Mad,” said the Weasel. Bravd, galloping along a few feet away, nodded.“All wizards get like that,” he said.“It’s the quicksilver fumes. Rots their brains. Mushrooms, too.”“However—” said the brown clad one. He reached into his tunic and took out a golden disc on a short chain. Bravd raised his eyebrows.“The wizard said that the little man had some sort of golden disc that told him the time,” said the Weasel.“Arousing your cupidity, little friend? You always were an expert thief, Weasel.”“Aye,” agreed the Weasel modestly. He touched the knob at the disc’s rim, and it flipped open. The very small demon imprisoned within looked up from its tiny abacus and scowled.“It lacks but ten minutes to eight of the clock,” it snarled. The lid slammed shut, almost trapping the Weasel’s fingers. With an oath the Weasel hurled the time-",Bravd,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel","look, I didn’t make it—”“Sure, sure,” said the Weasel soothingly. He turned away and swung himself into the saddle of the horse that Bravd was holding. A few moments later the two heroes were just specks under a cloud of dust, heading down toward the charcoal city. Rincewind stared muzzily at the recumbent tourist. At two recumbent tourists. In his somewhat defenseless state a stray thought, wandering through the dimensions in search of a mind to harbor it, slid into his brain.“Here’s another fine mess you’ve got me into,” he moaned, and slumped backward.“Mad,” said the Weasel. Bravd, galloping along a few feet away, nodded.“All wizards get like that,” he said.“It’s the quicksilver fumes. Rots their brains. Mushrooms, too.”“However—” said the brown clad one. He reached into his tunic and took out a golden disc on a short chain. Bravd raised his eyebrows.“The wizard said that the little man had some sort of golden disc that told him the time,” said the Weasel.“Arousing your cupidity, little friend? You always were an expert thief, Weasel.”“Aye,” agreed the Weasel modestly. He touched the knob at the disc’s rim, and it flipped open. The very small demon imprisoned within looked up from its tiny abacus and scowled.“It lacks but ten minutes to eight of the clock,” it snarled. The lid slammed shut, almost trapping the Weasel’s fingers. With an oath the Weasel hurled the time-:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel| ::: too.” ",Weasel.M “But— it’s one of them little liaison jobs.,82946,82972,True,476:Scarface.?,". There was no understanding it— a Suk doctor a traitor. The litter tipped slightly as the Harkonnen troopers maneuvered it through a doorway into starlit night. A suspensor- buoy rasped against the doorway. Then they were on sand, feet grating in it. A’ thopter wing loomed overhead, blotting the stars. The litter settled to the ground. Paul’s eyes adjusted to the faint light. He recognized the deaf trooper as the man who opened the’ thopter door, peered inside at the green gloom illuminated by the instrument panel.“This the’ thopter we’re supposed to use?” he asked, and turned to watch his companion’s lips.“It’s the one the traitor said was fixed for desert work,” the other said. Scarface nodded.“But— it’s one of them little liaison jobs. Ain’t room in there for more’n them an’ two of us.”“Two’s enough,” said the litter- bearer, moving up close and presenting his lips for reading.“We can take care of it from here on, Kinet.”“The Baron he told me to make sure what happened to them two,” Scarface said.“What you so worried about?” asked another trooper from behind the litter- bearer.“She is a Bene Gesserit witch,” the deaf one said.“They have powers.”“Ah- h- h....” The litter- bearer made the sign of the fist at his ear.“One of them, eh? Know whatcha mean.” The trooper behind him grunted.“She’ll be worm meat soon enough. Don’t suppose even a Bene Gesserit witch",Scarface,"the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface",". There was no understanding it— a Suk doctor a traitor. The litter tipped slightly as the Harkonnen troopers maneuvered it through a doorway into starlit night. A suspensor- buoy rasped against the doorway. Then they were on sand, feet grating in it. A’ thopter wing loomed overhead, blotting the stars. The litter settled to the ground. Paul’s eyes adjusted to the faint light. He recognized the deaf trooper as the man who opened the’ thopter door, peered inside at the green gloom illuminated by the instrument panel.“This the’ thopter we’re supposed to use?” he asked, and turned to watch his companion’s lips.“It’s the one the traitor said was fixed for desert work,” the other said. Scarface nodded.“But— it’s one of them little liaison jobs. Ain’t room in there for more’n them an’ two of us.”“Two’s enough,” said the litter- bearer, moving up close and presenting his lips for reading.“We can take care of it from here on, Kinet.”“The Baron he told me to make sure what happened to them two,” Scarface said.“What you so worried about?” asked another trooper from behind the litter- bearer.“She is a Bene Gesserit witch,” the deaf one said.“They have powers.”“Ah- h- h....” The litter- bearer made the sign of the fist at his ear.“One of them, eh? Know whatcha mean.” The trooper behind him grunted.“She’ll be worm meat soon enough. Don’t suppose even a Bene Gesserit witch:Previous Entities: |the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface| ::: “But— it’s one of them little liaison jobs. ",Scarface.M "and I could totally kill you""",35710,35722,True,1282:one of the knights.?,"pages as art.(After all, each page is a perfect work of art. Look at 56. Exquisite.) Obviously, you need lots of copies. One isn't enough. Go buy more. Have you forgotten that you need to fight the Librarians? Anyway, after getting done not exploding, Grandpa Smedry went into the chamber. I followed, expecting to find a courtroom. I was surprised to find only a simple wooden table with three knights sitting behind it. Bastille stood by the far wall, at attention, hands at her sides, staring straight ahead. The three knights at the table weren't even looking at her as they decided her punishment. One of the knights was a masculine, burly man with an enormous chin. He was dangerous in an"" I'm a knight, and I could totally kill you"" sort of way. Next to him was Bastille's mother, Draulin, who was dangerous in an"" I'm Bastille's mother, and I could also kill you"" sort of way. The third one was an elderly, bearded knight who was dangerous in a"" Stop playing your rap music so loud, you darn kids! Plus, I could kill you too"" sort of way. Judging by their expressions, they were not happy to see my grandfather and me."" Lord Smedry,"" the man with the chin said,"" Why have you interrupted these proceedings? You know you have no authority here."""" If I let that stop me, I'd never have any fun!"" Grandpa Smedry said."" This is not about fun, Lord Smedry",one of the knights,"this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight","pages as art.(After all, each page is a perfect work of art. Look at 56. Exquisite.) Obviously, you need lots of copies. One isn't enough. Go buy more. Have you forgotten that you need to fight the Librarians? Anyway, after getting done not exploding, Grandpa Smedry went into the chamber. I followed, expecting to find a courtroom. I was surprised to find only a simple wooden table with three knights sitting behind it. Bastille stood by the far wall, at attention, hands at her sides, staring straight ahead. The three knights at the table weren't even looking at her as they decided her punishment. One of the knights was a masculine, burly man with an enormous chin. He was dangerous in an"" I'm a knight, and I could totally kill you"" sort of way. Next to him was Bastille's mother, Draulin, who was dangerous in an"" I'm Bastille's mother, and I could also kill you"" sort of way. The third one was an elderly, bearded knight who was dangerous in a"" Stop playing your rap music so loud, you darn kids! Plus, I could kill you too"" sort of way. Judging by their expressions, they were not happy to see my grandfather and me."" Lord Smedry,"" the man with the chin said,"" Why have you interrupted these proceedings? You know you have no authority here."""" If I let that stop me, I'd never have any fun!"" Grandpa Smedry said."" This is not about fun, Lord Smedry:Previous Entities: |this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight| ::: and I could totally kill you"" ",Burly man with an enormous chin. "“Of course,",139447,139455,True,3882:an elderly woman.F,"a life sentence.” I thought it over.“So when you used the car phone, calling the station, telling them what you planned... who was listening.““Hard to say.” Connor shrugged.“But I liked Eddie. I owed him one. I didn’t want to see Ishiguro go home.” Back in the office there was an elderly woman waiting for me. She was dressed in black and she introduced herself as Cheryl Austin’s grandmother. Cheryl’s parents died in a car crash when she was four, and she had raised the little girl afterward. She wanted to thank me for my help in the investigation. She talked about what Cheryl had been like, as a little girl. How she had grown up in Texas.”“Of course, she was pretty,” she said, and the boys surely did like her. Always a bunch of them hanging around, you couldn’t shake them off with a stick.” She paused.“Of course, I never thought she was entirely right in the head. But she wanted to keep those boys around. And she liked them to fight over her, too. I remember she was seven or eight, she’d get those kids brawling in the dust, and she’d clap her hands and watch them go at it. By the time she was teenage, she was real good at it. Knew just what to do. It wasn’t real nice to see. No, something was wrong in the head. She could be mean. And that song, she always played it,",an elderly woman,"the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator","a life sentence.” I thought it over.“So when you used the car phone, calling the station, telling them what you planned... who was listening.““Hard to say.” Connor shrugged.“But I liked Eddie. I owed him one. I didn’t want to see Ishiguro go home.” Back in the office there was an elderly woman waiting for me. She was dressed in black and she introduced herself as Cheryl Austin’s grandmother. Cheryl’s parents died in a car crash when she was four, and she had raised the little girl afterward. She wanted to thank me for my help in the investigation. She talked about what Cheryl had been like, as a little girl. How she had grown up in Texas.”“Of course, she was pretty,” she said, and the boys surely did like her. Always a bunch of them hanging around, you couldn’t shake them off with a stick.” She paused.“Of course, I never thought she was entirely right in the head. But she wanted to keep those boys around. And she liked them to fight over her, too. I remember she was seven or eight, she’d get those kids brawling in the dust, and she’d clap her hands and watch them go at it. By the time she was teenage, she was real good at it. Knew just what to do. It wasn’t real nice to see. No, something was wrong in the head. She could be mean. And that song, she always played it,:Previous Entities: |the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator| ::: “Of course, ",Cheryl. the door!”,212915,212927,True,229:Draco.M,"life, a limb or a face that was not yet charred like wood.… And he saw them: Malfoy with his arms around the unconscious Goyle, the pair of them perched on a fragile tower of charred desks, and Harry dived. Malfoy saw him coming and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good: Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy’s hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry’s—“IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I’LL KILL YOU, HARRY!” roared Ron’s voice, and, as a great flaming chimaera bore down upon them, he and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom and rose, rolling and pitching, into the air once more as Malfoy clambered up behind Harry.“The door, get to the door, the door!” screamed Malfoy in Harry’s ear, and Harry sped up, following Ron, Hermione, and Goyle through the billowing black smoke, hardly able to breathe: and all around them the last few objects unburned by the devouring flames were flung into the air, as the creatures of the cursed fire cast them high in celebration: cups and shields, a sparkling necklace, and an old, discolored tiara—“What are you doing, what are you doing, the door’s that way!” screamed Malfoy, but Harry made a hairpin swerve and dived. The diadem seemed to fall in slow motion, turning and glittering as it dropped toward the maw of a yawning serpent, and then he had it, caught it around his wrist— Harry swerved again as the serpent lunged at",Draco,"the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick","life, a limb or a face that was not yet charred like wood.… And he saw them: Malfoy with his arms around the unconscious Goyle, the pair of them perched on a fragile tower of charred desks, and Harry dived. Malfoy saw him coming and raised one arm, but even as Harry grasped it he knew at once that it was no good: Goyle was too heavy and Malfoy’s hand, covered in sweat, slid instantly out of Harry’s—“IF WE DIE FOR THEM, I’LL KILL YOU, HARRY!” roared Ron’s voice, and, as a great flaming chimaera bore down upon them, he and Hermione dragged Goyle onto their broom and rose, rolling and pitching, into the air once more as Malfoy clambered up behind Harry.“The door, get to the door, the door!” screamed Malfoy in Harry’s ear, and Harry sped up, following Ron, Hermione, and Goyle through the billowing black smoke, hardly able to breathe: and all around them the last few objects unburned by the devouring flames were flung into the air, as the creatures of the cursed fire cast them high in celebration: cups and shields, a sparkling necklace, and an old, discolored tiara—“What are you doing, what are you doing, the door’s that way!” screamed Malfoy, but Harry made a hairpin swerve and dived. The diadem seemed to fall in slow motion, turning and glittering as it dropped toward the maw of a yawning serpent, and then he had it, caught it around his wrist— Harry swerved again as the serpent lunged at:Previous Entities: |the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick| ::: the door!” ",Draco.M "“Turn around,”",175761,175765,True,6012:an old man.M,"piercing scream. Three or four people who had been browsing the aisles turned with expressions of astonishment, and one of them hit the floor in a dead faint. Chip had time to register that it was Rhoda Beemer, eldest daughter of one of the two women who’d been killed in here on That Day. Then it seemed to him that time had folded back on itself and it was Ruth herself lying there with a can of creamed corn rolling free of one relaxing hand. He heard a bullet buzz over his head like an angry bee and skidded to a stop, hands raised.“Don’t shoot, mister!” he heard himself bawl in the thin, wavering voice of an old man.“Take whatever’s in the register but don’t shoot me!”“Turn around,” said the voice of the man who had turned Chip’s world turtle on That Day, the man who’d almost gotten him killed(he’d been in the hospital over in Bridgton for two weeks, by the living Jesus) and had now reappeared like an old monster from some child’s closet.“The rest of you on the floor, but you turn around, shopkeeper. Turn around and see me.“See me very well.” Three The man swayed from side to side, and for a moment Roland thought he would faint instead of turning. Perhaps some survival- oriented part of his brain suggested that fainting was more likely to get him killed, for the shopkeeper managed to keep his feet and did finally turn and face the gunslinger. His dress was eerily",an old man,"the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman","piercing scream. Three or four people who had been browsing the aisles turned with expressions of astonishment, and one of them hit the floor in a dead faint. Chip had time to register that it was Rhoda Beemer, eldest daughter of one of the two women who’d been killed in here on That Day. Then it seemed to him that time had folded back on itself and it was Ruth herself lying there with a can of creamed corn rolling free of one relaxing hand. He heard a bullet buzz over his head like an angry bee and skidded to a stop, hands raised.“Don’t shoot, mister!” he heard himself bawl in the thin, wavering voice of an old man.“Take whatever’s in the register but don’t shoot me!”“Turn around,” said the voice of the man who had turned Chip’s world turtle on That Day, the man who’d almost gotten him killed(he’d been in the hospital over in Bridgton for two weeks, by the living Jesus) and had now reappeared like an old monster from some child’s closet.“The rest of you on the floor, but you turn around, shopkeeper. Turn around and see me.“See me very well.” Three The man swayed from side to side, and for a moment Roland thought he would faint instead of turning. Perhaps some survival- oriented part of his brain suggested that fainting was more likely to get him killed, for the shopkeeper managed to keep his feet and did finally turn and face the gunslinger. His dress was eerily:Previous Entities: |the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman| ::: “Turn around,” ",Roland.M "So that's a usable frame,""",70210,70218,True,2271:The wife.F,"But it will slow down—"""" No,"" she said."" I don't want anything added by the computers. What else can you do?"""" I can double or triple the frames. In fast segments, it would give you a little jerkiness, but at least you'd be able to see. Here, look."" He went to one segment, where the camera was tumbling through the air, then slowed it down."" Now here, all these frames are just a blur— it's camera movement, not subject movement— but here. See this one frame here? You get a readable image."" It showed a view looking back down the aircraft. Passengers falling over the seats, their arms and legs streaks from swift movement."" So that's a usable frame,"" Harmon said. She saw what he was driving at. Even in rapid movement the camera was steady enough to create a useful image, every dozen frames or so."" Okay,"" she said,"" do it."""" We can do more,"" he said."" We can send it out, and—"" She shook her head."" Under no circumstances does this tape leave this building,"" she said."" Okay."""" I need you to run me two copies of this videotape,"" she said."" And make sure you run it all the way to the end."" IAA/ HANGAR 4 5:25 p.m. The RAMS team was still swarming over the Transpacific aircraft in Hangar 5. Casey walked past to the next hangar in the line",The wife,"one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife","But it will slow down—"""" No,"" she said."" I don't want anything added by the computers. What else can you do?"""" I can double or triple the frames. In fast segments, it would give you a little jerkiness, but at least you'd be able to see. Here, look."" He went to one segment, where the camera was tumbling through the air, then slowed it down."" Now here, all these frames are just a blur— it's camera movement, not subject movement— but here. See this one frame here? You get a readable image."" It showed a view looking back down the aircraft. Passengers falling over the seats, their arms and legs streaks from swift movement."" So that's a usable frame,"" Harmon said. She saw what he was driving at. Even in rapid movement the camera was steady enough to create a useful image, every dozen frames or so."" Okay,"" she said,"" do it."""" We can do more,"" he said."" We can send it out, and—"" She shook her head."" Under no circumstances does this tape leave this building,"" she said."" Okay."""" I need you to run me two copies of this videotape,"" she said."" And make sure you run it all the way to the end."" IAA/ HANGAR 4 5:25 p.m. The RAMS team was still swarming over the Transpacific aircraft in Hangar 5. Casey walked past to the next hangar in the line:Previous Entities: |one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife| ::: So that's a usable frame,"" ",Harmon.M “to learn.”,30633,30637,True,418:Ms. Rank.F,"preparing for the day when I finally stumbled across the clue that would lead me to the Copper Key. And then it finally happened. Right while I was sitting there daydreaming in Latin class. Our teacher, Ms. Rank, was standing at the front of the class, slowly conjugating Latin verbs. She said them in English first, then in Latin, and each word automatically appeared on the board behind her as she spoke it. Whenever we were doing tedious verb conjugation, I always got the lyrics to an old Schoolhouse Rock! song stuck in my head:“To run, to go, to get, to give. Verb! You’re what’s happenin’!” I was quietly humming this tune to myself when Ms. Rank began to conjugate the Latin for the verb“to learn.”“To Learn. Discere,” she said.“Now, this one should be easy to remember, because it’s similar to the English word‘ discern,’ which also means‘ to learn.’” Hearing her repeat the phrase“to learn” was enough to make me think of the Limerick. You have much to learn if you hope to earn a place among the high scorers. Ms. Rank continued, using the verb in a sentence.“We go to school to learn,” she said.“Petimus scholam ut litteras discamus.” And that was when it hit me. Like an anvil falling out of the sky, directly onto my skull. I gazed around at my classmates. What group of people has“much to learn”? Students",Ms,Anorak,"preparing for the day when I finally stumbled across the clue that would lead me to the Copper Key. And then it finally happened. Right while I was sitting there daydreaming in Latin class. Our teacher, Ms. Rank, was standing at the front of the class, slowly conjugating Latin verbs. She said them in English first, then in Latin, and each word automatically appeared on the board behind her as she spoke it. Whenever we were doing tedious verb conjugation, I always got the lyrics to an old Schoolhouse Rock! song stuck in my head:“To run, to go, to get, to give. Verb! You’re what’s happenin’!” I was quietly humming this tune to myself when Ms. Rank began to conjugate the Latin for the verb“to learn.”“To Learn. Discere,” she said.“Now, this one should be easy to remember, because it’s similar to the English word‘ discern,’ which also means‘ to learn.’” Hearing her repeat the phrase“to learn” was enough to make me think of the Limerick. You have much to learn if you hope to earn a place among the high scorers. Ms. Rank continued, using the verb in a sentence.“We go to school to learn,” she said.“Petimus scholam ut litteras discamus.” And that was when it hit me. Like an anvil falling out of the sky, directly onto my skull. I gazed around at my classmates. What group of people has“much to learn”? Students:Previous Entities: |Anorak| ::: “to learn.” ",Anorak.M “The thermals are coming this evening.,40042,40057,True,1396:these two.?,"inventorium and you got there in four. Gylfie, I gave you eight and you got there in seven. Tonight is the night.”“Why?” they both said at once. Grimble sighed. He was going to miss these two. He might miss their questions most of all. It felt so luxurious to be able to ask and answer questions. He had once thought the sweetest taste in the world was that of a freshly killed vole, but now he knew differently. The sweetest thing was a question on the tongue. A word beginning with that wonderful rush of air that w’s made. Oh, how he would miss these two young owls. They were lovely to look at, too, in their coats of newly fledged feathers untouched by vampire bats.“The thermals are coming this evening. This is why you must go.”“Thermals? What are thermals?” Soren asked.“Warm drafts of air. They’ve arrived earlier than usual. They’ll make flying very easy for you once you get out of here. You should meet up with them within a short distance from here. You’ll be able to soar.”“We don’t know how to soar,” Gylfie said.“All we know how to do is flap.”“Don’t worry. You’ll know exactly what to do when you meet the thermals. The shape of the wind will tell you.”“Who is on guard tonight?”“It’s Jatt.”“Jatt!” Soren gasped.“That’s terrible. How will you get him to go to the pelletorium?”",these two,"a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","inventorium and you got there in four. Gylfie, I gave you eight and you got there in seven. Tonight is the night.”“Why?” they both said at once. Grimble sighed. He was going to miss these two. He might miss their questions most of all. It felt so luxurious to be able to ask and answer questions. He had once thought the sweetest taste in the world was that of a freshly killed vole, but now he knew differently. The sweetest thing was a question on the tongue. A word beginning with that wonderful rush of air that w’s made. Oh, how he would miss these two young owls. They were lovely to look at, too, in their coats of newly fledged feathers untouched by vampire bats.“The thermals are coming this evening. This is why you must go.”“Thermals? What are thermals?” Soren asked.“Warm drafts of air. They’ve arrived earlier than usual. They’ll make flying very easy for you once you get out of here. You should meet up with them within a short distance from here. You’ll be able to soar.”“We don’t know how to soar,” Gylfie said.“All we know how to do is flap.”“Don’t worry. You’ll know exactly what to do when you meet the thermals. The shape of the wind will tell you.”“Who is on guard tonight?”“It’s Jatt.”“Jatt!” Soren gasped.“That’s terrible. How will you get him to go to the pelletorium?”:Previous Entities: |a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: “The thermals are coming this evening. ","Grimble.M Gylfie.F Soren.? Jatt.?" "too,",16385,16400,True,509:The owlet.?,"a fleck picker is the highest level of skill in the pelletorium. Tomorrow I shall be advanced one level. I shall be a second- degree picker. Therefore, as the most advanced third- degree picker, it is my task to instruct you."" And then the owlet blinked. She began humming the dreadful song."" It is best when beginning as a picker to use your beak. Your talons can be used to steady the pellet. Each object you find is to be lined up neatly on the stone ledge-- your work area. Failure to line up objects neatly is a most serious offense. Offenders are severely punished, as shall be demonstrated during our laughter therapy sessions."" Soren and Gylfie had no idea what this owlet was talking about. Laughter therapy?"" Do your work diligently and you, too, may be advanced someday."" The owlet then stepped up to the ledge, which was covered with pellets, and bent over one."" Proceed. It is strictly forbidden to use your own pellets in this work."" 47- 2 glared at Soren. The owlet bent her speckled head and began to pick. Soren felt a gagging sensation and yarped another pellet. Soren and Gylfie had no idea how long they had been working. It seemed endless. It was not entirely quiet, however. At certain intervals, a low soft whistle alarm would be sounded from one of the smaller owls who monitored the work from overhead ledges and the sound of another pellet song would begin to rise. The songs were sung in the same hollow tones in which 47- 2 had spoken. But Soren felt that they were",The owlet,"Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt","a fleck picker is the highest level of skill in the pelletorium. Tomorrow I shall be advanced one level. I shall be a second- degree picker. Therefore, as the most advanced third- degree picker, it is my task to instruct you."" And then the owlet blinked. She began humming the dreadful song."" It is best when beginning as a picker to use your beak. Your talons can be used to steady the pellet. Each object you find is to be lined up neatly on the stone ledge-- your work area. Failure to line up objects neatly is a most serious offense. Offenders are severely punished, as shall be demonstrated during our laughter therapy sessions."" Soren and Gylfie had no idea what this owlet was talking about. Laughter therapy?"" Do your work diligently and you, too, may be advanced someday."" The owlet then stepped up to the ledge, which was covered with pellets, and bent over one."" Proceed. It is strictly forbidden to use your own pellets in this work."" 47- 2 glared at Soren. The owlet bent her speckled head and began to pick. Soren felt a gagging sensation and yarped another pellet. Soren and Gylfie had no idea how long they had been working. It seemed endless. It was not entirely quiet, however. At certain intervals, a low soft whistle alarm would be sounded from one of the smaller owls who monitored the work from overhead ledges and the sound of another pellet song would begin to rise. The songs were sung in the same hollow tones in which 47- 2 had spoken. But Soren felt that they were:Previous Entities: |Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt| ::: too, ",Soren.M “A fantastic adventure set in a futuristic world with a retro heart.,179,217,True,311:Christopher Farnsworth.?,"mix of the real past and the virtual present, is the perfect lovable/ unlikely hero.”— Publishers Weekly“The pure, unfettered brainscream of a child of the’ 80s, like a dream my thirteen- year- old self would have had after bingeing on Pop Rocks and Coke.… I couldn’t put it down.”— Charles Ardai, Edgar Award– winning author and producer of Haven“Pure geek heaven. Ernest Cline’s hero competes in a virtual world with life- and- death stakes— which is only fitting, because he’s fighting to make his dreams into reality. Cline blends a dystopic future with meticulously detailed nostalgia to create a story that will resonate in the heart of every true nerd.”— Christopher Farnsworth, author of Blood Oath“A fantastic adventure set in a futuristic world with a retro heart. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down and I couldn’t wait to pick it back up.”— S. G. Browne, author of Breathers“Cline has somehow managed to jack into the nervous system of some great warm collective geek- dream nostalgia of the’ 70s and’ 80s and used the precious touchstones he’s rediscovered there to create an adventure that’s almost more experienced than read.… Ready Player One let me romp through some of the best memories of my youth.”— Paul Malmont, author of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril“Imagine that Dungeons and Dragons and an’ 80s video arcade made hot, sweet love, and their child was raised in Azeroth. If you’re not already experiencing a nerdgasm at the thought, I don’t want to know you.”— John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War“Ready Player One",Christopher Farnsworth,"Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth","mix of the real past and the virtual present, is the perfect lovable/ unlikely hero.”— Publishers Weekly“The pure, unfettered brainscream of a child of the’ 80s, like a dream my thirteen- year- old self would have had after bingeing on Pop Rocks and Coke.… I couldn’t put it down.”— Charles Ardai, Edgar Award– winning author and producer of Haven“Pure geek heaven. Ernest Cline’s hero competes in a virtual world with life- and- death stakes— which is only fitting, because he’s fighting to make his dreams into reality. Cline blends a dystopic future with meticulously detailed nostalgia to create a story that will resonate in the heart of every true nerd.”— Christopher Farnsworth, author of Blood Oath“A fantastic adventure set in a futuristic world with a retro heart. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down and I couldn’t wait to pick it back up.”— S. G. Browne, author of Breathers“Cline has somehow managed to jack into the nervous system of some great warm collective geek- dream nostalgia of the’ 70s and’ 80s and used the precious touchstones he’s rediscovered there to create an adventure that’s almost more experienced than read.… Ready Player One let me romp through some of the best memories of my youth.”— Paul Malmont, author of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril“Imagine that Dungeons and Dragons and an’ 80s video arcade made hot, sweet love, and their child was raised in Azeroth. If you’re not already experiencing a nerdgasm at the thought, I don’t want to know you.”— John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War“Ready Player One:Previous Entities: |Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth| ::: “A fantastic adventure set in a futuristic world with a retro heart. ",Elena.F “I don’t need to invade your thoughts to know these things.,128686,128710,True,735:his friend.M,"to think about what it had to have been like for my High Lord to be the one to punish his friend. Rhysand shrugged, a beautiful, easy gesture.“So, it’s really a question of how much you’re willing to trust Lucien— and how much you’re willing to risk for it. Already you’re wondering if that fever of yours is the first sign of infection. Perhaps they’re unconnected, perhaps not. Maybe it’s fine. Maybe that worm’s mud isn’t full of festering filth. And maybe Amarantha will send a healer, and by that time, you’ll either be dead, or they’ll find your arm so infected that you’ll be lucky to keep anything above the elbow.” My stomach tightened into a painful ball.“I don’t need to invade your thoughts to know these things. I already know what you’ve slowly been realizing.” He again crouched in front of me.“You’re dying.” My eyes stung, and I sucked my lips into my mouth.“How much are you willing to risk on the hope that another form of help will come?” I stared at him, sending as much hate as I could into my gaze. He’d been the one who’d caused all this. He’d told Amarantha about Clare; he’d made Tamlin beg.“Well?” I bared my teeth.“Go. To. Hell.” Swift as lightning, he lashed out, grabbing the shard of bone in my arm and twisting. A scream shattered out of me, ravaging my aching throat. The world flashed black and white and red. I thrashed and writhed, but",his friend,"This beast, the faerie in the birch glen","to think about what it had to have been like for my High Lord to be the one to punish his friend. Rhysand shrugged, a beautiful, easy gesture.“So, it’s really a question of how much you’re willing to trust Lucien— and how much you’re willing to risk for it. Already you’re wondering if that fever of yours is the first sign of infection. Perhaps they’re unconnected, perhaps not. Maybe it’s fine. Maybe that worm’s mud isn’t full of festering filth. And maybe Amarantha will send a healer, and by that time, you’ll either be dead, or they’ll find your arm so infected that you’ll be lucky to keep anything above the elbow.” My stomach tightened into a painful ball.“I don’t need to invade your thoughts to know these things. I already know what you’ve slowly been realizing.” He again crouched in front of me.“You’re dying.” My eyes stung, and I sucked my lips into my mouth.“How much are you willing to risk on the hope that another form of help will come?” I stared at him, sending as much hate as I could into my gaze. He’d been the one who’d caused all this. He’d told Amarantha about Clare; he’d made Tamlin beg.“Well?” I bared my teeth.“Go. To. Hell.” Swift as lightning, he lashed out, grabbing the shard of bone in my arm and twisting. A scream shattered out of me, ravaging my aching throat. The world flashed black and white and red. I thrashed and writhed, but:Previous Entities: |This beast, the faerie in the birch glen| ::: “I don’t need to invade your thoughts to know these things. ",Rhysand.M Her that you loved!,89405,89450,True,1021:Stanley.M,"like a man who has been punched. She thought, But Roland’s old… so old! Which means that if this is the tavern- boy he knew in Mejis… the one with the donkey and the pink sombrera hat… then he must also be… The man raised his face slowly. Tears were streaming from his eyes.“Good old Will Dearborn,” he said. His voice was hoarse, and jigged up and down through the registers as a voice will do when it has lain long unused.“I’m so sorry, sai. Were you to pull your gun and shoot me, I’d understand. So I would.”“Why do’ee say so, Sheemie?” Roland asked in that same gentle voice. Stanley’s tears flowed faster.“You saved my life. Arthur and Richard, too, but mostly you, good old Will Dearborn who was really Roland of Gilead. And I let her die! Her that you loved! And I loved her, too!” The man’s face twisted in agony and he tried to pull away from Roland. Yet Roland held him.“None of that was your fault, Sheemie.”“I should have died for her!” he cried.“I should have died in her place! I’m stupid! Foolish as they said!” He slapped himself across the face, first one way and then the other, leaving red weals. Before he could do it again, Roland seized the hand and forced it down to his side again.“’ Twas Rhea did the harm,” Roland said. Stanley— who had been Sheemie an eon ago— looked into Roland’s face, searching his eyes.“Aye,” Roland said, nodding.“’ Twas the Cöos… and",Stanley,"the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer","like a man who has been punched. She thought, But Roland’s old… so old! Which means that if this is the tavern- boy he knew in Mejis… the one with the donkey and the pink sombrera hat… then he must also be… The man raised his face slowly. Tears were streaming from his eyes.“Good old Will Dearborn,” he said. His voice was hoarse, and jigged up and down through the registers as a voice will do when it has lain long unused.“I’m so sorry, sai. Were you to pull your gun and shoot me, I’d understand. So I would.”“Why do’ee say so, Sheemie?” Roland asked in that same gentle voice. Stanley’s tears flowed faster.“You saved my life. Arthur and Richard, too, but mostly you, good old Will Dearborn who was really Roland of Gilead. And I let her die! Her that you loved! And I loved her, too!” The man’s face twisted in agony and he tried to pull away from Roland. Yet Roland held him.“None of that was your fault, Sheemie.”“I should have died for her!” he cried.“I should have died in her place! I’m stupid! Foolish as they said!” He slapped himself across the face, first one way and then the other, leaving red weals. Before he could do it again, Roland seized the hand and forced it down to his side again.“’ Twas Rhea did the harm,” Roland said. Stanley— who had been Sheemie an eon ago— looked into Roland’s face, searching his eyes.“Aye,” Roland said, nodding.“’ Twas the Cöos… and:Previous Entities: |the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer| ::: Her that you loved! ",Roland.M "“I don’t know,”",161204,161210,True,185:Kallias.M,". Beron only said,“I shall consider it.” A look at his family, and they vanished. Eris was the last to winnow, something conflicted dancing over his face, as if this was not the outcome he’d planned for. Expected. But then he, too, was gone, the space where they’d been empty save for that black, glittering dust. Slowly, Nesta sat, her face again cold— as if it were a mask to conceal whatever raged in her at Beron’s disappearance. Kallias asked me quietly,“Did you master the ice?” I gave a shallow nod.“All of it.” Kallias scrubbed at his face as Viviane set a hand on his arm.“Does it make a difference, Kal?”“I don’t know,” he admitted. That fast, this alliance unraveled. That fast— because of my lack of control, my— It either would have been this or something else, Rhys said from where he stood beside my chair, one hand toying with the glittering panels on the back of my gown. Better now than later. Kallias won’t break— he just needs to sort it through on his own. But Tarquin said,“You saved us Under the Mountain. Losing a kernel of power seems a worthy payment.”“It seems she took far more than that,” Helion argued,“if she could be within seconds of drowning Beron despite the wards.” Perhaps I’d gotten around them simply by being Made— outside anything the wards knew to recognize. Helion’s",Kallias,"the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan",". Beron only said,“I shall consider it.” A look at his family, and they vanished. Eris was the last to winnow, something conflicted dancing over his face, as if this was not the outcome he’d planned for. Expected. But then he, too, was gone, the space where they’d been empty save for that black, glittering dust. Slowly, Nesta sat, her face again cold— as if it were a mask to conceal whatever raged in her at Beron’s disappearance. Kallias asked me quietly,“Did you master the ice?” I gave a shallow nod.“All of it.” Kallias scrubbed at his face as Viviane set a hand on his arm.“Does it make a difference, Kal?”“I don’t know,” he admitted. That fast, this alliance unraveled. That fast— because of my lack of control, my— It either would have been this or something else, Rhys said from where he stood beside my chair, one hand toying with the glittering panels on the back of my gown. Better now than later. Kallias won’t break— he just needs to sort it through on his own. But Tarquin said,“You saved us Under the Mountain. Losing a kernel of power seems a worthy payment.”“It seems she took far more than that,” Helion argued,“if she could be within seconds of drowning Beron despite the wards.” Perhaps I’d gotten around them simply by being Made— outside anything the wards knew to recognize. Helion’s:Previous Entities: |the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan| ::: “I don’t know,” ",Kallias.M with many branches and tributaries.”,106486,106519,True,363:Bloodstained Blade.M,"if nothing had happened, the roar of the rapids fading behind us.“I don’t like cataracts,” I decided.“Are there more?”“Not as large, thankfully,” said Bast, who was also looking seasick.“We’ve crossed over into—”“The Land of the Dead,” Carter finished. He pointed to the shore, which was shrouded in mist. Strange things lurked in the darkness: flickering ghost lights, giant faces made of fog, hulking shadows that seemed unconnected to anything physical. Along the riverbanks, old bones dragged themselves through the mud, linking with other bones in random patterns.“I’m guessing this isn’t the Mississippi,” I said.“The River of Night,” Bloodstained Blade hummed.“It is every river and no river— the shadow of the Mississippi, the Nile, the Thames. It flows throughout the Duat, with many branches and tributaries.”“Clears that right up,” I muttered. The scenes got stranger. We saw ghost villages from ancient times— little clusters of reed huts made of flickering smoke. We saw vast temples crumbling and reconstructing themselves over and over again like a looped video. And everywhere, ghosts turned their faces towards our boat as we passed. Smoky hands reached out. Shades silently called to us, then turned away in despair as we passed.“The lost and confused,” Bast said.“Spirits who never found their way to the Hall of Judgment.”“Why are they so sad?” I asked.“Well, they’re dead,” Carter speculated.“No, it’s more than that,” I said.“It’s like they’re... expecting",Bloodstained Blade,"Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade","if nothing had happened, the roar of the rapids fading behind us.“I don’t like cataracts,” I decided.“Are there more?”“Not as large, thankfully,” said Bast, who was also looking seasick.“We’ve crossed over into—”“The Land of the Dead,” Carter finished. He pointed to the shore, which was shrouded in mist. Strange things lurked in the darkness: flickering ghost lights, giant faces made of fog, hulking shadows that seemed unconnected to anything physical. Along the riverbanks, old bones dragged themselves through the mud, linking with other bones in random patterns.“I’m guessing this isn’t the Mississippi,” I said.“The River of Night,” Bloodstained Blade hummed.“It is every river and no river— the shadow of the Mississippi, the Nile, the Thames. It flows throughout the Duat, with many branches and tributaries.”“Clears that right up,” I muttered. The scenes got stranger. We saw ghost villages from ancient times— little clusters of reed huts made of flickering smoke. We saw vast temples crumbling and reconstructing themselves over and over again like a looped video. And everywhere, ghosts turned their faces towards our boat as we passed. Smoky hands reached out. Shades silently called to us, then turned away in despair as we passed.“The lost and confused,” Bast said.“Spirits who never found their way to the Hall of Judgment.”“Why are they so sad?” I asked.“Well, they’re dead,” Carter speculated.“No, it’s more than that,” I said.“It’s like they’re... expecting:Previous Entities: |Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade| ::: with many branches and tributaries.” ",Bast.F sir.”,44939,44948,True,1840:the man in the bathrobe.M,"glittery sequin dresses, a very handsome blond man about forty in a tuxedo, and a younger man in a blue suit, whom I recognized as the young man who had gotten on the elevator with Senator Rowe earlier. The patrolmen had the video camera out, shining the bright light on Senator Rowe- He was propping himself up against the front fender of the Lincoln, holding his arm up to cover his face against the light. He was swearing loudly as Connor and I walked up. The man in the bathrobe came toward us and said,“I want to know who’s going to pay for this.”“Just a minute, sir.” I kept walking.“He can’t just ruin my lawn like this. It has to be paid for.”“Just give me a minute, sir.”“Scared the hell out of my wife, too, and she has cancer.” I said,“Sir, please give me a minute, and then I’ll talk to YOU.”“Cancer of the ear,” he said emphatically.“The ear.”“Yes, sir. All right, sir.” I continued toward the Lincoln, and the bright light. As I passed the aide, he fell into step beside me and said,“I can explain everything, Detective.” He was about thirty, with the bland good looks of a congressional staffer.“I’m sure I can resolve everything.”“Just a minute,” I said.“Let me talk to the senator.”“The senator’s not feeling well",the man in the bathrobe,"The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe","glittery sequin dresses, a very handsome blond man about forty in a tuxedo, and a younger man in a blue suit, whom I recognized as the young man who had gotten on the elevator with Senator Rowe earlier. The patrolmen had the video camera out, shining the bright light on Senator Rowe- He was propping himself up against the front fender of the Lincoln, holding his arm up to cover his face against the light. He was swearing loudly as Connor and I walked up. The man in the bathrobe came toward us and said,“I want to know who’s going to pay for this.”“Just a minute, sir.” I kept walking.“He can’t just ruin my lawn like this. It has to be paid for.”“Just give me a minute, sir.”“Scared the hell out of my wife, too, and she has cancer.” I said,“Sir, please give me a minute, and then I’ll talk to YOU.”“Cancer of the ear,” he said emphatically.“The ear.”“Yes, sir. All right, sir.” I continued toward the Lincoln, and the bright light. As I passed the aide, he fell into step beside me and said,“I can explain everything, Detective.” He was about thirty, with the bland good looks of a congressional staffer.“I’m sure I can resolve everything.”“Just a minute,” I said.“Let me talk to the senator.”“The senator’s not feeling well:Previous Entities: |The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe| ::: sir.” ",the aide.M “My daughter…”,65948,65952,True,272:Athena.F,"”“Mom!” Annabeth said.“Athena!” The goddess turned. She seemed to look right through Annabeth with no recognition.“That was my name,” the goddess said dreamily.“Before they sacked my city, took my identity, made me this.” She looked at her clothes in disgust.“I must return home.” Annabeth stepped back in shock.“You’re… you’re Minerva?”“Don’t call me that!” The goddess’s gray eyes flared with anger.“I used to carry a spear and a shield. I held victory in the palm of my hand. I was so much more than this.”“Mom.” Annabeth’s voice trembled.“It’s me, Annabeth. Your daughter.”“My daughter…” Athena repeated.“Yes, my children will avenge me. They must destroy the Romans. Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans. Hera argued that we must keep the two camps apart. I said, No, let them fight. Let my children destroy the usurpers.” Annabeth’s heartbeat thumped in her ears.“You wanted that? But you’re wise. You understand warfare better than any—”“Once!” the goddess said.“Replaced. Sacked. Looted like a trophy and carted off— away from my beloved homeland. I lost so much. I swore I would never forgive. Neither would my children.” She focused more closely on Annabeth.“You are my daughter?”“Yes.” The goddess fished something from the pocket of",Athena,"Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god","”“Mom!” Annabeth said.“Athena!” The goddess turned. She seemed to look right through Annabeth with no recognition.“That was my name,” the goddess said dreamily.“Before they sacked my city, took my identity, made me this.” She looked at her clothes in disgust.“I must return home.” Annabeth stepped back in shock.“You’re… you’re Minerva?”“Don’t call me that!” The goddess’s gray eyes flared with anger.“I used to carry a spear and a shield. I held victory in the palm of my hand. I was so much more than this.”“Mom.” Annabeth’s voice trembled.“It’s me, Annabeth. Your daughter.”“My daughter…” Athena repeated.“Yes, my children will avenge me. They must destroy the Romans. Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans. Hera argued that we must keep the two camps apart. I said, No, let them fight. Let my children destroy the usurpers.” Annabeth’s heartbeat thumped in her ears.“You wanted that? But you’re wise. You understand warfare better than any—”“Once!” the goddess said.“Replaced. Sacked. Looted like a trophy and carted off— away from my beloved homeland. I lost so much. I swore I would never forgive. Neither would my children.” She focused more closely on Annabeth.“You are my daughter?”“Yes.” The goddess fished something from the pocket of:Previous Entities: |Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god| ::: “My daughter…” ",Athena.F "Tradition isn't the absolute guide you thought it was.""",54552,54569,True,1429:the youth.M,"he deposed Shaddam IV:"" It's not long life to the Emperor that I seek; it's long life to the Imperium."" Isn't that what I've been saying to myself? Stilgar wondered. He resumed walking, headed toward the sietch entrance slightly to Leto's right. The youth moved to intercept him. Muad'Dib had said another thing, Stilgar reminded himself:"" just as individuals are born, mature, breed, and die, so do societies and civilizations and governments."" Dangerous or not, there would be change. The beautiful young Fremen knew this. They could look outward and see it, prepare for it. Stilgar was forced to stop. It was either that or walk right over Leto. The youth peered up at him owlishly, said:"" You see, Stil? Tradition isn't the absolute guide you thought it was.""=========================== A Fremen dies when he is too long from the desert; this we call"" the water sickness.""-Stilgar, the Commentaries"" It is difficult for me, asking you to do this,"" Alia said."" But... I must insure that there's an empire for Paul's children to inherit. There's no other reason for the Regency."" Alia turned from where she was seated at a mirror completing her morning toilet. She looked at her husband, measuring how he absorbed these words. Duncan Idaho deserved careful study in these moments; there was no doubt that he'd become something far more subtle and dangerous",the youth,"Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth","he deposed Shaddam IV:"" It's not long life to the Emperor that I seek; it's long life to the Imperium."" Isn't that what I've been saying to myself? Stilgar wondered. He resumed walking, headed toward the sietch entrance slightly to Leto's right. The youth moved to intercept him. Muad'Dib had said another thing, Stilgar reminded himself:"" just as individuals are born, mature, breed, and die, so do societies and civilizations and governments."" Dangerous or not, there would be change. The beautiful young Fremen knew this. They could look outward and see it, prepare for it. Stilgar was forced to stop. It was either that or walk right over Leto. The youth peered up at him owlishly, said:"" You see, Stil? Tradition isn't the absolute guide you thought it was.""=========================== A Fremen dies when he is too long from the desert; this we call"" the water sickness.""-Stilgar, the Commentaries"" It is difficult for me, asking you to do this,"" Alia said."" But... I must insure that there's an empire for Paul's children to inherit. There's no other reason for the Regency."" Alia turned from where she was seated at a mirror completing her morning toilet. She looked at her husband, measuring how he absorbed these words. Duncan Idaho deserved careful study in these moments; there was no doubt that he'd become something far more subtle and dangerous:Previous Entities: |Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth| ::: Tradition isn't the absolute guide you thought it was."" ",Leto.M Or am I conjecturing?”,58107,58130,True,430:Catel.M,"muscles.“The Omicron zone doesn’t sound secure if a grad student can walk in there.” Drake got annoyed.“The zone is very tight. But we can’t have the security bots active all the time— nobody could enter the zone. I should be asking you about security, Ed. You paid Professor Ray Hough a great deal of money to let us recruit his grad students.”“I didn’t pay him a cent, Vin. He got stock in Nanigen. Under the table.”“So what? You are responsible for the behavior of those students, Ed! You manipulated the situation in Cambridge to get those students out here.”“You have not solved the problem of bends,” Dr. Catel answered in a bland voice.“You planned to send them into the micro- world at considerable risk to their lives. Or am I conjecturing?” Drake ignored him and paced the room.“The ringleader is Peter Jansen,” he went on, speaking rapidly.“He’s the brother of our deceased vice president, Eric Jansen. Peter seems to irrationally blame Nanigen for his brother’s death. He’s looking for payback. He’s trying to steal our corporate secrets. He may be planning to sell our technology—”“To whom?” Catel asked sharply.“Does it matter?” Catel’s eyes narrowed.“Everything matters.” Drake didn’t seem to hear him.“A Nanigen employee is involved in the spying,” Drake went on.“A control- room operator named Jarel Kinsky.”“Why do you think so?” Catel asked. Drake shrugged.“Kinsky has",Catel,"this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel","muscles.“The Omicron zone doesn’t sound secure if a grad student can walk in there.” Drake got annoyed.“The zone is very tight. But we can’t have the security bots active all the time— nobody could enter the zone. I should be asking you about security, Ed. You paid Professor Ray Hough a great deal of money to let us recruit his grad students.”“I didn’t pay him a cent, Vin. He got stock in Nanigen. Under the table.”“So what? You are responsible for the behavior of those students, Ed! You manipulated the situation in Cambridge to get those students out here.”“You have not solved the problem of bends,” Dr. Catel answered in a bland voice.“You planned to send them into the micro- world at considerable risk to their lives. Or am I conjecturing?” Drake ignored him and paced the room.“The ringleader is Peter Jansen,” he went on, speaking rapidly.“He’s the brother of our deceased vice president, Eric Jansen. Peter seems to irrationally blame Nanigen for his brother’s death. He’s looking for payback. He’s trying to steal our corporate secrets. He may be planning to sell our technology—”“To whom?” Catel asked sharply.“Does it matter?” Catel’s eyes narrowed.“Everything matters.” Drake didn’t seem to hear him.“A Nanigen employee is involved in the spying,” Drake went on.“A control- room operator named Jarel Kinsky.”“Why do you think so?” Catel asked. Drake shrugged.“Kinsky has:Previous Entities: |this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel| ::: Or am I conjecturing?” ",Drake.M ” I cringe.“,35561,35565,True,115:God.?,". I tried to warn you that people were watching you during your initiation, remember?” I remember his eyes shifting to the ceiling, to the corner. His cryptic warnings, hissed between his teeth. I never realized he was warning me about cameras— it just never occurred to me before.“It used to bother me,” he says.“But I got over it a long time ago. We always thought we were on our own, and now it turns out we were right— they left us on our own. That’s just the way it is.”“I guess I don’t accept that,” I say.“If you see someone in trouble, you should help them. Experiment or not. And... God.” I cringe.“All the things they saw.” He smiles at me, a little.“What?” I demand.“I was just thinking of some of the things they saw,” he says, putting his hand on my waist. I glare at him for a moment, but I can’t sustain it, not with him grinning at me like that. Not knowing that he’s trying to make me feel better. I smile a little. I sit next to him on the windowsill, my hands wedged between my legs and the wood.“You know, the Bureau setting up the factions is not much different than what we thought happened: A long time ago, a group of people decided that the faction system would be the best way to live— or the",God,"Geb, Sekhmet",". I tried to warn you that people were watching you during your initiation, remember?” I remember his eyes shifting to the ceiling, to the corner. His cryptic warnings, hissed between his teeth. I never realized he was warning me about cameras— it just never occurred to me before.“It used to bother me,” he says.“But I got over it a long time ago. We always thought we were on our own, and now it turns out we were right— they left us on our own. That’s just the way it is.”“I guess I don’t accept that,” I say.“If you see someone in trouble, you should help them. Experiment or not. And... God.” I cringe.“All the things they saw.” He smiles at me, a little.“What?” I demand.“I was just thinking of some of the things they saw,” he says, putting his hand on my waist. I glare at him for a moment, but I can’t sustain it, not with him grinning at me like that. Not knowing that he’s trying to make me feel better. I smile a little. I sit next to him on the windowsill, my hands wedged between my legs and the wood.“You know, the Bureau setting up the factions is not much different than what we thought happened: A long time ago, a group of people decided that the faction system would be the best way to live— or the:Previous Entities: |Geb, Sekhmet| ::: ” I cringe.“ ",Geb.M ' I just got off the phone with John Storrow—',107848,107859,True,2474:this one.M,"office. I was so oiled with sweat that I looked like a slightly pot- bellied version of the muscle- boys I sometimes saw when I was working out.' Hello?'' Mike? Did I wake you? Were you sleeping?' It was Mattie, but a different one from last night. This one wasn't afraid or even tentative; this one sounded so happy she was almost bubbling over. It was almost certainly the Mattie who had attracted Lance Devore.' Not sleeping,' I said.' Writing a little.'' Get out! I thought you were retired.'' I thought so, too,' I said,' but maybe I was a little hasty. What's going on? You sound over the moon.'' I just got off the phone with John Storrow—' Really? How long had I been on the second floor, anyway? I looked at my wrist and saw nothing but a pale circle. It was half- past freckles and skin o'clock, as we used to say when we were kids; my watch was downstairs in the north bedroom, probably lying in a puddle of water from my overturned night- glass.'— his age, and that he can subpoena the other son!'' Whoa,' I said.' You lost me. Go back and slow down.' She did. Telling the hard news didn't take long(it rarely does): Storrow was coming up tomorrow. He would land at County Airport and stay at the Lookout Rock Hotel in Castle View. The two of them would spend most",this one,"A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman","office. I was so oiled with sweat that I looked like a slightly pot- bellied version of the muscle- boys I sometimes saw when I was working out.' Hello?'' Mike? Did I wake you? Were you sleeping?' It was Mattie, but a different one from last night. This one wasn't afraid or even tentative; this one sounded so happy she was almost bubbling over. It was almost certainly the Mattie who had attracted Lance Devore.' Not sleeping,' I said.' Writing a little.'' Get out! I thought you were retired.'' I thought so, too,' I said,' but maybe I was a little hasty. What's going on? You sound over the moon.'' I just got off the phone with John Storrow—' Really? How long had I been on the second floor, anyway? I looked at my wrist and saw nothing but a pale circle. It was half- past freckles and skin o'clock, as we used to say when we were kids; my watch was downstairs in the north bedroom, probably lying in a puddle of water from my overturned night- glass.'— his age, and that he can subpoena the other son!'' Whoa,' I said.' You lost me. Go back and slow down.' She did. Telling the hard news didn't take long(it rarely does): Storrow was coming up tomorrow. He would land at County Airport and stay at the Lookout Rock Hotel in Castle View. The two of them would spend most:Previous Entities: |A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman| ::: ' I just got off the phone with John Storrow—' ",Mattie. State requirement.”,19830,19841,True,307:The Law.M,"Both had blocky, vein- ridged hands. His were callused. Hers were cracked and red.“Mr. and Mrs. Bowie, this is the boy of whom I spoke. Take off your hat, young Blaisdell.” Blaze took off his Red Sox cap. Mr. Bowie looked at him critically.“He’s a big‘ un. Only eleven, you say?”“Twelve next month. He’ll be a good help around your place.”“He ain’t got nothin, does he?” Mrs. Bowie asked. Her voice was high and reedy. It sounded strange coming from that mammoth breast, which rose under her plaid coat like a comber at Higgins Beach.“No TB nor nothin?”“He’s been tested,” said Coslaw.“All our boys are tested regularly. State requirement.”“Can he chop wood, that’s what I need to know,” Mr. Bowie said. His face was thin and haggard, the face of an unsuccessful TV preacher.“I’m sure he can,” said Coslaw.“I’m sure he’s capable of hard work. Hard physical work, I mean. He is poor at Arithmetic.” Mrs. Bowie smiled. It was all lip and no teeth.“I do the cipherin.” She turned to her husband.“Hubert?” Bowie considered, then nodded.“Ayuh.”“Step out, please, young Blaisdell,” The Law said.“I’ll speak to you later.” And so, without a word spoken by him, Blaze became a ward of the Bowies.",The Law,"Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law","Both had blocky, vein- ridged hands. His were callused. Hers were cracked and red.“Mr. and Mrs. Bowie, this is the boy of whom I spoke. Take off your hat, young Blaisdell.” Blaze took off his Red Sox cap. Mr. Bowie looked at him critically.“He’s a big‘ un. Only eleven, you say?”“Twelve next month. He’ll be a good help around your place.”“He ain’t got nothin, does he?” Mrs. Bowie asked. Her voice was high and reedy. It sounded strange coming from that mammoth breast, which rose under her plaid coat like a comber at Higgins Beach.“No TB nor nothin?”“He’s been tested,” said Coslaw.“All our boys are tested regularly. State requirement.”“Can he chop wood, that’s what I need to know,” Mr. Bowie said. His face was thin and haggard, the face of an unsuccessful TV preacher.“I’m sure he can,” said Coslaw.“I’m sure he’s capable of hard work. Hard physical work, I mean. He is poor at Arithmetic.” Mrs. Bowie smiled. It was all lip and no teeth.“I do the cipherin.” She turned to her husband.“Hubert?” Bowie considered, then nodded.“Ayuh.”“Step out, please, young Blaisdell,” The Law said.“I’ll speak to you later.” And so, without a word spoken by him, Blaze became a ward of the Bowies.:Previous Entities: |Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law| ::: State requirement.” ",Martin Coslaw.M "“She’s been refusing food,",33265,33274,True,138:Sloan.F,"Les’ kid knew something about respect, although Jordan had heard the young man was close to Michael Everhart. That made him wonder; maybe the salute was just a facade. Jordan stopped outside the cell of Ty Parker, the technician who had once worked with many of the great Hell Divers. Parker sat on his bunk looking down at the floor, head in his hands. That was good. The traitor should be thinking about what he had done. If not for his unique skill set, Jordan would already have jettisoned him from one of the air locks, but he needed Ty to continue working— under militia supervision, of course. Ty glanced up, but Jordan moved on to the cell with the full tray of slop sitting on the floor in front of it.“She’s been refusing food, sir,” Sloan said.“For how long?” Jordan asked.“Two days.” Jordan bent down and picked up the tray of reeking slush. The prisoners were given a combination of old stew and bugs grown on the farm to help with the crops. Most people didn’t realize it, but bugs were a healthy part of the ecosystem and high in protein. Sloan unlocked the hatch and opened it for Jordan. After taking in a discreet last breath of fresh air, he walked in and nodded for the guard to seal them inside.“You’re not eating,” Jordan said. Katrina sat cross- legged on the floor, her back to him, braided hair falling over her shoulder.“I lost my appetite,” she said without turning.“Did",Sloan,"their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan","Les’ kid knew something about respect, although Jordan had heard the young man was close to Michael Everhart. That made him wonder; maybe the salute was just a facade. Jordan stopped outside the cell of Ty Parker, the technician who had once worked with many of the great Hell Divers. Parker sat on his bunk looking down at the floor, head in his hands. That was good. The traitor should be thinking about what he had done. If not for his unique skill set, Jordan would already have jettisoned him from one of the air locks, but he needed Ty to continue working— under militia supervision, of course. Ty glanced up, but Jordan moved on to the cell with the full tray of slop sitting on the floor in front of it.“She’s been refusing food, sir,” Sloan said.“For how long?” Jordan asked.“Two days.” Jordan bent down and picked up the tray of reeking slush. The prisoners were given a combination of old stew and bugs grown on the farm to help with the crops. Most people didn’t realize it, but bugs were a healthy part of the ecosystem and high in protein. Sloan unlocked the hatch and opened it for Jordan. After taking in a discreet last breath of fresh air, he walked in and nodded for the guard to seal them inside.“You’re not eating,” Jordan said. Katrina sat cross- legged on the floor, her back to him, braided hair falling over her shoulder.“I lost my appetite,” she said without turning.“Did:Previous Entities: |their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan| ::: “She’s been refusing food, ",Jordan.M "“Mmmm,”",1987,1990,True,180:Soren ’s father.M,"disturbed Soren. He simply could not imagine growing up and having a nest of his own. How could he be separated from his parents? And yet there was this urge to fly, even now with his stubby little wings that lacked even the smallest sign of true flight feathers.“And now,” Soren’s father continued,“it is time for your First Insect ceremony.” He turned to Soren’s mother.“Marella, my dear, can you bring forward the cricket?” Soren’s mother stepped up. In her beak she held one of the summer’s last crickets.“Eat up, young’un! Headfirst. Yes, down the beak. Yes, always headfirst— that’s the proper way, be it cricket, mouse, or vole.”“Mmmm,” sighed Soren’s father as he watched his daughter swallow the cricket.“Dizzy in the gizzy, ain’t it so?!” Kludd blinked and yawned. Sometimes his parents really embarrassed him, especially his da with his stupid jokes.“Wit of the wood!” muttered Kludd. That dawn, after the owls had settled down, Soren was still so excited by his little sister’s arrival that he could not sleep. His parents had retired to the ledge above him where they slept, but he could hear their voices threading through the dim morning light that filtered into the hollow.“Oh, Noctus, it is very strange— another owlet disappeared?”“Yes, my dear, I’m afraid so.”“How many is that now in the last",Soren ’s father,"Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father","disturbed Soren. He simply could not imagine growing up and having a nest of his own. How could he be separated from his parents? And yet there was this urge to fly, even now with his stubby little wings that lacked even the smallest sign of true flight feathers.“And now,” Soren’s father continued,“it is time for your First Insect ceremony.” He turned to Soren’s mother.“Marella, my dear, can you bring forward the cricket?” Soren’s mother stepped up. In her beak she held one of the summer’s last crickets.“Eat up, young’un! Headfirst. Yes, down the beak. Yes, always headfirst— that’s the proper way, be it cricket, mouse, or vole.”“Mmmm,” sighed Soren’s father as he watched his daughter swallow the cricket.“Dizzy in the gizzy, ain’t it so?!” Kludd blinked and yawned. Sometimes his parents really embarrassed him, especially his da with his stupid jokes.“Wit of the wood!” muttered Kludd. That dawn, after the owls had settled down, Soren was still so excited by his little sister’s arrival that he could not sleep. His parents had retired to the ledge above him where they slept, but he could hear their voices threading through the dim morning light that filtered into the hollow.“Oh, Noctus, it is very strange— another owlet disappeared?”“Yes, my dear, I’m afraid so.”“How many is that now in the last:Previous Entities: |Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father| ::: “Mmmm,” ",Soren’s father.M they would have appeared as a race of supermodels.,78138,78211,True,711:Marco Svabo.M,"extremely active area.” He started to explain the intricacies. One by one, the congressional aides finished eating and left. Only a handful remained, and they were checking messages on their cell phones.*** Neanderthals Were the First Blondes Stronger, Bigger- Brained, Smarter Than Us Genetic mutations for hair color indicate that the first blondes were Neanderthals, not Homo sapiens. The blonde gene emerged sometime in the Würm glaciation, perhaps in response to the relative lack of sunlight in the ice age. The gene spread among Neanderthals, who were mostly blonde, researchers say.“Neanderthals had brains one- fifth larger than ours. They were taller than we were, and stronger. They were undoubtedly smarter, too,” says Marco Svabo, of the Helsinki Genetics Institute.“In fact, there is little doubt that modern man is a domesticated version of the Neanderthal, as the modern dog is a domesticated version of the stronger and more intelligent wolf. Modern man is a degraded, inferior creature. Neanderthals were intellectually superior, and better looking. With blonde hair, high cheekbones, and strong features, they would have appeared as a race of supermodels.“Homo sapiens— skinnier and uglier than Neanderthals— would naturally have been attracted to the beauty, strength, and intelligence of blondes. Apparently a few Neanderthal women took pity on the puny Cro- Magnons and bred with them. It’s a good thing for us. We are lucky that we carry blonde Neanderthal genes to prevent our species from becoming hopelessly stupid. Although, we demonstrate plenty of stupidity anyway.” He said that pretending blondes were stupid was“a dark- haired prejudice designed to deflect attention from the real problem of the world, which is dark- haired shortcomings.” He added,“Make a list of the stupidest people in history. You will find they are all dark- haired.” Dr. Evard Nilsson, a spokesperson for the Marburg Institute in",Marco Svabo,"the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo","extremely active area.” He started to explain the intricacies. One by one, the congressional aides finished eating and left. Only a handful remained, and they were checking messages on their cell phones.*** Neanderthals Were the First Blondes Stronger, Bigger- Brained, Smarter Than Us Genetic mutations for hair color indicate that the first blondes were Neanderthals, not Homo sapiens. The blonde gene emerged sometime in the Würm glaciation, perhaps in response to the relative lack of sunlight in the ice age. The gene spread among Neanderthals, who were mostly blonde, researchers say.“Neanderthals had brains one- fifth larger than ours. They were taller than we were, and stronger. They were undoubtedly smarter, too,” says Marco Svabo, of the Helsinki Genetics Institute.“In fact, there is little doubt that modern man is a domesticated version of the Neanderthal, as the modern dog is a domesticated version of the stronger and more intelligent wolf. Modern man is a degraded, inferior creature. Neanderthals were intellectually superior, and better looking. With blonde hair, high cheekbones, and strong features, they would have appeared as a race of supermodels.“Homo sapiens— skinnier and uglier than Neanderthals— would naturally have been attracted to the beauty, strength, and intelligence of blondes. Apparently a few Neanderthal women took pity on the puny Cro- Magnons and bred with them. It’s a good thing for us. We are lucky that we carry blonde Neanderthal genes to prevent our species from becoming hopelessly stupid. Although, we demonstrate plenty of stupidity anyway.” He said that pretending blondes were stupid was“a dark- haired prejudice designed to deflect attention from the real problem of the world, which is dark- haired shortcomings.” He added,“Make a list of the stupidest people in history. You will find they are all dark- haired.” Dr. Evard Nilsson, a spokesperson for the Marburg Institute in:Previous Entities: |the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo| ::: they would have appeared as a race of supermodels. ",Marco Svabo.M is it?',43694,43707,True,287:Grub.M,"coupla body- armour suits over in Recon. I'm having'em double- timed over to you right now. Five minutes. Tops.'' D'ArvitF swore the cap tain. They were going to have to move. Any second now this booth would fall apart and they would be sitting ducks for goblin fire. Beside him the corporal was quivering in terror.' For heaven's sake,' snapped Trouble.' Pull yourself together.'' You shut up, Trub,' retorted his brother, Grub, through wobbly lips.' You were supposed to look out for me. Mummy said.' Trouble waved a threatening finger.' It's Captain Kelp while we're on duty, Corporal. And for your information, I am looking out for you.'' Oh, this is looking out for me, is it?' whined Grub, pouting. Trouble didn't know who annoyed him more, his kid brother or the goblins.' OK, Grub. This booth isn't going to last much longer. We've got to make a break for the Emporium. Understand?' Grub's wobbling lip suddenly stiffened considerably.' No chance. I'm not moving. You can't make me. I don't mind if I stay here for the rest of my life.' Trouble raised his visor.' Listen to me. Listen. The rest of your life is going to be about thirty seconds. We have to go.'' But the goblins, Trub.' Captain Kelp grabbed his brother by the shoulders.' Don't you worry about the goblins. You worry about my",Grub,"the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie","coupla body- armour suits over in Recon. I'm having'em double- timed over to you right now. Five minutes. Tops.'' D'ArvitF swore the cap tain. They were going to have to move. Any second now this booth would fall apart and they would be sitting ducks for goblin fire. Beside him the corporal was quivering in terror.' For heaven's sake,' snapped Trouble.' Pull yourself together.'' You shut up, Trub,' retorted his brother, Grub, through wobbly lips.' You were supposed to look out for me. Mummy said.' Trouble waved a threatening finger.' It's Captain Kelp while we're on duty, Corporal. And for your information, I am looking out for you.'' Oh, this is looking out for me, is it?' whined Grub, pouting. Trouble didn't know who annoyed him more, his kid brother or the goblins.' OK, Grub. This booth isn't going to last much longer. We've got to make a break for the Emporium. Understand?' Grub's wobbling lip suddenly stiffened considerably.' No chance. I'm not moving. You can't make me. I don't mind if I stay here for the rest of my life.' Trouble raised his visor.' Listen to me. Listen. The rest of your life is going to be about thirty seconds. We have to go.'' But the goblins, Trub.' Captain Kelp grabbed his brother by the shoulders.' Don't you worry about the goblins. You worry about my:Previous Entities: |the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie| ::: is it?' ",Grub.M the Duncans always want to know how the people live.”,124850,124890,True,1070:the women.?,"affront. Had it been anyone but a Duncan, the women would have taken it upon themselves to eliminate him.“Well, Moneo?”“I am told, Lord, that he called out a levy of guards and questioned them about their origins. On what worlds were they born? What of their parentage, their childhood?”“And the answers did not please him.”“He frightened them, Lord. He kept insisting.”“As though repetition could elicit the truth, yes.” Moneo allowed himself to hope that this might be the whole of his Lord’s concern.“Why do the Duncans always do this, Lord?”“It was their early training, the Atreides training.”“But how did that differ from…”“The Atreides lived in the service of the people they governed. The measure of their government was found in the lives of the governed. Thus, the Duncans always want to know how the people live.”“He has spent a night in one village, Lord. He has been to some of the towns. He has seen…”“It’s all in how you interpret the results, Moneo. Evidence is nothing without judgments.”“I have observed that he judges, Lord.”“We all do, but the Duncans tend to believe that this universe is hostage to my will. And they know that you can not do wrong in the name of right.”“Is that what he says you…”“It is what I say, what all of the Atreides in me say. This universe will not permit it. The things you attempt will not endure if you…”“But, Lord! You do no wrong!”“Poor Moneo",the women,"Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae","affront. Had it been anyone but a Duncan, the women would have taken it upon themselves to eliminate him.“Well, Moneo?”“I am told, Lord, that he called out a levy of guards and questioned them about their origins. On what worlds were they born? What of their parentage, their childhood?”“And the answers did not please him.”“He frightened them, Lord. He kept insisting.”“As though repetition could elicit the truth, yes.” Moneo allowed himself to hope that this might be the whole of his Lord’s concern.“Why do the Duncans always do this, Lord?”“It was their early training, the Atreides training.”“But how did that differ from…”“The Atreides lived in the service of the people they governed. The measure of their government was found in the lives of the governed. Thus, the Duncans always want to know how the people live.”“He has spent a night in one village, Lord. He has been to some of the towns. He has seen…”“It’s all in how you interpret the results, Moneo. Evidence is nothing without judgments.”“I have observed that he judges, Lord.”“We all do, but the Duncans tend to believe that this universe is hostage to my will. And they know that you can not do wrong in the name of right.”“Is that what he says you…”“It is what I say, what all of the Atreides in me say. This universe will not permit it. The things you attempt will not endure if you…”“But, Lord! You do no wrong!”“Poor Moneo:Previous Entities: |Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae| ::: the Duncans always want to know how the people live.” ",Moneo.M “We do not waste food around here.,3478,3522,True,87:Marella.?,"than beetles, more than crickets, Which at times give me the hiccups. I crave only to feed On a juicy centipede And I shall be happy forevermore. Just as Soren finished the song, his mother flew into the hollow and dropped a vole at her feet.“A nice fat one, my dear. Enough for your First Fur ceremony and Kludd’s First Bones.”“I want my own!” Kludd said.“Nonsense, dear, you could never eat a whole vole.”“Whole vole!” squeaked Eglantine.“Oh, Mum, it rhymes. I love rhymes.”“I want one all for myself,” Kludd persisted.“Now, look here, Kludd.” Marella fixed her son in a dark steady gaze.“We do not waste food around here. This is a very large vole. There is enough for you to have your First Bones ceremony, Soren to have his First Fur ceremony, and Eglantine to have her First Meat.”“Meat! I get to eat meat!” Eglantine gave a little hop of excitement. She seemed to have forgotten all about the joys of centipedes.“And so, Kludd, when you want a vole all of your own, you can just go out and hunt it for yourself! I spent most of the night tracking down this one. Food is scarce in Tyto this time of year. I’m exhausted.” A huge orange moon sailed in the autumn sky. It seemed to hover just above the great fir tree where Soren and his family lived, and it cast a soft glow in through the opening of the hollow. It was indeed a perfect night for the ceremonies that these owls loved and that marked their growth and the passage of time. And so",Marella,"the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","than beetles, more than crickets, Which at times give me the hiccups. I crave only to feed On a juicy centipede And I shall be happy forevermore. Just as Soren finished the song, his mother flew into the hollow and dropped a vole at her feet.“A nice fat one, my dear. Enough for your First Fur ceremony and Kludd’s First Bones.”“I want my own!” Kludd said.“Nonsense, dear, you could never eat a whole vole.”“Whole vole!” squeaked Eglantine.“Oh, Mum, it rhymes. I love rhymes.”“I want one all for myself,” Kludd persisted.“Now, look here, Kludd.” Marella fixed her son in a dark steady gaze.“We do not waste food around here. This is a very large vole. There is enough for you to have your First Bones ceremony, Soren to have his First Fur ceremony, and Eglantine to have her First Meat.”“Meat! I get to eat meat!” Eglantine gave a little hop of excitement. She seemed to have forgotten all about the joys of centipedes.“And so, Kludd, when you want a vole all of your own, you can just go out and hunt it for yourself! I spent most of the night tracking down this one. Food is scarce in Tyto this time of year. I’m exhausted.” A huge orange moon sailed in the autumn sky. It seemed to hover just above the great fir tree where Soren and his family lived, and it cast a soft glow in through the opening of the hollow. It was indeed a perfect night for the ceremonies that these owls loved and that marked their growth and the passage of time. And so:Previous Entities: |the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: “We do not waste food around here. ",Marella.F that’s disgusting—”,72875,72910,True,296:Buckbeak.M,"them, tears leaking down his face again.“I don’ ever want ter go back ter Azkaban.” The trip to Hagrid’s, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn’t brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He, Ron, and Hermione went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant. 221 CHAPTER ELEVEN“Here’s something... there was a case in 1722... but the hippogriff was convicted— ugh, look what they did to it, that’s disgusting—”“This might help, look— a manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the manticore off— oh— no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it....” Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron’s pocket",Buckbeak,"Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class","them, tears leaking down his face again.“I don’ ever want ter go back ter Azkaban.” The trip to Hagrid’s, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn’t brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He, Ron, and Hermione went to the library the next day and returned to the empty common room laden with books that might help prepare a defense for Buckbeak. The three of them sat in front of the roaring fire, slowly turning the pages of dusty volumes about famous cases of marauding beasts, speaking occasionally when they ran across something relevant. 221 CHAPTER ELEVEN“Here’s something... there was a case in 1722... but the hippogriff was convicted— ugh, look what they did to it, that’s disgusting—”“This might help, look— a manticore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the manticore off— oh— no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it....” Meanwhile, in the rest of the castle, the usual magnificent Christmas decorations had been put up, despite the fact that hardly any of the students remained to enjoy them. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights shone from inside every suit of armor, and the Great Hall was filled with its usual twelve Christmas trees, glittering with golden stars. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking pervaded the corridors, and by Christmas Eve, it had grown so strong that even Scabbers poked his nose out of the shelter of Ron’s pocket:Previous Entities: |Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class| ::: that’s disgusting—” ",Hermione.F "' Park Avenue lawyer,'",195944,195949,True,1027:Rommie.M,"Rommie asked anxiously.' Mike, are you okay? It was just a joke—' I blinked and saw it wasn't an oxygen mask at all— how in God's name could I have been so stupid? For one thing, it was bigger than Devore's mask; for another, it was made of opaque rather than clear plastic. It was— I gave a tentative chuckle. Rommie Bissonette looked tremendously relieved. So did Kennedy. John only looked puzzled.' Funny,' I said.' Like a rubber crutch.' I pulled out the little mike from inside the mask and let it dangle. It swung back and forth on its wire, reminding me of the waggy clock's tail.' What the hell is it?' John asked.' Park Avenue lawyer,' Rommie said to George, broadening his accent so it came out Paa- aak Avenew lawyah.' Ain't nevah seen one of these, have ya, chummy? Nossir, coss not.' Then he reverted to normal- speak, which was sort of a relief. I've lived in Maine my whole life, and for me the amusement value of burlesque Yankee accents has worn pretty thin.' It's a Stenomask. The stenog keeping the record at Mike's depo was wearing one. Mike kept looking at him—'' It freaked me out,' I said.' Old guy sitting in the corner and mumbling into the Mask of Zorro.'' Gerry Bliss freaks a lot of people out,' Kennedy said. He spoke in a low rumble.",Rommie,"Earl, Rommie","Rommie asked anxiously.' Mike, are you okay? It was just a joke—' I blinked and saw it wasn't an oxygen mask at all— how in God's name could I have been so stupid? For one thing, it was bigger than Devore's mask; for another, it was made of opaque rather than clear plastic. It was— I gave a tentative chuckle. Rommie Bissonette looked tremendously relieved. So did Kennedy. John only looked puzzled.' Funny,' I said.' Like a rubber crutch.' I pulled out the little mike from inside the mask and let it dangle. It swung back and forth on its wire, reminding me of the waggy clock's tail.' What the hell is it?' John asked.' Park Avenue lawyer,' Rommie said to George, broadening his accent so it came out Paa- aak Avenew lawyah.' Ain't nevah seen one of these, have ya, chummy? Nossir, coss not.' Then he reverted to normal- speak, which was sort of a relief. I've lived in Maine my whole life, and for me the amusement value of burlesque Yankee accents has worn pretty thin.' It's a Stenomask. The stenog keeping the record at Mike's depo was wearing one. Mike kept looking at him—'' It freaked me out,' I said.' Old guy sitting in the corner and mumbling into the Mask of Zorro.'' Gerry Bliss freaks a lot of people out,' Kennedy said. He spoke in a low rumble.:Previous Entities: |Earl, Rommie| ::: ' Park Avenue lawyer,' ",Rommie.M The strange just keeps getting stranger,498,504,True,232:Crichton.M,"... It will definitely stir the imagination."" Arkansas Democrat- Gazette"" There are plenty of[ surprises] to raise the hair on the back of the neck, put a catch in one's throat...[ Crichton] has once again successfully served up a thrilling blend of science and suspense."" San Diego Union- Tribune""[ Crichton's] stories are page- turners of the highest order."" Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel"" Crichton excels at storytelling... Heart- pounding."" New York Newsday"" Few writers can make science as entertaining as does Crichton. There is plenty of mystery and misdirection to sustain the suspense and the plotting is always clever... A thoughtful and thrilling probe into the murky depths of imagination."" Boston Herald"" The strange just keeps getting stranger and stranger... Sphere is a highly entertaining and tightly written novel that... contains more twists and turns than San Francisco's Lombard Street... Once Crichton grabs your attention, he keeps it until the final page."" Orange County Register"" Gripping stuff."" Sydney Sun Herald(Australia)"" Pure reading pleasure."" Baton Rouge Sunday Magazine"" Crichton has figured out how to package complex scientific, technological, and biological matters in ways that go down easy for the mass audience, and this is by no stretch of the imagination a bad thing."" Washington Post Book World"" Don't start this book late at night... It will cause lack of sleep. At least until it's finished."" Asbury Park Press By Michael Crichton Fiction",Crichton,"A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton","... It will definitely stir the imagination."" Arkansas Democrat- Gazette"" There are plenty of[ surprises] to raise the hair on the back of the neck, put a catch in one's throat...[ Crichton] has once again successfully served up a thrilling blend of science and suspense."" San Diego Union- Tribune""[ Crichton's] stories are page- turners of the highest order."" Milwaukee Journal- Sentinel"" Crichton excels at storytelling... Heart- pounding."" New York Newsday"" Few writers can make science as entertaining as does Crichton. There is plenty of mystery and misdirection to sustain the suspense and the plotting is always clever... A thoughtful and thrilling probe into the murky depths of imagination."" Boston Herald"" The strange just keeps getting stranger and stranger... Sphere is a highly entertaining and tightly written novel that... contains more twists and turns than San Francisco's Lombard Street... Once Crichton grabs your attention, he keeps it until the final page."" Orange County Register"" Gripping stuff."" Sydney Sun Herald(Australia)"" Pure reading pleasure."" Baton Rouge Sunday Magazine"" Crichton has figured out how to package complex scientific, technological, and biological matters in ways that go down easy for the mass audience, and this is by no stretch of the imagination a bad thing."" Washington Post Book World"" Don't start this book late at night... It will cause lack of sleep. At least until it's finished."" Asbury Park Press By Michael Crichton Fiction:Previous Entities: |A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton| ::: The strange just keeps getting stranger ",Richmond.M ‘ They know you’re,94884,94888,True,155:Dimity Hubbub.F,"reached up and brushed someone’s hand from her shoulder, sharply, without breaking eye contact with Tiffany. And we’re not wearing hats, thought Tiffany. You gave me a virtual hat once, Granny Weatherwax, and I thank you for it. But I don’t need it today. Today, I know I’m a witch.‘ Oh, come now, ladies!’ said the mistress of ceremonies, now almost frantic.‘ This is the Trials! A place for friendly and instructive contestation in an atmosphere of fraternity and goodwill! Surely some lady… or young lady, perhaps…? Tiffany smiled. It should be‘ sorority’, not‘ fraternity’. We’re sisters, mistress, not brothers.‘ Come on. Tiffany!’ Dimity urged.‘ They know you’re good!’ Tiffany shook her head.‘ Oh, well, that’s it,’ said Annagramma, rolling her eyes.‘ The old baggage has messed with the girl’s head, as usual–’‘ I don’t know who’s messed with whose head,’ snapped Petulia, rolling up her sleeves.‘ But I’m going to do the pig trick.’ She got to her feet and there was a general stir in the crowd.‘ Oh, I see it’s going to be— Oh, it’s you, Petulia,’ said the mistress of ceremonies, slightly disappointed.‘ Yes, Miss Casement, and I intend to perform the pig trick,’ said Petulia loudly.‘ But, er, you don’t seem to have brought",Dimity Hubbub,"Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man","reached up and brushed someone’s hand from her shoulder, sharply, without breaking eye contact with Tiffany. And we’re not wearing hats, thought Tiffany. You gave me a virtual hat once, Granny Weatherwax, and I thank you for it. But I don’t need it today. Today, I know I’m a witch.‘ Oh, come now, ladies!’ said the mistress of ceremonies, now almost frantic.‘ This is the Trials! A place for friendly and instructive contestation in an atmosphere of fraternity and goodwill! Surely some lady… or young lady, perhaps…? Tiffany smiled. It should be‘ sorority’, not‘ fraternity’. We’re sisters, mistress, not brothers.‘ Come on. Tiffany!’ Dimity urged.‘ They know you’re good!’ Tiffany shook her head.‘ Oh, well, that’s it,’ said Annagramma, rolling her eyes.‘ The old baggage has messed with the girl’s head, as usual–’‘ I don’t know who’s messed with whose head,’ snapped Petulia, rolling up her sleeves.‘ But I’m going to do the pig trick.’ She got to her feet and there was a general stir in the crowd.‘ Oh, I see it’s going to be— Oh, it’s you, Petulia,’ said the mistress of ceremonies, slightly disappointed.‘ Yes, Miss Casement, and I intend to perform the pig trick,’ said Petulia loudly.‘ But, er, you don’t seem to have brought:Previous Entities: |Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man| ::: ‘ They know you’re ",Tiffany.F "all of you,”",50606,50614,True,156:The Whiskered Screech.?,"don’t talk now. You are wounded.”“I am dying, Hoole.”“No! No! You can’t be dying.”“I am, but fear not. My life is complete. I feel only happiness, my son, my prince, my king,” she whispered faintly and died. Grank gently shut her eyes with his beak. He felt his heart crack open, his gizzard wither.“I only wanted to be her son a little bit longer,” Hoole said in a hushed voice to Grank.“You will always be her son, Your Grace. But you are now our king.” After several long minutes, Hoole straightened up and turned to look at the masses of owls and wolves still on their knees.“Please rise, all of you,” he commanded, and then he flew a short distance to that noble knight Lord Rathnik. Before him he knelt and if he had had ear tufts he would have laid them back. The owls and wolves grew still again.“Lord Rathnik, I have heard of your noble deeds in both war and peace from Grank, my foster father and tutor. Before I become a king I must become a knight. I am not sure if I have yet fought long enough or valiantly enough to be worthy of such a title.”“Oh, indeed you have, Your Grace.” The Whiskered Screech touched him on his shoulders with his ice sword and dubbed him a knight.“In the name of Glaux and of your good father, King H’rath, and your good mother",The Whiskered Screech,"Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls","don’t talk now. You are wounded.”“I am dying, Hoole.”“No! No! You can’t be dying.”“I am, but fear not. My life is complete. I feel only happiness, my son, my prince, my king,” she whispered faintly and died. Grank gently shut her eyes with his beak. He felt his heart crack open, his gizzard wither.“I only wanted to be her son a little bit longer,” Hoole said in a hushed voice to Grank.“You will always be her son, Your Grace. But you are now our king.” After several long minutes, Hoole straightened up and turned to look at the masses of owls and wolves still on their knees.“Please rise, all of you,” he commanded, and then he flew a short distance to that noble knight Lord Rathnik. Before him he knelt and if he had had ear tufts he would have laid them back. The owls and wolves grew still again.“Lord Rathnik, I have heard of your noble deeds in both war and peace from Grank, my foster father and tutor. Before I become a king I must become a knight. I am not sure if I have yet fought long enough or valiantly enough to be worthy of such a title.”“Oh, indeed you have, Your Grace.” The Whiskered Screech touched him on his shoulders with his ice sword and dubbed him a knight.“In the name of Glaux and of your good father, King H’rath, and your good mother:Previous Entities: |Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls| ::: all of you,” ","Hoole.M Grank.M Rathnik.M The Whiskered Screech.M" Mister Carpet Man.,26044,26065,True,176:Madame Ko.?,"skipped over an oily puddle reflecting rainbow patterns and followed Madame Ko down yet another alley in the medina's endless maze. Suddenly there was a man in her face. One of the market traders.' I have good carpets,' he said in broken French.' You come with me. I show you!' Madame Ko kept going. Juliet attempted to follow her, but the man blocked her path.' No, thank you. I am so not interested. I live outdoors.'' Very funny, mademoiselle. You make good joke. Now come and see Ahmed's carpets.' The crowd began to take notice, swirling to face her, like the tendrils of a giant organism. Madame Ko was moving further away. She was losing the principal.' I said no. Now back off, Mister Carpet Man. Don't make me break a nail.' The Tunisian was unaccustomed to taking orders from a female, and now his friends were watching.' I give good bargain,' he persisted, pointing at his stall.' Best rugs in Sfax.' Juliet dodged to one side, but the crowd moved to cut her off. It was at this point that Ahmed lost any sympathy that Juliet might have had for him. Up to now, he had simply been an innocent local in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now...' Let's go,' said the Tunisian, wrapping an arm around the blonde girl's waist. Not an idea that would make it on to his top ten of good ideas.' Oh, bad move, Carpet Man!' Faster than the eye could blink",Madame Ko,"a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko","skipped over an oily puddle reflecting rainbow patterns and followed Madame Ko down yet another alley in the medina's endless maze. Suddenly there was a man in her face. One of the market traders.' I have good carpets,' he said in broken French.' You come with me. I show you!' Madame Ko kept going. Juliet attempted to follow her, but the man blocked her path.' No, thank you. I am so not interested. I live outdoors.'' Very funny, mademoiselle. You make good joke. Now come and see Ahmed's carpets.' The crowd began to take notice, swirling to face her, like the tendrils of a giant organism. Madame Ko was moving further away. She was losing the principal.' I said no. Now back off, Mister Carpet Man. Don't make me break a nail.' The Tunisian was unaccustomed to taking orders from a female, and now his friends were watching.' I give good bargain,' he persisted, pointing at his stall.' Best rugs in Sfax.' Juliet dodged to one side, but the crowd moved to cut her off. It was at this point that Ahmed lost any sympathy that Juliet might have had for him. Up to now, he had simply been an innocent local in the wrong place at the wrong time. But now...' Let's go,' said the Tunisian, wrapping an arm around the blonde girl's waist. Not an idea that would make it on to his top ten of good ideas.' Oh, bad move, Carpet Man!' Faster than the eye could blink:Previous Entities: |a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko| ::: Mister Carpet Man. ",Juliet.F Perhaps they’ve just come for a quick shampoo.”,28196,28210,True,1185:the man on watch.M,", who shook his head.“Come on,” he chuckled, with all the humor of a blocked drain.“You can’t really see anything out there. Can you?”“Ten men in each canoe,” said Conina grimly.“Look, a joke’s a joke—”“With long curvy swords.”“Well, I can’t see a—”“— their long and rather dirty hair blowing in the wind—”“With split ends, I expect?” said Rincewind sourly.“Are you trying to be funny?”“Me?”“And here’s me without a weapon,” said Conina, sweeping back across the deck.“I bet there isn’t a decent sword anywhere on this boat.”“Never mind. Perhaps they’ve just come for a quick shampoo.” While Conina rummaged frantically in her pack Rincewind sidled over to the Archchancellor’s hatbox and cautiously raised the lid.“There’s nothing out there, is there?” he asked. How should I know? Put me on.“What? On my head?” Good grief.“But I’m not an Archchancellor!” said Rincewind.“I mean, I’ve heard of cool- headed, but—” I need to use your eyes. Now put me on. On your head.“Um.” Trust me. Rincewind couldn’t disobey. He gingerly removed his battered gray hat, looked longingly at its disheveled star, and lifted the Archchancellor’s hat out of its box. It felt rather heavier than he’d expected. The octarines around the crown",the man on watch,"Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch",", who shook his head.“Come on,” he chuckled, with all the humor of a blocked drain.“You can’t really see anything out there. Can you?”“Ten men in each canoe,” said Conina grimly.“Look, a joke’s a joke—”“With long curvy swords.”“Well, I can’t see a—”“— their long and rather dirty hair blowing in the wind—”“With split ends, I expect?” said Rincewind sourly.“Are you trying to be funny?”“Me?”“And here’s me without a weapon,” said Conina, sweeping back across the deck.“I bet there isn’t a decent sword anywhere on this boat.”“Never mind. Perhaps they’ve just come for a quick shampoo.” While Conina rummaged frantically in her pack Rincewind sidled over to the Archchancellor’s hatbox and cautiously raised the lid.“There’s nothing out there, is there?” he asked. How should I know? Put me on.“What? On my head?” Good grief.“But I’m not an Archchancellor!” said Rincewind.“I mean, I’ve heard of cool- headed, but—” I need to use your eyes. Now put me on. On your head.“Um.” Trust me. Rincewind couldn’t disobey. He gingerly removed his battered gray hat, looked longingly at its disheveled star, and lifted the Archchancellor’s hat out of its box. It felt rather heavier than he’d expected. The octarines around the crown:Previous Entities: |Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch| ::: Perhaps they’ve just come for a quick shampoo.” ",Rincewind.M ' Our rates are quite steep.',13364,13371,True,182:Doctor Lane.F,"behind her desk. She was a very glamorous woman, with flowing red hair and the tapered fingers of an artist. Her smock was Dior. Even Constance Lane's smile was perfect too perfect. Artemis looked closer and realized that her entire face was the handiwork of a plastic surgeon. Obviously, this woman's life was all about cheating time. He had come to the right place.' Now, young man, Tracy says you wish to become a customer?' The doctor tried to smile, but the stretching made her face shine like a balloon.' Not personally, no,' replied Artemis.' But I do wish to rent one of your units. Short term.' Constance Lane pulled a company pamphlet from the drawer, ringing some figures in red.' Our rates are quite steep.' Artemis did not even glance at the numbers.' Money is no object. We can set up a wire transfer right now from my Swiss bank. In five minutes you can have a hundred thousand pounds sitting in your personal account. All I need is a unit for a single night.' The figure was impressive. Constance thought of all the nips and tucks it would buy. But she was still reluctant...' Generally minors are not allowed to commit relatives to our chambers. It's the law actually.' Artemis leaned forward.' Doctor Lane. Constance. What I'm doing here is not exactly legal, but no one is being hurt either. One night and you're a rich woman. This time tomorrow and I was never here. No bodies",Doctor Lane,"Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane","behind her desk. She was a very glamorous woman, with flowing red hair and the tapered fingers of an artist. Her smock was Dior. Even Constance Lane's smile was perfect too perfect. Artemis looked closer and realized that her entire face was the handiwork of a plastic surgeon. Obviously, this woman's life was all about cheating time. He had come to the right place.' Now, young man, Tracy says you wish to become a customer?' The doctor tried to smile, but the stretching made her face shine like a balloon.' Not personally, no,' replied Artemis.' But I do wish to rent one of your units. Short term.' Constance Lane pulled a company pamphlet from the drawer, ringing some figures in red.' Our rates are quite steep.' Artemis did not even glance at the numbers.' Money is no object. We can set up a wire transfer right now from my Swiss bank. In five minutes you can have a hundred thousand pounds sitting in your personal account. All I need is a unit for a single night.' The figure was impressive. Constance thought of all the nips and tucks it would buy. But she was still reluctant...' Generally minors are not allowed to commit relatives to our chambers. It's the law actually.' Artemis leaned forward.' Doctor Lane. Constance. What I'm doing here is not exactly legal, but no one is being hurt either. One night and you're a rich woman. This time tomorrow and I was never here. No bodies:Previous Entities: |Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane| ::: ' Our rates are quite steep.' ",Constance Lane. "“Not loaded,",112872,112879,True,"3759:A pimply , gangly kid.M","He began to sing in a monotone.“Trouble’s where I’m going, and trouble’s where I’ve been.” He thumped the counter.“’Cause trouble is my middle name and trouble is my sin.” He smiled.“It’s a song.”“That’s very unusual,” she said.“My dad used to sing it.”“I see.”“He’s dead now.”“I see.”“Killed himself.”“I’m sorry to hear that.”“Shotgun.”“I’m sorry.”“Want to see it?” She blinked.“Maybe some other time.”“I keep it right here,” he said, nodding to the underside of the counter.“Not loaded, of course.” Tapping, singing.“Trouble is the only place I’ve been…”“I’ll just sign in,” Alex said. He gave her back her card, and she filled out the form. Still clicking, all the time. She thought about going elsewhere, but she was tired. Jamie was waiting. She had to feed him, buy some new clothes for him, a toothbrush, all that.“There you go,” the kid said, giving her the room keys. It wasn’t until she was back in her car, driving to a parking spot near the room, that she remembered she was not supposed to have used her credit card. Too late now.“Mom, I’m hungry.”“I know, honey. We","A pimply , gangly kid","the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid","He began to sing in a monotone.“Trouble’s where I’m going, and trouble’s where I’ve been.” He thumped the counter.“’Cause trouble is my middle name and trouble is my sin.” He smiled.“It’s a song.”“That’s very unusual,” she said.“My dad used to sing it.”“I see.”“He’s dead now.”“I see.”“Killed himself.”“I’m sorry to hear that.”“Shotgun.”“I’m sorry.”“Want to see it?” She blinked.“Maybe some other time.”“I keep it right here,” he said, nodding to the underside of the counter.“Not loaded, of course.” Tapping, singing.“Trouble is the only place I’ve been…”“I’ll just sign in,” Alex said. He gave her back her card, and she filled out the form. Still clicking, all the time. She thought about going elsewhere, but she was tired. Jamie was waiting. She had to feed him, buy some new clothes for him, a toothbrush, all that.“There you go,” the kid said, giving her the room keys. It wasn’t until she was back in her car, driving to a parking spot near the room, that she remembered she was not supposed to have used her credit card. Too late now.“Mom, I’m hungry.”“I know, honey. We:Previous Entities: |the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid| ::: “Not loaded, ",the kid.M Carrie White.”,61431,61437,True,439:Quillan.M,"Chief Deighan says they got water in the old Rennett Block across town. They're laying hose now. I collared some kids, and they're settin' up a hospital in the police station. They're good boys, but they're gonna get blood on your floor, Otis.” Otis Doyle felt unreality surge over him. Surely this conversation couldn't be happening in Chamberlain. Couldn't.“That's all right, Tommy. You did right. You go back there and start calling every doctor in the phone book. I'm going over to Summer Street.”“Okay, Otis. If you see that crazy broad, be careful.”“Who?” Doyle was not a barking man, but now he did. Tom Quillan flinched back.“Carrie. Carrie White.”“Who? How do you know?” Quillan blinked slowly.“I dunno. It just sort of... came to me.” From the national AP ticker, 11:46 P.M.: CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE(AP) A DISASTER OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS HAS STRUCK THE TOWN OF CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE, TONIGHT. A FIRE, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEGUN AT EWEN(U- WIN) HIGH SCHOOL DURING A SCHOOL DANCE, HAS SPREAD TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, RESULTING IN MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS THAT HAVE LEVELED MUCH OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA. A RESIDENTIAL AREA TO THE WEST OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS ALSO REPORTED TO BE BURNING. HOWEVER, MOST CONCERN AT THIS TIME IS OVER THE HIGH SCHOOL WHERE A JUNIOR- SENIOR PROM WAS BEING HELD. IT IS BELIEVED THAT MANY OF THE PROM- GOERS",Quillan,"this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan","Chief Deighan says they got water in the old Rennett Block across town. They're laying hose now. I collared some kids, and they're settin' up a hospital in the police station. They're good boys, but they're gonna get blood on your floor, Otis.” Otis Doyle felt unreality surge over him. Surely this conversation couldn't be happening in Chamberlain. Couldn't.“That's all right, Tommy. You did right. You go back there and start calling every doctor in the phone book. I'm going over to Summer Street.”“Okay, Otis. If you see that crazy broad, be careful.”“Who?” Doyle was not a barking man, but now he did. Tom Quillan flinched back.“Carrie. Carrie White.”“Who? How do you know?” Quillan blinked slowly.“I dunno. It just sort of... came to me.” From the national AP ticker, 11:46 P.M.: CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE(AP) A DISASTER OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS HAS STRUCK THE TOWN OF CHAMBERLAIN, MAINE, TONIGHT. A FIRE, BELIEVED TO HAVE BEGUN AT EWEN(U- WIN) HIGH SCHOOL DURING A SCHOOL DANCE, HAS SPREAD TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA, RESULTING IN MULTIPLE EXPLOSIONS THAT HAVE LEVELED MUCH OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA. A RESIDENTIAL AREA TO THE WEST OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS ALSO REPORTED TO BE BURNING. HOWEVER, MOST CONCERN AT THIS TIME IS OVER THE HIGH SCHOOL WHERE A JUNIOR- SENIOR PROM WAS BEING HELD. IT IS BELIEVED THAT MANY OF THE PROM- GOERS:Previous Entities: |this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan| ::: Carrie White.” ","Tom Quillan.M Otis Doyle.M Carrie White.F" “Tell me.”,75662,75666,True,398:Granger.M,"been glad to give Blaze up in order to earn a break, but they only knew him as The Big Boogie, thus giving the police the idea that the third member of the gang had been African- American. In June, Blaze was laid off at the laundry. He didn’t even bother looking for another straight job. He simply drifted through the days until he met George Rackley, and when he met George, his future was set. Chapter 21 ALBERT STERLING was dozing in one of the overstuffed chairs in the Gerard study when the first hints of dawn crept into the sky. It was February first. There was a knock on the side of the door. Sterling’s eyes opened. Granger was standing there.“We might have something,” Granger said.“Tell me.”“Blaisdell grew up in an orphanage– well, state home, same difference– called Hetton House. It’s in the area his call came from.” Sterling got up.“Is it still operating?”“Nope. Closed fifteen years ago.”“Who lives there now?”“Nobody. The town sold it to some people who tried to run a day- school out of it. Place went broke and the town took it back. It’s been vacant ever since.”“I bet that’s where he is,” Sterling said. It was just intuition, but it felt true. They were going to nail the bastard this morning, and anyone who was running with him.“Call the State Police. I want twenty Troopers,",Granger,"the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin","been glad to give Blaze up in order to earn a break, but they only knew him as The Big Boogie, thus giving the police the idea that the third member of the gang had been African- American. In June, Blaze was laid off at the laundry. He didn’t even bother looking for another straight job. He simply drifted through the days until he met George Rackley, and when he met George, his future was set. Chapter 21 ALBERT STERLING was dozing in one of the overstuffed chairs in the Gerard study when the first hints of dawn crept into the sky. It was February first. There was a knock on the side of the door. Sterling’s eyes opened. Granger was standing there.“We might have something,” Granger said.“Tell me.”“Blaisdell grew up in an orphanage– well, state home, same difference– called Hetton House. It’s in the area his call came from.” Sterling got up.“Is it still operating?”“Nope. Closed fifteen years ago.”“Who lives there now?”“Nobody. The town sold it to some people who tried to run a day- school out of it. Place went broke and the town took it back. It’s been vacant ever since.”“I bet that’s where he is,” Sterling said. It was just intuition, but it felt true. They were going to nail the bastard this morning, and anyone who was running with him.“Call the State Police. I want twenty Troopers,:Previous Entities: |the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin| ::: “Tell me.” ",Sterling.M It is better that way.”,162916,162933,True,5494:the farmer.?,"vehicle sped past them and on ahead. Teg knew of its passage only by the smell of burned fuel, the wind that shook the panniers, the thrumming of a powerful engine and sudden tension in his companions. The high panniers completely hid the passing vehicle.“We have been looking for you to protect you, Bashar,” the farmer beside him said.“There are many who hunt you but none of them with us along here.” Teg shot a startled glance at the man.“We served with you at Renditai,” the farmer said. Teg swallowed. Renditai? He was a moment recalling it— only a minor skirmish in his long history of conflicts and negotiations.“I am sorry but I do not know your name,” Teg said.“Be glad that you do not know our names. It is better that way.”“But I’m grateful.”“This is a small repayment, which we are glad to make, Bashar.”“I must get to Ysai,” Teg said.“It is dangerous there.”“It is dangerous everywhere.”“We guessed you would go to Ysai. Someone will come soon and you will ride in concealment. Ahhhh, here he comes. We have not seen you here, Bashar. You have not been here.” One of the other farmers took over the towing of his companion’s load, pulling two strings of panniers while the farmer Teg had chosen hustled Teg under a tow rope and into a dark vehicle. Teg glimpsed shiny plasteel and plaz as the vehicle slowed only briefly for the pickup. The door closed sharply behind",the farmer,"the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa","vehicle sped past them and on ahead. Teg knew of its passage only by the smell of burned fuel, the wind that shook the panniers, the thrumming of a powerful engine and sudden tension in his companions. The high panniers completely hid the passing vehicle.“We have been looking for you to protect you, Bashar,” the farmer beside him said.“There are many who hunt you but none of them with us along here.” Teg shot a startled glance at the man.“We served with you at Renditai,” the farmer said. Teg swallowed. Renditai? He was a moment recalling it— only a minor skirmish in his long history of conflicts and negotiations.“I am sorry but I do not know your name,” Teg said.“Be glad that you do not know our names. It is better that way.”“But I’m grateful.”“This is a small repayment, which we are glad to make, Bashar.”“I must get to Ysai,” Teg said.“It is dangerous there.”“It is dangerous everywhere.”“We guessed you would go to Ysai. Someone will come soon and you will ride in concealment. Ahhhh, here he comes. We have not seen you here, Bashar. You have not been here.” One of the other farmers took over the towing of his companion’s load, pulling two strings of panniers while the farmer Teg had chosen hustled Teg under a tow rope and into a dark vehicle. Teg glimpsed shiny plasteel and plaz as the vehicle slowed only briefly for the pickup. The door closed sharply behind:Previous Entities: |the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa| ::: It is better that way.” ",Farmer.M "you cannae drink that,",64367,64396,True,193:Mildred Pusher.F,"witnesses(quite apart from all the owls and bats who were left spinning in the air by a broomstick being navigated by a bunch of screaming little blue men). One of them was Number 95, a ram owned by a not very imaginative farmer. But all he remembered was a sudden noise in the night and a draughty feeling on his back. That was about as exciting as it got for Number 95, so he went back to thinking about grass. Arrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh… Then there was Mildred Pusher, aged seven, who was the daughter of the farmer who owned Number 95. One day, when she’d grown up and become a grandmother, she told her grandchildren about the night she came downstairs by candlelight for a drink of water and heard the noises under the sink…‘ And there were these little voices, you see, and one said,“Ach, Wullie, you cannae drink that, look, it says‘ Poison!!’ on the bottle,” and another voice said,“Aye, gonnagle, they put that on tae frighten a man from havin’ a wee drink,” and the first voice said,“Wullie, it’s rat poison!” and the second voice said,“That’s fine, then,‘ cos I’m no’ a rat!” And then I opened the cupboard under the sink and, what do you think, it was full of fairies! And they looked at me and I looked at them and one of them said,“Hey, this is a dream you’re having, big wee girl!” and immediately they all agreed! And the first one said,“So, in this dream ye’re having, big wee girl",Mildred Pusher,"a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher","witnesses(quite apart from all the owls and bats who were left spinning in the air by a broomstick being navigated by a bunch of screaming little blue men). One of them was Number 95, a ram owned by a not very imaginative farmer. But all he remembered was a sudden noise in the night and a draughty feeling on his back. That was about as exciting as it got for Number 95, so he went back to thinking about grass. Arrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh… Then there was Mildred Pusher, aged seven, who was the daughter of the farmer who owned Number 95. One day, when she’d grown up and become a grandmother, she told her grandchildren about the night she came downstairs by candlelight for a drink of water and heard the noises under the sink…‘ And there were these little voices, you see, and one said,“Ach, Wullie, you cannae drink that, look, it says‘ Poison!!’ on the bottle,” and another voice said,“Aye, gonnagle, they put that on tae frighten a man from havin’ a wee drink,” and the first voice said,“Wullie, it’s rat poison!” and the second voice said,“That’s fine, then,‘ cos I’m no’ a rat!” And then I opened the cupboard under the sink and, what do you think, it was full of fairies! And they looked at me and I looked at them and one of them said,“Hey, this is a dream you’re having, big wee girl!” and immediately they all agreed! And the first one said,“So, in this dream ye’re having, big wee girl:Previous Entities: |a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher| ::: you cannae drink that, ",Mildred Pusher.F "“Goodbye,",38963,38968,True,123:Raphael.M,"Travis glared at him.“That wasn’t ten minutes!” Raphael shied away from the guard, scooting to the edge of his chair. He glanced back at Travis with sunken eyes bereft of hope, and Travis knew in that moment that he had lost his brother.“You hang in there,” Travis said.“You’re gonna be fine. I’ll see you in a few months.” Raphael mouthed something that Travis couldn’t make out. At first, he thought it was“Help,” but no, that was wrong. Before he could say anything else, the guard hoisted Raphael to his feet.“Time to go,” the guard said. Raphael looked back at Travis once more and said,“Goodbye, Trav.”“Goodbye, Raphael,” he whispered. He put a hand on the glass and watched through a blur of tears as the guard whisked his brother away. It would have taken three guards to haul away the Raphael he remembered, but that man was gone now. It was up to Travis to fight and to prove that their mother had been wrong about humanity.***** A Hell Diver hovered in the upward blast of air in one of the wind tunnels. X shut the door to the training facility and watched from the entrance. He could tell by the diver’s graceful movements that it was Katrina DaVita. Arms and legs spread and head tilted upward, she rode the column of wind effortlessly. Ripples rolled across the slack in her suit as she moved precisely backward, forward, and",Raphael,"The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael","Travis glared at him.“That wasn’t ten minutes!” Raphael shied away from the guard, scooting to the edge of his chair. He glanced back at Travis with sunken eyes bereft of hope, and Travis knew in that moment that he had lost his brother.“You hang in there,” Travis said.“You’re gonna be fine. I’ll see you in a few months.” Raphael mouthed something that Travis couldn’t make out. At first, he thought it was“Help,” but no, that was wrong. Before he could say anything else, the guard hoisted Raphael to his feet.“Time to go,” the guard said. Raphael looked back at Travis once more and said,“Goodbye, Trav.”“Goodbye, Raphael,” he whispered. He put a hand on the glass and watched through a blur of tears as the guard whisked his brother away. It would have taken three guards to haul away the Raphael he remembered, but that man was gone now. It was up to Travis to fight and to prove that their mother had been wrong about humanity.***** A Hell Diver hovered in the upward blast of air in one of the wind tunnels. X shut the door to the training facility and watched from the entrance. He could tell by the diver’s graceful movements that it was Katrina DaVita. Arms and legs spread and head tilted upward, she rode the column of wind effortlessly. Ripples rolled across the slack in her suit as she moved precisely backward, forward, and:Previous Entities: |The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael| ::: “Goodbye, ",Raphael.M "“Ah yes,",38030,38047,True,357:Monsieur Delacour.M,"her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor.“Happy birthday, Harry!” said Hermione, hurrying into the kitchen and adding her own present to the top of the pile.“It’s not much, but I hope you like it. What did you get him?” she added to Ron, who seemed not to hear her.“Come on, then, open Hermione’s!” said Ron. She had bought him a new Sneakoscope. The other packages contained an enchanted razor from Bill and Fleur(“Ah yes, zis will give you ze smoothest shave you will ever’ ave,” Monsieur Delacour assured him,“but you must tell it clearly what you want… ozzerwise you might find you’ ave a leetle less hair zan you would like.…”), chocolates from the Delacours, and an enormous box of the latest Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes merchandise from Fred and George. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not linger at the table, as the arrival of Madame Delacour, Fleur, and Gabrielle made the kitchen uncomfortably crowded.“I’ll pack these for you,” Hermione said brightly, taking Harry’s presents out of his arms as the three of them headed back upstairs.“I’m nearly done, I’m just waiting for the rest of your underpants to come out of the wash, Ron—” Ron’s splutter was interrupted by",Monsieur Delacour,"the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour","her. He tried to put a lot of unsaid things into the hug and perhaps she understood them, because she patted his cheek clumsily when he released her, then waved her wand in a slightly random way, causing half a pack of bacon to flop out of the frying pan onto the floor.“Happy birthday, Harry!” said Hermione, hurrying into the kitchen and adding her own present to the top of the pile.“It’s not much, but I hope you like it. What did you get him?” she added to Ron, who seemed not to hear her.“Come on, then, open Hermione’s!” said Ron. She had bought him a new Sneakoscope. The other packages contained an enchanted razor from Bill and Fleur(“Ah yes, zis will give you ze smoothest shave you will ever’ ave,” Monsieur Delacour assured him,“but you must tell it clearly what you want… ozzerwise you might find you’ ave a leetle less hair zan you would like.…”), chocolates from the Delacours, and an enormous box of the latest Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes merchandise from Fred and George. Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not linger at the table, as the arrival of Madame Delacour, Fleur, and Gabrielle made the kitchen uncomfortably crowded.“I’ll pack these for you,” Hermione said brightly, taking Harry’s presents out of his arms as the three of them headed back upstairs.“I’m nearly done, I’m just waiting for the rest of your underpants to come out of the wash, Ron—” Ron’s splutter was interrupted by:Previous Entities: |the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour| ::: “Ah yes, ",Monsieur Delacour.M "they give,",222799,222832,True,7378:the robot huckster.?,", then burst out:“We will go there, Roland, we will, and if it isn’t worth it, your Tower, somehow we’ll make it worth it!”“We’ll go,” he said.“We’ll find the Dark Tower, and nothing will stand against us, and before we go in, we’ll speak their names. All of the lost.”“Your list will be longer than mine,” she said,“but mine will be long enough.” To this Roland did not reply, but the robot huckster, perhaps startled out of its long sleep by the sound of their voices, did.“Girls, girls, girls!” it cried from inside the batwing doors of the Gaiety Bar and Grill.“Some are humie and some are cybie, but who cares, you can’t tell, who cares, they give, you tell, girls tell, you tell…” There was a pause and then the robot huckster shouted one final word—“SATISFACTION!”—and fell silent.“By the gods, but this is a sad place,” he said.“We’ll stay the night and then see it no more.”“At least the sun’s out, and that’s a relief after Thunderclap, but isn’t it cold!” He nodded, then asked about the others.“They’ve gone on,” she said,“but there was a minute there when I didn’t think any of us were going anywhere except to the bottom of yonder crevasse.” She pointed to the end of the Fedic high street furthest from the castle wall.“There are TV screens that still work in some of the traincars, and as we came up",the robot huckster,"Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster",", then burst out:“We will go there, Roland, we will, and if it isn’t worth it, your Tower, somehow we’ll make it worth it!”“We’ll go,” he said.“We’ll find the Dark Tower, and nothing will stand against us, and before we go in, we’ll speak their names. All of the lost.”“Your list will be longer than mine,” she said,“but mine will be long enough.” To this Roland did not reply, but the robot huckster, perhaps startled out of its long sleep by the sound of their voices, did.“Girls, girls, girls!” it cried from inside the batwing doors of the Gaiety Bar and Grill.“Some are humie and some are cybie, but who cares, you can’t tell, who cares, they give, you tell, girls tell, you tell…” There was a pause and then the robot huckster shouted one final word—“SATISFACTION!”—and fell silent.“By the gods, but this is a sad place,” he said.“We’ll stay the night and then see it no more.”“At least the sun’s out, and that’s a relief after Thunderclap, but isn’t it cold!” He nodded, then asked about the others.“They’ve gone on,” she said,“but there was a minute there when I didn’t think any of us were going anywhere except to the bottom of yonder crevasse.” She pointed to the end of the Fedic high street furthest from the castle wall.“There are TV screens that still work in some of the traincars, and as we came up:Previous Entities: |Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster| ::: they give, ","Roland.M she.F the robot huckster.? " “The center forward.”,39300,39305,True,2175:An Asian girl.F,"battery died. Could I possibly use your phone? Just for a minute?”“Uh, sure,” he said, handing her the phone.“It’s just a local call.”“No problem.” She called quickly, saying something about it being the third quarter and they could come and pick her up soon. He pretended not to listen. She handed the phone back to him, her hand touching his.“Hey, thanks.”“You’re welcome.”“I haven’t seen you at any of the games before,” she said.“Do you come a lot?”“Not as often as I’d like. Work, you know.” Bradley pointed to the field.“Which one is Emily?”“The center forward.” She pointed to a black girl, on the other side of the field.“I’m her friend. Kelly.” She extended her hand, shook his.“Brad,” he said.“Nice to meet you, Brad. And you’re here with…?”“Oh, my niece is at the dentist today,” he said.“I didn’t find out until I was already here.” He shrugged.“Nice uncle. She must really appreciate you coming. But you don’t seem old enough to be the uncle of one of the girls.” He smiled. For some reason he felt nervous. Kelly was sitting very close, her thigh almost touching his. He couldn’t use his PDA or his phone. Nobody ever sat",An Asian girl,"Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl","battery died. Could I possibly use your phone? Just for a minute?”“Uh, sure,” he said, handing her the phone.“It’s just a local call.”“No problem.” She called quickly, saying something about it being the third quarter and they could come and pick her up soon. He pretended not to listen. She handed the phone back to him, her hand touching his.“Hey, thanks.”“You’re welcome.”“I haven’t seen you at any of the games before,” she said.“Do you come a lot?”“Not as often as I’d like. Work, you know.” Bradley pointed to the field.“Which one is Emily?”“The center forward.” She pointed to a black girl, on the other side of the field.“I’m her friend. Kelly.” She extended her hand, shook his.“Brad,” he said.“Nice to meet you, Brad. And you’re here with…?”“Oh, my niece is at the dentist today,” he said.“I didn’t find out until I was already here.” He shrugged.“Nice uncle. She must really appreciate you coming. But you don’t seem old enough to be the uncle of one of the girls.” He smiled. For some reason he felt nervous. Kelly was sitting very close, her thigh almost touching his. He couldn’t use his PDA or his phone. Nobody ever sat:Previous Entities: |Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl| ::: “The center forward.” ",Kelly.F ‘ Just as it swallowed them.’,22811,22818,True,431:Gleeson Hedge.?,"rose to his hooves.‘ A few seconds you do not have.’ Reyna’s stomach curled into a tiny ball. Hedge spoke with a woman’s voice– the same one Reyna had heard in her nightmare. She drew her knife. Hedge turned towards her, his face expressionless. His eyes were solid black.‘ Be glad, Reyna Ramírez- Arellano. You will die as a Roman. You will join the ghosts of Pompeii.’ The ground rumbled. All around the courtyard, spirals of ash swirled into the air. They solidified into crude human figures– earthen shells like the ones in the museum. They stared at Reyna, their eyes ragged holes in faces of rock.‘ The earth will swallow you,’ Hedge said in the voice of Gaia.‘ Just as it swallowed them.’ VIII Reyna‘ THERE ARE TOO MANY OF THEM.’ Reyna wondered bitterly how many times she’d said that in her demigod career. She should have a badge made and wear it around to save time. When she died, the words would probably be written on her tombstone: There were too many of them. Her greyhounds stood on either side of her, growling at the earthen shells. Reyna counted at least twenty, closing in from every direction. Coach Hedge continued to speak in a very womanly voice:‘ The dead always outnumber the living. These spirits have waited centuries, unable to express their anger. Now I have given them bodies of earth.’ One earthen ghost stepped forward. It moved slowly, but its footfall was so heavy it cracked the ancient tiles",Gleeson Hedge,"Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss","rose to his hooves.‘ A few seconds you do not have.’ Reyna’s stomach curled into a tiny ball. Hedge spoke with a woman’s voice– the same one Reyna had heard in her nightmare. She drew her knife. Hedge turned towards her, his face expressionless. His eyes were solid black.‘ Be glad, Reyna Ramírez- Arellano. You will die as a Roman. You will join the ghosts of Pompeii.’ The ground rumbled. All around the courtyard, spirals of ash swirled into the air. They solidified into crude human figures– earthen shells like the ones in the museum. They stared at Reyna, their eyes ragged holes in faces of rock.‘ The earth will swallow you,’ Hedge said in the voice of Gaia.‘ Just as it swallowed them.’ VIII Reyna‘ THERE ARE TOO MANY OF THEM.’ Reyna wondered bitterly how many times she’d said that in her demigod career. She should have a badge made and wear it around to save time. When she died, the words would probably be written on her tombstone: There were too many of them. Her greyhounds stood on either side of her, growling at the earthen shells. Reyna counted at least twenty, closing in from every direction. Coach Hedge continued to speak in a very womanly voice:‘ The dead always outnumber the living. These spirits have waited centuries, unable to express their anger. Now I have given them bodies of earth.’ One earthen ghost stepped forward. It moved slowly, but its footfall was so heavy it cracked the ancient tiles:Previous Entities: |Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss| ::: ‘ Just as it swallowed them.’ ",Reyna. “What now?,11816,11828,True,159:Penryck.M,". After a few days, they shriveled up into gray, hard, misshapen spheres. Nonetheless, Lord Arrin and Penryck had discussed how they might best use Pleek and Ygryk in obtaining Siv’s chick. Ygryk longed for a chick of her own. She was desperate, so desperate that she was willing to fly over open water to get one if need be. She was obsessed. It had been Ygryk who had actually found Siv on the iceberg in the firthkin. And it was Ygryk who had just informed Penryck that Siv had left the iceberg. Penryck stepped out of the shadows now.“Lord Arrin, I have just received news from Ygryk that Queen Siv has left the iceberg in the firthkin.”“Left? She has left?” Lord Arrin was aghast.“What now? How will we ever find the chick?” Penryck stepped closer to Lord Arrin and, leaning in to him, whispered something in his ear slit. Lord Arrin cringed. The stench of these hagsfiends was overpowering. He wondered if one ever became accustomed to it. But he was soon distracted from such trivialities as he listened to the hagsfiend’s whispers.“It is as I always thought, my lord. The egg was never there with Siv. The chick did not hatch at the firthkin, and if it did it would have been much too young to fly— certainly not against those spring winds of the firthkin. If Siv left, she must have been alone.” Lord Arrin blinked. He’s right. Penryck is right.“But what now, Penryck?”“Don’t you see, Lord Arrin",Penryck,"Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck",". After a few days, they shriveled up into gray, hard, misshapen spheres. Nonetheless, Lord Arrin and Penryck had discussed how they might best use Pleek and Ygryk in obtaining Siv’s chick. Ygryk longed for a chick of her own. She was desperate, so desperate that she was willing to fly over open water to get one if need be. She was obsessed. It had been Ygryk who had actually found Siv on the iceberg in the firthkin. And it was Ygryk who had just informed Penryck that Siv had left the iceberg. Penryck stepped out of the shadows now.“Lord Arrin, I have just received news from Ygryk that Queen Siv has left the iceberg in the firthkin.”“Left? She has left?” Lord Arrin was aghast.“What now? How will we ever find the chick?” Penryck stepped closer to Lord Arrin and, leaning in to him, whispered something in his ear slit. Lord Arrin cringed. The stench of these hagsfiends was overpowering. He wondered if one ever became accustomed to it. But he was soon distracted from such trivialities as he listened to the hagsfiend’s whispers.“It is as I always thought, my lord. The egg was never there with Siv. The chick did not hatch at the firthkin, and if it did it would have been much too young to fly— certainly not against those spring winds of the firthkin. If Siv left, she must have been alone.” Lord Arrin blinked. He’s right. Penryck is right.“But what now, Penryck?”“Don’t you see, Lord Arrin:Previous Entities: |Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck| ::: “What now? ",Penryck.M “You can have it back.,80663,80693,True,444:Rufus.M,"he spent most of his time face- planting on the sidewalk. His hair was cut just as flat on top, so miniature airplanes could’ve used it for a landing strip. Rufus thrust out his hand.“Lunch.” Hazel from the past didn’t protest. She handed over her canvas bag like this was an everyday occurrence. A few older girls drifted over to watch the fun. One giggled at Rufus.“You don’t want to eat that,” she warned.“It’s probably poison.”“You’re right,” Rufus said.“Did your witch mom make this, Levesque?”“She’s not a witch,” Hazel muttered. Rufus dropped the bag and stepped on it, smashing the contents under his bare heel.“You can have it back. I want a diamond, though. I hear your momma can make those out of thin air. Gimme a diamond.”“I don’t have diamonds,” Hazel said.“Go away.” Rufus balled his fists. Leo had been in enough rough schools and foster homes to sense when things were about to turn ugly. He wanted to step in and help Hazel, but he was a ghost. Besides, all this had happened decades ago. Then another kid stumbled outside into the sunlight. Leo sucked in his breath. The boy looked exactly like him.“You see?” asked Ghost Hazel. Fake Leo was the same height as Regular Leo— meaning he was short. He had the same nervous energy— tapping his fingers against his trousers, brushing at his white cotton shirt, adjusting the jockey cap on his curly brown hair.(Really, Leo thought, short people",Rufus,"the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus","he spent most of his time face- planting on the sidewalk. His hair was cut just as flat on top, so miniature airplanes could’ve used it for a landing strip. Rufus thrust out his hand.“Lunch.” Hazel from the past didn’t protest. She handed over her canvas bag like this was an everyday occurrence. A few older girls drifted over to watch the fun. One giggled at Rufus.“You don’t want to eat that,” she warned.“It’s probably poison.”“You’re right,” Rufus said.“Did your witch mom make this, Levesque?”“She’s not a witch,” Hazel muttered. Rufus dropped the bag and stepped on it, smashing the contents under his bare heel.“You can have it back. I want a diamond, though. I hear your momma can make those out of thin air. Gimme a diamond.”“I don’t have diamonds,” Hazel said.“Go away.” Rufus balled his fists. Leo had been in enough rough schools and foster homes to sense when things were about to turn ugly. He wanted to step in and help Hazel, but he was a ghost. Besides, all this had happened decades ago. Then another kid stumbled outside into the sunlight. Leo sucked in his breath. The boy looked exactly like him.“You see?” asked Ghost Hazel. Fake Leo was the same height as Regular Leo— meaning he was short. He had the same nervous energy— tapping his fingers against his trousers, brushing at his white cotton shirt, adjusting the jockey cap on his curly brown hair.(Really, Leo thought, short people:Previous Entities: |the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus| ::: “You can have it back. ",Rufus.M “No words?”,71886,71890,True,224:the Prophet.F,"sinners.’ But you meant cities?”“Yes, yes. The cities all destroyed. People gone. No singing or dancing. No lights. No animals. No dogs, even. All gone! It was what I saw. It wasn’t orders from God.” Nickie was so astonished that her mouth fell open and she forgot to close it for a second.“It wasn’t?” she said when she could find her voice. The Prophet shook her head.“It was just me.”“Oh!” Nickie stood still, feeling stunned, to let this sink in. She thought of something else.“Why did you say,‘ No words, no words’? That was one Mrs. Beeson couldn’t figure out.”“No words?” The Prophet put a hand to her forehead.“I don’t know. Why would I say that?” She murmured,“No words, no words.” Then she looked up, and tears sprang to her eyes again.“Oh!” she cried.“It must have been‘ no birds’! No birds! Think of a world without birds! It’s not bearable.” She picked up the nightgown lying next to her and wiped her eyes.“Maybe your vision wasn’t true,” Nickie said. She felt sorry for the Prophet, who seemed so frail and sad. She wanted to comfort her.“Maybe it won’t happen.”“Maybe not,” said the Prophet.“I don’t know. I keep",the Prophet,"mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet","sinners.’ But you meant cities?”“Yes, yes. The cities all destroyed. People gone. No singing or dancing. No lights. No animals. No dogs, even. All gone! It was what I saw. It wasn’t orders from God.” Nickie was so astonished that her mouth fell open and she forgot to close it for a second.“It wasn’t?” she said when she could find her voice. The Prophet shook her head.“It was just me.”“Oh!” Nickie stood still, feeling stunned, to let this sink in. She thought of something else.“Why did you say,‘ No words, no words’? That was one Mrs. Beeson couldn’t figure out.”“No words?” The Prophet put a hand to her forehead.“I don’t know. Why would I say that?” She murmured,“No words, no words.” Then she looked up, and tears sprang to her eyes again.“Oh!” she cried.“It must have been‘ no birds’! No birds! Think of a world without birds! It’s not bearable.” She picked up the nightgown lying next to her and wiped her eyes.“Maybe your vision wasn’t true,” Nickie said. She felt sorry for the Prophet, who seemed so frail and sad. She wanted to comfort her.“Maybe it won’t happen.”“Maybe not,” said the Prophet.“I don’t know. I keep:Previous Entities: |mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet| ::: “No words?” ","The Prophet. ""No words?""" think on the power you could consume.,87068,87098,True,339:Face.?,"his black tongue across his teeth.“Well, my lord, is the annihilation of only one god worthy of your glorious self? What if we could create even more chaos energy— to feed your pyramid for all time and make you the eternal lord of all worlds?” A hungry light danced in Set’s eyes.“‘ Lord of all worlds’... that has a nice ring to it. And how would you accomplish this, puny demon?”“Oh, not I, my lord. I am an insignificant worm. But if we were to capture the others: Nephthys—” Set kicked Face in the chest, and the demon collapsed, wheezing.“I told you never to speak her name.”“Yes, master,” Face panted.“Sorry, master. But if we were to capture her, and the others... think on the power you could consume. With the right plan...” Set began nodding, warming to the idea.“I think it’s time we put Amos Kane to use.” I tensed. Was Amos here?“Brilliant, master. A brilliant plan.”“Yes, I’m glad I thought of it. Soon, Face of Horror, very soon, Horus, Isis, and my treacherous wife will bow at my feet— and Amos will help. We’ll have a nice little family reunion.” Set looked up— straight at me, as if he’d known I was there all along, and gave me that rip- you- to- pieces smile.“Isn’t that right, boy?” I wanted to spread my wings and fly. I had to get out of the cavern and warn Sadie",Face,"Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face","his black tongue across his teeth.“Well, my lord, is the annihilation of only one god worthy of your glorious self? What if we could create even more chaos energy— to feed your pyramid for all time and make you the eternal lord of all worlds?” A hungry light danced in Set’s eyes.“‘ Lord of all worlds’... that has a nice ring to it. And how would you accomplish this, puny demon?”“Oh, not I, my lord. I am an insignificant worm. But if we were to capture the others: Nephthys—” Set kicked Face in the chest, and the demon collapsed, wheezing.“I told you never to speak her name.”“Yes, master,” Face panted.“Sorry, master. But if we were to capture her, and the others... think on the power you could consume. With the right plan...” Set began nodding, warming to the idea.“I think it’s time we put Amos Kane to use.” I tensed. Was Amos here?“Brilliant, master. A brilliant plan.”“Yes, I’m glad I thought of it. Soon, Face of Horror, very soon, Horus, Isis, and my treacherous wife will bow at my feet— and Amos will help. We’ll have a nice little family reunion.” Set looked up— straight at me, as if he’d known I was there all along, and gave me that rip- you- to- pieces smile.“Isn’t that right, boy?” I wanted to spread my wings and fly. I had to get out of the cavern and warn Sadie:Previous Entities: |Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face| ::: think on the power you could consume. ","Set.M Face.M" “Does it hurt much?”,40410,40416,True,279:Pansy Parkinson.?,", grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the door.“C’m on!” Hagrid said angrily.“I’m takin’ yer all back up ter school, an’ don’ let me catch yeh walkin’ down ter see me after dark again. I’m not worth that!” 122 C H A P T E R S E V E N THE BOGGART IN THE WARDROBE alfoy didn’t reappear in classes until late on Thursday M morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Harry’s opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.“How is it, Draco?” simpered Pansy Parkinson.“Does it hurt much?”“Yeah,” said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.“Settle down, settle down,” said Professor Snape idly. Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn’t have said“settle down” if they’d walked in late, he’d have given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in 123 CHAPTER SEVEN Snape’s classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others. They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table.“Sir,”",Pansy Parkinson,"Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan",", grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the door.“C’m on!” Hagrid said angrily.“I’m takin’ yer all back up ter school, an’ don’ let me catch yeh walkin’ down ter see me after dark again. I’m not worth that!” 122 C H A P T E R S E V E N THE BOGGART IN THE WARDROBE alfoy didn’t reappear in classes until late on Thursday M morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Harry’s opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.“How is it, Draco?” simpered Pansy Parkinson.“Does it hurt much?”“Yeah,” said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.“Settle down, settle down,” said Professor Snape idly. Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn’t have said“settle down” if they’d walked in late, he’d have given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in 123 CHAPTER SEVEN Snape’s classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others. They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table.“Sir,”:Previous Entities: |Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan| ::: “Does it hurt much?” ",Pansy Parkinson.F especially on MTV.,44139,44275,True,605:Congressman Henry Waters.M,"’ll be fine,” he said gently.“Go get dressed. I’ll take you to lunch.”“But you don’t have time.” She was sobbing now.“You said so yourself.”“It’s okay. We’ll have lunch, Mom. We’ll go to the Carlyle. It’ll be fine.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. She headed back to the dressing room, head high. Ellis flipped open his phone, called his office to say he would be late. CH021 A t the Congressional Biotechnology Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Dr. Robert Bellarmino waited impatiently for his introduction to end. Congressman Henry Waters, famously long- winded, droned on.“Dr. Bellarmino is known to all of us,” he said,“as a physician with a conscience, a man of science and a man of God, a man of principle in an age of expediency, a man of rectitude in a hedonistic era where anything goes, especially on MTV. Dr. Bellarmino is not only a director of the National Institutes of Health, but also a lay pastor of the Thomas Field Baptist Church of Houston and the author of Turning Points, his book of spiritual awakening to the healing message of Jesus Christ Our Lord. And I know— well, he’s looking at me, and he has to be at the congressional hearing room in one hour, so let me present, our man of God and science, Dr. Robert A. Bellarmino.” Handsome and assured, Bellarmino stepped to the lectern. His topic, according to the printed schedule, was“God’s Plan for Mankind in Genetic Science.”“My thanks to Congressman Waters, and to all of you for coming today. Some of you may wonder how a scientist— especially a genetic scientist— can reconcile his work with the word of God. But as Denis Alexander points out, the Bible reminds us that God, the Universal Creator, is separate from His creation but that He also actively sustains it moment to moment. Thus God is the creator of DNA, which underlies the biodiversity of our planet. That may be why some critics of genetic engineering say we shouldn’t do it, because it involves playing God. Some ecological doctrines hold a similar view",Congressman Henry Waters,"McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters","’ll be fine,” he said gently.“Go get dressed. I’ll take you to lunch.”“But you don’t have time.” She was sobbing now.“You said so yourself.”“It’s okay. We’ll have lunch, Mom. We’ll go to the Carlyle. It’ll be fine.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes. She headed back to the dressing room, head high. Ellis flipped open his phone, called his office to say he would be late. CH021 A t the Congressional Biotechnology Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Dr. Robert Bellarmino waited impatiently for his introduction to end. Congressman Henry Waters, famously long- winded, droned on.“Dr. Bellarmino is known to all of us,” he said,“as a physician with a conscience, a man of science and a man of God, a man of principle in an age of expediency, a man of rectitude in a hedonistic era where anything goes, especially on MTV. Dr. Bellarmino is not only a director of the National Institutes of Health, but also a lay pastor of the Thomas Field Baptist Church of Houston and the author of Turning Points, his book of spiritual awakening to the healing message of Jesus Christ Our Lord. And I know— well, he’s looking at me, and he has to be at the congressional hearing room in one hour, so let me present, our man of God and science, Dr. Robert A. Bellarmino.” Handsome and assured, Bellarmino stepped to the lectern. His topic, according to the printed schedule, was“God’s Plan for Mankind in Genetic Science.”“My thanks to Congressman Waters, and to all of you for coming today. Some of you may wonder how a scientist— especially a genetic scientist— can reconcile his work with the word of God. But as Denis Alexander points out, the Bible reminds us that God, the Universal Creator, is separate from His creation but that He also actively sustains it moment to moment. Thus God is the creator of DNA, which underlies the biodiversity of our planet. That may be why some critics of genetic engineering say we shouldn’t do it, because it involves playing God. Some ecological doctrines hold a similar view:Previous Entities: |McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters| ::: especially on MTV. ",Congressman Henry Waters "“In vain,”",83788,83792,True,568:Lady Elizabeth Forstmann.F,"and the brain case. By midday, his conclusion was clear: this was at least a new race of gorilla, equal to the mountain and lowland gorilla— and it was possibly a new species of animal entirely.“Something happens to the man who discovers a new species of animal,” wrote Lady Elizabeth Forstmann in 1879.“At once he forgets his family and friends, and all those who were near and dear to him; he forgets colleagues who supported his professional efforts; most cruelly he forgets parents and children; in short, he abandons all who knew him prior to his insensate lust for fame at the hands of the demon called Science.” Lady Forstmann understood, for her husband had just left her after discovering the Norwegian blue- crested grouse in 1878.“In vain,” she observed,“does one ask what it matters that another bird or animal is added to the rich panoply of God’s creations, which already number— by Linnaean reckoning— in the millions. There is no response to such a question, for the discoverer has joined the ranks of the immortals, at least as he imagines it, and he lies beyond the power of mere people to dissuade him from his course.” Certainly Peter Elliot would have denied that his own behavior resembled that of the dissolute Scottish nobleman. Nevertheless he found he was bored by the prospect of further exploration of Zinj; he had no interest in diamonds, or Amy’s dreams; he wished only to return home with a skeleton of the new ape, which would astonish colleagues around the world. He",Lady Elizabeth Forstmann,"The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann","and the brain case. By midday, his conclusion was clear: this was at least a new race of gorilla, equal to the mountain and lowland gorilla— and it was possibly a new species of animal entirely.“Something happens to the man who discovers a new species of animal,” wrote Lady Elizabeth Forstmann in 1879.“At once he forgets his family and friends, and all those who were near and dear to him; he forgets colleagues who supported his professional efforts; most cruelly he forgets parents and children; in short, he abandons all who knew him prior to his insensate lust for fame at the hands of the demon called Science.” Lady Forstmann understood, for her husband had just left her after discovering the Norwegian blue- crested grouse in 1878.“In vain,” she observed,“does one ask what it matters that another bird or animal is added to the rich panoply of God’s creations, which already number— by Linnaean reckoning— in the millions. There is no response to such a question, for the discoverer has joined the ranks of the immortals, at least as he imagines it, and he lies beyond the power of mere people to dissuade him from his course.” Certainly Peter Elliot would have denied that his own behavior resembled that of the dissolute Scottish nobleman. Nevertheless he found he was bored by the prospect of further exploration of Zinj; he had no interest in diamonds, or Amy’s dreams; he wished only to return home with a skeleton of the new ape, which would astonish colleagues around the world. He:Previous Entities: |The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann| ::: “In vain,” ",Lady Elizabeth Forstmann.F “Is Hawat with him?”,74023,74029,True,8943:The guard.M,", mumbled.“Chuck th’ whole damn thing.” Jessica looked down at the cup in her hand, abruptly dashed its contents across Idaho’s face.“Lock him in one of the guest rooms of the east wing,” she ordered.“Let him sleep it off.” The two guards stared at her unhappily. One ventured:“Perhaps we should take him someplace else, m’Lady. We could....”“He’s supposed to be here!” Jessica snapped.“He has a job to do here.” Her voice dripped bitterness.“He’s so good at watching the ladies.” The guard swallowed.“Do you know where the Duke is?” she demanded.“He’s at the command post, my Lady.”“Is Hawat with him?”“Hawat’s in the city, my Lady.”“You will bring Hawat to me at once,” Jessica said.“I will be in my sitting room when he arrives.”“But, my Lady....”“If necessary, I will call the Duke,” she said.“I hope it will not be necessary. I would not want to disturb him with this.”“Yes, my Lady.” Jessica thrust the empty cup into Mapes’ hands, met the questioning stare of the blue- within- blue eyes.“You may return to bed, Mapes.”“You’re sure you’ll not need me?” Jessica smiled grimly.“I’m sure.”“Perhaps this could wait until tomorrow,” Yueh",The guard,"the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler",", mumbled.“Chuck th’ whole damn thing.” Jessica looked down at the cup in her hand, abruptly dashed its contents across Idaho’s face.“Lock him in one of the guest rooms of the east wing,” she ordered.“Let him sleep it off.” The two guards stared at her unhappily. One ventured:“Perhaps we should take him someplace else, m’Lady. We could....”“He’s supposed to be here!” Jessica snapped.“He has a job to do here.” Her voice dripped bitterness.“He’s so good at watching the ladies.” The guard swallowed.“Do you know where the Duke is?” she demanded.“He’s at the command post, my Lady.”“Is Hawat with him?”“Hawat’s in the city, my Lady.”“You will bring Hawat to me at once,” Jessica said.“I will be in my sitting room when he arrives.”“But, my Lady....”“If necessary, I will call the Duke,” she said.“I hope it will not be necessary. I would not want to disturb him with this.”“Yes, my Lady.” Jessica thrust the empty cup into Mapes’ hands, met the questioning stare of the blue- within- blue eyes.“You may return to bed, Mapes.”“You’re sure you’ll not need me?” Jessica smiled grimly.“I’m sure.”“Perhaps this could wait until tomorrow,” Yueh:Previous Entities: |the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler| ::: “Is Hawat with him?” ",Jessica.F “alienation of affection”,26463,26467,True,588:the father.?,"think Julia was crazy, but something had certainly changed, and as I replayed that morning’s conversation in my head, I felt uneasy for other reasons. A lot of her comments sounded like she was building a case against me. Laying it out methodically, step by step. You are shutting me out and keeping me away from my children. I am here, you just don’t notice. I’m a good mother, I balance a very demanding job with the needs of my family. You are not supportive of me at all. You undercut me, you sabotage me. You are turning the children against me. I could easily imagine her lawyer saying these things in court. And I knew why. According to a recent article I had read in Redbook magazine,“alienation of affection” was currently the trendy argument in court. The father is turning the children against the mother. Poisoning their little minds by word and deed. While the Mom is blameless as always. Every father knew the legal system was hopelessly biased in favor of mothers. The courts gave lip service to equality, and then ruled a child needed its mother. Even if she was absent. Even if she smacked them around, or forgot to feed them. As long as she wasn’t shooting up, or breaking their bones, she was a fit mother in the eyes of the court. And even if she was shooting up, a father might not win the case. One of my friends at MediaTronics had an ex- wife on heroin who’d been in and out of rehab for years",the father,"your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician","think Julia was crazy, but something had certainly changed, and as I replayed that morning’s conversation in my head, I felt uneasy for other reasons. A lot of her comments sounded like she was building a case against me. Laying it out methodically, step by step. You are shutting me out and keeping me away from my children. I am here, you just don’t notice. I’m a good mother, I balance a very demanding job with the needs of my family. You are not supportive of me at all. You undercut me, you sabotage me. You are turning the children against me. I could easily imagine her lawyer saying these things in court. And I knew why. According to a recent article I had read in Redbook magazine,“alienation of affection” was currently the trendy argument in court. The father is turning the children against the mother. Poisoning their little minds by word and deed. While the Mom is blameless as always. Every father knew the legal system was hopelessly biased in favor of mothers. The courts gave lip service to equality, and then ruled a child needed its mother. Even if she was absent. Even if she smacked them around, or forgot to feed them. As long as she wasn’t shooting up, or breaking their bones, she was a fit mother in the eyes of the court. And even if she was shooting up, a father might not win the case. One of my friends at MediaTronics had an ex- wife on heroin who’d been in and out of rehab for years:Previous Entities: |your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician| ::: “alienation of affection” ",Don Gross.M listen to me....,151221,151233,True,1614:The raptor.?,"Didn't she understand? In the darkness, the raptor came closer,""... Alan?"" The tinny voice from the radio made the big animal pause. It sniffed the air, as if sensing someone else in the room."" Alan, it's me. I don't know if you can hear me."" The raptor now turned away from Grant, and moved toward the radio."" Alan... please..."" Why hadn't he pushed the radio farther away? The raptor was going toward it, but it was close. The big foot came down very near him. Grant could see the pebbled skin, the soft green glow. The streaks of dried blood on the curved claw. He could smell the strong reptile odor."" Alan, listen to me.... Alan?"" The raptor bent over, poked at the radio on the floor, tentatively. Its body was turned away from Grant. The big tail was right above Grant's head. Grant reached up and jabbed the syringe deep into the flesh of the tail, and injected the poison. The velociraptor snarled and jumped. With frightening speed it swung back toward Grant, jaws wide. It snapped, its jaws closing on the table leg, and jerked its head up. The table was knocked away, and Grant fell back, now completely exposed. The raptor loomed over him, rising up, its head banging into the infrared lights above, making them swing crazily."" Alan?"" The raptor reared back, and lifted its clawed foot to kick. Grant rolled, and the foot slammed",The raptor,"Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard","Didn't she understand? In the darkness, the raptor came closer,""... Alan?"" The tinny voice from the radio made the big animal pause. It sniffed the air, as if sensing someone else in the room."" Alan, it's me. I don't know if you can hear me."" The raptor now turned away from Grant, and moved toward the radio."" Alan... please..."" Why hadn't he pushed the radio farther away? The raptor was going toward it, but it was close. The big foot came down very near him. Grant could see the pebbled skin, the soft green glow. The streaks of dried blood on the curved claw. He could smell the strong reptile odor."" Alan, listen to me.... Alan?"" The raptor bent over, poked at the radio on the floor, tentatively. Its body was turned away from Grant. The big tail was right above Grant's head. Grant reached up and jabbed the syringe deep into the flesh of the tail, and injected the poison. The velociraptor snarled and jumped. With frightening speed it swung back toward Grant, jaws wide. It snapped, its jaws closing on the table leg, and jerked its head up. The table was knocked away, and Grant fell back, now completely exposed. The raptor loomed over him, rising up, its head banging into the infrared lights above, making them swing crazily."" Alan?"" The raptor reared back, and lifted its clawed foot to kick. Grant rolled, and the foot slammed:Previous Entities: |Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard| ::: listen to me.... ",The raptor.F "If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew,",32985,33012,True,1178:the knight.?,"the left side of the frame and out of sight. They hurried after him along the corridor, following the sound of his armor. Every now and then they spotted him running through a picture ahead. 100 TALONS AND TEA LEAVES“Be of stout heart, the worst is yet to come!” yelled the knight, and they saw him reappear in front of an alarmed group of women in crinolines, whose picture hung on the wall of a narrow spiral staircase. Puffing loudly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the tightly spiraling steps, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last they heard the murmur of voices above them and knew they had reached the classroom.“Farewell!” cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some sinister- looking monks.“Farewell, my comrades- in- arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!”“Yeah, we’ll call you,” muttered Ron as the knight disappeared,“if we ever need someone mental.” They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Ron nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it.“‘ Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher,’” Harry read.“How’re we supposed to get up there?” As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry’s feet. Everyone got quiet.“After you,” said Ron, grinning, so Harry climbed the ladder first. He emerged into",the knight,"Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight","the left side of the frame and out of sight. They hurried after him along the corridor, following the sound of his armor. Every now and then they spotted him running through a picture ahead. 100 TALONS AND TEA LEAVES“Be of stout heart, the worst is yet to come!” yelled the knight, and they saw him reappear in front of an alarmed group of women in crinolines, whose picture hung on the wall of a narrow spiral staircase. Puffing loudly, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the tightly spiraling steps, getting dizzier and dizzier, until at last they heard the murmur of voices above them and knew they had reached the classroom.“Farewell!” cried the knight, popping his head into a painting of some sinister- looking monks.“Farewell, my comrades- in- arms! If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, call upon Sir Cadogan!”“Yeah, we’ll call you,” muttered Ron as the knight disappeared,“if we ever need someone mental.” They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but Ron nudged Harry and pointed at the ceiling, where there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque on it.“‘ Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher,’” Harry read.“How’re we supposed to get up there?” As though in answer to his question, the trapdoor suddenly opened, and a silvery ladder descended right at Harry’s feet. Everyone got quiet.“After you,” said Ron, grinning, so Harry climbed the ladder first. He emerged into:Previous Entities: |Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight| ::: If ever you have need of noble heart and steely sinew, ",Sir Cadogan.M "' No guarantees,",19265,19277,True,940:the LEP elf.F,"I understand.'' Do you, Artemis? Do you really? Are you prepared to accept the consequences of this healing? There could be any number of unforeseeable problems. Whatever emerges from this pod is yours to care for. Will you accept this responsibility?'' I will,' said Artemis, without hesitation.' Very well, then it's Holly's decision. Nobody can force her to use her magic-- it's up to her.' Artemis lowered his eyes. He could not bring himself to look at the LEP elf.' Well, Holly. Will you do it? Will you try?' Holly brushed the ice from Butler's brow. He had been a good friend to the People.' I'll try,' she said.' No guarantees, but I'll do what I can.' Artemis's knees almost buckled with relief. Then he was in control again. Time enough for weak knees later.' Thank you, Captain. I realize this could not be an easy decision to take. Now, what can I do?' Holly pointed to the rear doors.' You can get out. I need a sterile environment. I'll come and get you when it's over. And whatever happens, whatever you hear, don't come in until I call.' Holly unclipped her helmet camera, suspending it from the cryo pod's lid to give Foaly a better view of the patient.' How's that?'' Good,' replied Foaly.' I can see the whole upper body. Cryogenics. That Fowl is a genius, for",the LEP elf,"Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf","I understand.'' Do you, Artemis? Do you really? Are you prepared to accept the consequences of this healing? There could be any number of unforeseeable problems. Whatever emerges from this pod is yours to care for. Will you accept this responsibility?'' I will,' said Artemis, without hesitation.' Very well, then it's Holly's decision. Nobody can force her to use her magic-- it's up to her.' Artemis lowered his eyes. He could not bring himself to look at the LEP elf.' Well, Holly. Will you do it? Will you try?' Holly brushed the ice from Butler's brow. He had been a good friend to the People.' I'll try,' she said.' No guarantees, but I'll do what I can.' Artemis's knees almost buckled with relief. Then he was in control again. Time enough for weak knees later.' Thank you, Captain. I realize this could not be an easy decision to take. Now, what can I do?' Holly pointed to the rear doors.' You can get out. I need a sterile environment. I'll come and get you when it's over. And whatever happens, whatever you hear, don't come in until I call.' Holly unclipped her helmet camera, suspending it from the cryo pod's lid to give Foaly a better view of the patient.' How's that?'' Good,' replied Foaly.' I can see the whole upper body. Cryogenics. That Fowl is a genius, for:Previous Entities: |Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf| ::: ' No guarantees, ","Artemis. Holly. Foaly." in that,109866,109870,True,572:others.?,". Like he died the second I saw him in Erudite headquarters while I was there. You know?” I confessed to Tobias, soon after that, that I had lost my entire family. And he assured me that he was my family now. That is how it feels. Like everything between us is twisted together, friendship and love and family, so I can’t tell the difference between any of them.“The Abnegation have teachings about this, you know,” he says.“About when to let others sacrifice themselves for you, even if it’s selfish. They say that if the sacrifice is the ultimate way for that person to show you that they love you, you should let them do it.” He leans one shoulder into the wall.“That, in that situation, it’s the greatest gift you can give them. Just as it was when both of your parents died for you.”“I’m not sure it’s love that’s motivating him, though.” I close my eyes.“It seems more like guilt.”“Maybe,” Tobias admits.“But why would he feel guilty for betraying you if he didn’t love you?” I nod. I know that Caleb loves me, and always has, even when he was hurting me. I know that I love him, too. But this feels wrong anyway. Still, I am able to be momentarily placated, knowing that this is something my parents might have understood, if they were here right now.“This may be a bad",others,"her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly",". Like he died the second I saw him in Erudite headquarters while I was there. You know?” I confessed to Tobias, soon after that, that I had lost my entire family. And he assured me that he was my family now. That is how it feels. Like everything between us is twisted together, friendship and love and family, so I can’t tell the difference between any of them.“The Abnegation have teachings about this, you know,” he says.“About when to let others sacrifice themselves for you, even if it’s selfish. They say that if the sacrifice is the ultimate way for that person to show you that they love you, you should let them do it.” He leans one shoulder into the wall.“That, in that situation, it’s the greatest gift you can give them. Just as it was when both of your parents died for you.”“I’m not sure it’s love that’s motivating him, though.” I close my eyes.“It seems more like guilt.”“Maybe,” Tobias admits.“But why would he feel guilty for betraying you if he didn’t love you?” I nod. I know that Caleb loves me, and always has, even when he was hurting me. I know that I love him, too. But this feels wrong anyway. Still, I am able to be momentarily placated, knowing that this is something my parents might have understood, if they were here right now.“This may be a bad:Previous Entities: |her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: in that ",Tobias.M "Tim?""",38638,38646,True,1485:the bearded man.?,"of the introductions Were a blur to Tim. There was a blond woman wearing shorts, and a man with a beard who wore jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. He looked like the outdoors type. Then a fat college kid who had something to do with computers, and finally a thin man in black, who didn't shake hands, but just nodded his head. Tim was trying to organize his impressions, and was looking at the blond woman's legs, when he suddenly realized that he knew who the bearded man was."" Your mouth is open,"" Lex said. Tim said,"" I know him."""" Oh sure. You just met him."""" No,"" Tim said."" I have his book."" The bearded man said,"" What book is that, Tim?"""" Lost World of the Dinosaurs,"" Tim said. Alexis snickered."" Daddy says Tim has dinosaurs on the brain,"" she said. Tim hardly heard her. He was thinking of what he knew about Alan Grant. Alan Grant was one of the principal advocates of the theory that dinosaurs were warm- blooded. He had done lots of digging at the place called Egg Hill in Montana, which was famous because so many dinosaur eggs had been found there. Professor Grant had found most of the dinosaur eggs that had ever been discovered. He was also a good illustrator, and he drew the pictures for his own books."" Dinosaurs on the brain?"" the bearded man said."" Well, as a matter of fact, I have that same problem.""",the bearded man,"Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody","of the introductions Were a blur to Tim. There was a blond woman wearing shorts, and a man with a beard who wore jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. He looked like the outdoors type. Then a fat college kid who had something to do with computers, and finally a thin man in black, who didn't shake hands, but just nodded his head. Tim was trying to organize his impressions, and was looking at the blond woman's legs, when he suddenly realized that he knew who the bearded man was."" Your mouth is open,"" Lex said. Tim said,"" I know him."""" Oh sure. You just met him."""" No,"" Tim said."" I have his book."" The bearded man said,"" What book is that, Tim?"""" Lost World of the Dinosaurs,"" Tim said. Alexis snickered."" Daddy says Tim has dinosaurs on the brain,"" she said. Tim hardly heard her. He was thinking of what he knew about Alan Grant. Alan Grant was one of the principal advocates of the theory that dinosaurs were warm- blooded. He had done lots of digging at the place called Egg Hill in Montana, which was famous because so many dinosaur eggs had been found there. Professor Grant had found most of the dinosaur eggs that had ever been discovered. He was also a good illustrator, and he drew the pictures for his own books."" Dinosaurs on the brain?"" the bearded man said."" Well, as a matter of fact, I have that same problem."":Previous Entities: |Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody| ::: Tim?"" ","Alexis.F Tim.M Alan Grant.M" Anything could be out here!,18047,18135,True,126:Sadge.?,"frown but said nothing. Sadge didn’t stop talking.“... But then the farther I went the darker it was, and you can’t just keep walking into black dark, can you? It’s like a wall in front of you. I kept turning around to look at the lights of the city, because that’s all there was to see, and then I’d say to myself, Don’t look back, keep moving. But I kept tripping and falling.... The ground is rough out there, I scraped my hands.” He held up one hand and stared at the red scratches on it, which oozed drops of blood. They got him into Clary’s office and sat him down in her chair. He rambled on.“Be brave, I said to myself. I kept going and going, but then all of a sudden I thought, Anything could be out here! There could be a pit a thousand feet deep right in front of me. There could be... something that bites. I’ve heard stories... rats as big as garbage bins... And I had to get out of there. So I turned around and I ran.”“Never mind,” said Clary.“You’re all right now. Lina, get him some water.” Lina found a cup and filled it from the sink in the corner. Sadge took it with a shaking hand and drank it down.“What were you looking for?” Lina asked. She knew what she would have been looking for if she’d gone out there. She’d thought about it countless times. Sadge stared at her. He seemed to have to puzzle over her question. Finally he said,“I was looking for something that could help us.”“What would it be?”“I don’t know. Like a stairway that leads somewhere, maybe. Or a building full of... I don’t know,",Sadge,"the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge","frown but said nothing. Sadge didn’t stop talking.“... But then the farther I went the darker it was, and you can’t just keep walking into black dark, can you? It’s like a wall in front of you. I kept turning around to look at the lights of the city, because that’s all there was to see, and then I’d say to myself, Don’t look back, keep moving. But I kept tripping and falling.... The ground is rough out there, I scraped my hands.” He held up one hand and stared at the red scratches on it, which oozed drops of blood. They got him into Clary’s office and sat him down in her chair. He rambled on.“Be brave, I said to myself. I kept going and going, but then all of a sudden I thought, Anything could be out here! There could be a pit a thousand feet deep right in front of me. There could be... something that bites. I’ve heard stories... rats as big as garbage bins... And I had to get out of there. So I turned around and I ran.”“Never mind,” said Clary.“You’re all right now. Lina, get him some water.” Lina found a cup and filled it from the sink in the corner. Sadge took it with a shaking hand and drank it down.“What were you looking for?” Lina asked. She knew what she would have been looking for if she’d gone out there. She’d thought about it countless times. Sadge stared at her. He seemed to have to puzzle over her question. Finally he said,“I was looking for something that could help us.”“What would it be?”“I don’t know. Like a stairway that leads somewhere, maybe. Or a building full of... I don’t know,:Previous Entities: |the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge| ::: Anything could be out here! ",Sadge.M "Mrs. Tassenbaum,”",177313,177320,True,6020:the shopkeeper.M,"meat- counter.“Stand up, sai,” he said. Mrs. Tassenbaum did as she was told, and when she was on her feet, Roland gave her the keys. I keep meeting useful people in here, he thought. If this one’s as good as Cullum turned out to be, we might still be all right.“You’re going to drive my young friend and me to Lovell,” Roland said.“To Turtleback Lane,” she said.“You say true, I say thankya.”“Are you going to kill me after you get to where you want to go?”“Not unless you dawdle,” Roland said. She considered this, then nodded.“Then I won’t. Let’s go.”“Good luck, Mrs. Tassenbaum,” the shopkeeper told her faintly as she started for the door.“If I don’t come back,” she said,“you just remember one thing: it was my husband who invented the Internet— him and his friends, partly at CalTech and partly in their own garages. Not Albert Gore.” Roland’s stomach rumbled again. He reached over the counter(the shopkeeper cringed away from him as if he suspected Roland of carrying the red plague), grabbed the woman’s pile of turkey, and folded three slices into his mouth. The rest he handed to Jake, who ate two slices and then looked down at Oy, who was looking up at the meat with great interest.“I’ll give you your share when we get in the truck,”",the shopkeeper,"Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper","meat- counter.“Stand up, sai,” he said. Mrs. Tassenbaum did as she was told, and when she was on her feet, Roland gave her the keys. I keep meeting useful people in here, he thought. If this one’s as good as Cullum turned out to be, we might still be all right.“You’re going to drive my young friend and me to Lovell,” Roland said.“To Turtleback Lane,” she said.“You say true, I say thankya.”“Are you going to kill me after you get to where you want to go?”“Not unless you dawdle,” Roland said. She considered this, then nodded.“Then I won’t. Let’s go.”“Good luck, Mrs. Tassenbaum,” the shopkeeper told her faintly as she started for the door.“If I don’t come back,” she said,“you just remember one thing: it was my husband who invented the Internet— him and his friends, partly at CalTech and partly in their own garages. Not Albert Gore.” Roland’s stomach rumbled again. He reached over the counter(the shopkeeper cringed away from him as if he suspected Roland of carrying the red plague), grabbed the woman’s pile of turkey, and folded three slices into his mouth. The rest he handed to Jake, who ate two slices and then looked down at Oy, who was looking up at the meat with great interest.“I’ll give you your share when we get in the truck,”:Previous Entities: |Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper| ::: Mrs. Tassenbaum,” ","Roland.M Mrs. Tassenbaum.F Jake.M Oy.? the shopkeeper.M" I'm,76996,77000,True,3240:Michael Noonan.M,"the dashboard, oh look at this, a covered blue bubble. The better to creep up on you unsuspected, Gramma.' Michael Noonan?' He was handsome in a way that would be attractive to certain women— the kind who cringe when anybody in their immediate vicinity raises his voice, the kind who rarely call the police when things go wrong at home because, on some miserable secret level, they believe they deserve things to go wrong at home. Wrong things that result in black eyes, dislocated elbows, the occasional cigarette burn on the booby. These are women who more often than not call their husbands or lovers daddy, as in' Can I bring you a beer, daddy?' or' Did you have a hard day at work, daddy?'' Yes, I'm Michael Noonan. How can I help you?' This version of daddy turned, bent, and grabbed something from the litter of paperwork on the passenger side of the front seat. Beneath the dash, a two- way radio squawked once, briefly, and fell silent. He turned back to me with a long, buff- colored folder in one hand. Held it out.' This is yours.' When I didn't take it, he stepped forward and tried to poke it into one of my palms, which would presumably cause me to close my fingers in a kind of reflex. Instead I raised both hands to shoulder- level, as if he had just told me to put em up, Muggsy. He looked at me patiently, his face as Irish",Michael Noonan,"Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan","the dashboard, oh look at this, a covered blue bubble. The better to creep up on you unsuspected, Gramma.' Michael Noonan?' He was handsome in a way that would be attractive to certain women— the kind who cringe when anybody in their immediate vicinity raises his voice, the kind who rarely call the police when things go wrong at home because, on some miserable secret level, they believe they deserve things to go wrong at home. Wrong things that result in black eyes, dislocated elbows, the occasional cigarette burn on the booby. These are women who more often than not call their husbands or lovers daddy, as in' Can I bring you a beer, daddy?' or' Did you have a hard day at work, daddy?'' Yes, I'm Michael Noonan. How can I help you?' This version of daddy turned, bent, and grabbed something from the litter of paperwork on the passenger side of the front seat. Beneath the dash, a two- way radio squawked once, briefly, and fell silent. He turned back to me with a long, buff- colored folder in one hand. Held it out.' This is yours.' When I didn't take it, he stepped forward and tried to poke it into one of my palms, which would presumably cause me to close my fingers in a kind of reflex. Instead I raised both hands to shoulder- level, as if he had just told me to put em up, Muggsy. He looked at me patiently, his face as Irish:Previous Entities: |Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan| ::: I'm ",Michael Noonan.M "What happened to him?""",2303,2309,True,265:Bobbie.F,"halted man frowned at her. She was wearing cut- off jeans and a tank top. She had a stethoscope over her shoulder, the bell already rusted from the salt air."" Ed Regis. We've got a very sick man here, doctor."""" Then you better take him to San José,"" she said. San José was the capital, just twenty minutes away by air."" We would, but we can't get over the mountains in this weather. You have to treat him here."" Bobbie trotted alongside the injured man as they carried him to the clinic. He was a kid, no older than eighteen. Lifting away the blood- soaked shirt, she saw a big slashing rip along his shoulder, and another on the leg."" What happened to him?"""" Construction accident,"" Ed shouted."" He fell. One of the backhoes ran over him."" The kid was pale, shivering, unconscious. Manuel stood by the bright green door of the clinic, waving his arm. The men brought the body through and set it on the table in the center of the room. Manuel started an intravenous line, and Bobbie swung the light over the kid and bent to examine the wounds. Immediately she could see that it did not look good. The kid would almost certainly die. A big tearing laceration ran from his shoulder down his torso. At the edge of the wound, the flesh was shredded. At the center, the shoulder was dislocated, pale bones exposed. A second slash cut through the heavy muscles of the",Bobbie,"ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie","halted man frowned at her. She was wearing cut- off jeans and a tank top. She had a stethoscope over her shoulder, the bell already rusted from the salt air."" Ed Regis. We've got a very sick man here, doctor."""" Then you better take him to San José,"" she said. San José was the capital, just twenty minutes away by air."" We would, but we can't get over the mountains in this weather. You have to treat him here."" Bobbie trotted alongside the injured man as they carried him to the clinic. He was a kid, no older than eighteen. Lifting away the blood- soaked shirt, she saw a big slashing rip along his shoulder, and another on the leg."" What happened to him?"""" Construction accident,"" Ed shouted."" He fell. One of the backhoes ran over him."" The kid was pale, shivering, unconscious. Manuel stood by the bright green door of the clinic, waving his arm. The men brought the body through and set it on the table in the center of the room. Manuel started an intravenous line, and Bobbie swung the light over the kid and bent to examine the wounds. Immediately she could see that it did not look good. The kid would almost certainly die. A big tearing laceration ran from his shoulder down his torso. At the edge of the wound, the flesh was shredded. At the center, the shoulder was dislocated, pale bones exposed. A second slash cut through the heavy muscles of the:Previous Entities: |ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie| ::: What happened to him?"" ",Ed Regis.M “Do what you think is best.”,63535,63543,True,655:Yoshi.M,"it was just a friendship with privileges.“You feel tense,” he said, stroking her back. He had wonderful hands.“Did you argue with Richard?”“Not really. A bit.” She looked at the moonlight coming in through the window, surprisingly bright.“Then what is it?” Yoshi asked.“I’m worried about Gerard.”“Why?”“Richard hates him. Really hates him.”“Oh, he wouldn’t do anything. It’s such a valuable animal.”“He might,” she said. She sat up in bed.“Maybe I should go back.” Yoshi shrugged.“If you think…”“I’m sorry,” she said. He kissed her lightly.“Do what you think is best.” Gail sighed.“You’re right,” she said.“I’m being silly.” She slid back down under the covers.“Tell me I am being silly. Please.” CH033 B rad Gordon clicked off the TV and yelled,“It’s open. Come in.” It was noon. He was lounging in his third- floor apartment in Sherman Oaks, watching the ball game and waiting for the pizza delivery guy. But to his surprise, the door opened and in walked the best- looking woman he had ever seen in his life. She had elegance written all over her— thirtyish, tall, slim, European clothing, heels that were not too high. Sexy, but in control. Brad sat forward in his lounger chair and ran",Yoshi,"the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi","it was just a friendship with privileges.“You feel tense,” he said, stroking her back. He had wonderful hands.“Did you argue with Richard?”“Not really. A bit.” She looked at the moonlight coming in through the window, surprisingly bright.“Then what is it?” Yoshi asked.“I’m worried about Gerard.”“Why?”“Richard hates him. Really hates him.”“Oh, he wouldn’t do anything. It’s such a valuable animal.”“He might,” she said. She sat up in bed.“Maybe I should go back.” Yoshi shrugged.“If you think…”“I’m sorry,” she said. He kissed her lightly.“Do what you think is best.” Gail sighed.“You’re right,” she said.“I’m being silly.” She slid back down under the covers.“Tell me I am being silly. Please.” CH033 B rad Gordon clicked off the TV and yelled,“It’s open. Come in.” It was noon. He was lounging in his third- floor apartment in Sherman Oaks, watching the ball game and waiting for the pizza delivery guy. But to his surprise, the door opened and in walked the best- looking woman he had ever seen in his life. She had elegance written all over her— thirtyish, tall, slim, European clothing, heels that were not too high. Sexy, but in control. Brad sat forward in his lounger chair and ran:Previous Entities: |the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi| ::: “Do what you think is best.” ",Yoshi.M A lot.”,13736,13744,True,141:A one - eyed Great Horned.M,"snuggling up closer to me but fell over. She picked herself up and muffled a burp. The Great Horned winked his one eye at me. Another Screech Owl came up to the trunk. He had a nasty gash on his starboard talon. I could tell immediately that it was a wound made by an ice dagger.“Back from the north wars, eh, Flynn?” the Great Horned asked.“Yeah, and I got this to prove it!” He held up the wounded talon.“Hope you got more than that.”“Aye, they pay well, them norther owls.”“Where were you fighting?”“Up in the Firth of Fangs,” he answered.“Any fighting up on the glacier?” I asked.“Oh, yeah. A lot.”“How’s the king doing?” I asked. He shook his head.“Don’t know what to believe. Some say he’s dead. Others say he and the queen have fled. They say she done laid an egg. That there be an heir on the way and they be‘ fraid the hagsfiends will get it.”“Dead? Dead, you say?” I demanded of him.“I don’t say. But it’s what I hear.” I wondered how I had not seen this in the ember. Perhaps it wasn’t true. A Burrowing Owl who had been listening now interrupted.“Oh, the High King is dead, all right. I seen it,” the stranger said.“You saw it? How",A one - eyed Great Horned,"the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy","snuggling up closer to me but fell over. She picked herself up and muffled a burp. The Great Horned winked his one eye at me. Another Screech Owl came up to the trunk. He had a nasty gash on his starboard talon. I could tell immediately that it was a wound made by an ice dagger.“Back from the north wars, eh, Flynn?” the Great Horned asked.“Yeah, and I got this to prove it!” He held up the wounded talon.“Hope you got more than that.”“Aye, they pay well, them norther owls.”“Where were you fighting?”“Up in the Firth of Fangs,” he answered.“Any fighting up on the glacier?” I asked.“Oh, yeah. A lot.”“How’s the king doing?” I asked. He shook his head.“Don’t know what to believe. Some say he’s dead. Others say he and the queen have fled. They say she done laid an egg. That there be an heir on the way and they be‘ fraid the hagsfiends will get it.”“Dead? Dead, you say?” I demanded of him.“I don’t say. But it’s what I hear.” I wondered how I had not seen this in the ember. Perhaps it wasn’t true. A Burrowing Owl who had been listening now interrupted.“Oh, the High King is dead, all right. I seen it,” the stranger said.“You saw it? How:Previous Entities: |the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy| ::: A lot.” ",I. had my right hand cut off.”,59056,59097,True,1170:the craftsman.?,"the craftsman.“I made the Metal Warriors that guard the Tomb of Pitchiu, I designed the Light Dams of the Great Nef, I built the Palace of the Seven Deserts. And yet—” he reached up and tapped one of his eyes, which rang faintly,“when I built the golem army for Pitchiu he loaded me down with gold and then, so that I would create no other work to rival my work for him, he had my eyes put out.”“Wise but cruel,” said the Arch- astronomer sympathetically.“Yah. So I learned to hear the temper of metals and to see with my fingers. I learned how to distinguish ores by taste and smell. I made these eyes, but I can not make them see.“Next I was summoned to build the Palace of the Seven Deserts, as a result of which the Emir showered me with silver and then, not entirely to my surprise, had my right hand cut off.”“A grave hindrance in your line of business,” nodded the Arch- astronomer.“I used some of the silver to make myself this new hand, putting to use my unrivaled knowledge of levers and fulcrums. It suffices. After I created the first great Light Dam, which had a capacity of 50000 daylight hours, the tribal councils of the Nef loaded me down with fine silks and then hamstrung me so that I could not escape. As a result I was put to some inconvenience to use the silk and some bamboo to build a flying machine from which I could launch myself from the topmost turret of my prison.”“Bringing you, by various diversions, to Krull,” said the Arch- astronomer.“And one can not help feeling that some alternative",the craftsman,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman","the craftsman.“I made the Metal Warriors that guard the Tomb of Pitchiu, I designed the Light Dams of the Great Nef, I built the Palace of the Seven Deserts. And yet—” he reached up and tapped one of his eyes, which rang faintly,“when I built the golem army for Pitchiu he loaded me down with gold and then, so that I would create no other work to rival my work for him, he had my eyes put out.”“Wise but cruel,” said the Arch- astronomer sympathetically.“Yah. So I learned to hear the temper of metals and to see with my fingers. I learned how to distinguish ores by taste and smell. I made these eyes, but I can not make them see.“Next I was summoned to build the Palace of the Seven Deserts, as a result of which the Emir showered me with silver and then, not entirely to my surprise, had my right hand cut off.”“A grave hindrance in your line of business,” nodded the Arch- astronomer.“I used some of the silver to make myself this new hand, putting to use my unrivaled knowledge of levers and fulcrums. It suffices. After I created the first great Light Dam, which had a capacity of 50000 daylight hours, the tribal councils of the Nef loaded me down with fine silks and then hamstrung me so that I could not escape. As a result I was put to some inconvenience to use the silk and some bamboo to build a flying machine from which I could launch myself from the topmost turret of my prison.”“Bringing you, by various diversions, to Krull,” said the Arch- astronomer.“And one can not help feeling that some alternative:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman| ::: had my right hand cut off.” ",the craftsman.M "after I deal with the bandits.""",50850,50867,True,401:The synthetic.M,"to do... without the right kind of leverage. The bandit leader turned to an assistant."" Bring the woman. The rise looks good. Do it there."" The android crouched next to a massive track, used his sensors to scan for danger, and battled the rider. Sojo, or what remained of him, was adamant."" Your actions are inconsistent with our mission! Stop at once!""“Your mission,"" Doon said, stalling for time."" You know— the one you refuse to tell me about."" Three infrared blobs were visible, all headed for the rise."" The mission is important,"" the rider replied sternly."" The future of the planet depends on it."""" Okay,"" the synthetic replied reasonably."" We'll save the planet in the morning... after I deal with the bandits."" Doon sprinted from one shadow to the next, weapon out, sensors on max."" No,"" the ghost replied."" The mission will fail if you are injured or terminated. Return to the crawler at once."" The rider clamped down on Doon's motor functions— and the android fought back. His basic and therefore overriding programming was that of a law enforcement officer in an emergency situation. The other entity resisted but was forced to capitulate. At first Doon assumed the blobs were on the run... but soon realized his mistake. They were going somewhere for the purpose of doing something. But what? Nothing good— that was for sure. He hurried to close the gap. Casey was frightened, very frightened, and with good reason. Unit three's pusher",The synthetic,"The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human","to do... without the right kind of leverage. The bandit leader turned to an assistant."" Bring the woman. The rise looks good. Do it there."" The android crouched next to a massive track, used his sensors to scan for danger, and battled the rider. Sojo, or what remained of him, was adamant."" Your actions are inconsistent with our mission! Stop at once!""“Your mission,"" Doon said, stalling for time."" You know— the one you refuse to tell me about."" Three infrared blobs were visible, all headed for the rise."" The mission is important,"" the rider replied sternly."" The future of the planet depends on it."""" Okay,"" the synthetic replied reasonably."" We'll save the planet in the morning... after I deal with the bandits."" Doon sprinted from one shadow to the next, weapon out, sensors on max."" No,"" the ghost replied."" The mission will fail if you are injured or terminated. Return to the crawler at once."" The rider clamped down on Doon's motor functions— and the android fought back. His basic and therefore overriding programming was that of a law enforcement officer in an emergency situation. The other entity resisted but was forced to capitulate. At first Doon assumed the blobs were on the run... but soon realized his mistake. They were going somewhere for the purpose of doing something. But what? Nothing good— that was for sure. He hurried to close the gap. Casey was frightened, very frightened, and with good reason. Unit three's pusher:Previous Entities: |The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human| ::: after I deal with the bandits."" ",Doon.M "Take the dagger now,",97499,97526,True,257:Gumridge.M,"The others, too, jolted into life. Up from out of the depths of their blank minds new words rushed, words red with blood and revenge, words that had echoed among the castle's stones, words stored in silicon, words that would have themselves heard, words that gripped their mouths so tightly that an attempt not to say them would result in a broken jaw.' Do you fear him now?' said Gumridge.' And he so mazed with drink? Take his dagger, husband– you are a blade's width from the kingdom.'' I dare not,' Wimsloe said, trying to look in astonishment at his own lips.' Who will know?' Gumridge waved a hand towards the audience. He'd never act so well again.' See, there is only eyeless night. Take the dagger now, take the kingdom tomorrow. Have a stab at it, man.' Wimsloe's hand shook.' I have it, wife,' he said.' Is this a dagger I see before me?'' Of course it's a bloody dagger. Come on, do it now. The weak deserve no mercy. We'll say he fell down the stairs.'' But people will suspect!'' Are there no dungeons? Are there no pilliwinks? Possession is nine parts of the law, husband, when what you possess is a knife.' Wimsloe drew his arm back.' I can not! He has been kindness itself to me!'' And you can be Death itself to him...' Dafe could hear the voices a long way off. He adjusted his mask, checked the deathliness of his appearance",Gumridge,"Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge","The others, too, jolted into life. Up from out of the depths of their blank minds new words rushed, words red with blood and revenge, words that had echoed among the castle's stones, words stored in silicon, words that would have themselves heard, words that gripped their mouths so tightly that an attempt not to say them would result in a broken jaw.' Do you fear him now?' said Gumridge.' And he so mazed with drink? Take his dagger, husband– you are a blade's width from the kingdom.'' I dare not,' Wimsloe said, trying to look in astonishment at his own lips.' Who will know?' Gumridge waved a hand towards the audience. He'd never act so well again.' See, there is only eyeless night. Take the dagger now, take the kingdom tomorrow. Have a stab at it, man.' Wimsloe's hand shook.' I have it, wife,' he said.' Is this a dagger I see before me?'' Of course it's a bloody dagger. Come on, do it now. The weak deserve no mercy. We'll say he fell down the stairs.'' But people will suspect!'' Are there no dungeons? Are there no pilliwinks? Possession is nine parts of the law, husband, when what you possess is a knife.' Wimsloe drew his arm back.' I can not! He has been kindness itself to me!'' And you can be Death itself to him...' Dafe could hear the voices a long way off. He adjusted his mask, checked the deathliness of his appearance:Previous Entities: |Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge| ::: Take the dagger now, ",Wimsloe.M "I mean,",15724,15748,True,73:Quezovercoatl.M,", I want you to go back down there and tell them you're sorry,” he said.“Pardon?”“Tell them you've changed your mind. Tell them that what you really wanted them to do was strive day and night to improve the lot of their fellow men. It'll be a winner.”“What?” said Quezovercoatl, looking extremely shifty.“You want me to manifest myself?”“They've seen you already, haven't they? I saw the statue, it's ver lifelike.”“Well, yes. I've appeared in dreams and that,” said the demon uncertainly.“Right, then. Get on with it.” Quezovercoatl was clearly unhappy about something.“Er,” he said.“You want me to actually materialise, sort of thing? I mean, actually sort of turn up on the spot?”“Yes!”“Oh.” The prisoner dusted himself down and extended a wrinkled hand to Rincewind.“Many thanks. Ponce da Quirm,” he said.“Pardon?”“It's my name.”“Oh.”“It's a proud old name,” said da Quirm, searching Rincewind's eyes for any traces of mockery.“Fine,” said Rincewind blankly.“We were searching for the Fountain of Youth,” da Quirm went on Rincewind looked him up and down.“Any luck?” he said politely.“Not significantly, no.” Rincewind peered back down into the pit.“You said we,” ha said.“Where's everyone else?”“They got religion.” Rincewind looked up",Quezovercoatl,"the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl",", I want you to go back down there and tell them you're sorry,” he said.“Pardon?”“Tell them you've changed your mind. Tell them that what you really wanted them to do was strive day and night to improve the lot of their fellow men. It'll be a winner.”“What?” said Quezovercoatl, looking extremely shifty.“You want me to manifest myself?”“They've seen you already, haven't they? I saw the statue, it's ver lifelike.”“Well, yes. I've appeared in dreams and that,” said the demon uncertainly.“Right, then. Get on with it.” Quezovercoatl was clearly unhappy about something.“Er,” he said.“You want me to actually materialise, sort of thing? I mean, actually sort of turn up on the spot?”“Yes!”“Oh.” The prisoner dusted himself down and extended a wrinkled hand to Rincewind.“Many thanks. Ponce da Quirm,” he said.“Pardon?”“It's my name.”“Oh.”“It's a proud old name,” said da Quirm, searching Rincewind's eyes for any traces of mockery.“Fine,” said Rincewind blankly.“We were searching for the Fountain of Youth,” da Quirm went on Rincewind looked him up and down.“Any luck?” he said politely.“Not significantly, no.” Rincewind peered back down into the pit.“You said we,” ha said.“Where's everyone else?”“They got religion.” Rincewind looked up:Previous Entities: |the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl| ::: I mean, ","Quezovercoatl.M Rincewind.M Ponce da Quirm.M" “I was once a number.,9909,9925,True,380:the first owl.?,"although the color of these eyes was identical to his own and those of his family, he found the owl’s gaze frightening.“Back row, and prepare to assume the sleeping position.” These instructions were delivered in the throaty rasp common to Barn Owls, but Soren found nothing comforting in the familiar. The two owls who had escorted the newly arrived orphans spoke to them next. They were Long Eared Owls and had tufts that poked straight up over their eyes and twitched. Soren found this especially unnerving. They each alternated speaking in short deep whoos. The whoos were even more disturbing than the barks of Skench earlier, for the sound seemed to coil into Soren’s very breast and thrum with a terrible clang.“I am Jatt,” said the first owl.“I was once a number. But now I have earned my new name.”“Whhh—” Soren snapped off the word.“I see a question forming on your disgusting beak, number 12- 1!” The whoo thrummed so deep within Soren’s breast that he thought his heart might burst.“Let me make this perrr- fectly clear.” The thrumming of the owl’s sound was almost unbearable.“At St. Aggie’s such words beginning with the whh sound are not to be spoken. Such words are question words, a habit of mental luxury and indulgence. Questions might fatten the imagination, but they starve the owlish instincts of hardiness, patience, humility, and self- denial. We are not here to pamper you by allowing an orgy of wwwhh words, question words. They are dirty words, swear words punishable by the",the first owl,"Basil, the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl","although the color of these eyes was identical to his own and those of his family, he found the owl’s gaze frightening.“Back row, and prepare to assume the sleeping position.” These instructions were delivered in the throaty rasp common to Barn Owls, but Soren found nothing comforting in the familiar. The two owls who had escorted the newly arrived orphans spoke to them next. They were Long Eared Owls and had tufts that poked straight up over their eyes and twitched. Soren found this especially unnerving. They each alternated speaking in short deep whoos. The whoos were even more disturbing than the barks of Skench earlier, for the sound seemed to coil into Soren’s very breast and thrum with a terrible clang.“I am Jatt,” said the first owl.“I was once a number. But now I have earned my new name.”“Whhh—” Soren snapped off the word.“I see a question forming on your disgusting beak, number 12- 1!” The whoo thrummed so deep within Soren’s breast that he thought his heart might burst.“Let me make this perrr- fectly clear.” The thrumming of the owl’s sound was almost unbearable.“At St. Aggie’s such words beginning with the whh sound are not to be spoken. Such words are question words, a habit of mental luxury and indulgence. Questions might fatten the imagination, but they starve the owlish instincts of hardiness, patience, humility, and self- denial. We are not here to pamper you by allowing an orgy of wwwhh words, question words. They are dirty words, swear words punishable by the:Previous Entities: |Basil, the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl| ::: “I was once a number. ",Jatt.M "“Corliss,”",89411,89414,True,474:Franklin.M,"edge of the woods, breathing hard. Franklin pointed.“Down there. I can find it.” Sterling turned to Bradley.“Call your people. And the Cumberland County Sheriff. I wanted that logging road plugged at both ends. What’s past it if he slips through?” Bradley barked a laugh.“Nothing but the Royal River. Like to see him ford that.”“Is it iced over?”“Sure, but not enough to walk on.”“All right. Let us press on. Franklin, take point. Short point. This guy is very dangerous.” They moved down the first slope. Fifty yards into the woods, Sterling made out a blue- gray figure slumped against a tree. Franklin got there first.“Corliss,” he said.“Dead?” Sterling asked, joining him.“Oh yeah.” Franklin pointed to tracks that were now little more than vague dips.“Let’s go,” Sterling said. This time he took point. They found Granger five minutes later. The marks on his throat were at least an inch deep.“Guy must be a brute,” someone said. Sterling pointed into the snow.“That’s a cave up there. I’m almost positive. Maybe he left the kid.” Two State Troopers scrambled up toward the triangular patch of shadow. One of them paused, bent, picked something out of the snow. He held it up.“A gun!” he yelled. As if the rest of us are blind,",Franklin,"Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess","edge of the woods, breathing hard. Franklin pointed.“Down there. I can find it.” Sterling turned to Bradley.“Call your people. And the Cumberland County Sheriff. I wanted that logging road plugged at both ends. What’s past it if he slips through?” Bradley barked a laugh.“Nothing but the Royal River. Like to see him ford that.”“Is it iced over?”“Sure, but not enough to walk on.”“All right. Let us press on. Franklin, take point. Short point. This guy is very dangerous.” They moved down the first slope. Fifty yards into the woods, Sterling made out a blue- gray figure slumped against a tree. Franklin got there first.“Corliss,” he said.“Dead?” Sterling asked, joining him.“Oh yeah.” Franklin pointed to tracks that were now little more than vague dips.“Let’s go,” Sterling said. This time he took point. They found Granger five minutes later. The marks on his throat were at least an inch deep.“Guy must be a brute,” someone said. Sterling pointed into the snow.“That’s a cave up there. I’m almost positive. Maybe he left the kid.” Two State Troopers scrambled up toward the triangular patch of shadow. One of them paused, bent, picked something out of the snow. He held it up.“A gun!” he yelled. As if the rest of us are blind,:Previous Entities: |Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess| ::: “Corliss,” ",Franklin.M "“It’s a standard starburst launch to bring public awareness to abrupt climate change,”",54079,54095,True,2658:the first rep.?,"they’re chartreuse,” Drake said, his voice rising.“Just do it! Now what about the press releases?” Another designer held up a sheet.“They’re four- color banners printed in biodegradable inks on recycled bond paper.” Drake picked up a sheet.“This is recycled? It looks damn good.”“Actually, it’s fresh paper.” The designer looked nervous.“But no one will know.”“You didn’t tell me that,” Drake said.“It’s essential that recycled materials look good.”“And they do, sir. Don’t worry.”“Then let’s move on.” He turned to the PR people.“What’s the time- line of the campaign?”“It’s a standard starburst launch to bring public awareness to abrupt climate change,” the first rep said, standing up.“We have our initial press break on Sunday- morning talk shows and in the Sunday newspaper supplements. They’ll be talking about the start of the conference Wednesday and interviewing major photogenic principals. Stanford, Levine, the other people who show well on TV. We’ve given enough lead time to get into all the major weekly newsbooks around the world, Time, Newsweek, Der Spiegel, Paris Match, Oggi, The Economist. All together, fifty news magazines to inform lead opinion makers. We’ve asked for cover stories, accepting banner folds with a graphic. Anything less and they didn’t get us. We expect covers on at least twenty.”“Okay,” Drake said, nodding.“We start the conference on",the first rep,"The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep","they’re chartreuse,” Drake said, his voice rising.“Just do it! Now what about the press releases?” Another designer held up a sheet.“They’re four- color banners printed in biodegradable inks on recycled bond paper.” Drake picked up a sheet.“This is recycled? It looks damn good.”“Actually, it’s fresh paper.” The designer looked nervous.“But no one will know.”“You didn’t tell me that,” Drake said.“It’s essential that recycled materials look good.”“And they do, sir. Don’t worry.”“Then let’s move on.” He turned to the PR people.“What’s the time- line of the campaign?”“It’s a standard starburst launch to bring public awareness to abrupt climate change,” the first rep said, standing up.“We have our initial press break on Sunday- morning talk shows and in the Sunday newspaper supplements. They’ll be talking about the start of the conference Wednesday and interviewing major photogenic principals. Stanford, Levine, the other people who show well on TV. We’ve given enough lead time to get into all the major weekly newsbooks around the world, Time, Newsweek, Der Spiegel, Paris Match, Oggi, The Economist. All together, fifty news magazines to inform lead opinion makers. We’ve asked for cover stories, accepting banner folds with a graphic. Anything less and they didn’t get us. We expect covers on at least twenty.”“Okay,” Drake said, nodding.“We start the conference on:Previous Entities: |The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep| ::: “It’s a standard starburst launch to bring public awareness to abrupt climate change,” ",Drake.M but it had been the blood of life.,102113,102259,True,412:the shepherds.?,"for and Miss Level couldn’t afford. She’d used some of it to buy a really good brown cloak. It didn’t billow, it didn’t fly out behind her, but it was warm and thick and kept her dry. She’d learned lots of other things too. As she walked past the sheep and their lambs, she gently touched their minds, so softly that they didn’t notice... Tiffany had stayed up in the mountains for Hogswatch, which officially marked the changing of the year. There’d been a lot to do there, and anyway it wasn’t much celebrated on the Chalk. Miss Level had been happy to give her leave now, though, for the lambing festival, which the old people called Sheepbellies. It was when the shepherds’ year began. The hag of the hills couldn’t miss that. That was when, in warm nests of straw shielded from the wind by hurdles and barriers of cut furze, the future happened. She’d helped it happen, working with the shepherds by lantern light, dealing with the difficult births. She’d worked with the pointy hat on her head and had felt the shepherds watching her as, with knife and needle and thread and hands and soothing words, she’d saved ewes from the black doorway and helped new lambs into the light. You had to give them a show. You had to give them a story. And she’d walked back home proudly in the morning and bloody to the elbows, but it had been the blood of life. Later, she had gone up to the Feegles’ mound, and slid down the hole. She’d thought about this for some time, and had gone prepared– with clean torn- up handkerchiefs and some soapwort shampoo made to a recipe Miss Level had given her. She had a feeling that Jeannie would have a use for these. Miss Level always visited new mothers. It was what you did. Jeannie had been pleased to see her. Lying on her stomach so that she could get part of her body into the kelda’s chamber, Tiffany had been allowed to hold all eight of what she kept thinking of as the Roblets, born at the same time as the lambs. Seven of them were bawling and fighting one another. The eighth lay quietly, biding her time",the shepherds,"Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement","for and Miss Level couldn’t afford. She’d used some of it to buy a really good brown cloak. It didn’t billow, it didn’t fly out behind her, but it was warm and thick and kept her dry. She’d learned lots of other things too. As she walked past the sheep and their lambs, she gently touched their minds, so softly that they didn’t notice... Tiffany had stayed up in the mountains for Hogswatch, which officially marked the changing of the year. There’d been a lot to do there, and anyway it wasn’t much celebrated on the Chalk. Miss Level had been happy to give her leave now, though, for the lambing festival, which the old people called Sheepbellies. It was when the shepherds’ year began. The hag of the hills couldn’t miss that. That was when, in warm nests of straw shielded from the wind by hurdles and barriers of cut furze, the future happened. She’d helped it happen, working with the shepherds by lantern light, dealing with the difficult births. She’d worked with the pointy hat on her head and had felt the shepherds watching her as, with knife and needle and thread and hands and soothing words, she’d saved ewes from the black doorway and helped new lambs into the light. You had to give them a show. You had to give them a story. And she’d walked back home proudly in the morning and bloody to the elbows, but it had been the blood of life. Later, she had gone up to the Feegles’ mound, and slid down the hole. She’d thought about this for some time, and had gone prepared– with clean torn- up handkerchiefs and some soapwort shampoo made to a recipe Miss Level had given her. She had a feeling that Jeannie would have a use for these. Miss Level always visited new mothers. It was what you did. Jeannie had been pleased to see her. Lying on her stomach so that she could get part of her body into the kelda’s chamber, Tiffany had been allowed to hold all eight of what she kept thinking of as the Roblets, born at the same time as the lambs. Seven of them were bawling and fighting one another. The eighth lay quietly, biding her time:Previous Entities: |Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement| ::: but it had been the blood of life. ",Tiffany.F “Except the rats.”,38540,38545,True,251:The Jew.M,"eastern shore, and plenty of water.”“And plenty of Popish muskets,” Enders said.“And plenty of Popish gold,” Hunter said.“How long do you make landfall?”“Fair wind. Midday at latest, I’d warrant.”“Bear for the cove,” Hunter said, pointing. Already they could see the only indentation on the western coast, a narrow inlet called Blind Man’s Cove. Hunter went off to collect the supplies that his small landing party would carry with them. He found Don Diego, the Jew, already setting out the equipment on the deck. The Jew fixed Hunter with a weak eye.“Considerate of the Dons,” he said.“They looked, but didn’t take anything.”“Except the rats.”“We can make do with anything small, Hunter. Possum, any small creature.”“We’ll have to,” Hunter said. Sanson was standing in the bow, looking forward at the peak of Mt. Leres. From a distance, it appeared absolutely sheer, a curving semicircle of naked red rock.“There’s no way around it?” Sanson asked. Hunter responded,“The only passages around will be guarded. We must go over the top.” Sanson gave a slight smile; Hunter went aft again to Enders. He gave orders that once his party had been beached, the Cassandra was to sail south to the next island, Ramonas. A small cove with fresh water could be found there, and the sloop would be safe from attack.",The Jew,"Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais","eastern shore, and plenty of water.”“And plenty of Popish muskets,” Enders said.“And plenty of Popish gold,” Hunter said.“How long do you make landfall?”“Fair wind. Midday at latest, I’d warrant.”“Bear for the cove,” Hunter said, pointing. Already they could see the only indentation on the western coast, a narrow inlet called Blind Man’s Cove. Hunter went off to collect the supplies that his small landing party would carry with them. He found Don Diego, the Jew, already setting out the equipment on the deck. The Jew fixed Hunter with a weak eye.“Considerate of the Dons,” he said.“They looked, but didn’t take anything.”“Except the rats.”“We can make do with anything small, Hunter. Possum, any small creature.”“We’ll have to,” Hunter said. Sanson was standing in the bow, looking forward at the peak of Mt. Leres. From a distance, it appeared absolutely sheer, a curving semicircle of naked red rock.“There’s no way around it?” Sanson asked. Hunter responded,“The only passages around will be guarded. We must go over the top.” Sanson gave a slight smile; Hunter went aft again to Enders. He gave orders that once his party had been beached, the Cassandra was to sail south to the next island, Ramonas. A small cove with fresh water could be found there, and the sloop would be safe from attack.:Previous Entities: |Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais| ::: “Except the rats.” ",The Jew.M "“Gunda grunuch and see you in two years… Eeh,",4725,4739,True,523:The bear.M,"bears were still there and had not begun their long swim north to the more remote firths and small channels where they hibernated for the winter. He spiraled down, and to his great delight saw several bears swimming about and some reclining on floes with their cubs. Many of the floes were bloody with freshly killed seals. The polar bears were fattening up for their long winter sleep. The firth was quite narrow at this point, and Dumpy saw one bear slip off an ice floe and swim toward the base of the cliffs where there appeared to be a cave. Dumpy hovered outside. It was hard to understand these bears, with their thick Krakish accent. Thankfully, many of them spoke a mixture of Hoolian and Krakish, and Dumpy was catching a few words here and there.“Gunda grunuch and see you in two years… Eeh, Sveep?” Then the most enormous head Dumpy had ever seen poked out of the cave and roared in a clear voice.“Svarr, you are about as romantic as a mess of seal guts. Love’em and leave, huh?”“Well, mating season doesn’t last forever, and I’m getting sleepy. The katabats are blowing early,” replied a male bear who was treading water outside the cave.“You just want to skedaddle.”“Here, I’ll get you something to eat before I go.” The bear swooped an immense paw through the water and snatched up a large fish.“Bluescale— token of my affection.” He slapped it down on the rock ledge by the cave.“Great Ice!” Dumpy sputtered. The two bears",The bear,"Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear","bears were still there and had not begun their long swim north to the more remote firths and small channels where they hibernated for the winter. He spiraled down, and to his great delight saw several bears swimming about and some reclining on floes with their cubs. Many of the floes were bloody with freshly killed seals. The polar bears were fattening up for their long winter sleep. The firth was quite narrow at this point, and Dumpy saw one bear slip off an ice floe and swim toward the base of the cliffs where there appeared to be a cave. Dumpy hovered outside. It was hard to understand these bears, with their thick Krakish accent. Thankfully, many of them spoke a mixture of Hoolian and Krakish, and Dumpy was catching a few words here and there.“Gunda grunuch and see you in two years… Eeh, Sveep?” Then the most enormous head Dumpy had ever seen poked out of the cave and roared in a clear voice.“Svarr, you are about as romantic as a mess of seal guts. Love’em and leave, huh?”“Well, mating season doesn’t last forever, and I’m getting sleepy. The katabats are blowing early,” replied a male bear who was treading water outside the cave.“You just want to skedaddle.”“Here, I’ll get you something to eat before I go.” The bear swooped an immense paw through the water and snatched up a large fish.“Bluescale— token of my affection.” He slapped it down on the rock ledge by the cave.“Great Ice!” Dumpy sputtered. The two bears:Previous Entities: |Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear| ::: “Gunda grunuch and see you in two years… Eeh, ",Sveep.M Hitting it?,79639,79650,True,454:everyone.?,"said,"" Fish. Eating."" Barnes nodded. Tina twisted the dials."" Tuning it out."" They again heard the undifferentiated hiss. The tension in the room lessened. Norman felt tired and sat down. Harry sat next to him. Norman noticed that Harry looked more thoughtful than concerned. Across the room, Ted stood near the hatch door and bit his lip. He looked like a frightened kid. There was a soft electronic beep. Lines on the gas- plasma screens jumped. Tina said,"" I have a positive on peripheral thermals."" Barnes nodded:"" Direction?"""" East. Coming."" They heard a metallic clank! Then another clank!"" What's that?"""" The grid. He's hitting the grid."""" Hitting it? Sounds like he's dismantling it."" Norman remembered the grid. It was made of three- inch pipe."" A big fish? A shark?"" Beth said. Barnes shook his head."" He's not moving like a shark. And he's too big."" Tina said,"" Positive thermals on in- line perimeter. He's still coming."" Barnes said,"" Go active."" The pong! of the sonar echoed in the room. Tina said,"" Target acquired. One hundred yards."""" Image him."""" FAS on, sir."" There was a rapid succession of sonar sounds: pong! pong! pong! pong! Then a pause, and it came again: pong! pong! pong! pong! Norman looked puzzled. Fletcher leaned over and",everyone,"the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy","said,"" Fish. Eating."" Barnes nodded. Tina twisted the dials."" Tuning it out."" They again heard the undifferentiated hiss. The tension in the room lessened. Norman felt tired and sat down. Harry sat next to him. Norman noticed that Harry looked more thoughtful than concerned. Across the room, Ted stood near the hatch door and bit his lip. He looked like a frightened kid. There was a soft electronic beep. Lines on the gas- plasma screens jumped. Tina said,"" I have a positive on peripheral thermals."" Barnes nodded:"" Direction?"""" East. Coming."" They heard a metallic clank! Then another clank!"" What's that?"""" The grid. He's hitting the grid."""" Hitting it? Sounds like he's dismantling it."" Norman remembered the grid. It was made of three- inch pipe."" A big fish? A shark?"" Beth said. Barnes shook his head."" He's not moving like a shark. And he's too big."" Tina said,"" Positive thermals on in- line perimeter. He's still coming."" Barnes said,"" Go active."" The pong! of the sonar echoed in the room. Tina said,"" Target acquired. One hundred yards."""" Image him."""" FAS on, sir."" There was a rapid succession of sonar sounds: pong! pong! pong! pong! Then a pause, and it came again: pong! pong! pong! pong! Norman looked puzzled. Fletcher leaned over and:Previous Entities: |the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy| ::: Hitting it? ",Barnes.M I'll get him out of there.,39980,40016,True,926:these two young owls.?,"? What are thermals?"" Soren asked."" Warm drafts of air. They've arrived earlier than usual. They'll make flying very easy for you once you get out of here. You should meet up with them within a short distance from here. You'll be able to soar."""" We don't know how to soar,"" Gylfie said."" All we know how to do is flap."""" Don't worry. You'll know exactly what to do when you meet the thermals. The shape of the wind will tell you."""" Who is on guard tonight?"""" I' I"" Its Jatt."" Jatt!"" Soren gasped."" That's terrible. How will you get him to go to the pelletorium?"""" I'll think of something. Don't worry. I'll get him out of there. I've already got you a pass for tonight between the third and fourth sleep march."" The third sleep march had just finished. Soren and Gylfie sought out the sleep correction monitor in their area and showed them their passes. He blinked and told them to be off. They made their way silently through the stone corridors of St. Aegolius, alone with their thoughts. Yet those thoughts were the same, for they were deep in concentration as they tried as hard as they ever had to believe in their own ability to fly. They tried not to let themselves be distracted by the fact that the sum total of their flight experience had covered only a very small range of the usual maneuvers a young and newly fledged owl practices. They had no real knowledge of gliding, soaring, or hovering."" Words, words, words,"" Grimble would mutter if they ever brought",these two young owls,"Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls","? What are thermals?"" Soren asked."" Warm drafts of air. They've arrived earlier than usual. They'll make flying very easy for you once you get out of here. You should meet up with them within a short distance from here. You'll be able to soar."""" We don't know how to soar,"" Gylfie said."" All we know how to do is flap."""" Don't worry. You'll know exactly what to do when you meet the thermals. The shape of the wind will tell you."""" Who is on guard tonight?"""" I' I"" Its Jatt."" Jatt!"" Soren gasped."" That's terrible. How will you get him to go to the pelletorium?"""" I'll think of something. Don't worry. I'll get him out of there. I've already got you a pass for tonight between the third and fourth sleep march."" The third sleep march had just finished. Soren and Gylfie sought out the sleep correction monitor in their area and showed them their passes. He blinked and told them to be off. They made their way silently through the stone corridors of St. Aegolius, alone with their thoughts. Yet those thoughts were the same, for they were deep in concentration as they tried as hard as they ever had to believe in their own ability to fly. They tried not to let themselves be distracted by the fact that the sum total of their flight experience had covered only a very small range of the usual maneuvers a young and newly fledged owl practices. They had no real knowledge of gliding, soaring, or hovering."" Words, words, words,"" Grimble would mutter if they ever brought:Previous Entities: |Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls| ::: I'll get him out of there. ","Soren.M Gylfie.F Jatt.M" "He thought there might be something in it.""",56461,56471,True,473:Deborah.?,""""" Nothing. Mother Teresa's being recut. Mickey Mantle isn't in yet. All we have is that wheelchair Little League segment."" Jennifer groaned."" Dick will never go with that."""" I know,"" Deborah said."" It sucks."" Jennifer picked up the fax her assistant had dropped on the console. It was a press release from some PR group, one of hundreds that every news show received each day. Like all such faxes, this one was formatted to look like a breaking news story, complete with a headline at the top. It said: JAA DELAYS CERTIFICATION OF N-22 WIDEBODY JET CITING CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS CONCERNS"" What's this?"" she said, frowning."" Hector said give it to you."""" Why?"""" He thought there might be something in it."""" Why? What the fuck's the JAA?"" Jennifer scanned the text; it was a lot of aerospace babble, dense and impenetrable. She thought: No visuals."" Apparently,"" Deborah said,"" it's the same plane that caught fire in Miami."""" Oh. Hector wants to do a safety segment? Good luck. Everybody's seen the tape of the burning plane already. And it wasn't that good to begin with."" Jennifer tossed the fax aside."" Ask him if he has anything else."" Deborah went away. Alone, Jennifer stared at the frozen image of Charles Manson on the screen in front of her. Then she clicked the image off, and decided to take a moment to think. Jennifer Malone was twenty-",Deborah,"Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah",""""" Nothing. Mother Teresa's being recut. Mickey Mantle isn't in yet. All we have is that wheelchair Little League segment."" Jennifer groaned."" Dick will never go with that."""" I know,"" Deborah said."" It sucks."" Jennifer picked up the fax her assistant had dropped on the console. It was a press release from some PR group, one of hundreds that every news show received each day. Like all such faxes, this one was formatted to look like a breaking news story, complete with a headline at the top. It said: JAA DELAYS CERTIFICATION OF N-22 WIDEBODY JET CITING CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS CONCERNS"" What's this?"" she said, frowning."" Hector said give it to you."""" Why?"""" He thought there might be something in it."""" Why? What the fuck's the JAA?"" Jennifer scanned the text; it was a lot of aerospace babble, dense and impenetrable. She thought: No visuals."" Apparently,"" Deborah said,"" it's the same plane that caught fire in Miami."""" Oh. Hector wants to do a safety segment? Good luck. Everybody's seen the tape of the burning plane already. And it wasn't that good to begin with."" Jennifer tossed the fax aside."" Ask him if he has anything else."" Deborah went away. Alone, Jennifer stared at the frozen image of Charles Manson on the screen in front of her. Then she clicked the image off, and decided to take a moment to think. Jennifer Malone was twenty-:Previous Entities: |Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah| ::: He thought there might be something in it."" ",Deborah.F funny and going places.,81905,81919,True,310:Locus.?,"”— Oxford Times“A brilliant story— teller with a sense of humour… whose infectious fun completely engulfs you… The Dickens of the twentieth century.”— Mail on Sunday(London)“If you are unfamiliar with Pratchett’s unique blend of philosophical badinage interspersed with slapstick, you are on the threshold of a mind— expanding opportunity.”— Financial Times(London)“If you don’t know Pratchett and Discworld, you’ve got a treat in store.”— Jerry Pournelle“The funniest parodist working in the field today, period.”— New York Review of Science Fiction“Pratchett demonstrates just how great the distance is between one- or two- joke writers and the comic masters whose work will be read into the next century.”— Locus“Terry Pratchett is fast, funny and going places. Try him!”— Piers Anthony“As always he is head and shoulders above the best of the rest. He is screamingly funny. He is wise. He has style.”— Daily Telegraph(London)“Pratchett is a comic genius.”— Express(London)“Pratchett is as funny as Wodehouse and as witty as Waugh.”— Independent(London)“Terry Pratchett does for fantasy what Douglas Adams did for science fiction.”— Today(Great Britain)” What makes Terry Pratchett’s fantasies so entertaining is that their humour depends on the characters first, on the plot second, rather than the other way around. The story isn’t there simply to lead from one slapstick pratfall to another pun. Its humour is genuine and unforced.”— Ottawa Citizen”",Locus,"Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus","”— Oxford Times“A brilliant story— teller with a sense of humour… whose infectious fun completely engulfs you… The Dickens of the twentieth century.”— Mail on Sunday(London)“If you are unfamiliar with Pratchett’s unique blend of philosophical badinage interspersed with slapstick, you are on the threshold of a mind— expanding opportunity.”— Financial Times(London)“If you don’t know Pratchett and Discworld, you’ve got a treat in store.”— Jerry Pournelle“The funniest parodist working in the field today, period.”— New York Review of Science Fiction“Pratchett demonstrates just how great the distance is between one- or two- joke writers and the comic masters whose work will be read into the next century.”— Locus“Terry Pratchett is fast, funny and going places. Try him!”— Piers Anthony“As always he is head and shoulders above the best of the rest. He is screamingly funny. He is wise. He has style.”— Daily Telegraph(London)“Pratchett is a comic genius.”— Express(London)“Pratchett is as funny as Wodehouse and as witty as Waugh.”— Independent(London)“Terry Pratchett does for fantasy what Douglas Adams did for science fiction.”— Today(Great Britain)” What makes Terry Pratchett’s fantasies so entertaining is that their humour depends on the characters first, on the plot second, rather than the other way around. The story isn’t there simply to lead from one slapstick pratfall to another pun. Its humour is genuine and unforced.”— Ottawa Citizen”:Previous Entities: |Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus| ::: funny and going places. ","Tormsa.M The ruined man.M Murbella.F Delnay.M Cole.M Lore.F Del Toro.M Sloan.M Nelson.M the big one.M Weasel.M Bravd.M Hugh.M Withel.M The visitor.? the homunculus.M Gorphal.M the picture imp.? the thiefmaster.M Zlorf.M Rerpf.M the Weasel.M the Lady.F Fate.? the dryad.F Druellae.F Liessa.F K!sdra.F Lio!rt.M The Loremaster.M the craftsman.M Dactylos.M Tethis.M Garhartra.M the Guestmaster.M the Launchcontroller.M Locus.M" “Where are they!”,39526,39531,True,1130:another voice.?,"you look back... I think pomegranates come into it somewhere, or, or, or you turn into a piece of wood.""“I never look back,” said Rincewind firmly.“One of the first rules of running away is, never look back.” There was a roar behind them.“Especially when you hear loud noises,” Rincewind went on.“When it comes to cowardice, that's what sorts out the men from the sheep. You run straight away.” He grabbed the skirts of his robe. And they ran and ran, until a familiar voice said:“Ho there, dear lads. Hop up. It's amazing how you meet old friends down here.” And another voice said,“Wossname? Wossname?”“Where are they!” The sub- lords of Hell trembled. This was going to be dreadful. It might even result in a memo.“They ca nt have escaped,” rasped Astfgl.“They're here somewhere. Why can you not find them? Am I surrounded by incompetents as well as fools?”“My lord-” The demon princes turned. The speaker was Duke Vassenego, one of the oldest demons. How old, no- one knew. But if he didn't actually invent original sin, at least he made one of the first copies. In terms of sheer enterprise and deviousness of mind he might even have passed for human and, in fact, generally took the form of an old, rather sad lawyer with an eagle somewhere in his ancestry. And every",another voice,"Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice","you look back... I think pomegranates come into it somewhere, or, or, or you turn into a piece of wood.""“I never look back,” said Rincewind firmly.“One of the first rules of running away is, never look back.” There was a roar behind them.“Especially when you hear loud noises,” Rincewind went on.“When it comes to cowardice, that's what sorts out the men from the sheep. You run straight away.” He grabbed the skirts of his robe. And they ran and ran, until a familiar voice said:“Ho there, dear lads. Hop up. It's amazing how you meet old friends down here.” And another voice said,“Wossname? Wossname?”“Where are they!” The sub- lords of Hell trembled. This was going to be dreadful. It might even result in a memo.“They ca nt have escaped,” rasped Astfgl.“They're here somewhere. Why can you not find them? Am I surrounded by incompetents as well as fools?”“My lord-” The demon princes turned. The speaker was Duke Vassenego, one of the oldest demons. How old, no- one knew. But if he didn't actually invent original sin, at least he made one of the first copies. In terms of sheer enterprise and deviousness of mind he might even have passed for human and, in fact, generally took the form of an old, rather sad lawyer with an eagle somewhere in his ancestry. And every:Previous Entities: |Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice| ::: “Where are they!” ",Astfgl.M "The Micmac Drive,",128308,128379,True,1416:the locals.?,"a little woman in a violently patterned sleeveless dress, her hair a gray puffball around her head, her bright eyes swimming behind her bifocals. In a confidential voice she added,' Neither is much good.'' Which one is better?' I asked, matching her tone.' Probably the one by Edward Osteen. He was a summer resident until the mid- fifties and lived here full- time when he retired. He wrote Dark Score Days in 1965 or' 66. He had it privately published because he couldn't find a commercial house that would take it. Even the regional publishers passed.' She sighed.' The locals bought it, but that's not many books, is it?'' No, I suppose not,' I said.' He just wasn't much of a writer. Not much of a photographer, either— those little black- and- white snaps of his make my eyes hurt. Still, he tells some good stories. The Micmac Drive, General Wing's trick horse, the twister in the eighteen- eighties, the fires in the nine- teen- thirties...'' Anything about Sara and the Red- Tops?' She nodded, smiling.' Finally got around to looking up the history of your own place, did you? I'm glad to hear it. He found an old photo of them, and it's in there. He thought it was taken at the Fryeburg Fair in 1900. Ed used to say he'd give a lot to hear a record made by that bunch.'' So would I, but none were ever made.' A haiku by the Greek poet George Seferis suddenly occurred to me: Are these the voices of our dead friends/ or just the gramophone?' What happened to Mr. Osteen? I don't recall the name.'' Died not a year or two before you and Jo",the locals,the locals,"a little woman in a violently patterned sleeveless dress, her hair a gray puffball around her head, her bright eyes swimming behind her bifocals. In a confidential voice she added,' Neither is much good.'' Which one is better?' I asked, matching her tone.' Probably the one by Edward Osteen. He was a summer resident until the mid- fifties and lived here full- time when he retired. He wrote Dark Score Days in 1965 or' 66. He had it privately published because he couldn't find a commercial house that would take it. Even the regional publishers passed.' She sighed.' The locals bought it, but that's not many books, is it?'' No, I suppose not,' I said.' He just wasn't much of a writer. Not much of a photographer, either— those little black- and- white snaps of his make my eyes hurt. Still, he tells some good stories. The Micmac Drive, General Wing's trick horse, the twister in the eighteen- eighties, the fires in the nine- teen- thirties...'' Anything about Sara and the Red- Tops?' She nodded, smiling.' Finally got around to looking up the history of your own place, did you? I'm glad to hear it. He found an old photo of them, and it's in there. He thought it was taken at the Fryeburg Fair in 1900. Ed used to say he'd give a lot to hear a record made by that bunch.'' So would I, but none were ever made.' A haiku by the Greek poet George Seferis suddenly occurred to me: Are these the voices of our dead friends/ or just the gramophone?' What happened to Mr. Osteen? I don't recall the name.'' Died not a year or two before you and Jo:Previous Entities: |the locals| ::: The Micmac Drive, ","the locals.? Edward Osteen.M" “Gosh.,48821,48838,True,1728:the snake.?,"sent off for courses. But I try not to read, of course. It’s not in character.”“I suppose it wouldn’t be.” It was certainly the most cultured snake voice that Rincewind had ever heard.“It’s the same with the voice, I’m afraid,” the snake added.“I shouldn’t really be talking to you now. Not like this, anyway. I suppose I could grunt a bit. I rather think I should be trying to kill you, in fact.”“I have curious and unusual powers,” said Rincewind. Fair enough, he thought, an almost total inability to master any form of magic is pretty unusual for a wizard and anyway, it doesn’t matter about lying to a snake.“Gosh. Well, I expect you won’t be in here long, then.”“Hmm?”“I expect you’ll be levitating out of here like a shot, any minute.” Rincewind looked up at the fifteen- foot- deep walls of the snake pit, and rubbed his bruises.“I might,” he said cautiously.“In that case, you wouldn’t mind taking me with you, would you?”“Eh?”“It’s a lot to ask, I know, but this pit is, well, it’s the pits.”“Take you? But you’re a snake, it’s your pit. The idea is that you stay here and people come to you. I mean, I know about these things.” A shadow behind the snake unfolded itself and stood up.“That’s",the snake,"The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man","sent off for courses. But I try not to read, of course. It’s not in character.”“I suppose it wouldn’t be.” It was certainly the most cultured snake voice that Rincewind had ever heard.“It’s the same with the voice, I’m afraid,” the snake added.“I shouldn’t really be talking to you now. Not like this, anyway. I suppose I could grunt a bit. I rather think I should be trying to kill you, in fact.”“I have curious and unusual powers,” said Rincewind. Fair enough, he thought, an almost total inability to master any form of magic is pretty unusual for a wizard and anyway, it doesn’t matter about lying to a snake.“Gosh. Well, I expect you won’t be in here long, then.”“Hmm?”“I expect you’ll be levitating out of here like a shot, any minute.” Rincewind looked up at the fifteen- foot- deep walls of the snake pit, and rubbed his bruises.“I might,” he said cautiously.“In that case, you wouldn’t mind taking me with you, would you?”“Eh?”“It’s a lot to ask, I know, but this pit is, well, it’s the pits.”“Take you? But you’re a snake, it’s your pit. The idea is that you stay here and people come to you. I mean, I know about these things.” A shadow behind the snake unfolded itself and stood up.“That’s:Previous Entities: |The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man| ::: “Gosh. ",Rincewind.M "“Fear has a white mouth,”",41471,41478,True,401:the Northmen.?,"ground; yet the dogs stopped as if they had arrived upon some fence or palpable obstruction. Our party halted at this place, and looked about in this direction and that. There was no wind, and no sounds were here; not the sound of birds or of any living animal, but only silence. Buliwyf said,“Here begins the land of the wendol,” and the warriors patted their steeds upon the necks to comfort them, for the horses were skittish and nervous in this region. So also were the riders. Buliwyf kept his lips tight; Ecthgow’s hands trembled as he held the reins of his horse; Herger was gone quite pale, and his eyes darted to this way and that; so also the others in their way. The Northmen say,“Fear has a white mouth,” and now I saw that this is true, for they were all pale around the lips and mouth. No man spoke of his fear. Now we left the dogs behind, and rode onward into more snow, which was thin and crunching underfoot, and into thicker mists. No man spoke, save to the horses. At each step these beasts were more difficult to prod onward; the warriors were obliged to urge them with soft words and sharp kicks. Soon we saw shadowy forms in the mist ahead of us, which we approached with caution. Now I saw with my own eyes this: on either side of the path, mounted high on stout poles, were the skulls of enormous beasts, their jaws opened in a posture of attack. We continued, and I saw",the Northmen,Rothgar,"ground; yet the dogs stopped as if they had arrived upon some fence or palpable obstruction. Our party halted at this place, and looked about in this direction and that. There was no wind, and no sounds were here; not the sound of birds or of any living animal, but only silence. Buliwyf said,“Here begins the land of the wendol,” and the warriors patted their steeds upon the necks to comfort them, for the horses were skittish and nervous in this region. So also were the riders. Buliwyf kept his lips tight; Ecthgow’s hands trembled as he held the reins of his horse; Herger was gone quite pale, and his eyes darted to this way and that; so also the others in their way. The Northmen say,“Fear has a white mouth,” and now I saw that this is true, for they were all pale around the lips and mouth. No man spoke of his fear. Now we left the dogs behind, and rode onward into more snow, which was thin and crunching underfoot, and into thicker mists. No man spoke, save to the horses. At each step these beasts were more difficult to prod onward; the warriors were obliged to urge them with soft words and sharp kicks. Soon we saw shadowy forms in the mist ahead of us, which we approached with caution. Now I saw with my own eyes this: on either side of the path, mounted high on stout poles, were the skulls of enormous beasts, their jaws opened in a posture of attack. We continued, and I saw:Previous Entities: |Rothgar| ::: “Fear has a white mouth,” ",Buliwyf.M "“A stranger,",22765,22792,True,778:the owner.M,"persuade the man that the future was another country.“And a lemonade for the boy,” he added.“My parents let me drink wine,” said Eric.“I'm allowed one glass.”“I bet you are,” said Rincewind. The owner industriously swabbed the tabletop, spreading its coating of dregs and spilt retsina into a thin varnish.“Up for the fight, are you?” he said.“In a manner of speaking,” said Rincewind guardedly.“I shouldn't wander about too much,” said the owner.“They say a civilian let the Ephebians in- not that I've got anything against the Ephebians, a fine body of men,” he added hurriedly, as a knot of soldiery jogged past.“A stranger, they say. That's cheating, using civilians. There's people out looking for him so's they can explain.” He made a chopping motion with his hand. Rincewind stared at the hand as though hypnotised. Eric opened his mouth. Eric screeched and clutched at his shins.“Have they got a description?” Rincewind said.“Don't think so.”“Well best of luck to them,” said Rincewind, rather more cheerfully.“What's up with the lad?”“Cramp.” When the man had gone back behind his counter Eric hissed,“You didn't have to kick me!”“You're quite right. It was an entirely voluntary act on my part.” A heavy hand dropped on to Rincewind`s shoulder. He looked around and up into the face of an Ephebian centurion. A soldier beside him said:“That's the one",the owner,"Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner","persuade the man that the future was another country.“And a lemonade for the boy,” he added.“My parents let me drink wine,” said Eric.“I'm allowed one glass.”“I bet you are,” said Rincewind. The owner industriously swabbed the tabletop, spreading its coating of dregs and spilt retsina into a thin varnish.“Up for the fight, are you?” he said.“In a manner of speaking,” said Rincewind guardedly.“I shouldn't wander about too much,” said the owner.“They say a civilian let the Ephebians in- not that I've got anything against the Ephebians, a fine body of men,” he added hurriedly, as a knot of soldiery jogged past.“A stranger, they say. That's cheating, using civilians. There's people out looking for him so's they can explain.” He made a chopping motion with his hand. Rincewind stared at the hand as though hypnotised. Eric opened his mouth. Eric screeched and clutched at his shins.“Have they got a description?” Rincewind said.“Don't think so.”“Well best of luck to them,” said Rincewind, rather more cheerfully.“What's up with the lad?”“Cramp.” When the man had gone back behind his counter Eric hissed,“You didn't have to kick me!”“You're quite right. It was an entirely voluntary act on my part.” A heavy hand dropped on to Rincewind`s shoulder. He looked around and up into the face of an Ephebian centurion. A soldier beside him said:“That's the one:Previous Entities: |Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner| ::: “A stranger, ","Rincewind.M Eric.M The owner.M" "High Lord,”",33928,33934,True,966:the faerie.F,"drag me beneath the surface before I could scream.“Welcome,” Tamlin said. Five hours in, and he looked as fresh as he’d been that morning. I supposed that with his powers returned, few things tired him now. The water- wraith stepped closer, her webbed, clawed foot a mottled gray. Lucien took a casual step between us. That was why he’d been stationed on my side of the dais. I gritted my teeth. Who did they think would attack us in our own home, on our own land, if they weren’t convinced Hybern might be launching an assault? Even Ianthe had paused her quiet murmurings in the back of the hall to monitor the encounter. Apparently, this conversation was not the same as all the others.“Please, High Lord,” the faerie was saying, bowing so low that her inky hair grazed the marble.“There are no fish left in the lake.” Tamlin’s face was like granite.“Regardless, you are expected to pay.” The crown atop his head gleamed in the afternoon light. Crafted with emeralds, sapphires, and amethyst, the gold had been molded into a wreath of spring’s first flowers. One of five crowns belonging to his bloodline. The faerie exposed her palms, but Tamlin interrupted her.“There are no exceptions. You have three days to present what is owed— or offer double next Tithe.” It was an effort to keep from gaping at the immovable face, and the pitiless words. In the back, Ianthe gave a nod of confirmation to",the faerie,"Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie","drag me beneath the surface before I could scream.“Welcome,” Tamlin said. Five hours in, and he looked as fresh as he’d been that morning. I supposed that with his powers returned, few things tired him now. The water- wraith stepped closer, her webbed, clawed foot a mottled gray. Lucien took a casual step between us. That was why he’d been stationed on my side of the dais. I gritted my teeth. Who did they think would attack us in our own home, on our own land, if they weren’t convinced Hybern might be launching an assault? Even Ianthe had paused her quiet murmurings in the back of the hall to monitor the encounter. Apparently, this conversation was not the same as all the others.“Please, High Lord,” the faerie was saying, bowing so low that her inky hair grazed the marble.“There are no fish left in the lake.” Tamlin’s face was like granite.“Regardless, you are expected to pay.” The crown atop his head gleamed in the afternoon light. Crafted with emeralds, sapphires, and amethyst, the gold had been molded into a wreath of spring’s first flowers. One of five crowns belonging to his bloodline. The faerie exposed her palms, but Tamlin interrupted her.“There are no exceptions. You have three days to present what is owed— or offer double next Tithe.” It was an effort to keep from gaping at the immovable face, and the pitiless words. In the back, Ianthe gave a nod of confirmation to:Previous Entities: |Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie| ::: High Lord,” ",Tamlin.M "“You will observe,”",10000,10005,True,146:Billias.M,"of the old wizard’s head. Somewhat disconcerted, Billias flexed his fingers. Suddenly this wasn’t quite the game he had intended, and he felt an overpowering urge to impress. It was swiftly overtaken by a surge of annoyance at his own stupidity in being unnerved.“I shall show you,” he said, and took a deep breath,“Maligree’s Wonderful Garden.” There was a susurration from the diners. Only four wizards in the entire history of the University had ever succeeded in achieving the complete Garden. Most wizards could create the trees and flowers, and a few had managed the birds. It wasn’t the most powerful spell, it couldn’t move mountains, but achieving the fine detail built into Maligree’s complex syllables took a finely tuned skill.“You will observe,” Billias added,“nothing up my sleeve.” His lips began to move. His hands flickered through the air. A pool of golden sparks sizzled in the palm of his hand, curved up, formed a faint sphere, began to fill in the detail… Legend had it that Maligree, one of the last of the true sourcerers, created the Garden as a small, timeless, private self- locking universe where he could have a quiet smoke and a bit of a think while avoiding the cares of the world. Which was itself a puzzle, because no wizard could possibly understand how any being as powerful as a sourcerer could have a care in the world. Whatever the reason, Maligree retreated further and further into a world of his own and then, one day,",Billias,Billias,"of the old wizard’s head. Somewhat disconcerted, Billias flexed his fingers. Suddenly this wasn’t quite the game he had intended, and he felt an overpowering urge to impress. It was swiftly overtaken by a surge of annoyance at his own stupidity in being unnerved.“I shall show you,” he said, and took a deep breath,“Maligree’s Wonderful Garden.” There was a susurration from the diners. Only four wizards in the entire history of the University had ever succeeded in achieving the complete Garden. Most wizards could create the trees and flowers, and a few had managed the birds. It wasn’t the most powerful spell, it couldn’t move mountains, but achieving the fine detail built into Maligree’s complex syllables took a finely tuned skill.“You will observe,” Billias added,“nothing up my sleeve.” His lips began to move. His hands flickered through the air. A pool of golden sparks sizzled in the palm of his hand, curved up, formed a faint sphere, began to fill in the detail… Legend had it that Maligree, one of the last of the true sourcerers, created the Garden as a small, timeless, private self- locking universe where he could have a quiet smoke and a bit of a think while avoiding the cares of the world. Which was itself a puzzle, because no wizard could possibly understand how any being as powerful as a sourcerer could have a care in the world. Whatever the reason, Maligree retreated further and further into a world of his own and then, one day,:Previous Entities: |Billias| ::: “You will observe,” ",Billias.M “She has been watching you ssssince you arrived in Ambala.”,3491,3503,True,132:Stingyll.?,"the floor of the hollow where they arranged themselves into neat coils. With their heads waving hypnotically they spoke in unison:“We are not emisssssssssaries from the Pure Ones. We detesssst the Pure Ones.”“You do?” Nyroc blinked in amazement.“We do,” answered the first snake.“My name is Slynella and this is my mate, Stingyll.”“But you said that she sent for me?” Both snakes nodded, looping their heads into figure eights and then resting them in a knot on top of their coiled bodies. It was rather dizzying to watch.“So who is‘ she’?” Nyroc asked.“She is Misssssst,” Slynella replied.“She is the watcher in the woods,” said Stingyll.“She has been watching you ssssince you arrived in Ambala.”“She has?” Both snakes once more went through the elaborate nodding procedure, unknotting their heads from the figure eights and then knotting them again.“But who is she? Why does she care about me?” Nyroc asked.“She is a very ssssssspecial owl.”“Oh, she is an owl?”“Mosssst definitely,” Stingyll answered.“She often ssssends us on misssssions. The lassst time, I came to save a Barn Owl by the name of Ssssssssoren.”“Soren!” Nyroc couldn’t believe his ear slits.“You helped save Soren?”“Yesssss, that was some years back. He had been badly wounded. His wound became‘ gamby,’ as we ssssay. My venom ssssaved him.”“",Stingyll,"Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll","the floor of the hollow where they arranged themselves into neat coils. With their heads waving hypnotically they spoke in unison:“We are not emisssssssssaries from the Pure Ones. We detesssst the Pure Ones.”“You do?” Nyroc blinked in amazement.“We do,” answered the first snake.“My name is Slynella and this is my mate, Stingyll.”“But you said that she sent for me?” Both snakes nodded, looping their heads into figure eights and then resting them in a knot on top of their coiled bodies. It was rather dizzying to watch.“So who is‘ she’?” Nyroc asked.“She is Misssssst,” Slynella replied.“She is the watcher in the woods,” said Stingyll.“She has been watching you ssssince you arrived in Ambala.”“She has?” Both snakes once more went through the elaborate nodding procedure, unknotting their heads from the figure eights and then knotting them again.“But who is she? Why does she care about me?” Nyroc asked.“She is a very ssssssspecial owl.”“Oh, she is an owl?”“Mosssst definitely,” Stingyll answered.“She often ssssends us on misssssions. The lassst time, I came to save a Barn Owl by the name of Ssssssssoren.”“Soren!” Nyroc couldn’t believe his ear slits.“You helped save Soren?”“Yesssss, that was some years back. He had been badly wounded. His wound became‘ gamby,’ as we ssssay. My venom ssssaved him.”“:Previous Entities: |Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll| ::: “She has been watching you ssssince you arrived in Ambala.” ",Stingyll.M “What?”,32248,32251,True,143:The Luggage.?,"” Conina gave him a long, hard stare, and when he didn’t break into a smile she sighed and said,“Why are you wizards always nervous around women?” Rincewind bridled at this slur.“I like that!” he said,“I’ll have you know that— look, anyway, the point is, I get along very well with women in general, it’s just women with swords that upset me.” He considered this for a while, and added,“Everyone with swords upset me, if it comes to that.” Conina picked industriously at the splinter. The Luggage gave a contented creak.“I know something else that’ll upset you,” she muttered.“Hmmm?”“The hat’s gone.”“What?”“I couldn’t help it, they just grabbed whatever they could—”“The slavers have made off with the hat?”“Don’t you take that tone with me! I wasn’t having a quiet sleep at the time—” Rincewind waved his hands frantically.“Nonono, don’t get excited, I wasn’t taking any tone— I want to think about this…”“The captain says they’ll probably go back to Al Khali,” he heard Conina say.“There’s a place where the criminal element hang out, and we can soon—”“I don’t see why we have to do anything,” said Rincewind.“The hat wanted to keep out the way of the University, and I shouldn’t think those slavers",The Luggage,"Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch","” Conina gave him a long, hard stare, and when he didn’t break into a smile she sighed and said,“Why are you wizards always nervous around women?” Rincewind bridled at this slur.“I like that!” he said,“I’ll have you know that— look, anyway, the point is, I get along very well with women in general, it’s just women with swords that upset me.” He considered this for a while, and added,“Everyone with swords upset me, if it comes to that.” Conina picked industriously at the splinter. The Luggage gave a contented creak.“I know something else that’ll upset you,” she muttered.“Hmmm?”“The hat’s gone.”“What?”“I couldn’t help it, they just grabbed whatever they could—”“The slavers have made off with the hat?”“Don’t you take that tone with me! I wasn’t having a quiet sleep at the time—” Rincewind waved his hands frantically.“Nonono, don’t get excited, I wasn’t taking any tone— I want to think about this…”“The captain says they’ll probably go back to Al Khali,” he heard Conina say.“There’s a place where the criminal element hang out, and we can soon—”“I don’t see why we have to do anything,” said Rincewind.“The hat wanted to keep out the way of the University, and I shouldn’t think those slavers:Previous Entities: |Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch| ::: “What?” ",Rincewind.M "do you have anything to say in your defense?""",14725,14744,True,202:Joshua.M,"in the century, a man who had done as much as anyone, even Gushing, to advance neurosurgery in America. He was a stern, dogmatic man; a famous, though apoc ryphal, story had passed into medical tradition. Joshua Randall, like many surgeons of his period, had a rule that no resident working under him could marry. One resident sneaked off and did; a few months later, Randall discovered what had hap pened and called a meeting of all his residents. He lined them up in a row and said,"" Dr. Jones, please take one step forward."" The guilty doctor did, trembling slightly. Randall said,"" I understand you have gotten mar ried."" He made it sound like a disease."" Yes, sir."""" Before I discharge you from the staff, do you have anything to say in your defense?"" The young doctor thought for a moment, then said,"" Yes, sir. I promise I'll never do it again."" Randall, according to the story, was so amused by this reply that he kept the resident after all. After Joshua Randall came Winthrop Randall, the thoracic surgeon. J. D. Randall, Karen's father, was a heart surgeon, specializing in valvular replacements. I had never met him, but I'd seen him once or twice— a fierce, patriarchal man, with thick white hair and a commanding manner. He was the terror of the surgical residents, who flocked to him for training, but hated him. His brother, Peter, was an internist with his of fices just off the Commons. He was very fashion able, very",Joshua,"somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua","in the century, a man who had done as much as anyone, even Gushing, to advance neurosurgery in America. He was a stern, dogmatic man; a famous, though apoc ryphal, story had passed into medical tradition. Joshua Randall, like many surgeons of his period, had a rule that no resident working under him could marry. One resident sneaked off and did; a few months later, Randall discovered what had hap pened and called a meeting of all his residents. He lined them up in a row and said,"" Dr. Jones, please take one step forward."" The guilty doctor did, trembling slightly. Randall said,"" I understand you have gotten mar ried."" He made it sound like a disease."" Yes, sir."""" Before I discharge you from the staff, do you have anything to say in your defense?"" The young doctor thought for a moment, then said,"" Yes, sir. I promise I'll never do it again."" Randall, according to the story, was so amused by this reply that he kept the resident after all. After Joshua Randall came Winthrop Randall, the thoracic surgeon. J. D. Randall, Karen's father, was a heart surgeon, specializing in valvular replacements. I had never met him, but I'd seen him once or twice— a fierce, patriarchal man, with thick white hair and a commanding manner. He was the terror of the surgical residents, who flocked to him for training, but hated him. His brother, Peter, was an internist with his of fices just off the Commons. He was very fashion able, very:Previous Entities: |somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua| ::: do you have anything to say in your defense?"" ",Joshua Randall.M “I’m not here for that.”,43736,43744,True,194:Svarr.F,"a long haul for the wolf to reach Lord Arrin’s stronghold. Svenka neglected to tell him that swimming there would be much quicker. Nor did she tell him that she knew an inlet through which she could pass that would get her there a good day before MacHeath would arrive. Once there she planned to find an old friend of hers, Svarr, the father of Anka and Rolf. It was not yet mating season but she knew where Svarr usually denned this time of year. It was not far from Lord Arrin’s stronghold. So she climbed out of the sea and headed inland.“What are you doing here? It’s not mating season yet. I’m not really in the mood,” Svarr said.“Don’t be ridiculous,” Svenka replied.“I’m not here for that.”“What are you here for?” Svarr looked at Svenka blankly.“Look, Svarr, I know you might have trouble understanding this because… well… you’re a male polar bear and you don’t care really all that much about young’uns and cubs.”“That’s for mothers.”“Yes, exactly.” He interrupted before she could continue.“But, by the way, did you have any cubs last season?”“Yes, three. One died. But the other two are fine.”“Good. Now what is it you’ve come for?” he asked.“Well, I’ve made friends with a lovely female owl. And she is most worried about her young’un. She thinks that Lord Arrin or one of his",Svarr,"Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls","a long haul for the wolf to reach Lord Arrin’s stronghold. Svenka neglected to tell him that swimming there would be much quicker. Nor did she tell him that she knew an inlet through which she could pass that would get her there a good day before MacHeath would arrive. Once there she planned to find an old friend of hers, Svarr, the father of Anka and Rolf. It was not yet mating season but she knew where Svarr usually denned this time of year. It was not far from Lord Arrin’s stronghold. So she climbed out of the sea and headed inland.“What are you doing here? It’s not mating season yet. I’m not really in the mood,” Svarr said.“Don’t be ridiculous,” Svenka replied.“I’m not here for that.”“What are you here for?” Svarr looked at Svenka blankly.“Look, Svarr, I know you might have trouble understanding this because… well… you’re a male polar bear and you don’t care really all that much about young’uns and cubs.”“That’s for mothers.”“Yes, exactly.” He interrupted before she could continue.“But, by the way, did you have any cubs last season?”“Yes, three. One died. But the other two are fine.”“Good. Now what is it you’ve come for?” he asked.“Well, I’ve made friends with a lovely female owl. And she is most worried about her young’un. She thinks that Lord Arrin or one of his:Previous Entities: |Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls| ::: “I’m not here for that.” ",Svenka.F ‘ Drat!’,68681,68684,True,1951:the hazy tall figure.?,"Tiffany. Tried to make a cheese by magic, Tiffany. Hah!’ said the voice.‘ And you are not it, Tiffany! You know how to make cheese the right way, don’t you, Tiffany? Indeed you do! What is your name?’… all was confusion and strange smells. In panic, she roared– Her face was slapped again.‘ No, that was the sabre- toothed tiger, Tiffany! They’re all just old memories the hiver left behind, Tiffany! It’s worn a lot of creatures but they are not you! Come forward, Tiffany!’ She heard the words without really understanding them. They were just out there somewhere, between people who were just shadows. But it was unthinkable to disobey them.‘ Drat!’ said the hazy tall figure.‘ Where’s that little blue feller? Mister Anyone?’‘ Here, mistress. It’s Rob Anybody, mistress. I beg o’ ye not tae turn me intae somethin’ unnatural, mistress!’‘ You said she had a box of keepsakes. Fetch it down here this minute. I feared this might happen. I hates doin’ it this way!’ Tiffany was turned round and once again looked into the blurry face while strong hands gripped her arms. Two blue eyes stared into hers. They shone in the mist like sapphires.‘ What’s your name, Tiffany?’ said the voice.‘ Tiffany!’ The eyes bored into her.‘ Is it? Really? Sing me the first song you ever learned, Tiffany",the hazy tall figure,"somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher","Tiffany. Tried to make a cheese by magic, Tiffany. Hah!’ said the voice.‘ And you are not it, Tiffany! You know how to make cheese the right way, don’t you, Tiffany? Indeed you do! What is your name?’… all was confusion and strange smells. In panic, she roared– Her face was slapped again.‘ No, that was the sabre- toothed tiger, Tiffany! They’re all just old memories the hiver left behind, Tiffany! It’s worn a lot of creatures but they are not you! Come forward, Tiffany!’ She heard the words without really understanding them. They were just out there somewhere, between people who were just shadows. But it was unthinkable to disobey them.‘ Drat!’ said the hazy tall figure.‘ Where’s that little blue feller? Mister Anyone?’‘ Here, mistress. It’s Rob Anybody, mistress. I beg o’ ye not tae turn me intae somethin’ unnatural, mistress!’‘ You said she had a box of keepsakes. Fetch it down here this minute. I feared this might happen. I hates doin’ it this way!’ Tiffany was turned round and once again looked into the blurry face while strong hands gripped her arms. Two blue eyes stared into hers. They shone in the mist like sapphires.‘ What’s your name, Tiffany?’ said the voice.‘ Tiffany!’ The eyes bored into her.‘ Is it? Really? Sing me the first song you ever learned, Tiffany:Previous Entities: |somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher| ::: ‘ Drat!’ ",Rob Anybody. "but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety— the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind,",135833,135879,True,195:Veronica Roth.F,"of a teenage girl forced to choose between her routinized, selfless family and the adventurous, unrestrained future she longs for. A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to turn away.”— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY(STARRED REVIEW)“This is one fast- paced read that sticks in your head for days after you put it down, both because of its video- game- like scenes and its thought- provoking premise.”— HOLLYWOODCRUSH.MTV.COM“This gritty, paranoid world is built with careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Fans snared by the ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional allegiance. Guaranteed to fly off the shelves.”— KIRKUS REVIEWS“With brisk pacing and lavish flights of imagination, DIVERGENT clearly has thrills, but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety— the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind, both ideologically and physically.”— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW“The depth and richness of Beatrice herself make this an accessible option for both sci- fi buffs and realistic fiction fans.”— BCCB“Roth paints her canvas with the same brush as Suzanne Collins. The plot, scenes, and characters are different but the colors are the same and just as rich. Fans of Collins, dystopias, and strong female characters will love this novel.”— SLJ“You’ll be up all night with DIVERGENT, a brainy thrill- ride of a novel.”— BOOKPAGE Also by Veronica Roth DIVERGENT Credits Cover art and design by Joel Tippie Back Ads Copyright Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Insurgent Copyright© 2012 by Veronica Roth All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions",Veronica Roth,"the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth","of a teenage girl forced to choose between her routinized, selfless family and the adventurous, unrestrained future she longs for. A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to turn away.”— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY(STARRED REVIEW)“This is one fast- paced read that sticks in your head for days after you put it down, both because of its video- game- like scenes and its thought- provoking premise.”— HOLLYWOODCRUSH.MTV.COM“This gritty, paranoid world is built with careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Fans snared by the ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional allegiance. Guaranteed to fly off the shelves.”— KIRKUS REVIEWS“With brisk pacing and lavish flights of imagination, DIVERGENT clearly has thrills, but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety— the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind, both ideologically and physically.”— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW“The depth and richness of Beatrice herself make this an accessible option for both sci- fi buffs and realistic fiction fans.”— BCCB“Roth paints her canvas with the same brush as Suzanne Collins. The plot, scenes, and characters are different but the colors are the same and just as rich. Fans of Collins, dystopias, and strong female characters will love this novel.”— SLJ“You’ll be up all night with DIVERGENT, a brainy thrill- ride of a novel.”— BOOKPAGE Also by Veronica Roth DIVERGENT Credits Cover art and design by Joel Tippie Back Ads Copyright Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Insurgent Copyright© 2012 by Veronica Roth All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions:Previous Entities: |the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth| ::: but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety— the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind, ",Emily St.F could be.”,96478,96484,True,4098:somebody.?,"’s office.“Just for the hell of it, I pinged the hexapod. I got a ping back. Guess what. The hexapod is halfway up to Tantalus Crater.” Drake’s eyes narrowed. What the hell. Somebody had survived the predator that had eaten Telius and Johnstone.“Can we find that hexapod, retrieve it?”“Those cliffs are really steep. I don’t think we could reach the hexapod right now. Plus we can’t get a tight fix on it. We can get its approximate location on the cliffs. Only good to a hundred meters.” A tiny smile formed at the corner of Drake’s mouth and grew wider, until it had become a grin.“I wonder… maybe they’re heading for Tantalus Base.”“Yeah, could be.” Drake broke into laughter.“Tantalus Base! Ha! I would like to see their faces when they see Tantalus. They’re in for an ugly surprise— if they get there.” He became serious.“You go up to the crater and make sure they get a surprise. I’ll keep track of their progress.” Rick was drivingwhen there was a beep, and the hexapod’s communication panel lit up. A display flared: ANSWERBACK23094- 451.“What the hell was that?” Rick said. Danny slumped in the passenger seat next to him.“Turn that thing off.”“I can’t. It’s just doing this shit on its own.” Rick began to wonder: was somebody trying to talk to them? Maybe it was",somebody,"Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman","’s office.“Just for the hell of it, I pinged the hexapod. I got a ping back. Guess what. The hexapod is halfway up to Tantalus Crater.” Drake’s eyes narrowed. What the hell. Somebody had survived the predator that had eaten Telius and Johnstone.“Can we find that hexapod, retrieve it?”“Those cliffs are really steep. I don’t think we could reach the hexapod right now. Plus we can’t get a tight fix on it. We can get its approximate location on the cliffs. Only good to a hundred meters.” A tiny smile formed at the corner of Drake’s mouth and grew wider, until it had become a grin.“I wonder… maybe they’re heading for Tantalus Base.”“Yeah, could be.” Drake broke into laughter.“Tantalus Base! Ha! I would like to see their faces when they see Tantalus. They’re in for an ugly surprise— if they get there.” He became serious.“You go up to the crater and make sure they get a surprise. I’ll keep track of their progress.” Rick was drivingwhen there was a beep, and the hexapod’s communication panel lit up. A display flared: ANSWERBACK23094- 451.“What the hell was that?” Rick said. Danny slumped in the passenger seat next to him.“Turn that thing off.”“I can’t. It’s just doing this shit on its own.” Rick began to wonder: was somebody trying to talk to them? Maybe it was:Previous Entities: |Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman| ::: could be.” ","Drake.M Danny.M Rick.M" "“Sit down,",19068,19092,True,784:the matriarch of their little family.F,"stop, Rodge. The Mintel family doesn’t cower.” She smiled and pointed at the apples.“Eat something. You’re as skinny as a pole.” Rodger grinned back.“Thanks, Mom.” He was one of the luckier citizens of the Hive: both his parents were still alive— although he wasn’t sure how much longer this would be true. They both were in their fifties, and the years had not been especially kind to them. Cole sat back down, moaning from the aches that plagued his body. Bernie took a seat at the desk beside his and brushed her thinning gray hair back over her shoulder. She was a two- time cancer survivor, and Rodger was perpetually afraid that it would come back and finish the job.“Sit down, Rodge. You need your energy, especially if they’re planning to send you back out there again.” Rodger sat, looking warily at his mother.“Who said anything about that?” Without looking up from his clock, Cole said,“Your coveralls speak volumes.” Rodger glanced down at his black jumpsuit and laughed.“Oops.” He plucked a small red apple from the bowl he had made for his mom on her fiftieth birthday. He had brought the wood back from a dive in a green zone. His team had discovered an entire warehouse filled with lumber, and Rodger had insisted on bringing some back. Magnolia had given him hell for that, rolling her eyes and telling him to leave the wood and grab something useful, such as plastic. It was then that Rodger had taken a real liking to Magnolia. His thoughts were filled with the girl with",the matriarch of their little family,"Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family","stop, Rodge. The Mintel family doesn’t cower.” She smiled and pointed at the apples.“Eat something. You’re as skinny as a pole.” Rodger grinned back.“Thanks, Mom.” He was one of the luckier citizens of the Hive: both his parents were still alive— although he wasn’t sure how much longer this would be true. They both were in their fifties, and the years had not been especially kind to them. Cole sat back down, moaning from the aches that plagued his body. Bernie took a seat at the desk beside his and brushed her thinning gray hair back over her shoulder. She was a two- time cancer survivor, and Rodger was perpetually afraid that it would come back and finish the job.“Sit down, Rodge. You need your energy, especially if they’re planning to send you back out there again.” Rodger sat, looking warily at his mother.“Who said anything about that?” Without looking up from his clock, Cole said,“Your coveralls speak volumes.” Rodger glanced down at his black jumpsuit and laughed.“Oops.” He plucked a small red apple from the bowl he had made for his mom on her fiftieth birthday. He had brought the wood back from a dive in a green zone. His team had discovered an entire warehouse filled with lumber, and Rodger had insisted on bringing some back. Magnolia had given him hell for that, rolling her eyes and telling him to leave the wood and grab something useful, such as plastic. It was then that Rodger had taken a real liking to Magnolia. His thoughts were filled with the girl with:Previous Entities: |Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family| ::: “Sit down, ",Rodge.M "you see,""",52566,52574,True,1394:another man from the crowd.M,"continued to play over them. High in the sky above them dark activity continued in the Robot zones."" It's just,"" continued the Krikkiter uneasily,"" something we heard about, probably nothing important. Well, I suppose we'd better kill you then."" He looked down at his gun as if he was trying to find which bit to press."" That is,"" he said, looking up again,"" unless there's anything you want to chat about?"" Slow, numb astonishment crept up the bodies of Slartibartfast, Ford and Arthur. Very soon it would reach their brains, which were at the moment solely occupied with moving their jawbones up and down. Trillian was shaking her head as if trying to finish a jigsaw by shaking the box."" We're worried, you see,"" said another man from the crowd,"" about this plan of universal destruction."""" Yes,"" added another,"" and the balance of nature. It just seemed to us that if the whole of the rest of the Universe is destroyed it will somehow upset the balance of nature. We're quite keen on ecology, you see."" His voice trailed away unhappily."" And sport,"" said another, loudly. This got a cheer of approval from the others."" Yes,"" agreed the first,"" and sport..."" He looked back at his fellows uneasily and scratched fitfully at his cheek. He seemed to be wrestling with some deep inner confusion, as if everything he wanted to say and everything he thought were entirely different things, between which he",another man from the crowd,"your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108, Thor, another man from the crowd","continued to play over them. High in the sky above them dark activity continued in the Robot zones."" It's just,"" continued the Krikkiter uneasily,"" something we heard about, probably nothing important. Well, I suppose we'd better kill you then."" He looked down at his gun as if he was trying to find which bit to press."" That is,"" he said, looking up again,"" unless there's anything you want to chat about?"" Slow, numb astonishment crept up the bodies of Slartibartfast, Ford and Arthur. Very soon it would reach their brains, which were at the moment solely occupied with moving their jawbones up and down. Trillian was shaking her head as if trying to finish a jigsaw by shaking the box."" We're worried, you see,"" said another man from the crowd,"" about this plan of universal destruction."""" Yes,"" added another,"" and the balance of nature. It just seemed to us that if the whole of the rest of the Universe is destroyed it will somehow upset the balance of nature. We're quite keen on ecology, you see."" His voice trailed away unhappily."" And sport,"" said another, loudly. This got a cheer of approval from the others."" Yes,"" agreed the first,"" and sport..."" He looked back at his fellows uneasily and scratched fitfully at his cheek. He seemed to be wrestling with some deep inner confusion, as if everything he wanted to say and everything he thought were entirely different things, between which he:Previous Entities: |your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108, Thor, another man from the crowd| ::: you see,"" ",The Krikkiter.M the Bene Tleilax have no need of that much pongi rice in our sector.,28829,28865,True,326:Loschy Teg.?,"could not fool you. Yes, but—”“Tleilaxu strategy is always woven within a web of strategies, any one of which may be the real strategy. They learned that from us.”“My dear, if we are dealing with Tleilaxu, and I do not question your judgment, then it immediately becomes a question of melange.” Lady Janet nodded her head gently. Indeed, even Miles knew about the Tleilaxu connection with the spice. It was one of the things that fascinated him about the Tleilaxu. For every milligram of melange produced on Rakis, the Bene Tleilax tanks produced long tons. Use of melange had grown to fit the new supply and even the Spacing Guild bent its knee before this power.“But the rice…” Loschy Teg ventured.“My dear husband, the Bene Tleilax have no need of that much pongi rice in our sector. They require it for trade. We must find out who really needs the rice.”“You want me to delay,” he said.“Precisely. You are superb at what we now require. Don’t give that Free Trader the chance to say yes or no. Someone trained by the Face Dancers will appreciate such subtlety.”“We lure the Face Dancers out of the ship while you initiate inquiries elsewhere.” Lady Janet smiled.“You are lovely when you leap ahead of me that way.” A look of understanding passed between them.“He can not go to another supplier in this sector,” Loschy Teg said.“He will wish to avoid a go, no- go confrontation,” Lady Janet said, patting the table.“Delay, delay, and more delay. You must draw the Face Dancers out of the",Loschy Teg,"Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg","could not fool you. Yes, but—”“Tleilaxu strategy is always woven within a web of strategies, any one of which may be the real strategy. They learned that from us.”“My dear, if we are dealing with Tleilaxu, and I do not question your judgment, then it immediately becomes a question of melange.” Lady Janet nodded her head gently. Indeed, even Miles knew about the Tleilaxu connection with the spice. It was one of the things that fascinated him about the Tleilaxu. For every milligram of melange produced on Rakis, the Bene Tleilax tanks produced long tons. Use of melange had grown to fit the new supply and even the Spacing Guild bent its knee before this power.“But the rice…” Loschy Teg ventured.“My dear husband, the Bene Tleilax have no need of that much pongi rice in our sector. They require it for trade. We must find out who really needs the rice.”“You want me to delay,” he said.“Precisely. You are superb at what we now require. Don’t give that Free Trader the chance to say yes or no. Someone trained by the Face Dancers will appreciate such subtlety.”“We lure the Face Dancers out of the ship while you initiate inquiries elsewhere.” Lady Janet smiled.“You are lovely when you leap ahead of me that way.” A look of understanding passed between them.“He can not go to another supplier in this sector,” Loschy Teg said.“He will wish to avoid a go, no- go confrontation,” Lady Janet said, patting the table.“Delay, delay, and more delay. You must draw the Face Dancers out of the:Previous Entities: |Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg| ::: the Bene Tleilax have no need of that much pongi rice in our sector. ",Lady Janet.F "‘ But,",96406,96423,True,263:Miss Casement.F,", Tiffany!’ Dimity urged.‘ They know you’re good!’ Tiffany shook her head.‘ Oh, well, that’s it,’ said Annagramma, rolling her eyes.‘ The old baggage has messed with the girl’s head, as usual—’‘ I don’t know who’s messed with whose head,’ snapped Petulia, rolling up her sleeves.‘ But I’m going to do the pig trick.’ She got to her feet and there was a general stir in the crowd.‘ Oh, I see it’s going to be— Oh, it’s you, Petulia,’ said the mistress of ceremonies, slightly disappointed.‘ Yes, Miss Casement, and I intend to perform the pig trick,’ said Petulia loudly.‘ But, er, you don’t seem to have brought a pig with you,’ said Miss Casement, taken aback.‘ Yes, Miss Casement. I shall perform the pig trick… without a pig!’ This caused a sensation, and cries of‘ Impossible!’ and‘ There are children here, you know!’ Miss Casement looked around for assistance and found none.‘ Oh well,’ she said, helpless.‘ If you are sure, dear...’‘ Yes. I am. I shall use... a sausage!’ said Petulia, producing one from a pocket and holding it up. There was another sensation. Tiffany didn’t see the trick. Nor did Granny Weatherwax. Their gaze was like an iron bar, and even Miss Casement instinctively didn’t step into it. But Tiffany heard the squeal,",Miss Casement,"the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement",", Tiffany!’ Dimity urged.‘ They know you’re good!’ Tiffany shook her head.‘ Oh, well, that’s it,’ said Annagramma, rolling her eyes.‘ The old baggage has messed with the girl’s head, as usual—’‘ I don’t know who’s messed with whose head,’ snapped Petulia, rolling up her sleeves.‘ But I’m going to do the pig trick.’ She got to her feet and there was a general stir in the crowd.‘ Oh, I see it’s going to be— Oh, it’s you, Petulia,’ said the mistress of ceremonies, slightly disappointed.‘ Yes, Miss Casement, and I intend to perform the pig trick,’ said Petulia loudly.‘ But, er, you don’t seem to have brought a pig with you,’ said Miss Casement, taken aback.‘ Yes, Miss Casement. I shall perform the pig trick… without a pig!’ This caused a sensation, and cries of‘ Impossible!’ and‘ There are children here, you know!’ Miss Casement looked around for assistance and found none.‘ Oh well,’ she said, helpless.‘ If you are sure, dear...’‘ Yes. I am. I shall use... a sausage!’ said Petulia, producing one from a pocket and holding it up. There was another sensation. Tiffany didn’t see the trick. Nor did Granny Weatherwax. Their gaze was like an iron bar, and even Miss Casement instinctively didn’t step into it. But Tiffany heard the squeal,:Previous Entities: |the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement| ::: ‘ But, ",Petulia.F You’re all set.”,78707,78727,True,2285:The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic.F,"to needles that I don’t even react. She dabs my forehead with antiseptic— they are so careful about germs here— and I feel the sting and prickle of the needle, diminishing by the second as the numbing agent does its work. I watch the people rush past as she stitches my skin— a doctor pulls off a pair of bloodstained rubber gloves; a nurse carries a tray of gauze, his shoes nearly slipping on the tile; a family member of someone injured wrings her hands. The air smells like chemicals and old paper and warm bodies.“Any updates on David?” I say.“He’ll live, but it will take him a long time to walk again,” she says. Her lips stop puckering, just for a few seconds.“Could have been a lot worse, if you hadn’t been there. You’re all set.” I nod. I wish I could tell her that I’m not a hero, that I was using him as a shield, like a wall of meat. I wish I could confess to being a person full of hate for the Bureau and for David, a person who would let someone else get riddled with bullets to save herself. My parents would be ashamed. She places a bandage over the stitches to protect the wound, and gathers all the wrappers and soaked cotton balls into her fists to throw them away. Before I can thank her, she is gone, off to the next bed, the next patient, the next injury. Injured people line the hallway outside the emergency ward. I have gathered from the evidence that there was another explosion set off at the same",The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic,"the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet","to needles that I don’t even react. She dabs my forehead with antiseptic— they are so careful about germs here— and I feel the sting and prickle of the needle, diminishing by the second as the numbing agent does its work. I watch the people rush past as she stitches my skin— a doctor pulls off a pair of bloodstained rubber gloves; a nurse carries a tray of gauze, his shoes nearly slipping on the tile; a family member of someone injured wrings her hands. The air smells like chemicals and old paper and warm bodies.“Any updates on David?” I say.“He’ll live, but it will take him a long time to walk again,” she says. Her lips stop puckering, just for a few seconds.“Could have been a lot worse, if you hadn’t been there. You’re all set.” I nod. I wish I could tell her that I’m not a hero, that I was using him as a shield, like a wall of meat. I wish I could confess to being a person full of hate for the Bureau and for David, a person who would let someone else get riddled with bullets to save herself. My parents would be ashamed. She places a bandage over the stitches to protect the wound, and gathers all the wrappers and soaked cotton balls into her fists to throw them away. Before I can thank her, she is gone, off to the next bed, the next patient, the next injury. Injured people line the hallway outside the emergency ward. I have gathered from the evidence that there was another explosion set off at the same:Previous Entities: |the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet| ::: You’re all set.” ",Nurse "' Oh,",5704,5714,True,94:Champot.M,"forty years without having to think more than once or twice a day, and now he was doing it all me time.' Ah,' he said.' You're a ghost, too.'' Well spotted.'' It was the head under your arm,' said Verence, pleased with himself.' That gave me a clue.'' Does it bother you? I can put it back on if it bothers you,' said the old ghost helpfully. He extended his free hand.' Pleased to meet you. I'm Champot, King of Lancre.'' Verence. Likewise.' He peered down at the old king's features and added,' Don't seem to recall seeing your picture in the Long Gallery...'' Oh, all that was after my time,' said Champot dismissively.' How long have you been here, then?' Champot reached down and rubbed his nose.' About a thousand years,' he said, his voice tinged with pride.' Man and ghost.'' A thousand years!'' I built this place, in fact. Just got it nicely decorated when my nephew cut my head off while I was asleep. I can't tell you how much that upset me.'' But... a thousand years...' Verence repeated, weakly. Champot took his arm.' It's not that bad,' he confided, as he led the unresisting king across the courtyard.' Better than being alive, in many ways.'' They must be bloody strange ways",Champot,"the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot","forty years without having to think more than once or twice a day, and now he was doing it all me time.' Ah,' he said.' You're a ghost, too.'' Well spotted.'' It was the head under your arm,' said Verence, pleased with himself.' That gave me a clue.'' Does it bother you? I can put it back on if it bothers you,' said the old ghost helpfully. He extended his free hand.' Pleased to meet you. I'm Champot, King of Lancre.'' Verence. Likewise.' He peered down at the old king's features and added,' Don't seem to recall seeing your picture in the Long Gallery...'' Oh, all that was after my time,' said Champot dismissively.' How long have you been here, then?' Champot reached down and rubbed his nose.' About a thousand years,' he said, his voice tinged with pride.' Man and ghost.'' A thousand years!'' I built this place, in fact. Just got it nicely decorated when my nephew cut my head off while I was asleep. I can't tell you how much that upset me.'' But... a thousand years...' Verence repeated, weakly. Champot took his arm.' It's not that bad,' he confided, as he led the unresisting king across the courtyard.' Better than being alive, in many ways.'' They must be bloody strange ways:Previous Entities: |the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot| ::: ' Oh, ",Champot.M “I trust you’ll find the right project.”,23244,23254,True,1161:my student.M,"exclaimed:“I want my gift to directly support programming for Girl Scouts and not anything else.” This helped focus the conversation, but as my student put forth project after project that seemed to fulfill the donor’s criteria, all she got was still rejection. Sensing the potential donor’s growing frustration, and wanting to end on a positive note so that they might be able to meet again, my student used another label.“It seems that you are really passionate about this gift and want to find the right project reflecting the opportunities and life- changing experiences the Girl Scouts gave you.” And with that, this“difficult” woman signed a check without even picking a specific project.“You understand me,” she said as she got up to leave.“I trust you’ll find the right project.” Fear of her money being misappropriated was the presenting dynamic that the first label uncovered. But the second label uncovered the underlying dynamic— her very presence in the office was driven by very specific memories of being a little Girl Scout and how it changed her life. The obstacle here wasn’t finding the right match for the woman. It wasn’t that she was this highly finicky, hard- to- please donor. The real obstacle was that this woman needed to feel that she was understood, that the person handling her money knew why she was in that office and understood the memories that were driving her actions. That’s why labels are so powerful and so potentially transformative to the state of any conversation. By digging beneath what seems like a mountain of quibbles, details, and",my student,"Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student","exclaimed:“I want my gift to directly support programming for Girl Scouts and not anything else.” This helped focus the conversation, but as my student put forth project after project that seemed to fulfill the donor’s criteria, all she got was still rejection. Sensing the potential donor’s growing frustration, and wanting to end on a positive note so that they might be able to meet again, my student used another label.“It seems that you are really passionate about this gift and want to find the right project reflecting the opportunities and life- changing experiences the Girl Scouts gave you.” And with that, this“difficult” woman signed a check without even picking a specific project.“You understand me,” she said as she got up to leave.“I trust you’ll find the right project.” Fear of her money being misappropriated was the presenting dynamic that the first label uncovered. But the second label uncovered the underlying dynamic— her very presence in the office was driven by very specific memories of being a little Girl Scout and how it changed her life. The obstacle here wasn’t finding the right match for the woman. It wasn’t that she was this highly finicky, hard- to- please donor. The real obstacle was that this woman needed to feel that she was understood, that the person handling her money knew why she was in that office and understood the memories that were driving her actions. That’s why labels are so powerful and so potentially transformative to the state of any conversation. By digging beneath what seems like a mountain of quibbles, details, and:Previous Entities: |Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student| ::: “I trust you’ll find the right project.” ",Sheila.F "but whatever it was,",38285,38308,True,332:Sabaya.M,"for nearly a minute. Finally he spoke.“That’s right,” he said. We ended the call. The“war damages” demand just disappeared. From that point forward Sabaya never mentioned money again. He never asked for another dime for the release of Jeffrey Schilling. He ultimately became so weary of this case and holding the young Californian that he let down his guard. Schilling escaped from their camp, and Philippine commandoes swooped in and rescued him. He returned safely to his family in California. Two weeks after Jeff Schilling escaped, Sabaya called Benjie:“Have you been promoted yet?” he asked.“If not, you should have been.”“Why?” Benjie asked.“I was going to hurt Jeffrey,” Sabaya said.“I don’t know what you did to keep me from doing that, but whatever it was, it worked.” In June 2002 Sabaya was killed in a shoot- out with Philippine military units. In the heat of negotiations for a man’s life, I didn’t appreciate the value of those two words:“That’s right.” But when I studied the transcripts and reconstructed the trajectory of the negotiations, I realized that Sabaya had changed course when he uttered those words. Benjie had used some fundamental techniques that we had developed over many years. He had reflected Sabaya’s vision. He had stepped back from confrontation. He had allowed Sabaya to speak freely and exhaust his version of events.“That’s right” signaled that negotiations could proceed from deadlock. It broke down a barrier that was impeding progress. It created a realization point with our adversary where he actually agreed on a",Sabaya,"Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya","for nearly a minute. Finally he spoke.“That’s right,” he said. We ended the call. The“war damages” demand just disappeared. From that point forward Sabaya never mentioned money again. He never asked for another dime for the release of Jeffrey Schilling. He ultimately became so weary of this case and holding the young Californian that he let down his guard. Schilling escaped from their camp, and Philippine commandoes swooped in and rescued him. He returned safely to his family in California. Two weeks after Jeff Schilling escaped, Sabaya called Benjie:“Have you been promoted yet?” he asked.“If not, you should have been.”“Why?” Benjie asked.“I was going to hurt Jeffrey,” Sabaya said.“I don’t know what you did to keep me from doing that, but whatever it was, it worked.” In June 2002 Sabaya was killed in a shoot- out with Philippine military units. In the heat of negotiations for a man’s life, I didn’t appreciate the value of those two words:“That’s right.” But when I studied the transcripts and reconstructed the trajectory of the negotiations, I realized that Sabaya had changed course when he uttered those words. Benjie had used some fundamental techniques that we had developed over many years. He had reflected Sabaya’s vision. He had stepped back from confrontation. He had allowed Sabaya to speak freely and exhaust his version of events.“That’s right” signaled that negotiations could proceed from deadlock. It broke down a barrier that was impeding progress. It created a realization point with our adversary where he actually agreed on a:Previous Entities: |Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya| ::: but whatever it was, ",Benjie.M “Unless you wants to strangle‘ em.,82448,82495,True,2779:the first one.?,"harsh Mentat control in Piter’s voice, thought: He, too, fears the Truthsayer. Piter shrugged, turned, and went through the doorway. He hesitated there, and Jessica thought he might turn back for a last look at her, but he went out without turning.“Me, I wouldn’t like the thought of facing that Truthsayer after this night’s work,” Scarface said.“You ain’t likely ever to run into that old witch,” one of the other troopers said. He went around to Jessica’s head, bent over her.” It ain’t getting our work done standing around here chattering. Take her feet and—”“Why‘n’t we kill’em here?” Scarface asked.“Too messy,” the first one said.“Unless you wants to strangle‘ em. Me, I likes a nice straightforward job. Drop’em on the desert like that traitor said, cut’em once or twice, leave the evidence for the worms. Nothing to clean up afterwards.”“Yeah... well, I guess you’re right,” Scarface said. Jessica listened to them, watching, registering. But the gag blocked her Voice, and there was the deaf one to consider. Scarface holstered his lasgun, took her feet. They lifted her like a sack of grain, maneuvered her through the door and dumped her onto a suspensor- buoyed litter with another bound figure. As they turned her, fitting her to the litter, she saw her companion’s face— Paul! He was bound, but not gagged. His face was no more than ten centimeters from hers, eyes closed, his breathing even. Is he drugged? she wondered. The troopers lifted the litter, and Paul’s eyes opened the smallest fraction— dark slits staring at her",the first one,"Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface","harsh Mentat control in Piter’s voice, thought: He, too, fears the Truthsayer. Piter shrugged, turned, and went through the doorway. He hesitated there, and Jessica thought he might turn back for a last look at her, but he went out without turning.“Me, I wouldn’t like the thought of facing that Truthsayer after this night’s work,” Scarface said.“You ain’t likely ever to run into that old witch,” one of the other troopers said. He went around to Jessica’s head, bent over her.” It ain’t getting our work done standing around here chattering. Take her feet and—”“Why‘n’t we kill’em here?” Scarface asked.“Too messy,” the first one said.“Unless you wants to strangle‘ em. Me, I likes a nice straightforward job. Drop’em on the desert like that traitor said, cut’em once or twice, leave the evidence for the worms. Nothing to clean up afterwards.”“Yeah... well, I guess you’re right,” Scarface said. Jessica listened to them, watching, registering. But the gag blocked her Voice, and there was the deaf one to consider. Scarface holstered his lasgun, took her feet. They lifted her like a sack of grain, maneuvered her through the door and dumped her onto a suspensor- buoyed litter with another bound figure. As they turned her, fitting her to the litter, she saw her companion’s face— Paul! He was bound, but not gagged. His face was no more than ten centimeters from hers, eyes closed, his breathing even. Is he drugged? she wondered. The troopers lifted the litter, and Paul’s eyes opened the smallest fraction— dark slits staring at her:Previous Entities: |Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface| ::: “Unless you wants to strangle‘ em. ",Scarface.M "Wilson and Sturges.""",34796,34803,True,726:the secretary.F,"By the way,"" she said,"" Fritz Werner has been calling. He wants to talk to you."" I might have expected that. Count on Fritz to know everything. Still, he might have something important; he might be very helpful."" I'll call him later."""" And before I forget,"" she said,"" there's that party tomorrow."""" I don't want to go."""" We have to,"" she said."" It's George Morris."" I had forgotten."" All right,"" I said."" What time?"""" Six. We can leave early."""" All right,"" I said. She went back to the kitchen as the secretary answered the phone and said,"" Bradford, Wilson and Sturges."""" Mr. Bradford, please."""" I'm sorry,"" the secretary said."" Mr. Bradford has gone for the day."""" How can I reach him?"""" Mr. Bradford will be in the office at nine tomorrow morning."""" I can't wait that long."""" I'm sorry, sir."""" Don't be sorry,"" I said."" Just find him for me. This is Dr. Berry calling."" I didn't know if the name would mean anything, but I suspected it might. Her tone changed immediately."" Hold the line please, Doctor."" There was a pause of several seconds while I waited in the mechanical humming silence of the"" Hold"" button. Being on the"" Hold"" button",the secretary,"The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks","By the way,"" she said,"" Fritz Werner has been calling. He wants to talk to you."" I might have expected that. Count on Fritz to know everything. Still, he might have something important; he might be very helpful."" I'll call him later."""" And before I forget,"" she said,"" there's that party tomorrow."""" I don't want to go."""" We have to,"" she said."" It's George Morris."" I had forgotten."" All right,"" I said."" What time?"""" Six. We can leave early."""" All right,"" I said. She went back to the kitchen as the secretary answered the phone and said,"" Bradford, Wilson and Sturges."""" Mr. Bradford, please."""" I'm sorry,"" the secretary said."" Mr. Bradford has gone for the day."""" How can I reach him?"""" Mr. Bradford will be in the office at nine tomorrow morning."""" I can't wait that long."""" I'm sorry, sir."""" Don't be sorry,"" I said."" Just find him for me. This is Dr. Berry calling."" I didn't know if the name would mean anything, but I suspected it might. Her tone changed immediately."" Hold the line please, Doctor."" There was a pause of several seconds while I waited in the mechanical humming silence of the"" Hold"" button. Being on the"" Hold"" button:Previous Entities: |The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks| ::: Wilson and Sturges."" ","Shezmu.M Dr. Berry.M Fritz Werner.M George Morris.M Bradford.M the secretary.F" werewolves…’,222519,222596,True,293:Charity Burbage.F,"unable to look at her any more.‘ But you would not have taken her classes,’ said Voldemort.‘ For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’ There were small noises of comprehension around the table. A broad, hunched woman with pointed teeth cackled.‘ Yes… Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles… how they are not so different from us…’ One of the Death Eaters spat on the floor. Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape again.‘ Severus… please… please…’‘ Silence,’ said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy’s wand, and Charity fell silent as if gagged.‘ Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defence of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the pure- bloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance… she would have us all mate with Muggles… or, no doubt, werewolves…’ Nobody laughed this time: there was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort’s voice. For the third time, Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape. Tears were pouring from her eyes into her hair. Snape looked back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again.‘ Avada Kedavra.’ The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. Charity fell, with a resounding crash, on to the table below, which trembled and creaked. Several of the Death Eaters leapt back in their chairs. Draco fell out of his on to the floor.‘ Dinner, Nagini,’ said Voldemort softly, and the great snake swayed and slithered from his shoulders on to the polished wood. To buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,",Charity Burbage,"Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley","unable to look at her any more.‘ But you would not have taken her classes,’ said Voldemort.‘ For those of you who do not know, we are joined here tonight by Charity Burbage who, until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.’ There were small noises of comprehension around the table. A broad, hunched woman with pointed teeth cackled.‘ Yes… Professor Burbage taught the children of witches and wizards all about Muggles… how they are not so different from us…’ One of the Death Eaters spat on the floor. Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape again.‘ Severus… please… please…’‘ Silence,’ said Voldemort, with another twitch of Malfoy’s wand, and Charity fell silent as if gagged.‘ Not content with corrupting and polluting the minds of wizarding children, last week Professor Burbage wrote an impassioned defence of Mudbloods in the Daily Prophet. Wizards, she says, must accept these thieves of their knowledge and magic. The dwindling of the pure- bloods is, says Professor Burbage, a most desirable circumstance… she would have us all mate with Muggles… or, no doubt, werewolves…’ Nobody laughed this time: there was no mistaking the anger and contempt in Voldemort’s voice. For the third time, Charity Burbage revolved to face Snape. Tears were pouring from her eyes into her hair. Snape looked back at her, quite impassive, as she turned slowly away from him again.‘ Avada Kedavra.’ The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room. Charity fell, with a resounding crash, on to the table below, which trembled and creaked. Several of the Death Eaters leapt back in their chairs. Draco fell out of his on to the floor.‘ Dinner, Nagini,’ said Voldemort softly, and the great snake swayed and slithered from his shoulders on to the polished wood. To buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,:Previous Entities: |Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley| ::: werewolves…’ ",Voldemort.M sir.”,27285,27337,True,172:Lars.M,"either alive or dead?“Mr. Lester, if you’re asking me if I murdered my wife, the answer is no.”“Well of course you’d say so, wouldn’t you?”“That’s your last question to me, sir. Get in yonder truck, drive away, and don’t come back here. If you do, I’ll take an axe- handle to you.”“You’d go to jail for assault!” He was wearing a celluloid collar that day, and it had come all askew. It was almost possible to feel sorry for him as he stood there with that collar poking into the underside of his chin and sweat cutting lines through the dust on his chubby face, his lips twitching and his eyes bulging.“No such thing. I have warned you off my property, as is my right, and I intend to send a registered letter to your firm stating that very thing. Come back again and that’s trespassing and I will beat you. Take warning, sir.” Lars Olsen, who had brought Lester out again in his Red Baby, had all but cupped his hands around his ears to hear better. When Lester reached the doorless passenger side of the truck, he whirled with an arm outstretched and a finger pointing, like a courtroom lawyer with a bent for the theatrical.“I think you killed her! And sooner or later, murder will out!” Henry— or Hank, as he now preferred to be called— came out of the barn. He had been pitching hay and he held the pitchfork across his chest like a rifle at port arms.“What I think is you better get out of here before you start bleeding,” he said. The kind and rather timid boy I had known until the summer of’",Lars,"L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester","either alive or dead?“Mr. Lester, if you’re asking me if I murdered my wife, the answer is no.”“Well of course you’d say so, wouldn’t you?”“That’s your last question to me, sir. Get in yonder truck, drive away, and don’t come back here. If you do, I’ll take an axe- handle to you.”“You’d go to jail for assault!” He was wearing a celluloid collar that day, and it had come all askew. It was almost possible to feel sorry for him as he stood there with that collar poking into the underside of his chin and sweat cutting lines through the dust on his chubby face, his lips twitching and his eyes bulging.“No such thing. I have warned you off my property, as is my right, and I intend to send a registered letter to your firm stating that very thing. Come back again and that’s trespassing and I will beat you. Take warning, sir.” Lars Olsen, who had brought Lester out again in his Red Baby, had all but cupped his hands around his ears to hear better. When Lester reached the doorless passenger side of the truck, he whirled with an arm outstretched and a finger pointing, like a courtroom lawyer with a bent for the theatrical.“I think you killed her! And sooner or later, murder will out!” Henry— or Hank, as he now preferred to be called— came out of the barn. He had been pitching hay and he held the pitchfork across his chest like a rifle at port arms.“What I think is you better get out of here before you start bleeding,” he said. The kind and rather timid boy I had known until the summer of’:Previous Entities: |L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester| ::: sir.” ",Lester.M You’ve had enough’ shine tonight.”,28282,28300,True,106:Marv.M,"you before. You’ve been around a while. I know you’ve, you know, seen things.” Marv froze, his hand stuck inside another glass with the same dingy rag. He kept an eye on X but didn’t say a word.“Come on, just one story,” the drunk wheedled.“I heard you guys found life down there recently.” He wiggled a finger again, back and forth.“But not human life.” X didn’t like that, either. Rumors annoyed him. His vision began to fade as the’ shine took hold of his senses. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he considered telling the man about the beasts down on the surface, just to see his reaction. Marv cut in.“Why don’t you get going, pal. You’ve had enough’ shine tonight.”“Wasn’t talking to you,” the man replied. Shifting his glazed eyes back to X, he reached out as if to touch the scar above his eye.“I know you got some stories in you.” X grabbed his hand, stood, and whipped the arm back around into a hammer lock. Now he remembered where he had seen him. It was the same guy from the hallway earlier, who had mouthed off to the Militia soldiers. The man resisted, jerking his arm, but X was quick, pushing the trapped hand farther up between the shoulder blades as his other hand bounced the man’s head off the table. The smack of bone on wood resounded in the small space. The man struggled to get free.“Lay off, man",Marv,"Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom","you before. You’ve been around a while. I know you’ve, you know, seen things.” Marv froze, his hand stuck inside another glass with the same dingy rag. He kept an eye on X but didn’t say a word.“Come on, just one story,” the drunk wheedled.“I heard you guys found life down there recently.” He wiggled a finger again, back and forth.“But not human life.” X didn’t like that, either. Rumors annoyed him. His vision began to fade as the’ shine took hold of his senses. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he considered telling the man about the beasts down on the surface, just to see his reaction. Marv cut in.“Why don’t you get going, pal. You’ve had enough’ shine tonight.”“Wasn’t talking to you,” the man replied. Shifting his glazed eyes back to X, he reached out as if to touch the scar above his eye.“I know you got some stories in you.” X grabbed his hand, stood, and whipped the arm back around into a hammer lock. Now he remembered where he had seen him. It was the same guy from the hallway earlier, who had mouthed off to the Militia soldiers. The man resisted, jerking his arm, but X was quick, pushing the trapped hand farther up between the shoulder blades as his other hand bounced the man’s head off the table. The smack of bone on wood resounded in the small space. The man struggled to get free.“Lay off, man:Previous Entities: |Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom| ::: You’ve had enough’ shine tonight.” ",X.M “He died because he was too close to me.,82467,82490,True,2652:the Fish Speaker escort.?,"precious to me, Duncan,” Leto said.“Yes… well, I’m still not your stud!”“Your wishes will be honored, of course. We will discuss it another time.” Idaho glanced at the Fish Speaker escort, all of them wide- eyed and attentive.“Is there always violence when you come to Onn?” Idaho asked.“It goes in cycles. The malcontents are quite subdued now. It will be more peaceful for a time.” Idaho looked back at Leto’s inscrutable face.“What happened to my predecessor?”“Haven’t my Fish Speakers told you?”“They say he died in defense of his God.”“And you have heard a contrary rumor.”“What happened?”“He died because he was too close to me. I did not remove him to a safe place in time.”“A place like Goygoa.”“I would have preferred him to live out his days there in peace, but you well know, Duncan, that you are not a seeker after peace.” Idaho swallowed, encountering an odd lump in his throat.“I would still like the particulars of his death. He has a family…”“You will get the particulars and do not fear for his family. They are my wards. I will keep them safely at a distance. You know how violence seeks me out. That is one of my functions. It is unfortunate that those I admire and love must suffer because of this.” Idaho pursed his lips, not satisfied with what he heard.“Set your mind at ease, Duncan,” Leto said",the Fish Speaker escort,"Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort","precious to me, Duncan,” Leto said.“Yes… well, I’m still not your stud!”“Your wishes will be honored, of course. We will discuss it another time.” Idaho glanced at the Fish Speaker escort, all of them wide- eyed and attentive.“Is there always violence when you come to Onn?” Idaho asked.“It goes in cycles. The malcontents are quite subdued now. It will be more peaceful for a time.” Idaho looked back at Leto’s inscrutable face.“What happened to my predecessor?”“Haven’t my Fish Speakers told you?”“They say he died in defense of his God.”“And you have heard a contrary rumor.”“What happened?”“He died because he was too close to me. I did not remove him to a safe place in time.”“A place like Goygoa.”“I would have preferred him to live out his days there in peace, but you well know, Duncan, that you are not a seeker after peace.” Idaho swallowed, encountering an odd lump in his throat.“I would still like the particulars of his death. He has a family…”“You will get the particulars and do not fear for his family. They are my wards. I will keep them safely at a distance. You know how violence seeks me out. That is one of my functions. It is unfortunate that those I admire and love must suffer because of this.” Idaho pursed his lips, not satisfied with what he heard.“Set your mind at ease, Duncan,” Leto said:Previous Entities: |Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort| ::: “He died because he was too close to me. ",Leto.M "“Contamination,”",108504,108507,True,604:Jeff.M,"they had contamination…” Aaron said.“Stop being a lawyer. Some cousin of Mom’s, her son sent it as a favor to us.”“But gene therapy is dangerous,” Aaron said.“There have been deaths from gene therapy. Lots of them.” Ellis sighed.“Aaron,” he said,“we’re not suing anybody. I think we’re looking at the start of, you know, mental deterioration. Alzheimer’s or something.”“She’s only sixty- two.”“It can start that early.” Aaron shook his head.“Come on, Ellie. She was in perfect health. She was sharp. Now you’re telling me she’s losing it. It could be the spray.”“Contamination,” Jeff reminded them. He was smiling at a girl.“Jeff, will you fucking pay attention?”“I am. Look at the rack on her.”“They’re fake.”“You just like to ruin everything.”“And she has a nose job.”“She’s beautiful.”“She’s paranoid,” Ellis said.“You don’t know that.”“I’m talking about Mom,” Ellis said.“She thinks we’re going to put her in a home.”“And we may have to,” Aaron said.“Which will be very expensive. But if we do, it’s because of that genetics company. You know the public has no sympathy for these biotech companies. Public opinion",Jeff,"the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff","they had contamination…” Aaron said.“Stop being a lawyer. Some cousin of Mom’s, her son sent it as a favor to us.”“But gene therapy is dangerous,” Aaron said.“There have been deaths from gene therapy. Lots of them.” Ellis sighed.“Aaron,” he said,“we’re not suing anybody. I think we’re looking at the start of, you know, mental deterioration. Alzheimer’s or something.”“She’s only sixty- two.”“It can start that early.” Aaron shook his head.“Come on, Ellie. She was in perfect health. She was sharp. Now you’re telling me she’s losing it. It could be the spray.”“Contamination,” Jeff reminded them. He was smiling at a girl.“Jeff, will you fucking pay attention?”“I am. Look at the rack on her.”“They’re fake.”“You just like to ruin everything.”“And she has a nose job.”“She’s beautiful.”“She’s paranoid,” Ellis said.“You don’t know that.”“I’m talking about Mom,” Ellis said.“She thinks we’re going to put her in a home.”“And we may have to,” Aaron said.“Which will be very expensive. But if we do, it’s because of that genetics company. You know the public has no sympathy for these biotech companies. Public opinion:Previous Entities: |the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff| ::: “Contamination,” ",Aaron.M "Some bad egg spied a woman hitchhiking between Hemingford and Lyme Biska,",55837,55913,True,1591:a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes.M,"Jones said.“Was Arlette missing a couple of back teeth?”“Yes,” I lied.“Lost them from a gum infection.”“When I came out that day just after she ran off, your boy said she took her good jewelry.”“Yes.” The jewelry that was now in the well.“When I asked if she could have laid her hands on any money, you mentioned 200 dollars. Isn’t that right?” Ah yes. The fictional money Arlette had supposedly taken from my dresser.“That’s right.” He was nodding.“Well, there you go, there you go. Some jewelry and some money. That explains everything, wouldn’t you say?”“I don’t see—”“Because you’re not looking at it from a lawman’s point of view. She was robbed on the road, that’s all. Some bad egg spied a woman hitchhiking between Hemingford and Lyme Biska, picked her up, killed her, robbed her of her money and her jewelry, then carried her body far enough into the nearest field so it couldn’t be seen from the road.” From his long face I could see he was thinking she had probably been raped as well as robbed, and that it was probably a good thing that there wasn’t enough of her left to tell for sure.“That’s probably it, then,” I said, and somehow I was able to keep a straight face until he was gone. Then I turned over, and although I thumped my stump in doing so, I began to laugh. I buried my face in my pillow, but not even that would stifle the sound. When the nurse— an ugly old battleaxe— came in and saw the tears streaking my face, she assumed(which makes an ass out of you and me) that I had been crying. She softened, a thing I would",a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes,"a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes","Jones said.“Was Arlette missing a couple of back teeth?”“Yes,” I lied.“Lost them from a gum infection.”“When I came out that day just after she ran off, your boy said she took her good jewelry.”“Yes.” The jewelry that was now in the well.“When I asked if she could have laid her hands on any money, you mentioned 200 dollars. Isn’t that right?” Ah yes. The fictional money Arlette had supposedly taken from my dresser.“That’s right.” He was nodding.“Well, there you go, there you go. Some jewelry and some money. That explains everything, wouldn’t you say?”“I don’t see—”“Because you’re not looking at it from a lawman’s point of view. She was robbed on the road, that’s all. Some bad egg spied a woman hitchhiking between Hemingford and Lyme Biska, picked her up, killed her, robbed her of her money and her jewelry, then carried her body far enough into the nearest field so it couldn’t be seen from the road.” From his long face I could see he was thinking she had probably been raped as well as robbed, and that it was probably a good thing that there wasn’t enough of her left to tell for sure.“That’s probably it, then,” I said, and somehow I was able to keep a straight face until he was gone. Then I turned over, and although I thumped my stump in doing so, I began to laugh. I buried my face in my pillow, but not even that would stifle the sound. When the nurse— an ugly old battleaxe— came in and saw the tears streaking my face, she assumed(which makes an ass out of you and me) that I had been crying. She softened, a thing I would:Previous Entities: |a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes| ::: Some bad egg spied a woman hitchhiking between Hemingford and Lyme Biska, ",Jones.M Then the damn carts skid around.,14864,14914,True,935:the stockboy.M,"man in to have his picture taken!”“Yes, ma’am,” Blaze mumbled. For some reason a memory of his first mug shot flashed into his mind, and a cop saying, Now turn sideways and bend your knees again, High- pockets– Christ, who grew you so fuckin big?“The picture is compliments of Hager’s!”“Yes, ma’am.”“Lotta goodies, man,” the stockboy said. He was perhaps twenty, and just getting over his adolescent acne. He wore a little red bowtie.“Where’s your car parked?”“The lot in back,” Blaze said. He followed the stockboy, who insisted on pushing one of the carts and then complained about how it steered on the packed snow.“They don’t salt it down back here, see, and the wheels get packed up. Then the damn carts skid around. You can give your ankles a nasty bite if you don’t watch out. Real nasty. I’m not complaining, but” Then what are you doing, Sporty? Blaze could hear George asking. Eating cat- food out of the dog’s bowl?“This is it,” Blaze said.“This is mine.”“Yeah, okay. What do you want to put in the trunk? The highchair, the crib, or both?” Blaze suddenly remembered he didn’t have a trunk key.“Let’s put it all in the back.” The stockboy’s eyes widened.“Ah, Jeez, man, I don’t think it’ll fit. In fact, I’m positive-”“We can put some in front, too. We can stand that carton with the crib in it in the passenger footwell. I’ll rack the seat back.”“",the stockboy,"The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy","man in to have his picture taken!”“Yes, ma’am,” Blaze mumbled. For some reason a memory of his first mug shot flashed into his mind, and a cop saying, Now turn sideways and bend your knees again, High- pockets– Christ, who grew you so fuckin big?“The picture is compliments of Hager’s!”“Yes, ma’am.”“Lotta goodies, man,” the stockboy said. He was perhaps twenty, and just getting over his adolescent acne. He wore a little red bowtie.“Where’s your car parked?”“The lot in back,” Blaze said. He followed the stockboy, who insisted on pushing one of the carts and then complained about how it steered on the packed snow.“They don’t salt it down back here, see, and the wheels get packed up. Then the damn carts skid around. You can give your ankles a nasty bite if you don’t watch out. Real nasty. I’m not complaining, but” Then what are you doing, Sporty? Blaze could hear George asking. Eating cat- food out of the dog’s bowl?“This is it,” Blaze said.“This is mine.”“Yeah, okay. What do you want to put in the trunk? The highchair, the crib, or both?” Blaze suddenly remembered he didn’t have a trunk key.“Let’s put it all in the back.” The stockboy’s eyes widened.“Ah, Jeez, man, I don’t think it’ll fit. In fact, I’m positive-”“We can put some in front, too. We can stand that carton with the crib in it in the passenger footwell. I’ll rack the seat back.”“:Previous Entities: |The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy| ::: Then the damn carts skid around. ",stockboy.M Last name is Rowe.”,44619,44641,True,1826:the DHD operator.F,"Smith,” she said,“we have a request for Special Services.”“I’m pretty busy,” I said.“Can the backup take it?”“Lieutenant Smith, we have patrol officers requesting Special Services for a vee dig in area nineteen.” She was telling me there was a problem with a visiting dignitary.“I understand,” I said,“but I’ve already rolled out on a case. Give it to the backup.”“But this is on Sunset Plaza Drive,” she said.“Aren’t you located““Yes,” I said. Now I understood why she was insistent. The call was only a few blocks away.“Okay,” I said.“What’s the problem?”“It’s a vee dig QUI. Reported in as G- level plus one. Last name is Rowe.”“Okay,” I said.“We’re going.” I hung up the phone, and turned the car around.“Interesting,” Connor said.“G- level plus one is American government?”“Yes,” I said.”“It’s Senator Rowe?”“Sounds like it,” I said.“Driving under the influence.” The black Lincoln sedan had come to a stop on the lawn of a house along the steep part of Sunset Plaza Drive. Two black and whites were pulled up at the curb, red lights flashing. Up on the lawn, a half- dozen people were standing beside the Lincoln. A man in his bathrobe, arms folded across his chest. A couple of girls in short glittery sequin dresses",the DHD operator,"Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator","Smith,” she said,“we have a request for Special Services.”“I’m pretty busy,” I said.“Can the backup take it?”“Lieutenant Smith, we have patrol officers requesting Special Services for a vee dig in area nineteen.” She was telling me there was a problem with a visiting dignitary.“I understand,” I said,“but I’ve already rolled out on a case. Give it to the backup.”“But this is on Sunset Plaza Drive,” she said.“Aren’t you located““Yes,” I said. Now I understood why she was insistent. The call was only a few blocks away.“Okay,” I said.“What’s the problem?”“It’s a vee dig QUI. Reported in as G- level plus one. Last name is Rowe.”“Okay,” I said.“We’re going.” I hung up the phone, and turned the car around.“Interesting,” Connor said.“G- level plus one is American government?”“Yes,” I said.”“It’s Senator Rowe?”“Sounds like it,” I said.“Driving under the influence.” The black Lincoln sedan had come to a stop on the lawn of a house along the steep part of Sunset Plaza Drive. Two black and whites were pulled up at the curb, red lights flashing. Up on the lawn, a half- dozen people were standing beside the Lincoln. A man in his bathrobe, arms folded across his chest. A couple of girls in short glittery sequin dresses:Previous Entities: |Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator| ::: Last name is Rowe.” ","Smith.M Connor.M Rowe.M" "“Hard at work,",25972,25980,True,153:Morrigan.F,"to look away from him. From the moment they’d met, she’d developed a keen awareness of his presence in any space, any room. She hadn’t been able to stop it, to block it out, no matter how much she suggested otherwise. Go! he had begged her as he lay dying. I can’t, she’d wept. I can’t. She didn’t know where the person she’d been in that moment had gone. Couldn’t find her way back to her. But even as she sat on that rock and stared at the swaying pines covering the mountains, she watched Cassian from the corner of her eye, aware of every graceful movement, the rasp of his steady breathing, the flow of his dark hair in the wind.“Hard at work, I see.” Morrigan’s voice drew Nesta’s gaze from the mountains and the warrior who seemed so much a part of them. The stunning female stood beside her, brown eyes fixed on Cassian, admiration shining in them. There was no sign of Devlon or his followers, as if they’d drifted away long ago. Had it been two hours already? Mor said mildly,“He is pretty, isn’t he?” Nesta’s spine stiffened at the warmth in her tone.“Just ask him.” No amusement lit Morrigan’s face as she shifted her attention down to Nesta.“Why aren’t you out there?”“I’m taking a break.” Morrigan’s gaze swept over Nesta’s face, noting the lack of sweat or flushed skin, the hair barely",Morrigan,"a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan","to look away from him. From the moment they’d met, she’d developed a keen awareness of his presence in any space, any room. She hadn’t been able to stop it, to block it out, no matter how much she suggested otherwise. Go! he had begged her as he lay dying. I can’t, she’d wept. I can’t. She didn’t know where the person she’d been in that moment had gone. Couldn’t find her way back to her. But even as she sat on that rock and stared at the swaying pines covering the mountains, she watched Cassian from the corner of her eye, aware of every graceful movement, the rasp of his steady breathing, the flow of his dark hair in the wind.“Hard at work, I see.” Morrigan’s voice drew Nesta’s gaze from the mountains and the warrior who seemed so much a part of them. The stunning female stood beside her, brown eyes fixed on Cassian, admiration shining in them. There was no sign of Devlon or his followers, as if they’d drifted away long ago. Had it been two hours already? Mor said mildly,“He is pretty, isn’t he?” Nesta’s spine stiffened at the warmth in her tone.“Just ask him.” No amusement lit Morrigan’s face as she shifted her attention down to Nesta.“Why aren’t you out there?”“I’m taking a break.” Morrigan’s gaze swept over Nesta’s face, noting the lack of sweat or flushed skin, the hair barely:Previous Entities: |a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan| ::: “Hard at work, ",Morrigan.F "sir,",11150,11159,True,457:the owner of the metal hand.?,"a more sentimental disposition collapse in tears. This was not such an insect, and it couldn't stand robots."" Yes, sir,"" it snapped,"" can I help you?"""" I doubt it,"" said Marvin."" Well in that case, if you'll just excuse me..."" Six of the phones were now ringing. A million things awaited the insect's attention."" No one can help me,"" intoned Marvin."" Yes, sir, well..."""" Not that anyone tried of course."" The restraining metal hand fell limply by Marvin's side. His head hung forward very slightly."" Is that so,"" said the insect tartly."" Hardly worth anyone's while to help a menial robot is it?"""" I'm sorry, sir, if..."""" I mean where's the percentage in being kind or helpful to a robot if it doesn't have any gratitude circuits?"""" And you don't have any?"" said the insect, who didn't seem to be able to drag itself out of this conversation."" I've never had occasion to find out,"" Marvin informed it."" Listen, you miserable heap of maladjusted metal..."""" Aren't you going to ask me what I want?"" The insect paused. Its long thin tongue darted out and licked its eyes and darted back again."" Is it worth it?"" it asked."" Is anything?"" said Marvin immediately."" What... do... you... want?"""" I'm looking for someone."""" Who",the owner of the metal hand,"the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand","a more sentimental disposition collapse in tears. This was not such an insect, and it couldn't stand robots."" Yes, sir,"" it snapped,"" can I help you?"""" I doubt it,"" said Marvin."" Well in that case, if you'll just excuse me..."" Six of the phones were now ringing. A million things awaited the insect's attention."" No one can help me,"" intoned Marvin."" Yes, sir, well..."""" Not that anyone tried of course."" The restraining metal hand fell limply by Marvin's side. His head hung forward very slightly."" Is that so,"" said the insect tartly."" Hardly worth anyone's while to help a menial robot is it?"""" I'm sorry, sir, if..."""" I mean where's the percentage in being kind or helpful to a robot if it doesn't have any gratitude circuits?"""" And you don't have any?"" said the insect, who didn't seem to be able to drag itself out of this conversation."" I've never had occasion to find out,"" Marvin informed it."" Listen, you miserable heap of maladjusted metal..."""" Aren't you going to ask me what I want?"" The insect paused. Its long thin tongue darted out and licked its eyes and darted back again."" Is it worth it?"" it asked."" Is anything?"" said Marvin immediately."" What... do... you... want?"""" I'm looking for someone."""" Who:Previous Entities: |the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand| ::: sir, ","Marvin.M the insect.? " take’em before my wife comes back.”,61360,61375,True,102:Dom.M,"you have to play the game.” Layla stepped up to the counter. She studied both hands, eyes shifting left to right.“I pick…”“Choose wisely,” Dom said with a grin.“Left.” She paused as he began to open his left hand.“Wait,” she said, shaking her head.“Right.” Dom opened his right hand to reveal two triangular cookies.“How much?” she asked. He looked over his shoulder, then quickly handed her the cookies.“Free, but don’t tell my wife.” Tin cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Dom. Nothing was ever free. The word had almost lost its meaning over the years.“Are you sure?” Layla asked.“Yes. Now, please, take’em before my wife comes back.”“Thanks!” She took the cookies and handed one to Tin.“You’re the best, Dom,” Tin said. Smiling, he closed his fingers around the warm cookie.“Be safe!” Dom shouted as they left. Tin looked over his shoulder and nodded as Layla pulled him to a small common area with a dozen tables.“How about here?” she said. She took a seat several chairs away from a mother and her small boy. Tin examined them from a distance. They both wore the same threadbare brown clothes as other lower- deckers. An empty bowl sat in front of them. The boy’s face was grimy, and his wild hair spiked out in all directions. Tin could smell them from where he stood.“",Dom,"Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli","you have to play the game.” Layla stepped up to the counter. She studied both hands, eyes shifting left to right.“I pick…”“Choose wisely,” Dom said with a grin.“Left.” She paused as he began to open his left hand.“Wait,” she said, shaking her head.“Right.” Dom opened his right hand to reveal two triangular cookies.“How much?” she asked. He looked over his shoulder, then quickly handed her the cookies.“Free, but don’t tell my wife.” Tin cocked an eyebrow and looked up at Dom. Nothing was ever free. The word had almost lost its meaning over the years.“Are you sure?” Layla asked.“Yes. Now, please, take’em before my wife comes back.”“Thanks!” She took the cookies and handed one to Tin.“You’re the best, Dom,” Tin said. Smiling, he closed his fingers around the warm cookie.“Be safe!” Dom shouted as they left. Tin looked over his shoulder and nodded as Layla pulled him to a small common area with a dozen tables.“How about here?” she said. She took a seat several chairs away from a mother and her small boy. Tin examined them from a distance. They both wore the same threadbare brown clothes as other lower- deckers. An empty bowl sat in front of them. The boy’s face was grimy, and his wild hair spiked out in all directions. Tin could smell them from where he stood.“:Previous Entities: |Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli| ::: take’em before my wife comes back.” ","Layla.F Tin.M Dom.M " Our gene is an important force for social stability and civilization.,55777,55946,True,2433:the professor.?,"Watson& Naeme was engaged in naming a new product. The room was packed with hip young people in their teens and twenties, all casually dressed, as if they were attending a rock concert instead of a dry lecture from a professor standing at a lectern wearing a bowtie and talking about a gene called A58799- 6B. The professor was now showing graphs of enzymatic action, black squiggly lines on white. The kids sagged, slumped in their seats, thumbed their BlackBerrys. Only a few tried to focus on the material. Sitting in the back of the room, the team leader, a psychologist named Paul Gode, spun his finger in the air, signaling the professor to wind it up. Bowtie looked surprised, but he concluded smoothly.“In summary,” the professor said,“our team at Columbia University has isolated a gene that promotes social harmony and group cohesion. It does this by activating the prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area known to be important in determining belief and credence. We have demonstrated this gene action by exposing experimental subjects to both conventional and controversial ideas. Controversial ideas produce a distinctive prefrontal signature, whereas conventional ideas create a diffused activation— what you might call a warm glow. Thus subjects with the gene show a marked preference for conventional thinking and familiar ideas. They also show a preference for group thinking of all kinds. They like television. They like Wikipedia. They like cocktail parties. They like small talk. They like to be in agreement with people around them. Our gene is an important force for social stability and civilization. Since it’s the gene that promotes conventional wisdom, we call it the conventional gene.” The audience sat silent. Stunned. Finally one of them said,“You call it what?”“The conventional gene.”“Jesus, that’s terrible!”“Suicide.”“Forget it.”“Or,” the professor said quickly,“we call it the civilizing gene.” Groans in the room.“The civilizing gene? That’s worse! Worse!”“Horrible.”“Argh!”“Jump off a bridge!” The professor looked nonplussed.“What’s wrong with that name? Civilization is a good thing, isn’t it?”“Of course,” said the team leader, coming forward from the back. Paul Gode stepped up to the lectern.“The only trouble is, nobody in this",the professor,"Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney","Watson& Naeme was engaged in naming a new product. The room was packed with hip young people in their teens and twenties, all casually dressed, as if they were attending a rock concert instead of a dry lecture from a professor standing at a lectern wearing a bowtie and talking about a gene called A58799- 6B. The professor was now showing graphs of enzymatic action, black squiggly lines on white. The kids sagged, slumped in their seats, thumbed their BlackBerrys. Only a few tried to focus on the material. Sitting in the back of the room, the team leader, a psychologist named Paul Gode, spun his finger in the air, signaling the professor to wind it up. Bowtie looked surprised, but he concluded smoothly.“In summary,” the professor said,“our team at Columbia University has isolated a gene that promotes social harmony and group cohesion. It does this by activating the prefrontal cortex of the brain, an area known to be important in determining belief and credence. We have demonstrated this gene action by exposing experimental subjects to both conventional and controversial ideas. Controversial ideas produce a distinctive prefrontal signature, whereas conventional ideas create a diffused activation— what you might call a warm glow. Thus subjects with the gene show a marked preference for conventional thinking and familiar ideas. They also show a preference for group thinking of all kinds. They like television. They like Wikipedia. They like cocktail parties. They like small talk. They like to be in agreement with people around them. Our gene is an important force for social stability and civilization. Since it’s the gene that promotes conventional wisdom, we call it the conventional gene.” The audience sat silent. Stunned. Finally one of them said,“You call it what?”“The conventional gene.”“Jesus, that’s terrible!”“Suicide.”“Forget it.”“Or,” the professor said quickly,“we call it the civilizing gene.” Groans in the room.“The civilizing gene? That’s worse! Worse!”“Horrible.”“Argh!”“Jump off a bridge!” The professor looked nonplussed.“What’s wrong with that name? Civilization is a good thing, isn’t it?”“Of course,” said the team leader, coming forward from the back. Paul Gode stepped up to the lectern.“The only trouble is, nobody in this:Previous Entities: |Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney| ::: Our gene is an important force for social stability and civilization. ",Paul Gode.M "“Of course,”",39756,39760,True,113:Minny.F,"him, her hand fluttering at her throat, her face turned away. Doon went back to the smelly armchair and sat down to wait. Trogg bent over a box of stuff near the fire and burrowed through it, tossing things out left and right, muttering furiously.“It’s not here,” he said at last, resting back on his heels.“Minny! Where’s that little bottle of salt?” Minny and Scawgo were sitting facing each other, with a short board between them on which they were chopping up some soggy- looking onions. She glanced up at Trogg with tears dripping from her eyes and said,“It’s upstairs, husband. In the kitchen.”“We need it,” Trogg said, glaring at her and Scawgo.“Of course,” said Minny.“We’ll just put this down— don’t let that onion roll off, Scawgo. Hold the board steady— whoops, the knife is sliding—”“Never mind!” Trogg bellowed.“I’ll send the new boy.” He turned to Doon and stared hard at him.“Go upstairs,” he said.“Get the little green bottle from the table in the kitchen. Do not even think about touching anything else. You will be searched when you return.” So Doon hobbled off toward the apartment and climbed the stairs, his chain clanking the whole way. He found the bottle of salt on the table and put it into his pocket. Now. He was alone; no one was watching him. There must be some",Minny,"Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny","him, her hand fluttering at her throat, her face turned away. Doon went back to the smelly armchair and sat down to wait. Trogg bent over a box of stuff near the fire and burrowed through it, tossing things out left and right, muttering furiously.“It’s not here,” he said at last, resting back on his heels.“Minny! Where’s that little bottle of salt?” Minny and Scawgo were sitting facing each other, with a short board between them on which they were chopping up some soggy- looking onions. She glanced up at Trogg with tears dripping from her eyes and said,“It’s upstairs, husband. In the kitchen.”“We need it,” Trogg said, glaring at her and Scawgo.“Of course,” said Minny.“We’ll just put this down— don’t let that onion roll off, Scawgo. Hold the board steady— whoops, the knife is sliding—”“Never mind!” Trogg bellowed.“I’ll send the new boy.” He turned to Doon and stared hard at him.“Go upstairs,” he said.“Get the little green bottle from the table in the kitchen. Do not even think about touching anything else. You will be searched when you return.” So Doon hobbled off toward the apartment and climbed the stairs, his chain clanking the whole way. He found the bottle of salt on the table and put it into his pocket. Now. He was alone; no one was watching him. There must be some:Previous Entities: |Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny| ::: “Of course,” ",Minny.F You sure?”,10931,10937,True,285:Harry Nason.M,", woolen lumberjack shirt), but they all agreed on his size– big– and his final words before leaving. These were apparently addressed to the blank, dark doorway, almost in a moan:“Jeezus, George, I forgot the stocking!” Then he was gone. There was a bare glimpse of him running in the cold white light of the big Schlitz sign that hung over the store’s entrance, and then an engine roared across the street. A moment later he wheeled out. The car was a sedan, but none of them could ID the make or model. It was beginning to snow.“So much for beer,” POT ROCKS said.“Go on back to the cooler and have one on the house,” said Harry Nason.“Yeah? You sure?”“Sure I’m sure. Your girl, too. What the fuck, we’re insured.” He began to laugh. When the police asked him, he said he had never seen the stickup guy before. It was only later that he had cause to wonder if he had not in fact seen the stickup guy the previous fall, in the company of a skinny little rat- faced man who was buying wine and mouthing off. Chapter 6 WHEN BLAZE GOT UP the next morning, snow had piled in drifts all the way to the eaves of the shack and the fire was out. His bladder contracted the second his feet hit the floor. He hurried to the bathroom on the balls of his feet, wincing and blowing out little puffs of white vapor. His urine",Harry Nason,"Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason",", woolen lumberjack shirt), but they all agreed on his size– big– and his final words before leaving. These were apparently addressed to the blank, dark doorway, almost in a moan:“Jeezus, George, I forgot the stocking!” Then he was gone. There was a bare glimpse of him running in the cold white light of the big Schlitz sign that hung over the store’s entrance, and then an engine roared across the street. A moment later he wheeled out. The car was a sedan, but none of them could ID the make or model. It was beginning to snow.“So much for beer,” POT ROCKS said.“Go on back to the cooler and have one on the house,” said Harry Nason.“Yeah? You sure?”“Sure I’m sure. Your girl, too. What the fuck, we’re insured.” He began to laugh. When the police asked him, he said he had never seen the stickup guy before. It was only later that he had cause to wonder if he had not in fact seen the stickup guy the previous fall, in the company of a skinny little rat- faced man who was buying wine and mouthing off. Chapter 6 WHEN BLAZE GOT UP the next morning, snow had piled in drifts all the way to the eaves of the shack and the fire was out. His bladder contracted the second his feet hit the floor. He hurried to the bathroom on the balls of his feet, wincing and blowing out little puffs of white vapor. His urine:Previous Entities: |Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason| ::: You sure?” ",Harry Nason.M "dear friend,",10256,10333,True,120:Joss.?,"Joss.“I know all this that is in the message.”“You do?” Joss said, shocked.“Then why have you not come?”“I don’t know,” I replied blandly. Fengo stepped close to me.“Return the ember to the volcano, Grank. It is not for you. Its magic is too strong. You are a good owl, perhaps a mage, but you are not powerful enough to bear exposure to the ember.” I blinked.“I don’t understand.”“It is too strong for you and it is too dangerous to chance it falling into the possession of a hagsfiend or an evil owl.”“Would it not be too strong for them, too?” I asked.“Yes, but they would use it. And it would magnify their evilness, their nachtmagen. But if by chance a good owl, a noble owl of great grace and great strength would find it, the ember would not be too strong, and he or she would use the magic for the good of all owlkind. You are good, dear friend, but you are not that owl.”“Then who am I?” I said in a frail voice, and looked around. For just then I seemed to realize I had somehow mislaid my very self.“You will find yourself when you put the ember back.”“Put it back?”“Fly back to the volcano, Grank. Drop the ember into the crater and let it lie buried until an owl is hatched who will use it well.” And so I did. I felt the power of the ember slip from me the moment I dropped it into that bubbling cauldron of lava. I felt my gizzard expand and realized that for many long days and nights it had been pinched and hard. I felt my self, my real self, seep back. My gizzard quickened. I was",Joss,"the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath","Joss.“I know all this that is in the message.”“You do?” Joss said, shocked.“Then why have you not come?”“I don’t know,” I replied blandly. Fengo stepped close to me.“Return the ember to the volcano, Grank. It is not for you. Its magic is too strong. You are a good owl, perhaps a mage, but you are not powerful enough to bear exposure to the ember.” I blinked.“I don’t understand.”“It is too strong for you and it is too dangerous to chance it falling into the possession of a hagsfiend or an evil owl.”“Would it not be too strong for them, too?” I asked.“Yes, but they would use it. And it would magnify their evilness, their nachtmagen. But if by chance a good owl, a noble owl of great grace and great strength would find it, the ember would not be too strong, and he or she would use the magic for the good of all owlkind. You are good, dear friend, but you are not that owl.”“Then who am I?” I said in a frail voice, and looked around. For just then I seemed to realize I had somehow mislaid my very self.“You will find yourself when you put the ember back.”“Put it back?”“Fly back to the volcano, Grank. Drop the ember into the crater and let it lie buried until an owl is hatched who will use it well.” And so I did. I felt the power of the ember slip from me the moment I dropped it into that bubbling cauldron of lava. I felt my gizzard expand and realized that for many long days and nights it had been pinched and hard. I felt my self, my real self, seep back. My gizzard quickened. I was:Previous Entities: |the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath| ::: dear friend, ",Joss.M "But it was scary,",28819,28836,True,123:Evaleen Murdo.F,"is illegible, that word is illegible, these numbers are illegible.’ It’s his favorite word, illegible.” When they came to Lina’s street, Lina ducked her head in the door of the yarn shop and said hello to Granny, and then they climbed the stairs to the apartment. Lizzie was talking about how hard it was to stand up all day, how it made her knees ache, how her shoes pinched her feet. She stopped talking long enough to say hello to Evaleen Murdo, who was sitting by the window with Poppy on her lap, and then she began again as Lina led her into her bedroom.“Lina, where were you when the big blackout came?” she asked, but she went right on without waiting for an answer.“I was at home, luckily. But it was scary, wasn’t it?” Lina nodded. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened that day.“I hate those blackouts,” Lizzie went on.“People say there’s going to be more and more of them, and that someday—” She stopped, frowned, and started again.“Anyway, nothing bad happened to me. After that, I got up and figured out a whole new way to do my hair.” It seemed to Lina that Lizzie was like a clock wound too tightly and running too fast. She’d always been a little this way, but today she was more so than ever. Her gaze skipped from one spot to another, her fingers twiddled with the edge of her shirt. She looked paler than usual, too. Her freckles stood out",Evaleen Murdo,"Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo","is illegible, that word is illegible, these numbers are illegible.’ It’s his favorite word, illegible.” When they came to Lina’s street, Lina ducked her head in the door of the yarn shop and said hello to Granny, and then they climbed the stairs to the apartment. Lizzie was talking about how hard it was to stand up all day, how it made her knees ache, how her shoes pinched her feet. She stopped talking long enough to say hello to Evaleen Murdo, who was sitting by the window with Poppy on her lap, and then she began again as Lina led her into her bedroom.“Lina, where were you when the big blackout came?” she asked, but she went right on without waiting for an answer.“I was at home, luckily. But it was scary, wasn’t it?” Lina nodded. She didn’t want to talk about what had happened that day.“I hate those blackouts,” Lizzie went on.“People say there’s going to be more and more of them, and that someday—” She stopped, frowned, and started again.“Anyway, nothing bad happened to me. After that, I got up and figured out a whole new way to do my hair.” It seemed to Lina that Lizzie was like a clock wound too tightly and running too fast. She’d always been a little this way, but today she was more so than ever. Her gaze skipped from one spot to another, her fingers twiddled with the edge of her shirt. She looked paler than usual, too. Her freckles stood out:Previous Entities: |Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo| ::: But it was scary, ",Lizzie.F "“Why,",97991,97996,True,3833:The conjurer.M,"had a coating of vinegar, the same liquid became“beer,” of a dark brown color. Drinking and regurgitating more water produced a lighter red color, which was called“sherry.”“There’s no more trick to it than that,” said the conjurer.“Things are not as they seem, and that’s an end to it.” He sighed.“It’s all in directing attention to the wrong place.” Hunter thanked the man, and went off to search for Enders....“DO YOU KNOW the woman who enabled our release from Marshallsea?”“Anne Sharpe is her name.”“Find her,” Hunter said.“And get for the longboat crew six of the best men you can muster.”“Why, Captain?”“We are going to pay a visit to Sanson.” Chapter 38 ANDRE SANSON, THE lethal, powerful Frenchman, was not accustomed to the sensation of fear, and he did not feel afraid as he saw the longboat put out from shore. He observed the boat carefully; from a distance, he could see six oarsmen and two people sitting in the bow, but he could not discern who they were. He expected some ruse. The Englishman Hunter was crafty, and he would use his craft if he could. Sanson knew that he was not clever, as Hunter was. His own talents were more animal, more directly physical. And yet he was confident that there was no trick Hunter could play upon him. It was, very simply, impossible. He was",The conjurer,"Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman","had a coating of vinegar, the same liquid became“beer,” of a dark brown color. Drinking and regurgitating more water produced a lighter red color, which was called“sherry.”“There’s no more trick to it than that,” said the conjurer.“Things are not as they seem, and that’s an end to it.” He sighed.“It’s all in directing attention to the wrong place.” Hunter thanked the man, and went off to search for Enders....“DO YOU KNOW the woman who enabled our release from Marshallsea?”“Anne Sharpe is her name.”“Find her,” Hunter said.“And get for the longboat crew six of the best men you can muster.”“Why, Captain?”“We are going to pay a visit to Sanson.” Chapter 38 ANDRE SANSON, THE lethal, powerful Frenchman, was not accustomed to the sensation of fear, and he did not feel afraid as he saw the longboat put out from shore. He observed the boat carefully; from a distance, he could see six oarsmen and two people sitting in the bow, but he could not discern who they were. He expected some ruse. The Englishman Hunter was crafty, and he would use his craft if he could. Sanson knew that he was not clever, as Hunter was. His own talents were more animal, more directly physical. And yet he was confident that there was no trick Hunter could play upon him. It was, very simply, impossible. He was:Previous Entities: |Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman| ::: “Why, ",Hunter.M "“It was my birthday last month,",4511,4528,True,514:the pharaoh.M,"to know one another, he thought. There’s so much I could have given him. A few bloody good hidings wouldn’t have come amiss.“Um,” he said.“Well, my boy.”“Yes, father?”“This is, er, the first time you’ve been away from home by yourself—”“No, father. I spent last summer with Lord Fhem- ptahem, you remember.”“Oh, did you?” The pharaoh recalled the palace had seemed quieter at the time. He’d put it down to the new tapestries.“Anyway,” he said,“you’re a young man, nearly thirteen—”“Twelve, father,” said Teppic patiently.“Are you sure?”“It was my birthday last month, father. You bought me a warming pan.”“Did I? How singular. Did I say why?”“No, father.” Teppic looked up at his father’s mild, puzzled features.“It was a very good warming pan,” he added reassuringly.“I like it a lot.”“Oh. Good. Er.” His majesty patted his son’s shoulder again, in a vague way, like a man drumming his fingers on his desk while trying to think. An idea appeared to occur to him. The servants had finished strapping the trunk onto the roof of the coach and the driver was patiently holding open the door.“When a young man sets out in the world,” said his majesty uncertainly,“there are, well, it’s very important that he remembers",the pharaoh,"the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh","to know one another, he thought. There’s so much I could have given him. A few bloody good hidings wouldn’t have come amiss.“Um,” he said.“Well, my boy.”“Yes, father?”“This is, er, the first time you’ve been away from home by yourself—”“No, father. I spent last summer with Lord Fhem- ptahem, you remember.”“Oh, did you?” The pharaoh recalled the palace had seemed quieter at the time. He’d put it down to the new tapestries.“Anyway,” he said,“you’re a young man, nearly thirteen—”“Twelve, father,” said Teppic patiently.“Are you sure?”“It was my birthday last month, father. You bought me a warming pan.”“Did I? How singular. Did I say why?”“No, father.” Teppic looked up at his father’s mild, puzzled features.“It was a very good warming pan,” he added reassuringly.“I like it a lot.”“Oh. Good. Er.” His majesty patted his son’s shoulder again, in a vague way, like a man drumming his fingers on his desk while trying to think. An idea appeared to occur to him. The servants had finished strapping the trunk onto the roof of the coach and the driver was patiently holding open the door.“When a young man sets out in the world,” said his majesty uncertainly,“there are, well, it’s very important that he remembers:Previous Entities: |the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh| ::: “It was my birthday last month, ",Teppic.M ' What?,48166,48174,True,2456:ma'am.F,"life, except maybe as a maid or a waitress), and she would maybe be more than pretty. A young Grace Kelly, perhaps. Then she looked back at me, her eyes very wide and grave.' Mr. Noonan, I'm not a bad mother,' she said. I felt a start at my name coming from her mouth, but it was only momentary. She was the right age, after all, and my books were probably better for her than spending her afternoons in front of General Hospital and One Life to Live. A little, anyway.' We had an argument about when we were going to the beach. I wanted to hang out the clothes, have lunch, and go this afternoon. Kyra wanted—' She broke off.' What? What did I say?'' Her name is Kia? Did—' Before I could say anything else, the most extraordinary thing happened: my mouth was full of water. So full I felt a moment's panic, like someone who is swimming in the ocean and swallows a wave- wash. Only this wasn't a salt taste; it was cold and fresh, with a faint metal tang like blood. I turned my head aside and spat. I expected a gush of liquid to pour out of my mouth— the sort of gush you sometimes get when commencing artificial respiration on a near- drowning victim. What came out instead was what usually comes out when you spit on a hot day: a little white pellet. And that sensation was gone even before the little white pellet struck the dirt",ma'am,"the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am","life, except maybe as a maid or a waitress), and she would maybe be more than pretty. A young Grace Kelly, perhaps. Then she looked back at me, her eyes very wide and grave.' Mr. Noonan, I'm not a bad mother,' she said. I felt a start at my name coming from her mouth, but it was only momentary. She was the right age, after all, and my books were probably better for her than spending her afternoons in front of General Hospital and One Life to Live. A little, anyway.' We had an argument about when we were going to the beach. I wanted to hang out the clothes, have lunch, and go this afternoon. Kyra wanted—' She broke off.' What? What did I say?'' Her name is Kia? Did—' Before I could say anything else, the most extraordinary thing happened: my mouth was full of water. So full I felt a moment's panic, like someone who is swimming in the ocean and swallows a wave- wash. Only this wasn't a salt taste; it was cold and fresh, with a faint metal tang like blood. I turned my head aside and spat. I expected a gush of liquid to pour out of my mouth— the sort of gush you sometimes get when commencing artificial respiration on a near- drowning victim. What came out instead was what usually comes out when you spit on a hot day: a little white pellet. And that sensation was gone even before the little white pellet struck the dirt:Previous Entities: |the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am| ::: ' What? ",Mr. Noonan.M "in a general and generically non- specific way,",57787,57857,True,"1882:a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust.?","know.’ Tiffany turned to Mrs Proust, who was grinning.‘ The Nac Mac Feegles feel that the truth is so precious that it shouldn’t be waved about too much,’ she said apologetically.‘ Ah, people after my own heart,’ said Mrs Proust, and then, remembering herself, she added,‘ If I had one, that is.’ There was a sound of heavy boots, which got nearer and no less heavy very quickly, and turned out to belong to a tall and skinny watchman, who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust and gave Tiffany a nod.‘ Good morning, ladies! My name is Constable Haddock and I have been told to tell you that you’ve been let go with a warning,’ he said.‘ Although I have to tell you that no one quite knows what to warn you about, as far as I can tell, so if I was you, I’d consider myself generally in the situation of being warned, as it were, in a general and generically non- specific way, and hopefully slightly chastened by the experience, no offence meant, I’m sure.’ He coughed, and went on, after giving Mrs Proust a nervous look,‘ And Commander Vimes has asked me to make it clear that the individuals known jointly as the Nac Mac Feegle are to be out of this city by sunset.’ There was a chorus of complaints from the Feegles on the beam, who in Tiffany’s opinion were as good at astonished indignation as they were at drunkenness and thievery:‘ Och, ye wouldnae pick on us if we was big!’‘ It wasnae us! A big boy did it and ran awee!’‘ I wasnae there! Ye can ask them! They wasnae there either!’ And otherrr excuses o’ that ilk, ye ken. Tiffany banged her tin plate on the bars until they subsided into","a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust","the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust","know.’ Tiffany turned to Mrs Proust, who was grinning.‘ The Nac Mac Feegles feel that the truth is so precious that it shouldn’t be waved about too much,’ she said apologetically.‘ Ah, people after my own heart,’ said Mrs Proust, and then, remembering herself, she added,‘ If I had one, that is.’ There was a sound of heavy boots, which got nearer and no less heavy very quickly, and turned out to belong to a tall and skinny watchman, who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust and gave Tiffany a nod.‘ Good morning, ladies! My name is Constable Haddock and I have been told to tell you that you’ve been let go with a warning,’ he said.‘ Although I have to tell you that no one quite knows what to warn you about, as far as I can tell, so if I was you, I’d consider myself generally in the situation of being warned, as it were, in a general and generically non- specific way, and hopefully slightly chastened by the experience, no offence meant, I’m sure.’ He coughed, and went on, after giving Mrs Proust a nervous look,‘ And Commander Vimes has asked me to make it clear that the individuals known jointly as the Nac Mac Feegle are to be out of this city by sunset.’ There was a chorus of complaints from the Feegles on the beam, who in Tiffany’s opinion were as good at astonished indignation as they were at drunkenness and thievery:‘ Och, ye wouldnae pick on us if we was big!’‘ It wasnae us! A big boy did it and ran awee!’‘ I wasnae there! Ye can ask them! They wasnae there either!’ And otherrr excuses o’ that ilk, ye ken. Tiffany banged her tin plate on the bars until they subsided into:Previous Entities: |the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust| ::: in a general and generically non- specific way, ",Constable Haddock.M at least— and yet I understand that you two are largely responsible for the departure of Los’.,250143,250308,True,1425:Referee King.?,"“I bet you can even say Freud so it doesn’t rhyme with lewd!” He leaned forward and gave her his knowing leer.“But can you spell it, you shor’-leg New York blackbird?”“Don’t mind him,” said Feemalo,“he’s always been threatened by women.”“Are you Stephen King’s ego, i d, and superego?” Susannah asked.“What a good question!” Feemalo said approvingly.“What a dumb question!” Fumalo said, disapprovingly.“Did your parents have any kids that lived, Blackbird?”“You don’t want to start in playing the dozens with me,” Susannah said,“I’ll bring out Detta Walker and shut you down.” Referee King said,“I have nothing to do with sai King other than having appropriated some of his physical characteristics for a short time. And I understand that short time is really all the time you have. I have no particular love for your cause and no intention of going out of my way to help you— not far out of my way, at least— and yet I understand that you two are largely responsible for the departure of Los’. Since he kept me prisoner and treated me as little more than his court jester— or even his pet monkey— I’m not at all sorry to see him go. I’d help you if I can— a little, at least— but no, I won’t go out of my way to do so.‘ Let’s get that up front,’ as your late friend Eddie Dean might have said.” Susannah tried not to wince at this, but it hurt. It hurt. As before, Feemalo and Fumalo had turned to look at Fimalo when he spoke. Now they turned back to Roland and Susannah.“Honesty’s the best policy,” said Feemalo, with a pious look.“Cervantes.”“Liars prosper,” said Fumalo, with a cynical grin.“Anonymous.” Feemalo said,“There were times when Los’ would make us divide into six, or even seven, and for no other reason than because it hurt. Yet we could leave no more than anyone else in the castle could, for he’d set a dead- line around its walls.”“We thought he’d kill us all before he left,” Fumalo said",Referee King,"Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner","“I bet you can even say Freud so it doesn’t rhyme with lewd!” He leaned forward and gave her his knowing leer.“But can you spell it, you shor’-leg New York blackbird?”“Don’t mind him,” said Feemalo,“he’s always been threatened by women.”“Are you Stephen King’s ego, i d, and superego?” Susannah asked.“What a good question!” Feemalo said approvingly.“What a dumb question!” Fumalo said, disapprovingly.“Did your parents have any kids that lived, Blackbird?”“You don’t want to start in playing the dozens with me,” Susannah said,“I’ll bring out Detta Walker and shut you down.” Referee King said,“I have nothing to do with sai King other than having appropriated some of his physical characteristics for a short time. And I understand that short time is really all the time you have. I have no particular love for your cause and no intention of going out of my way to help you— not far out of my way, at least— and yet I understand that you two are largely responsible for the departure of Los’. Since he kept me prisoner and treated me as little more than his court jester— or even his pet monkey— I’m not at all sorry to see him go. I’d help you if I can— a little, at least— but no, I won’t go out of my way to do so.‘ Let’s get that up front,’ as your late friend Eddie Dean might have said.” Susannah tried not to wince at this, but it hurt. It hurt. As before, Feemalo and Fumalo had turned to look at Fimalo when he spoke. Now they turned back to Roland and Susannah.“Honesty’s the best policy,” said Feemalo, with a pious look.“Cervantes.”“Liars prosper,” said Fumalo, with a cynical grin.“Anonymous.” Feemalo said,“There were times when Los’ would make us divide into six, or even seven, and for no other reason than because it hurt. Yet we could leave no more than anyone else in the castle could, for he’d set a dead- line around its walls.”“We thought he’d kill us all before he left,” Fumalo said:Previous Entities: |Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner| ::: at least— and yet I understand that you two are largely responsible for the departure of Los’. ",Referee King.M Or some family issues.,3978,4014,True,107:Don Gross.M,"and that she might be getting perks she wasn’t entitled to. I said I didn’t know who the person was, but if they kept using email, I’d soon find out. I figured Don would take the hint, and he did. But now he just sent incriminating email from his home, never realizing that everything went through the company server and I was getting it all. That’s how I learned he was“discounting” software to foreign distributors, and taking large“consultant fees” into an account in the Cayman Islands. This was clearly illegal, and I couldn’t overlook it. I consulted my attorney, Gary Marder, who advised me to quit.“Quit?” I said.“Yeah. Of course.”“Why?”“Who cares why? You got a better offer elsewhere. You’ve got some health problems. Or some family issues. Trouble at home. Just get out of there. Quit.”“Wait a minute,” I said.“You think I should quit because he’s breaking the law? Is that your advice to me?”“No,” Gary said.“As your attorney, my advice is that if you are aware of any illegal activity you have a duty to report it. But as your friend, my advice is to keep your mouth shut and get out of there fast.”“Seems kind of cowardly. I think I have to notify the investors.” Gary sighed. He put his hand on my shoulder.“Jack,” he said,“the investors can look out for themselves. You get the fuck out of there.” I didn’t think that was right. I had been annoyed when my code",Don Gross,"the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary","and that she might be getting perks she wasn’t entitled to. I said I didn’t know who the person was, but if they kept using email, I’d soon find out. I figured Don would take the hint, and he did. But now he just sent incriminating email from his home, never realizing that everything went through the company server and I was getting it all. That’s how I learned he was“discounting” software to foreign distributors, and taking large“consultant fees” into an account in the Cayman Islands. This was clearly illegal, and I couldn’t overlook it. I consulted my attorney, Gary Marder, who advised me to quit.“Quit?” I said.“Yeah. Of course.”“Why?”“Who cares why? You got a better offer elsewhere. You’ve got some health problems. Or some family issues. Trouble at home. Just get out of there. Quit.”“Wait a minute,” I said.“You think I should quit because he’s breaking the law? Is that your advice to me?”“No,” Gary said.“As your attorney, my advice is that if you are aware of any illegal activity you have a duty to report it. But as your friend, my advice is to keep your mouth shut and get out of there fast.”“Seems kind of cowardly. I think I have to notify the investors.” Gary sighed. He put his hand on my shoulder.“Jack,” he said,“the investors can look out for themselves. You get the fuck out of there.” I didn’t think that was right. I had been annoyed when my code:Previous Entities: |the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary| ::: Or some family issues. ",Gary.M "my Lord,",219911,219924,True,172:Yaxley.M,"Good. Very good. And this information comes–’‘ From the source we discussed,’ said Snape.‘ My Lord.’ Yaxley had leaned forward to look down the long table at Voldemort and Snape. All faces turned to him.‘ My Lord, I have heard differently.’ Yaxley waited, but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on,‘ Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen.’ Snape was smiling.‘ My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time, he is known to be susceptible.’‘ I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain,’ said Yaxley.‘ If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain,’ said Snape.‘ I assure you, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry.’‘ The Order’s got one thing right, then, eh?’ said a squat man sitting a short distance from Yaxley; he gave a wheezy giggle that was echoed here and there along the table. Voldemort did not laugh. His gaze had wandered upwards, to the body revolving slowly overhead, and he seemed to be lost in thought.‘ My Lord,’ Yaxley went on,‘ Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy–’ Voldemort held up a large",Yaxley,"Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley","Good. Very good. And this information comes–’‘ From the source we discussed,’ said Snape.‘ My Lord.’ Yaxley had leaned forward to look down the long table at Voldemort and Snape. All faces turned to him.‘ My Lord, I have heard differently.’ Yaxley waited, but Voldemort did not speak, so he went on,‘ Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that Potter will not be moved until the thirtieth, the night before the boy turns seventeen.’ Snape was smiling.‘ My source told me that there are plans to lay a false trail; this must be it. No doubt a Confundus Charm has been placed upon Dawlish. It would not be the first time, he is known to be susceptible.’‘ I assure you, my Lord, Dawlish seemed quite certain,’ said Yaxley.‘ If he has been Confunded, naturally he is certain,’ said Snape.‘ I assure you, Yaxley, the Auror Office will play no further part in the protection of Harry Potter. The Order believes that we have infiltrated the Ministry.’‘ The Order’s got one thing right, then, eh?’ said a squat man sitting a short distance from Yaxley; he gave a wheezy giggle that was echoed here and there along the table. Voldemort did not laugh. His gaze had wandered upwards, to the body revolving slowly overhead, and he seemed to be lost in thought.‘ My Lord,’ Yaxley went on,‘ Dawlish believes an entire party of Aurors will be used to transfer the boy–’ Voldemort held up a large:Previous Entities: |Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley| ::: my Lord, ",Yaxley.M I’ve been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent.,73469,73586,True,1305:the satyr.M,"ship attacked our city?”“You know why,” Rachel said.“To avoid this war. To reconcile the gods’ Greek and Roman sides. We have to work together to defeat Gaea.” Octavian stepped forward to speak, but Reyna shot him a withering look.“According to Percy Jackson,” Reyna said,“the battle with Gaea will be fought in the ancient lands. In Greece.”“That’s where the giants are,” Rachel agreed.“Whatever magic, whatever ritual the giants are planning to wake the Earth Mother, I sense it will happen in Greece. But… well, our problems aren’t limited to the ancient lands. That’s why I brought Grover to talk to you.” The satyr tugged his goatee.“Yeah… see, over the last few months, I’ve been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent. They’re all saying the same thing. Gaea is stirring— I mean, she’s right on the edge of consciousness. She’s whispering in the minds of naiads, trying to turn them. She’s causing earthquakes, uprooting the dryads’ trees. Last week alone, she appeared in human form in a dozen different places, scaring the horns off some of my friends. In Colorado, a giant stone fist rose out of a mountain and swatted some Party Ponies like flies.” Reyna frowned.“Party Ponies?”“Long story,” Rachel said.“The point is: Gaea will rise everywhere. She’s already stirring. No place will be safe from the battle. And we know that her first targets are going to be the demigod camps. She wants us destroyed.”“Speculation,” Octavian said.“A distraction. The Greeks fear our attack. They’re trying to confuse us. It’s the Trojan Horse all over again!” Reyna twisted the silver ring she always wore, with the sword and torch symbols of her mother, Bellona.“Marcus,” she said,“bring Scipio from the stables.”“Reyna, no!” Octavian protested. She faced the Greeks.“I will do this",the satyr,"Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto","ship attacked our city?”“You know why,” Rachel said.“To avoid this war. To reconcile the gods’ Greek and Roman sides. We have to work together to defeat Gaea.” Octavian stepped forward to speak, but Reyna shot him a withering look.“According to Percy Jackson,” Reyna said,“the battle with Gaea will be fought in the ancient lands. In Greece.”“That’s where the giants are,” Rachel agreed.“Whatever magic, whatever ritual the giants are planning to wake the Earth Mother, I sense it will happen in Greece. But… well, our problems aren’t limited to the ancient lands. That’s why I brought Grover to talk to you.” The satyr tugged his goatee.“Yeah… see, over the last few months, I’ve been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent. They’re all saying the same thing. Gaea is stirring— I mean, she’s right on the edge of consciousness. She’s whispering in the minds of naiads, trying to turn them. She’s causing earthquakes, uprooting the dryads’ trees. Last week alone, she appeared in human form in a dozen different places, scaring the horns off some of my friends. In Colorado, a giant stone fist rose out of a mountain and swatted some Party Ponies like flies.” Reyna frowned.“Party Ponies?”“Long story,” Rachel said.“The point is: Gaea will rise everywhere. She’s already stirring. No place will be safe from the battle. And we know that her first targets are going to be the demigod camps. She wants us destroyed.”“Speculation,” Octavian said.“A distraction. The Greeks fear our attack. They’re trying to confuse us. It’s the Trojan Horse all over again!” Reyna twisted the silver ring she always wore, with the sword and torch symbols of her mother, Bellona.“Marcus,” she said,“bring Scipio from the stables.”“Reyna, no!” Octavian protested. She faced the Greeks.“I will do this:Previous Entities: |Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto| ::: I’ve been talking to satyrs and nature spirits across the continent. ","Rachel.F Reyna.F Octavian.M Grover.M " "Later,",119986,120054,True,3602:The pretty lady.?,"affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I’ve rather lost track over the centuries.”“Okay,” Percy said.“But… you’re here to help?”“My naiads told me you two were here.” Tiberinus cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth.“You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?”“Uh…” Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze. She was staring at the river god so intently Percy started to feel jealous.“S- so…” she stammered,“you’ve helped other children of Athena with this quest?”“Oh, my dear!” The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder.“Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when that old king Numen tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I’ve been ruling the river kingdom at his side ever since. He’s just dreamy!”“Thank you, my dear,” Tiberinus said with a wry smile.“And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I’ve helped many of your siblings… to at least begin their journey safely. A shame all of them died painfully later on. Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!” Percy gripped Annabeth’s hand— probably a little too tight.“Tiberinus, let me go with her. Just a little farther.” Rhea Silvia laughed sweetly.“But you can’t, silly boy. You must return to your ship and gather your other friends. Confront the giants! The way will appear in your friend Piper’s knife. Annabeth has a different path. She must walk alone.”“",The pretty lady,"a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady","affects Rome. There does seem to be a lot of American influence lately. I’ve rather lost track over the centuries.”“Okay,” Percy said.“But… you’re here to help?”“My naiads told me you two were here.” Tiberinus cast his dark eyes toward Annabeth.“You have the map, my dear? And your letter of introduction?”“Uh…” Annabeth handed him the letter and the disk of bronze. She was staring at the river god so intently Percy started to feel jealous.“S- so…” she stammered,“you’ve helped other children of Athena with this quest?”“Oh, my dear!” The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, put her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder.“Tiberinus is ever so helpful. He saved my children Romulus and Remus, you know, and brought them to the wolf goddess Lupa. Later, when that old king Numen tried to kill me, Tiberinus took pity on me and made me his wife. I’ve been ruling the river kingdom at his side ever since. He’s just dreamy!”“Thank you, my dear,” Tiberinus said with a wry smile.“And, yes, Annabeth Chase, I’ve helped many of your siblings… to at least begin their journey safely. A shame all of them died painfully later on. Well, your documents seem in order. We should get going. The Mark of Athena awaits!” Percy gripped Annabeth’s hand— probably a little too tight.“Tiberinus, let me go with her. Just a little farther.” Rhea Silvia laughed sweetly.“But you can’t, silly boy. You must return to your ship and gather your other friends. Confront the giants! The way will appear in your friend Piper’s knife. Annabeth has a different path. She must walk alone.”“:Previous Entities: |a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady| ::: Later, ","Tiberinus.M Rhea Silvia.F Percy.M Annabeth.F " "“I shall not stop till I finish you,",46614,46626,True,179:MacHeath.M,". You are Hordweard MacHeath!” he snarled.“No longer MacHeath. I am Namara!”“You are not Namara, and you have no clan but MacHeath.”“I am a clan unto myself.” Then in the night, there was a golden explosion as she leaped high and howled,“I am Namara! And my clan is MacNamara!” She hurtled down on top of MacHeath’s back. There was the sound of a bone cracking and a terrible howl of pain. He tried to rise but his hind legs flopped out behind him. But still he had his fangs and his front legs with their claws. He managed to roll over and clawed at her chest. He missed but opened a gash on her shoulder. This maddened her.“I shall not stop till I finish you, MacHeath.” She tore at his face. This time he howled not with pain but with unleashed fury and with his broad chest and still mighty shoulders managed to fling her off. Namara stepped back a few paces. He tried to drag himself toward her.“I’ll take your other eye now, MacHeath!”“No. Never, she wolf from hell.” His voice was guttural and raspy with pain and rage. Although MacHeath’s back was broken, his hind legs useless, he still dragged himself toward her. He was dying, she knew it. She had been on enough hunts to know when the end was near. The newly fallen snow had turned red with his blood. She came closer. There was a sudden fear that iced his eye and then a melting",MacHeath,"Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls",". You are Hordweard MacHeath!” he snarled.“No longer MacHeath. I am Namara!”“You are not Namara, and you have no clan but MacHeath.”“I am a clan unto myself.” Then in the night, there was a golden explosion as she leaped high and howled,“I am Namara! And my clan is MacNamara!” She hurtled down on top of MacHeath’s back. There was the sound of a bone cracking and a terrible howl of pain. He tried to rise but his hind legs flopped out behind him. But still he had his fangs and his front legs with their claws. He managed to roll over and clawed at her chest. He missed but opened a gash on her shoulder. This maddened her.“I shall not stop till I finish you, MacHeath.” She tore at his face. This time he howled not with pain but with unleashed fury and with his broad chest and still mighty shoulders managed to fling her off. Namara stepped back a few paces. He tried to drag himself toward her.“I’ll take your other eye now, MacHeath!”“No. Never, she wolf from hell.” His voice was guttural and raspy with pain and rage. Although MacHeath’s back was broken, his hind legs useless, he still dragged himself toward her. He was dying, she knew it. She had been on enough hunts to know when the end was near. The newly fallen snow had turned red with his blood. She came closer. There was a sudden fear that iced his eye and then a melting:Previous Entities: |Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls| ::: “I shall not stop till I finish you, ",Namara.F Inform the Council of Kings that I will soon be addressing them in regards to a very important matter.,5988,6035,True,130:Attica Smedry.M,"said."" Everyone's all right, I see. That's great."" We watched each other awkwardly for a moment. My father didn't seem to know what else to say, as if made uncomfortable by the need to act parental. He seemed relieved when Bastille charged back up the steps, a veritable fleet of servants following behind, wearing the tunics and trousers that were standard Free Kingdomer garb."" Ah,"" my father said."" Excellent! I'm sure the servants will know what to do. Glad you're not hurt, son."" He walked quickly toward the stairwell."" Lord Attica!"" one of the servants said."" It's been so long."""" Yes, well, I have returned,"" my father replied."" I shall require my rooms made up immediately and a bath drawn. Inform the Council of Kings that I will soon be addressing them in regards to a very important matter. Also, let the newspapers know that I'm available for interviews."" He hesitated.“Oh, and see to my son. He will need, er, clothing and things like that."" He disappeared down the steps, a pack of servants following him like puppies."" Wait a sec,"" I said, standing and turning to Australia."" Why are they so quick to obey?"""" They're his servants, silly. That's what they do."""" His servants?"" I asked, stepping over to the side of the tower to get a better look at the building below."" Where are we?"""" Keep Smedry, of course,"" Australia said."" Um... where else would we be?"" I looked out over the city, realizing that we had landed the Hawkwind on",Attica Smedry,"Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry","said."" Everyone's all right, I see. That's great."" We watched each other awkwardly for a moment. My father didn't seem to know what else to say, as if made uncomfortable by the need to act parental. He seemed relieved when Bastille charged back up the steps, a veritable fleet of servants following behind, wearing the tunics and trousers that were standard Free Kingdomer garb."" Ah,"" my father said."" Excellent! I'm sure the servants will know what to do. Glad you're not hurt, son."" He walked quickly toward the stairwell."" Lord Attica!"" one of the servants said."" It's been so long."""" Yes, well, I have returned,"" my father replied."" I shall require my rooms made up immediately and a bath drawn. Inform the Council of Kings that I will soon be addressing them in regards to a very important matter. Also, let the newspapers know that I'm available for interviews."" He hesitated.“Oh, and see to my son. He will need, er, clothing and things like that."" He disappeared down the steps, a pack of servants following him like puppies."" Wait a sec,"" I said, standing and turning to Australia."" Why are they so quick to obey?"""" They're his servants, silly. That's what they do."""" His servants?"" I asked, stepping over to the side of the tower to get a better look at the building below."" Where are we?"""" Keep Smedry, of course,"" Australia said."" Um... where else would we be?"" I looked out over the city, realizing that we had landed the Hawkwind on:Previous Entities: |Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry| ::: Inform the Council of Kings that I will soon be addressing them in regards to a very important matter. ",Attica Smedry.M “And?”,94144,94147,True,2844:two u aides.?,"that line, please. Never mind, bring me a script, I’ll change it myself.” And the crowd of makeup and wardrobe people descended on him again, touching him up and fluffing him down. Woodson said,“Wait here, I’ll try and get you a few minutes with him.” We stood beside a humming trailer, with power cables coming out of it. As soon as Morton approached us, two u aides came running up, brandishing thick books of computer printout.“John, you better look at this.”“John, you better consider this.” Morton said,“What is it?”“John, this is the latest Gallup and Fielding.”“John, this is the cross- referencedianalysis by voter age brackets“And?”“Bottom line, John, the president is right.”“Don’t tell me that. I’m running against the president.”“But John, he’s right about the C- word. You can’t say the C- word in your television ad.”“I can’t say‘ conservation’?”“You can’t say it, John.”“It’s death, John.”“The figures show it.”“You want us to run over the figures, John?”“No,” Morton said. He glanced at Connor and me.“I’ll be right with you, I“he said, with a smile,“But look here, John.”“It’s very clear, John. Conservation",two u aides,"Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides","that line, please. Never mind, bring me a script, I’ll change it myself.” And the crowd of makeup and wardrobe people descended on him again, touching him up and fluffing him down. Woodson said,“Wait here, I’ll try and get you a few minutes with him.” We stood beside a humming trailer, with power cables coming out of it. As soon as Morton approached us, two u aides came running up, brandishing thick books of computer printout.“John, you better look at this.”“John, you better consider this.” Morton said,“What is it?”“John, this is the latest Gallup and Fielding.”“John, this is the cross- referencedianalysis by voter age brackets“And?”“Bottom line, John, the president is right.”“Don’t tell me that. I’m running against the president.”“But John, he’s right about the C- word. You can’t say the C- word in your television ad.”“I can’t say‘ conservation’?”“You can’t say it, John.”“It’s death, John.”“The figures show it.”“You want us to run over the figures, John?”“No,” Morton said. He glanced at Connor and me.“I’ll be right with you, I“he said, with a smile,“But look here, John.”“It’s very clear, John. Conservation:Previous Entities: |Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides| ::: “And?” ",Morton.M “We know him and his ways.,48176,48194,True,304:Tavis.?,"“I thought I was an only owlet. I thought I was alone.”“And we thought you had died… with Mum.”“Me, die!” Twilight almost shouted.“But… but I honestly never thought, never dreamed I had a brother— two brothers! I… I…” he stuttered.“I’m not alone.” He shook his head in wonder. Then he lofted himself wildly into the air.“I am not alone! I got me two bros!” The world in that moment brimmed with the joy that flowed from the three owls. Once more the brothers recounted how they had met up with Soren and Wensel.“You chased off Tarn, that bad- butt Burrowing Owl!” Twilight screeched gleefully.“We know him and his ways. We’ve been out in the desert for years.” Tavis turned to Digger.“No offense, but we can excavate as good as any Burrowing Owl.”“But they never got us,” Cletus added. Soren, Gylfie, and Digger all blinked. Soren stepped forward.“What do you mean they never got you?” Soren asked.“The Pure Ones, and that blue owl. They’ve been recruiting troops out there for Glaux knows how long now.”“What?” Soren was stunned.“How? Nyra has nothing. What is she promising them?”“A new kingdom,” Tavis said matter- of- factly.“What?” Gylfie flew right up to the two Great Grays.“A new kingdom? Where? How?”“The one they call the",Tavis,"Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl","“I thought I was an only owlet. I thought I was alone.”“And we thought you had died… with Mum.”“Me, die!” Twilight almost shouted.“But… but I honestly never thought, never dreamed I had a brother— two brothers! I… I…” he stuttered.“I’m not alone.” He shook his head in wonder. Then he lofted himself wildly into the air.“I am not alone! I got me two bros!” The world in that moment brimmed with the joy that flowed from the three owls. Once more the brothers recounted how they had met up with Soren and Wensel.“You chased off Tarn, that bad- butt Burrowing Owl!” Twilight screeched gleefully.“We know him and his ways. We’ve been out in the desert for years.” Tavis turned to Digger.“No offense, but we can excavate as good as any Burrowing Owl.”“But they never got us,” Cletus added. Soren, Gylfie, and Digger all blinked. Soren stepped forward.“What do you mean they never got you?” Soren asked.“The Pure Ones, and that blue owl. They’ve been recruiting troops out there for Glaux knows how long now.”“What?” Soren was stunned.“How? Nyra has nothing. What is she promising them?”“A new kingdom,” Tavis said matter- of- factly.“What?” Gylfie flew right up to the two Great Grays.“A new kingdom? Where? How?”“The one they call the:Previous Entities: |Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl| ::: “We know him and his ways. ","Cletus.M Twilight.? Soren.M Wensel.? Tarn.M Digger.M Gylfie.F Nyra.F" "Go stick your head in a pig""",2568,2576,True,267:the machine.?,". He threw it away."" Share and enjoy,"" the machine repeated and provided him with another one."" Share and Enjoy"" is the company motto of the hugely successful Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Complaints division, which now covers the major land masses of three medium sized planets and is the only part of the Corporation to have shown a consistent profit in recent years. The motto stands- or rather stood- in three mile high illuminated letters near the Complaints Department spaceport on Eadrax. Unfortunately its weight was such that shortly after it was erected, the ground beneath the letters caved in and they dropped for nearly half their length through the offices of many talented young complaints executives- now deceased. The protruding upper halves of the letters now appear, in the local language, to read"" Go stick your head in a pig"", and are no longer illuminated, except at times of special celebration. Arthur threw away a sixth cup of the liquid."" Listen, you machine,"" he said,"" you claim you can synthesize any drink in existence, so why do you keep giving me the same undrinkable stuff?"""" Nutrition and pleasurable sense data,"" burbled the machine."" Share and Enjoy."""" It tastes filthy!"""" If you have enjoyed the experience of this drink,"" continued the machine,"" why not share it with your friends?"""" Because,"" said Arthur tartly,"" I want to keep them. Will you try to comprehend what I'm telling you? That drink..."""" That drink,"" said the machine sweetly,"" was",the machine,"Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine",". He threw it away."" Share and enjoy,"" the machine repeated and provided him with another one."" Share and Enjoy"" is the company motto of the hugely successful Sirius Cybernetics Corporation Complaints division, which now covers the major land masses of three medium sized planets and is the only part of the Corporation to have shown a consistent profit in recent years. The motto stands- or rather stood- in three mile high illuminated letters near the Complaints Department spaceport on Eadrax. Unfortunately its weight was such that shortly after it was erected, the ground beneath the letters caved in and they dropped for nearly half their length through the offices of many talented young complaints executives- now deceased. The protruding upper halves of the letters now appear, in the local language, to read"" Go stick your head in a pig"", and are no longer illuminated, except at times of special celebration. Arthur threw away a sixth cup of the liquid."" Listen, you machine,"" he said,"" you claim you can synthesize any drink in existence, so why do you keep giving me the same undrinkable stuff?"""" Nutrition and pleasurable sense data,"" burbled the machine."" Share and Enjoy."""" It tastes filthy!"""" If you have enjoyed the experience of this drink,"" continued the machine,"" why not share it with your friends?"""" Because,"" said Arthur tartly,"" I want to keep them. Will you try to comprehend what I'm telling you? That drink..."""" That drink,"" said the machine sweetly,"" was:Previous Entities: |Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine| ::: Go stick your head in a pig"" ",the machine.? Captain.,92278,92285,True,337:Hoffmann.?,"Then right at the end of my watch, maybe five a.m.” there is the business about how Connor got brought in. How did it happen, why did it happen. And now there’s a story in the Times and this whole thing about racism by the police. I don’t know which way to turn here. I keep explaining I did the routine thing. By the book. Nobody is buying that. But it’s true.”“I’m sure it is,” Connor said.“Just one more thing, Fred. Did you ever listen to the original metro call?”“Damn right I did. I heard it about an hour ago. Why?”“Did the voice that called in sound like Mr. Nishi?” Hoffmann laughed.“Christ. Who knows, Captain. Maybe. You’re asking me if one Asian voice sounds like another Asian voice I’heard earlier. Honestly, I don’t know. The original voice on the call sounded pretty confused. Maybe in shock. Maybe on drugs. I’m not sure. All I know is, whoever Mr. Nishi actually was, he knew a hell of a lot about you.”“” Well, that’s very helpful. Get some rest.” Connor thanked him, and hung up. I pulled off the freeway and headed down Wilshire, to our meeting with Senator Morton. Okay, Senator, now look this way, please... a little more... that’s it, that’s very strong, very masculine, I like it a lot. Yes, bloody good. Now",Hoffmann,"the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond","Then right at the end of my watch, maybe five a.m.” there is the business about how Connor got brought in. How did it happen, why did it happen. And now there’s a story in the Times and this whole thing about racism by the police. I don’t know which way to turn here. I keep explaining I did the routine thing. By the book. Nobody is buying that. But it’s true.”“I’m sure it is,” Connor said.“Just one more thing, Fred. Did you ever listen to the original metro call?”“Damn right I did. I heard it about an hour ago. Why?”“Did the voice that called in sound like Mr. Nishi?” Hoffmann laughed.“Christ. Who knows, Captain. Maybe. You’re asking me if one Asian voice sounds like another Asian voice I’heard earlier. Honestly, I don’t know. The original voice on the call sounded pretty confused. Maybe in shock. Maybe on drugs. I’m not sure. All I know is, whoever Mr. Nishi actually was, he knew a hell of a lot about you.”“” Well, that’s very helpful. Get some rest.” Connor thanked him, and hung up. I pulled off the freeway and headed down Wilshire, to our meeting with Senator Morton. Okay, Senator, now look this way, please... a little more... that’s it, that’s very strong, very masculine, I like it a lot. Yes, bloody good. Now:Previous Entities: |the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond| ::: Captain. ",Connor.M doctor.,4251,4271,True,271:Elena.F,"no- nonsense air. In the night, beneath the stars, she frowned and said,"" Raptor?"""" Yes, You know this word?"""" Sí."" Elena nodded."" It means... a person who comes in the night and takes away a child."""" A kidnapper?"""" Yes."""" A hupia?"" Her whole manner changed."" Do not say this word, doctor."""" Why not?"""" Do not speak of hupia now,"" Elena said firmly, nodding her head toward the groans of the laboring woman."" It is not wise to say this word now."" But does a raptor bite and cut his victims?"""" Bite and cut?"" Elena said, puzzled."" No, doctor. Nothing like this. A raptor is a man who takes a new baby."" She seemed irritated by the conversation, impatient to end it. Elena started back toward the clinic."" I will call to you when she is ready, doctor. I think one hour more, perhaps two."" Bobbie looked at the stars, and listened to the peaceful lapping of the surf at the shore. In the darkness she saw the shadows of the fishing boats anchored offshore. The whole scene was quiet, so normal, she felt foolish to be talking of vampires and kidnapped babies. Bobbie went back to her room, remembering again that Manuel had insisted it was not a Spanish word. Out of curiosity, she looked in the little English dictionary, and to her surprise she found the word there, too: raptor\ n[ deriv. of L. raptor plunderer",Elena,"Manuel, Bobbie, Elena","no- nonsense air. In the night, beneath the stars, she frowned and said,"" Raptor?"""" Yes, You know this word?"""" Sí."" Elena nodded."" It means... a person who comes in the night and takes away a child."""" A kidnapper?"""" Yes."""" A hupia?"" Her whole manner changed."" Do not say this word, doctor."""" Why not?"""" Do not speak of hupia now,"" Elena said firmly, nodding her head toward the groans of the laboring woman."" It is not wise to say this word now."" But does a raptor bite and cut his victims?"""" Bite and cut?"" Elena said, puzzled."" No, doctor. Nothing like this. A raptor is a man who takes a new baby."" She seemed irritated by the conversation, impatient to end it. Elena started back toward the clinic."" I will call to you when she is ready, doctor. I think one hour more, perhaps two."" Bobbie looked at the stars, and listened to the peaceful lapping of the surf at the shore. In the darkness she saw the shadows of the fishing boats anchored offshore. The whole scene was quiet, so normal, she felt foolish to be talking of vampires and kidnapped babies. Bobbie went back to her room, remembering again that Manuel had insisted it was not a Spanish word. Out of curiosity, she looked in the little English dictionary, and to her surprise she found the word there, too: raptor\ n[ deriv. of L. raptor plunderer:Previous Entities: |Manuel, Bobbie, Elena| ::: doctor. ",Elena.F "I must say it will be a very difficult job,",41371,41398,True,281:Borgin.M,"door.‘ Oh, I hope the door isn’t Imperturbable–’‘ No!’ said Ron gleefully.‘ Listen!’ They put their heads together and listened intently to the ends of the strings, through which Malfoy’s voice could be heard loud and clear, as though a radio had been turned on.‘… you know how to fix it?’‘ Possibly,’ said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to commit himself.‘ I’ll need to see it, though. Why don’t you bring it into the shop?’‘ I can’t,’ said Malfoy.‘ It’s got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it.’ Harry saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.‘ Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn’t guarantee anything.’‘ No?’ said Malfoy and Harry knew, just by his tone, that Malfoy was sneering.‘ Perhaps this will make you more confident.’ He moved towards Borgin and was blocked from view by the cabinet. Harry, Ron and Hermione shuffled sideways to try and keep him in sight, but all they could see was Borgin, looking very frightened.‘ Tell anyone,’ said Malfoy,‘ and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend, he’ll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention.’‘ There will be no need for–’‘ I’ll decide that,’ said Malfoy.‘ Well, I’d better be off. And don’t forget",Borgin,"a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin","door.‘ Oh, I hope the door isn’t Imperturbable–’‘ No!’ said Ron gleefully.‘ Listen!’ They put their heads together and listened intently to the ends of the strings, through which Malfoy’s voice could be heard loud and clear, as though a radio had been turned on.‘… you know how to fix it?’‘ Possibly,’ said Borgin, in a tone that suggested he was unwilling to commit himself.‘ I’ll need to see it, though. Why don’t you bring it into the shop?’‘ I can’t,’ said Malfoy.‘ It’s got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it.’ Harry saw Borgin lick his lips nervously.‘ Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn’t guarantee anything.’‘ No?’ said Malfoy and Harry knew, just by his tone, that Malfoy was sneering.‘ Perhaps this will make you more confident.’ He moved towards Borgin and was blocked from view by the cabinet. Harry, Ron and Hermione shuffled sideways to try and keep him in sight, but all they could see was Borgin, looking very frightened.‘ Tell anyone,’ said Malfoy,‘ and there will be retribution. You know Fenrir Greyback? He’s a family friend, he’ll be dropping in from time to time to make sure you’re giving the problem your full attention.’‘ There will be no need for–’‘ I’ll decide that,’ said Malfoy.‘ Well, I’d better be off. And don’t forget:Previous Entities: |a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin| ::: I must say it will be a very difficult job, ",Malfoy.M you know.,77014,77040,True,279:Endos.M,"voice above the din.“Who are you?” The little man gave him a shy look. He had extremely large ears. In a certain light, he could have been mistaken for a very thin jug.“I’m Endos,” he said.“Why aren’t you philosophizing?” Endos sliced a strange mollusc.“I’m not a philosopher, actually,” he said.“Or a humorous playwright or something?” said Teppic.“I’m afraid not. I’m a Listener. Endos the Listener, I’m known as.”“That’s fascinating,” said Teppic automatically.“What does that involve?”“Listening.”“Just listening?”“That’s what they pay me for,” said Endos.“Sometimes I nod. Or smile. Or nod and smile at the same time. Encouragingly, you know. They like that.” Teppic felt he was called upon to comment at this point.“Gosh,” he said. Endos gave him an encouraging nod, and a smile that suggested that of all the things Endos could be doing in the world right at this minute there was nothing so basically riveting as listening to Teppic. It was something about his ears. They appeared to be a vast aural black hole, begging to be filled up with words. Teppic felt an overpowering urge to tell him all about his life and hopes and dreams…“I bet,” he said,“that they pay you an awful lot of money.” Endos gave him a heartening smile.“Have you listened to Copolymer tell his story lots of times?” Endos nodded and smiled, although there was a",Endos,"one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos","voice above the din.“Who are you?” The little man gave him a shy look. He had extremely large ears. In a certain light, he could have been mistaken for a very thin jug.“I’m Endos,” he said.“Why aren’t you philosophizing?” Endos sliced a strange mollusc.“I’m not a philosopher, actually,” he said.“Or a humorous playwright or something?” said Teppic.“I’m afraid not. I’m a Listener. Endos the Listener, I’m known as.”“That’s fascinating,” said Teppic automatically.“What does that involve?”“Listening.”“Just listening?”“That’s what they pay me for,” said Endos.“Sometimes I nod. Or smile. Or nod and smile at the same time. Encouragingly, you know. They like that.” Teppic felt he was called upon to comment at this point.“Gosh,” he said. Endos gave him an encouraging nod, and a smile that suggested that of all the things Endos could be doing in the world right at this minute there was nothing so basically riveting as listening to Teppic. It was something about his ears. They appeared to be a vast aural black hole, begging to be filled up with words. Teppic felt an overpowering urge to tell him all about his life and hopes and dreams…“I bet,” he said,“that they pay you an awful lot of money.” Endos gave him a heartening smile.“Have you listened to Copolymer tell his story lots of times?” Endos nodded and smiled, although there was a:Previous Entities: |one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos| ::: you know. ",Teppic.M "He released confidential information to attorneys,",100921,100953,True,4412:the FAA guy.M,"felt confident he wouldn't hold up well. Unfortunately, he was devastating about Barker."" The FAA handles a great deal of sensitive information. Some is proprietary. Some is technical. Some is industry sensitive, and some is company sensitive. Since the candor of all parties is critical to our function, we have very strict rules about the dissemination of this information. Mr. Barker violated those rules. He seemed to have a great desire to see himself on television, and his name in the newspapers."""" He says, not true,"" Marty replied."" He says, the FAA wasn't doing its job, and he had to speak out.""' To attorneys?"" Marty said,"" Attorneys?"""" Yes,"" the FAA guy said."" Most of his leaks were to attorneys bringing cases against carriers. He released confidential information to attorneys, incomplete information about investigations in progress. And that's illegal."""" Did you prosecute?"""" We're not able to prosecute. We don't have that authority. But it was clear to us that he was being paid under the table by lawyers to give them information. We turned his case over to the Justice Department, which failed to pursue it. We were pretty upset about it. We thought he should go to jail, and the attorneys with him."""" Why didn't that happen?"""" You'd have to ask Justice. But the Justice Department is made up of attorneys. And attorneys don't like to send other attorneys to jail. Sort of professional courtesy. Barker worked for attorneys, and they got him off. Barker still works for attorneys. Everything he says is designed to support or incite a",the FAA guy,"The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy","felt confident he wouldn't hold up well. Unfortunately, he was devastating about Barker."" The FAA handles a great deal of sensitive information. Some is proprietary. Some is technical. Some is industry sensitive, and some is company sensitive. Since the candor of all parties is critical to our function, we have very strict rules about the dissemination of this information. Mr. Barker violated those rules. He seemed to have a great desire to see himself on television, and his name in the newspapers."""" He says, not true,"" Marty replied."" He says, the FAA wasn't doing its job, and he had to speak out.""' To attorneys?"" Marty said,"" Attorneys?"""" Yes,"" the FAA guy said."" Most of his leaks were to attorneys bringing cases against carriers. He released confidential information to attorneys, incomplete information about investigations in progress. And that's illegal."""" Did you prosecute?"""" We're not able to prosecute. We don't have that authority. But it was clear to us that he was being paid under the table by lawyers to give them information. We turned his case over to the Justice Department, which failed to pursue it. We were pretty upset about it. We thought he should go to jail, and the attorneys with him."""" Why didn't that happen?"""" You'd have to ask Justice. But the Justice Department is made up of attorneys. And attorneys don't like to send other attorneys to jail. Sort of professional courtesy. Barker worked for attorneys, and they got him off. Barker still works for attorneys. Everything he says is designed to support or incite a:Previous Entities: |The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy| ::: He released confidential information to attorneys, ",Barker. “I am sure the king will understand that there is very little gold in Ankh- Morpork?”,87061,87080,True,2518:the head merchant.M,"wizards had spent the night directing their best spells against the dragon. It was like punching fog.“My dear sir, this is no levy,” protested Wonse.“I hope that nothing I have said would lead you to expect anything like that. Oh, no! No. Any tribute should be, as I said, entirely voluntary. I hope that is absolutely clear.”“As crystal,” said the head assassin, glaring at the old wizard.“And these entirely voluntary tributes we are about to make, they go—?”“On the hoard,” said Wonse.“Ah.”“While I am positive the people of the city will be very generous indeed once they fully understand the situation,” said the head merchant,“I am sure the king will understand that there is very little gold in Ankh- Morpork?”“Good point,” said Wonse.“However, the king intends to pursue a vigorous and dynamic foreign policy which should remedy matters.”“Ah,” the councillors chorused, rather more enthusiastically this time.“For example,” Wonse went on,“the king feels that our legitimate interests in Quirm, Sto Lat, Pseudopolis and Tsort have been seriously compromised in recent centuries. This will be speedily corrected and, gentlemen, I can assure you that treasure will positively flow into the city from those anxious to enjoy the king’s protection.” The head assassin glanced at the hoard. A very definite idea formed in his mind as to where all that treasure would end up. You had to admire the way dragons knew how to put the bite on. It",the head merchant,"Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant","wizards had spent the night directing their best spells against the dragon. It was like punching fog.“My dear sir, this is no levy,” protested Wonse.“I hope that nothing I have said would lead you to expect anything like that. Oh, no! No. Any tribute should be, as I said, entirely voluntary. I hope that is absolutely clear.”“As crystal,” said the head assassin, glaring at the old wizard.“And these entirely voluntary tributes we are about to make, they go—?”“On the hoard,” said Wonse.“Ah.”“While I am positive the people of the city will be very generous indeed once they fully understand the situation,” said the head merchant,“I am sure the king will understand that there is very little gold in Ankh- Morpork?”“Good point,” said Wonse.“However, the king intends to pursue a vigorous and dynamic foreign policy which should remedy matters.”“Ah,” the councillors chorused, rather more enthusiastically this time.“For example,” Wonse went on,“the king feels that our legitimate interests in Quirm, Sto Lat, Pseudopolis and Tsort have been seriously compromised in recent centuries. This will be speedily corrected and, gentlemen, I can assure you that treasure will positively flow into the city from those anxious to enjoy the king’s protection.” The head assassin glanced at the hoard. A very definite idea formed in his mind as to where all that treasure would end up. You had to admire the way dragons knew how to put the bite on. It:Previous Entities: |Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant| ::: “I am sure the king will understand that there is very little gold in Ankh- Morpork?” ",the head merchant.M Master Abbot.,86617,86634,True,1031:The soldier.F,"volcano. Two of the hunting party were nearby. They say someone came through. A group. Four beings.' Abbot frowned.' Beings?'' Two demons, maybe. But the other two. The hunter doesn't know what they are.' This was serious. Abbot knew it. These beings could be humans, or worse still, surviving warlocks. If it was a warlock, he would surely guess Abbot's secret. All it would take was one demon with some real power, and his hold on the pride would be gone. This situation had to be contained.' Very well. The Council will investigate. Nobody else goes up there.' The soldier's Adam's apple bobbed nervously, as if he was about to bear bad news.' It's too late, Master Abbot. The entire pride is climbing the volcano.' Abbot was halfway to the door before the soldier finished his sentence.' Follow me!' he shouted to the other demons.' And bring your weapons.'' GRAAARGH!' roared the spellbound Council members. Artemis was surprised at how calm he felt. You would think that a teenage human would be terrified at the sight of a pride of demons climbing towards him, but Artemis was more nervous than terrified, and more curious than nervous. He glanced backwards over his shoulder, into the crater they had just climbed out of.' The pride comes before a fall,' he said softly, then smiled at his own joke. Holly overheard.' You certainly pick your moment to develop a sense of humour.'' Usually I would be planning, but this",The soldier,a magician,"volcano. Two of the hunting party were nearby. They say someone came through. A group. Four beings.' Abbot frowned.' Beings?'' Two demons, maybe. But the other two. The hunter doesn't know what they are.' This was serious. Abbot knew it. These beings could be humans, or worse still, surviving warlocks. If it was a warlock, he would surely guess Abbot's secret. All it would take was one demon with some real power, and his hold on the pride would be gone. This situation had to be contained.' Very well. The Council will investigate. Nobody else goes up there.' The soldier's Adam's apple bobbed nervously, as if he was about to bear bad news.' It's too late, Master Abbot. The entire pride is climbing the volcano.' Abbot was halfway to the door before the soldier finished his sentence.' Follow me!' he shouted to the other demons.' And bring your weapons.'' GRAAARGH!' roared the spellbound Council members. Artemis was surprised at how calm he felt. You would think that a teenage human would be terrified at the sight of a pride of demons climbing towards him, but Artemis was more nervous than terrified, and more curious than nervous. He glanced backwards over his shoulder, into the crater they had just climbed out of.' The pride comes before a fall,' he said softly, then smiled at his own joke. Holly overheard.' You certainly pick your moment to develop a sense of humour.'' Usually I would be planning, but this:Previous Entities: |a magician| ::: Master Abbot. ",Master Abbot.M "Here,",460,572,True,316:Will Lavender.?,"an’ 80s video arcade made hot, sweet love, and their child was raised in Azeroth. If you’re not already experiencing a nerdgasm at the thought, I don’t want to know you.”— John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War“Ready Player One expertly mines a copious vein of 1980s pop culture, catapulting the reader on a light- speed adventure in an advanced but backward- looking future. If this book were a living room, it would be wood- paneled. If it were shoes, it would be high- tops. And if it were a song, well, it would have to be‘ Eye of the Tiger.’ I really, really loved it.”— Daniel H. Wilson, author of Robopocalypse“I was blown away by this book.… Ernie Cline has pulled the raddest of all magic tricks: He’s managed to write a novel that’s at once serious and playful, that is as fun to read as it is harrowing. A book of ideas, a potboiler, a game- within- a- novel, a serious science- fiction epic, a comic pop- culture mash- up— call this novel what you will, but Ready Player One will defy every label you try to put on it. Here, finally, is this generation’s Neuromancer.”— Will Lavender, New York Times bestselling author of Obedience This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright© 2011 by Dark All Day, Inc. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Cline, Ernest. Ready player one: a novel/ Ernest Cline.—1st ed. p. cm. 1. Regression(Civilization)—Fiction. 2. Virtual reality",Will Lavender,"the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender","an’ 80s video arcade made hot, sweet love, and their child was raised in Azeroth. If you’re not already experiencing a nerdgasm at the thought, I don’t want to know you.”— John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Old Man’s War“Ready Player One expertly mines a copious vein of 1980s pop culture, catapulting the reader on a light- speed adventure in an advanced but backward- looking future. If this book were a living room, it would be wood- paneled. If it were shoes, it would be high- tops. And if it were a song, well, it would have to be‘ Eye of the Tiger.’ I really, really loved it.”— Daniel H. Wilson, author of Robopocalypse“I was blown away by this book.… Ernie Cline has pulled the raddest of all magic tricks: He’s managed to write a novel that’s at once serious and playful, that is as fun to read as it is harrowing. A book of ideas, a potboiler, a game- within- a- novel, a serious science- fiction epic, a comic pop- culture mash- up— call this novel what you will, but Ready Player One will defy every label you try to put on it. Here, finally, is this generation’s Neuromancer.”— Will Lavender, New York Times bestselling author of Obedience This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright© 2011 by Dark All Day, Inc. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Cline, Ernest. Ready player one: a novel/ Ernest Cline.—1st ed. p. cm. 1. Regression(Civilization)—Fiction. 2. Virtual reality:Previous Entities: |the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender| ::: Here, ",Ernest Cline. "If you say so.""",65837,65843,True,317:The other.?,"trying to tell us?"" he shouted."" What's it supposed to mean?"" One of them rolled over on the ground, kicked his legs up in the air, rolled over again and went to sleep. The other bounded up the tree and threw horse chestnuts at Ford Prefect. Whatever it was they had to say, they had already said it."" You know what this means,"" said Ford."" Not entirely."""" Forty- two is the number Deep Thought gave as being the Ultimate Answer."""" Yes."" And the Earth is the computer Deep Thought designed and built to calculate the Question to the Ultimate Answer."""" So we are led to believe."""" And organic life was part of the computer matrix."""" If you say so."""" I do say so. That means that these natives, these apemen are an integral part of the computer program, and that we and the Golgafrinchans are not."""" But the cavemen are dying out and the Golgafrinchans are obviously set to replace them."""" Exactly. So do you see what this means?"""" What?"""" Cock up,"" said Ford Prefect. Arthur looked around him."" This planet is having a pretty bloody time of it,"" he said. Ford puzzled for a moment."" Still, something must have come out of it,"" he said at last,"" because Marvin said he could see the Question printed in your brain wave patterns."""" But..."""" Probably the wrong one, or a distortion",The other,"The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other","trying to tell us?"" he shouted."" What's it supposed to mean?"" One of them rolled over on the ground, kicked his legs up in the air, rolled over again and went to sleep. The other bounded up the tree and threw horse chestnuts at Ford Prefect. Whatever it was they had to say, they had already said it."" You know what this means,"" said Ford."" Not entirely."""" Forty- two is the number Deep Thought gave as being the Ultimate Answer."""" Yes."" And the Earth is the computer Deep Thought designed and built to calculate the Question to the Ultimate Answer."""" So we are led to believe."""" And organic life was part of the computer matrix."""" If you say so."""" I do say so. That means that these natives, these apemen are an integral part of the computer program, and that we and the Golgafrinchans are not."""" But the cavemen are dying out and the Golgafrinchans are obviously set to replace them."""" Exactly. So do you see what this means?"""" What?"""" Cock up,"" said Ford Prefect. Arthur looked around him."" This planet is having a pretty bloody time of it,"" he said. Ford puzzled for a moment."" Still, something must have come out of it,"" he said at last,"" because Marvin said he could see the Question printed in your brain wave patterns."""" But..."""" Probably the wrong one, or a distortion:Previous Entities: |The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other| ::: If you say so."" ",Ford Prefect. "“All right,",36506,36517,True,205:Elvan.?,"heat. He remembered thinking this before when he was in the woods of The Beaks. He did notice, however, that Elvan’s fringe of light feathers below his beak seemed to be a permanently sooty gray. Soren thought of his own face, covered in pure white feathers. This was the most distinctive feature of Barn Owls, and he really did not want to think of it growing singed and sooty. Maybe he was vain but he couldn’t help it.“Pay attention! Soren!” Elvan barked.“You nearly ran into Otulissa.” Thank Glaux she couldn’t speak, thought Soren. That was the only good thing about colliering. It was hard to speak with a live coal in one’s mouth. So Otulissa was effectively shut up for once.“All right, rest time. Drop your coals,” Elvan announced. Rest wasn’t really rest, however, as the ryb lectured them the entire time.“Tomorrow you shall begin flying with the coals in your beaks. It is not that different, really, from walking. Although you must take care to keep your coal alive and burning.”“Yeah!” Bubo boomed.“Dead coals ain’t going to do me a bit of good, young’uns. No sense flying in here with a great lot of ashes, cold as Glaux knows what.”“Yes,” continued Elvan.“We don’t want to disappoint Bubo.”“Oh, Glaux forbid that we should disappoint Bubo,” Otulissa mumbled. Soren stole a glance at her. There was pure venom in her eyes. Why couldn’t",Elvan,"Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech","heat. He remembered thinking this before when he was in the woods of The Beaks. He did notice, however, that Elvan’s fringe of light feathers below his beak seemed to be a permanently sooty gray. Soren thought of his own face, covered in pure white feathers. This was the most distinctive feature of Barn Owls, and he really did not want to think of it growing singed and sooty. Maybe he was vain but he couldn’t help it.“Pay attention! Soren!” Elvan barked.“You nearly ran into Otulissa.” Thank Glaux she couldn’t speak, thought Soren. That was the only good thing about colliering. It was hard to speak with a live coal in one’s mouth. So Otulissa was effectively shut up for once.“All right, rest time. Drop your coals,” Elvan announced. Rest wasn’t really rest, however, as the ryb lectured them the entire time.“Tomorrow you shall begin flying with the coals in your beaks. It is not that different, really, from walking. Although you must take care to keep your coal alive and burning.”“Yeah!” Bubo boomed.“Dead coals ain’t going to do me a bit of good, young’uns. No sense flying in here with a great lot of ashes, cold as Glaux knows what.”“Yes,” continued Elvan.“We don’t want to disappoint Bubo.”“Oh, Glaux forbid that we should disappoint Bubo,” Otulissa mumbled. Soren stole a glance at her. There was pure venom in her eyes. Why couldn’t:Previous Entities: |Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech| ::: “All right, ",Otulissa.F "“They’re about ripe now,",35981,36000,True,879:the picture imp.M,"skittered past on its tripod. He snatched it up instinctively, as his ancestors might have snatched up a stone when faced with a marauding tiger. If only he could get enough room to swing it against the Eye…… the Eye filled the whole universe in front of him. Rincewind felt his will draining away like water from a sieve. In front of him the torpid lizards stirred in their cage on the picture box. Irrationally, as a man about to be beheaded notices every scratch and stain on the executioner’s block, Rincewind saw that they had overlarge tails that were bluish- white and, he realized, throbbing alarmingly. As he was drawn toward the Eye the terror- struck Rincewind raised the box protectively, and at the same time heard the picture imp say,“They’re about ripe now, can’t hold them any longer. Everyone smile, please.” There was a—— flash of light so white and so bright—— it didn’t seem like light at all. Bel- Shamharoth screamed, a sound that started in the far ultrasonic and finished somewhere in Rincewind’s bowels. The tentacles went momentarily as stiff as rods, hurling their various cargoes around the room, before bunching up protectively in front of the abused Eye. The whole mass dropped into the pit and a moment later the big slab was snatched up by several dozen tentacles and slammed into place, leaving a number of thrashing limbs trapped around the edge. Hrun landed rolling, bounced off a wall and came up on his feet. He found his sword and started to chop methodically at the doomed arms. Rincewind lay on the floor, concentrating on not going mad",the picture imp,"Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae","skittered past on its tripod. He snatched it up instinctively, as his ancestors might have snatched up a stone when faced with a marauding tiger. If only he could get enough room to swing it against the Eye…… the Eye filled the whole universe in front of him. Rincewind felt his will draining away like water from a sieve. In front of him the torpid lizards stirred in their cage on the picture box. Irrationally, as a man about to be beheaded notices every scratch and stain on the executioner’s block, Rincewind saw that they had overlarge tails that were bluish- white and, he realized, throbbing alarmingly. As he was drawn toward the Eye the terror- struck Rincewind raised the box protectively, and at the same time heard the picture imp say,“They’re about ripe now, can’t hold them any longer. Everyone smile, please.” There was a—— flash of light so white and so bright—— it didn’t seem like light at all. Bel- Shamharoth screamed, a sound that started in the far ultrasonic and finished somewhere in Rincewind’s bowels. The tentacles went momentarily as stiff as rods, hurling their various cargoes around the room, before bunching up protectively in front of the abused Eye. The whole mass dropped into the pit and a moment later the big slab was snatched up by several dozen tentacles and slammed into place, leaving a number of thrashing limbs trapped around the edge. Hrun landed rolling, bounced off a wall and came up on his feet. He found his sword and started to chop methodically at the doomed arms. Rincewind lay on the floor, concentrating on not going mad:Previous Entities: |Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae| ::: “They’re about ripe now, ",the picture imp.?> "I know you like it.""",36198,36207,True,1050:This woman from his past.F,"He did not want to go to Malaysia with her. He did not want an affair with his boss. He did not even want a one- night stand. Because what always happened was that people found out, gossip at the water cooler, meaningful looks in the hallway. And sooner or later the spouses found out. It always happened. Slammed doors, divorce lawyers, child custody. And he didn't want any of that. His life was arranged now, he had things in place. He had commitments. This woman from his past understood none of that. She was free. He was not. He shifted his body."" Meredith-"""" God, you taste good."""" Meredith"" She reached up, and pressed her fingers over his lips."" Ssshhh. I know you like it."""" I do like it,"" he said,"" but I-"""" Then let me."" As she sucked him, she was unbuttoning his shirt, pinching his nipples. He looked down and saw her straddling his legs, her head bent over him. Her blouse was open. Her breasts swung free. She reached up, took his hands, and pulled them down, placing them on her breasts. She still had perfect breasts, the nipples hard under his touch. She moaned. Her body squirming as she straddled him. He felt her warmth. He began to hear a buzzing in his ears, a suffusing intoxicated flush in his face as sounds went dull, the room seemed distant, and there was nothing but this woman and her body and his desire for",This woman from his past,"a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past","He did not want to go to Malaysia with her. He did not want an affair with his boss. He did not even want a one- night stand. Because what always happened was that people found out, gossip at the water cooler, meaningful looks in the hallway. And sooner or later the spouses found out. It always happened. Slammed doors, divorce lawyers, child custody. And he didn't want any of that. His life was arranged now, he had things in place. He had commitments. This woman from his past understood none of that. She was free. He was not. He shifted his body."" Meredith-"""" God, you taste good."""" Meredith"" She reached up, and pressed her fingers over his lips."" Ssshhh. I know you like it."""" I do like it,"" he said,"" but I-"""" Then let me."" As she sucked him, she was unbuttoning his shirt, pinching his nipples. He looked down and saw her straddling his legs, her head bent over him. Her blouse was open. Her breasts swung free. She reached up, took his hands, and pulled them down, placing them on her breasts. She still had perfect breasts, the nipples hard under his touch. She moaned. Her body squirming as she straddled him. He felt her warmth. He began to hear a buzzing in his ears, a suffusing intoxicated flush in his face as sounds went dull, the room seemed distant, and there was nothing but this woman and her body and his desire for:Previous Entities: |a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past| ::: I know you like it."" ",Trader Mags "I mean,",42533,42636,True,294:Dustytuft.?,"up a fleck zone there immediately.”“Only the High Tyto or Her Pureness can do that,” Stryker replied.“Well, go ask them!” Uglamore shrieked now.“They are sleeping. I shall not disturb them. It is practically the evening of the hatching of their first chick. I shall not wake them. They are reserving their strength for the real battle.”“This could be the real battle. It could be the invasion!” Uglamore shouted. Meanwhile, on the far side of the canyon of St. Aggie’s, a lone Sooty Owl flew a patrol. He was absorbed in a half- muttered, half silent conversation with himself on his bad luck of being born a Sooty Barn Owl and not a Tyto Alba Barn Owl.“It ain’t fair. I mean, look at me. Am I that different from a Barn Owl? So I don’t have that flashy white face. Big deal! Hey, it could be worse. I could be a Lesser Sooty. Now there’s really a lowly sort of owl. They smell funny, too. If they had more Lesser Sooties in this outfit, I wouldn’t be flying watch on this miserable piece of the canyon. But no. Got a frinking awful job? Bring in old Dustytuft.” Dustytuft— he hated the name. Once he had had a real name, none of this Dustytuft business. What had been his real name? It was something almost noble, he recalled. Something like Phillip or Edgar. Had it been Edgar? So absorbed in his thoughts was Dustytuft, who had possibly been Edgar, that he failed to notice the first pile of brush. What’s that…? but he had not even completed the thought before a dreadful coldness began to creep through his gizzard.“Someone,” he whispered to himself“has been flying brush in here.” Now Dustytuft began linking one thought to the next.“Those are ignition piles. Who flies the best with fire? The Guardians of Ga’Hoole!” And it was just then that he",Dustytuft,"the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft","up a fleck zone there immediately.”“Only the High Tyto or Her Pureness can do that,” Stryker replied.“Well, go ask them!” Uglamore shrieked now.“They are sleeping. I shall not disturb them. It is practically the evening of the hatching of their first chick. I shall not wake them. They are reserving their strength for the real battle.”“This could be the real battle. It could be the invasion!” Uglamore shouted. Meanwhile, on the far side of the canyon of St. Aggie’s, a lone Sooty Owl flew a patrol. He was absorbed in a half- muttered, half silent conversation with himself on his bad luck of being born a Sooty Barn Owl and not a Tyto Alba Barn Owl.“It ain’t fair. I mean, look at me. Am I that different from a Barn Owl? So I don’t have that flashy white face. Big deal! Hey, it could be worse. I could be a Lesser Sooty. Now there’s really a lowly sort of owl. They smell funny, too. If they had more Lesser Sooties in this outfit, I wouldn’t be flying watch on this miserable piece of the canyon. But no. Got a frinking awful job? Bring in old Dustytuft.” Dustytuft— he hated the name. Once he had had a real name, none of this Dustytuft business. What had been his real name? It was something almost noble, he recalled. Something like Phillip or Edgar. Had it been Edgar? So absorbed in his thoughts was Dustytuft, who had possibly been Edgar, that he failed to notice the first pile of brush. What’s that…? but he had not even completed the thought before a dreadful coldness began to creep through his gizzard.“Someone,” he whispered to himself“has been flying brush in here.” Now Dustytuft began linking one thought to the next.“Those are ignition piles. Who flies the best with fire? The Guardians of Ga’Hoole!” And it was just then that he:Previous Entities: |the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft| ::: I mean, ",Dustytuft.M The morgue is at the County Coroner’s Office.,25982,26003,True,1810:the receptionist.?,"you won’t do this. Come on. Dad’s dead, Mom’s upset, promise me.”“You are a chickenshit pussy, you know that?” That was when he saw she was near tears. He put his arms around her, and she began to cry. He just held her, feeling her body shake.“I’m sorry,” she said.“I’m so sorry.” After her brother had gone, she heated a cup of coffee in the microwave, then sat down at the kitchenette table by the phone. She dialed Information. She got the number for the hospital. A moment later, she heard the receptionist say,“Long Beach Memorial.”“I want to talk to the morgue,” she said.“I’m sorry. The morgue is at the County Coroner’s Office. Would you like that number?”“Someone in my family just died at your hospital. Where would his body be now?”“One moment please, I will connect you to pathology.” Four days later, her mother called back.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”“What do you mean?”“I mean, going down to the hospital and asking for blood from your father.”“He’s not my father.”“Lisa. Don’t you ever get tired of this game?”“No, and he’s not my father, because the genetic tests came back negative. It says right here”—she reached for the printed sheet—“that there is less than one chance in 2.9 million that John J. Weller is my father.”“What genetic test?",the receptionist,"Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses","you won’t do this. Come on. Dad’s dead, Mom’s upset, promise me.”“You are a chickenshit pussy, you know that?” That was when he saw she was near tears. He put his arms around her, and she began to cry. He just held her, feeling her body shake.“I’m sorry,” she said.“I’m so sorry.” After her brother had gone, she heated a cup of coffee in the microwave, then sat down at the kitchenette table by the phone. She dialed Information. She got the number for the hospital. A moment later, she heard the receptionist say,“Long Beach Memorial.”“I want to talk to the morgue,” she said.“I’m sorry. The morgue is at the County Coroner’s Office. Would you like that number?”“Someone in my family just died at your hospital. Where would his body be now?”“One moment please, I will connect you to pathology.” Four days later, her mother called back.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”“What do you mean?”“I mean, going down to the hospital and asking for blood from your father.”“He’s not my father.”“Lisa. Don’t you ever get tired of this game?”“No, and he’s not my father, because the genetic tests came back negative. It says right here”—she reached for the printed sheet—“that there is less than one chance in 2.9 million that John J. Weller is my father.”“What genetic test?:Previous Entities: |Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses| ::: The morgue is at the County Coroner’s Office. ",The receptionist.F "“As crystal,”",86987,86991,True,2505:the head assassin.M,"his gilt chain of office from around his neck.“Why, gentlemen!” said Wonse.“This is most unexpected!”“Um,” said the Archchancellor of Unseen University.“You will be— that is, I am sure the king is aware that, traditionally, the University is exempt from all city levies and taxes…” He stifled a yawn. The wizards had spent the night directing their best spells against the dragon. It was like punching fog.“My dear sir, this is no levy,” protested Wonse.“I hope that nothing I have said would lead you to expect anything like that. Oh, no! No. Any tribute should be, as I said, entirely voluntary. I hope that is absolutely clear.”“As crystal,” said the head assassin, glaring at the old wizard.“And these entirely voluntary tributes we are about to make, they go—?”“On the hoard,” said Wonse.“Ah.”“While I am positive the people of the city will be very generous indeed once they fully understand the situation,” said the head merchant,“I am sure the king will understand that there is very little gold in Ankh- Morpork?”“Good point,” said Wonse.“However, the king intends to pursue a vigorous and dynamic foreign policy which should remedy matters.”“Ah,” the councillors chorused, rather more enthusiastically this time.“For example,” Wonse went on,“the king feels that our legitimate interests in Quirm",the head assassin,"another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant","his gilt chain of office from around his neck.“Why, gentlemen!” said Wonse.“This is most unexpected!”“Um,” said the Archchancellor of Unseen University.“You will be— that is, I am sure the king is aware that, traditionally, the University is exempt from all city levies and taxes…” He stifled a yawn. The wizards had spent the night directing their best spells against the dragon. It was like punching fog.“My dear sir, this is no levy,” protested Wonse.“I hope that nothing I have said would lead you to expect anything like that. Oh, no! No. Any tribute should be, as I said, entirely voluntary. I hope that is absolutely clear.”“As crystal,” said the head assassin, glaring at the old wizard.“And these entirely voluntary tributes we are about to make, they go—?”“On the hoard,” said Wonse.“Ah.”“While I am positive the people of the city will be very generous indeed once they fully understand the situation,” said the head merchant,“I am sure the king will understand that there is very little gold in Ankh- Morpork?”“Good point,” said Wonse.“However, the king intends to pursue a vigorous and dynamic foreign policy which should remedy matters.”“Ah,” the councillors chorused, rather more enthusiastically this time.“For example,” Wonse went on,“the king feels that our legitimate interests in Quirm:Previous Entities: |another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant| ::: “As crystal,” ","Archchancellor of Unseen University.M Head assassin.M Head merchant.M" but I can still kill you.”,138572,138616,True,541:Wolf Head.?,"looked confident and useful, not desperate and terrified. He wondered if it was too late to write TEAM LEO on his shirt. Sadly, the suits of armor were not as easily swayed as the Narcissus Fan Club had been. The one with the wolf- headed helmet snarled,“I have been in your mind, Leo. I helped you start the war.” Leo’s smile crumbled. He took a step back.“That was you?” Now he understood why those tourists had bothered him right away, and why this thing’s voice sounded so familiar. He’d heard it in his mind.“You made me fire the ballista?” Leo demanded.“You call that helping?”“I know how you think,” said Wolf Head.“I know your limits. You are small and alone. You need friends to protect you. Without them, you are unable to withstand me. I vowed not to possess you again, but I can still kill you.” The armored dudes stepped forward. The points of their swords hovered a few inches from Leo’s face. Leo’s fear suddenly made way for a whole lot of anger. This eidolon in the wolf helmet had shamed him, controlled him, and made him attack New Rome. It had endangered his friends and botched their quest. Leo glanced at the dormant spheres on the worktables. He considered his tool belt. He thought about the loft behind him— the area that looked like a sound booth. Presto: Operation Junk Pile was born.“First: you don’t know me,” he told Wolf Head.“And second: Bye.” He lunged for the stairs and bounded to the top. The suits of armor were scary, but they were not fast.",Wolf Head,"Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head","looked confident and useful, not desperate and terrified. He wondered if it was too late to write TEAM LEO on his shirt. Sadly, the suits of armor were not as easily swayed as the Narcissus Fan Club had been. The one with the wolf- headed helmet snarled,“I have been in your mind, Leo. I helped you start the war.” Leo’s smile crumbled. He took a step back.“That was you?” Now he understood why those tourists had bothered him right away, and why this thing’s voice sounded so familiar. He’d heard it in his mind.“You made me fire the ballista?” Leo demanded.“You call that helping?”“I know how you think,” said Wolf Head.“I know your limits. You are small and alone. You need friends to protect you. Without them, you are unable to withstand me. I vowed not to possess you again, but I can still kill you.” The armored dudes stepped forward. The points of their swords hovered a few inches from Leo’s face. Leo’s fear suddenly made way for a whole lot of anger. This eidolon in the wolf helmet had shamed him, controlled him, and made him attack New Rome. It had endangered his friends and botched their quest. Leo glanced at the dormant spheres on the worktables. He considered his tool belt. He thought about the loft behind him— the area that looked like a sound booth. Presto: Operation Junk Pile was born.“First: you don’t know me,” he told Wolf Head.“And second: Bye.” He lunged for the stairs and bounded to the top. The suits of armor were scary, but they were not fast.:Previous Entities: |Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head| ::: but I can still kill you.” ",Wolf Head.M "“Go ahead,",131721,131727,True,196:Whang.?,"Ricky said.“Come on, Jack. Don’t be a hero. It’s not your style. Tell us where it is. Six seconds. Five. Jack, come on...” The chunk- chunk- chunk stopped, and there was a whang! and a scream of rending metal. The magnet had switched on, for a few milliseconds.“First pulse,” Ricky said.“Don’t be an asshole, Jack.” Another whang! Whang! Whang! The pulses were coming faster and faster. I saw the jacketing on the coolant beginning to indent with each pulse. They were coming too fast. Whang! Whang! I couldn’t take it anymore. I shouted,“Okay! Ricky! I’ll tell you!” Whang!“Go ahead, Jack!” Whang!“I’m waiting.”“No! Turn it off first. And I only tell Julia.” Whang! Whang!“Very unreasonable of you, Jack. You’re in no position to bargain.” Whang!“You want the virus, or you want it to be a surprise?” Whang! Whang! Whang! And then abruptly, silence. Nothing but the low swoosh of the coolant flowing through the jacketing. The magnet was hot to the touch. But at least the MRI sound had stopped. The MRI... I stood in the room, and waited for Julia to come in. And then, thinking it over, I sat down. I heard the door unlock. Julia walked in.“Jack. You’re not hurt,",Whang,"Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang","Ricky said.“Come on, Jack. Don’t be a hero. It’s not your style. Tell us where it is. Six seconds. Five. Jack, come on...” The chunk- chunk- chunk stopped, and there was a whang! and a scream of rending metal. The magnet had switched on, for a few milliseconds.“First pulse,” Ricky said.“Don’t be an asshole, Jack.” Another whang! Whang! Whang! The pulses were coming faster and faster. I saw the jacketing on the coolant beginning to indent with each pulse. They were coming too fast. Whang! Whang! I couldn’t take it anymore. I shouted,“Okay! Ricky! I’ll tell you!” Whang!“Go ahead, Jack!” Whang!“I’m waiting.”“No! Turn it off first. And I only tell Julia.” Whang! Whang!“Very unreasonable of you, Jack. You’re in no position to bargain.” Whang!“You want the virus, or you want it to be a surprise?” Whang! Whang! Whang! And then abruptly, silence. Nothing but the low swoosh of the coolant flowing through the jacketing. The magnet was hot to the touch. But at least the MRI sound had stopped. The MRI... I stood in the room, and waited for Julia to come in. And then, thinking it over, I sat down. I heard the door unlock. Julia walked in.“Jack. You’re not hurt,:Previous Entities: |Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang| ::: “Go ahead, ",Ricky.M they glide.”,53431,53440,True,408:Madam Bones.F,". Incidentally, can Squibs see Dementors?” he added, looking left and right along the bench.“Yes, we can!” said Mrs. Figg indignantly. Fudge looked back down at her, his eyebrows raised.“Very well,” he said aloofly.“What is your story?”“I had gone out to buy cat food from the corner shop at the end of Wisteria Walk, around about nine o’clock, on the evening of the second of August,” gabbled Mrs. Figg at once, as though she had learned what she was saying by heart,“when I heard a disturbance down the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. On approaching the mouth of the alleyway I saw Dementors running-”“Running?” said Madam Bones sharply.“Dementors don’t run, they glide.”“That’s what I meant to say,” said Mrs. Figg quickly, patches of pink appearing in her withered cheeks.“Gliding along the alley towards what looked like two boys.”“What did they look like?” said Madam Bones, narrowing her eyes so that the edge of the monocle disappeared into her flesh.“Well, one was very large and the other one rather skinny-”“No, no,” said Madam Bones impatiently.“The Dementors… describe them.”“Oh,” said Mrs. Figg, the pink flush creeping up her neck now.“They were big. Big and wearing cloaks.” Harry felt a horrible sinking in the pit of his stomach. Whatever Mrs. Figg might say, it sounded to him as though",Madam Bones,Madam Bones,". Incidentally, can Squibs see Dementors?” he added, looking left and right along the bench.“Yes, we can!” said Mrs. Figg indignantly. Fudge looked back down at her, his eyebrows raised.“Very well,” he said aloofly.“What is your story?”“I had gone out to buy cat food from the corner shop at the end of Wisteria Walk, around about nine o’clock, on the evening of the second of August,” gabbled Mrs. Figg at once, as though she had learned what she was saying by heart,“when I heard a disturbance down the alleyway between Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk. On approaching the mouth of the alleyway I saw Dementors running-”“Running?” said Madam Bones sharply.“Dementors don’t run, they glide.”“That’s what I meant to say,” said Mrs. Figg quickly, patches of pink appearing in her withered cheeks.“Gliding along the alley towards what looked like two boys.”“What did they look like?” said Madam Bones, narrowing her eyes so that the edge of the monocle disappeared into her flesh.“Well, one was very large and the other one rather skinny-”“No, no,” said Madam Bones impatiently.“The Dementors… describe them.”“Oh,” said Mrs. Figg, the pink flush creeping up her neck now.“They were big. Big and wearing cloaks.” Harry felt a horrible sinking in the pit of his stomach. Whatever Mrs. Figg might say, it sounded to him as though:Previous Entities: |Madam Bones| ::: they glide.” ",Madam Bones.F “A very scary read:’,75,81,True,391:People.?,"PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CRICHTON AIRFRAME“The pacing is fast, the suspense nonstop.”— People“A one- sitting read that will cause a lifetime of white- knuckled nightmares”— The Philadelphia Inquirer“Dramatically vivid.”— The New York Times THE LOST WORLD“Fast and gripping.”— The Washington Post Book World“Action- packed.”— New York Daily News“A very scary read:’— Entertainment Weekly DISCLOSURE“A fresh and provocative story.”— People“Expertly crafted, ingenious and absorbing.”— The Philadelphia Inquirer Please turn the page for more reviews.... RISING SUN“Dazzling... A bravura performance... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be.”— The New York Times Book Review“A grand maze of plot twists... Crichton’s gift for spinning a timely yarn is going to be enough, once again, to serve a current tenant of the bestseller list with an eviction notice.”— New York Daily News JURASSIC PARK“Wonderful... Powerful:’— The Washington Post Book World“Frighteningly real... Compelling... It’ll keep you riveted.”— The Detroit News SPHERE“A page- turner... Crichton",People,"This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People","PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CRICHTON AIRFRAME“The pacing is fast, the suspense nonstop.”— People“A one- sitting read that will cause a lifetime of white- knuckled nightmares”— The Philadelphia Inquirer“Dramatically vivid.”— The New York Times THE LOST WORLD“Fast and gripping.”— The Washington Post Book World“Action- packed.”— New York Daily News“A very scary read:’— Entertainment Weekly DISCLOSURE“A fresh and provocative story.”— People“Expertly crafted, ingenious and absorbing.”— The Philadelphia Inquirer Please turn the page for more reviews.... RISING SUN“Dazzling... A bravura performance... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be.”— The New York Times Book Review“A grand maze of plot twists... Crichton’s gift for spinning a timely yarn is going to be enough, once again, to serve a current tenant of the bestseller list with an eviction notice.”— New York Daily News JURASSIC PARK“Wonderful... Powerful:’— The Washington Post Book World“Frighteningly real... Compelling... It’ll keep you riveted.”— The Detroit News SPHERE“A page- turner... Crichton:Previous Entities: |This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People| ::: “A very scary read:’ ","Entertainment Weekly, in their review of Michael Crichton's work, simply describes it as “A very scary read.”" Brother Fingers.”,1950,1976,True,395:the visitor.?,"Yet verily, the rose is within the thorn.’ It’s pissing down out here. You do know that, don’t you?”“Yes,” said the voice, in the tones of one who indeed does know it, and is not the one standing in it. The visitor sighed.“‘ The cagèd whale knows nothing of the mighty deeps,’” he said.“If it makes you any happier.”“‘ The ill- built tower trembles mightily at a butterfly’s passage.’” The supplicant grabbed the bars of the window, pulled himself up to it, and hissed:“Now let us in, I’m soaked.” There was another damp pause.“These deeps… did you say mighty or nightly?”“Mighty, I said. Mighty deeps. On account of being, you know, deep. It’s me, Brother Fingers.”“It sounded like nightly to me,” said the invisible doorkeeper cautiously.“Look, do you want the bloody book or not? I don’t have to do this. I could be at home in bed.”“You sure it was mighty?”“Listen, I know how deep the bloody deeps are all right,” said Brother Fingers urgently.“I knew how mighty they were when you were a perishing neophyte. Now will you open this door?”“Well… all right.” There was the sound of bolts sliding back. Then the voice said,“Would you mind giving it a push? The Door of Knowledge Through Which the Untutored May Not Pass sticks something wicked in the damp.” Brother Fingers put his shoulder to it",the visitor,"the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder","Yet verily, the rose is within the thorn.’ It’s pissing down out here. You do know that, don’t you?”“Yes,” said the voice, in the tones of one who indeed does know it, and is not the one standing in it. The visitor sighed.“‘ The cagèd whale knows nothing of the mighty deeps,’” he said.“If it makes you any happier.”“‘ The ill- built tower trembles mightily at a butterfly’s passage.’” The supplicant grabbed the bars of the window, pulled himself up to it, and hissed:“Now let us in, I’m soaked.” There was another damp pause.“These deeps… did you say mighty or nightly?”“Mighty, I said. Mighty deeps. On account of being, you know, deep. It’s me, Brother Fingers.”“It sounded like nightly to me,” said the invisible doorkeeper cautiously.“Look, do you want the bloody book or not? I don’t have to do this. I could be at home in bed.”“You sure it was mighty?”“Listen, I know how deep the bloody deeps are all right,” said Brother Fingers urgently.“I knew how mighty they were when you were a perishing neophyte. Now will you open this door?”“Well… all right.” There was the sound of bolts sliding back. Then the voice said,“Would you mind giving it a push? The Door of Knowledge Through Which the Untutored May Not Pass sticks something wicked in the damp.” Brother Fingers put his shoulder to it:Previous Entities: |the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder| ::: Brother Fingers.” ",Brother Fingers.M "Residents of the area are advised to be alert to anything out of the ordinary,",6534,6616,True,462:A local announcer.M,"the door of the nursery, and Amanda, in her pajamas, opened it. Otis stood on his hind legs to greet Nickie, and she hugged and petted him.“Everything okay?” she asked Amanda.“Yeah,” Amanda said.“I’m being real quiet.”“Good,” said Nickie.“Because I found out Crystal doesn’t like dogs. We have to be extremely careful.”“Okay,” said Amanda.“I’ll put him under the covers with me tonight.” Nickie gave Otis one more pat and hurried back downstairs. For a while, she and Crystal sat in the front parlor and watched the news. A local announcer was talking.“Several residents in Hickory Cove and Creekside,” he said,“have reported signs of unusual activity in nearby wooded areas. A hiker claims to have caught a glimpse, in a remote part of the woods, of a man wearing a white or light tan coat. Residents of the area are advised to be alert to anything out of the ordinary, including unknown persons arriving in town; evidence of tampering with buildings, pipelines, or electrical equipment; and strange behavior of any kind.” Then the president came on. Nickie didn’t like listening to him because his voice always sounded too smooth. He said something about the Phalanx Nations and missile deployment and fourteen countries and Level Seven alerts. Crystal frowned.“It gets closer every day,” she said.“What does?” Crystal just shook her head.“Big trouble,” she said. The president ended with his usual sentence:“Let us pray to God for the safety of our people and the success of our endeavors.” Nickie always wondered about this. The idea seemed to be that if you prayed extremely hard— especially if a lot of people prayed at once— maybe God would change things. The trouble was, what if your enemy was praying, too? Which prayer would",A local announcer,"the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer","the door of the nursery, and Amanda, in her pajamas, opened it. Otis stood on his hind legs to greet Nickie, and she hugged and petted him.“Everything okay?” she asked Amanda.“Yeah,” Amanda said.“I’m being real quiet.”“Good,” said Nickie.“Because I found out Crystal doesn’t like dogs. We have to be extremely careful.”“Okay,” said Amanda.“I’ll put him under the covers with me tonight.” Nickie gave Otis one more pat and hurried back downstairs. For a while, she and Crystal sat in the front parlor and watched the news. A local announcer was talking.“Several residents in Hickory Cove and Creekside,” he said,“have reported signs of unusual activity in nearby wooded areas. A hiker claims to have caught a glimpse, in a remote part of the woods, of a man wearing a white or light tan coat. Residents of the area are advised to be alert to anything out of the ordinary, including unknown persons arriving in town; evidence of tampering with buildings, pipelines, or electrical equipment; and strange behavior of any kind.” Then the president came on. Nickie didn’t like listening to him because his voice always sounded too smooth. He said something about the Phalanx Nations and missile deployment and fourteen countries and Level Seven alerts. Crystal frowned.“It gets closer every day,” she said.“What does?” Crystal just shook her head.“Big trouble,” she said. The president ended with his usual sentence:“Let us pray to God for the safety of our people and the success of our endeavors.” Nickie always wondered about this. The idea seemed to be that if you prayed extremely hard— especially if a lot of people prayed at once— maybe God would change things. The trouble was, what if your enemy was praying, too? Which prayer would:Previous Entities: |the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer| ::: Residents of the area are advised to be alert to anything out of the ordinary, ",Nickie.F yes!”,57084,57089,True,413:Keto.F,".“Son of Gaea?” The crab man sighed.“Five thousand years, and I’m still known as Gaea’s little boy. Never mind that I’m one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than your upstart father, by the way. I’m god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no… nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I’m exiled from the ocean— to Atlanta, of all places.”“We thought the Olympians said Atlantis,” Keto explained.“Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead.” Percy narrowed his eyes.“And you’re a goddess?”“Keto, yes!” She smiled happily.“Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It’s true!” Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick. Coach Hedge whistled.“Six years? That’s fascinating.”“I know!” Keto beamed.“And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?” Hedge asked.“I love nature.”“Oh, well—”“Stop!” Phorcys demanded.“You’re ruining the show! Now, witness our",Keto,"the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto",".“Son of Gaea?” The crab man sighed.“Five thousand years, and I’m still known as Gaea’s little boy. Never mind that I’m one of the oldest sea gods in existence. Older than your upstart father, by the way. I’m god of the hidden depths! Lord of watery terrors! Father of a thousand monsters! But, no… nobody even knows me. I make one little mistake, supporting the Titans in their war, and I’m exiled from the ocean— to Atlanta, of all places.”“We thought the Olympians said Atlantis,” Keto explained.“Their idea of a joke, I guess, sending us here instead.” Percy narrowed his eyes.“And you’re a goddess?”“Keto, yes!” She smiled happily.“Goddess of sea monsters, naturally! Whales, sharks, squids, and other giant sea life, but my heart always belonged to the monsters. Did you know that young sea serpents can regurgitate the flesh of their victims and keep themselves fed for up to six years on the same meal? It’s true!” Frank was still clutching his stomach like he was going to be sick. Coach Hedge whistled.“Six years? That’s fascinating.”“I know!” Keto beamed.“And how exactly does a killer squid rend the flesh from its victims?” Hedge asked.“I love nature.”“Oh, well—”“Stop!” Phorcys demanded.“You’re ruining the show! Now, witness our:Previous Entities: |the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto| ::: yes!” ",Phorcys.M "sir,”",96674,96679,True,3792:an old bawdy woman.F,"Scott to death in his cell in Fort Charles. The officer was never apprehended. For Captain Hunter, now the toast of the town, one final problem remained: Andre Sanson. The Frenchman was nowhere to be found, and it was reported that he had fled into the inland hills. Hunter put out the word that he would pay well for any news of Sanson, and by mid- afternoon he had a surprising report. Hunter had stationed himself publicly in the Black Boar, and soon enough an old bawdy woman came to see him. Hunter knew her; she ran a whoring house, her name was Simmons. She approached him nervously.“Speak up, woman,” he said, and he called for a glass of kill- devil to ease her fears.“Well, sir,” she said, drinking the liquor,“a week past, a man of the name of Carter comes to Port Royal, desperate ill.”“Is this John Carter, a seaman?”“The same.”“Speak on,” Hunter said.“He says he has been picked up by an English packet boat from St. Kitts. They had spotted a fire on a small uninhabited cay, and, pausing to investigate, had found this Carter marooned, and brought him thence.”“Where is he now?”“Oh, he has fled, he has. He’s terrified of meeting with Sanson, the Frenchy villain. He’s in the hills now, but he told me his story, right enough.” Hunter said,“And that",an old bawdy woman,"a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman","Scott to death in his cell in Fort Charles. The officer was never apprehended. For Captain Hunter, now the toast of the town, one final problem remained: Andre Sanson. The Frenchman was nowhere to be found, and it was reported that he had fled into the inland hills. Hunter put out the word that he would pay well for any news of Sanson, and by mid- afternoon he had a surprising report. Hunter had stationed himself publicly in the Black Boar, and soon enough an old bawdy woman came to see him. Hunter knew her; she ran a whoring house, her name was Simmons. She approached him nervously.“Speak up, woman,” he said, and he called for a glass of kill- devil to ease her fears.“Well, sir,” she said, drinking the liquor,“a week past, a man of the name of Carter comes to Port Royal, desperate ill.”“Is this John Carter, a seaman?”“The same.”“Speak on,” Hunter said.“He says he has been picked up by an English packet boat from St. Kitts. They had spotted a fire on a small uninhabited cay, and, pausing to investigate, had found this Carter marooned, and brought him thence.”“Where is he now?”“Oh, he has fled, he has. He’s terrified of meeting with Sanson, the Frenchy villain. He’s in the hills now, but he told me his story, right enough.” Hunter said,“And that:Previous Entities: |a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman| ::: sir,” ",Hunter.M “for Dr. Bellarmino.”,16705,16710,True,1561:Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health.F,"six- month sabbatical four years ago?”“Yes, I did.”“Was that from May until October?”“I think it was. What’s this about?”“And did you conduct part of your research at the primate facility in Maryland?”“Yes.”“And is it correct that when you came to the NIH in May of that year, you underwent the usual testing for communicable diseases, because you were going to do primate research?”“Yes,” Henry said. They had done a battery of tests, everything from HIV to hepatitis to flu. They’d drawn a lot of blood.“May I ask what this is about?”“I am just filling out some additional paperwork,” she said,“for Dr. Bellarmino.” Henry felt a chill. Rob Bellarmino was the head of the genetics section of NIH. He hadn’t been there four years before, when Henry was there, but he was in charge of things now. And he was no particular friend of either Henry or Charlie.“Is there some problem?” Henry asked. He had the distinct feeling there was.“No, no,” she said.“We’ve just misplaced some of our paperwork, and Dr. Bellarmino is a stickler about records. While you were at the primate facility, did you do any research involving a female chimpanzee named Mary? Her lab number was F-402.”“You know, I don’t remember,” Henry said.“It’s a long time back. I worked with several",Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health,"Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health","six- month sabbatical four years ago?”“Yes, I did.”“Was that from May until October?”“I think it was. What’s this about?”“And did you conduct part of your research at the primate facility in Maryland?”“Yes.”“And is it correct that when you came to the NIH in May of that year, you underwent the usual testing for communicable diseases, because you were going to do primate research?”“Yes,” Henry said. They had done a battery of tests, everything from HIV to hepatitis to flu. They’d drawn a lot of blood.“May I ask what this is about?”“I am just filling out some additional paperwork,” she said,“for Dr. Bellarmino.” Henry felt a chill. Rob Bellarmino was the head of the genetics section of NIH. He hadn’t been there four years before, when Henry was there, but he was in charge of things now. And he was no particular friend of either Henry or Charlie.“Is there some problem?” Henry asked. He had the distinct feeling there was.“No, no,” she said.“We’ve just misplaced some of our paperwork, and Dr. Bellarmino is a stickler about records. While you were at the primate facility, did you do any research involving a female chimpanzee named Mary? Her lab number was F-402.”“You know, I don’t remember,” Henry said.“It’s a long time back. I worked with several:Previous Entities: |Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health| ::: “for Dr. Bellarmino.” ","It seems there is an inconsistency or possible confusion with the previous listing format versus the information needs. Based on the provided instructions and previous details, here is an attempt to respond: The characters involved in the quote and context given seem to be: - Henry. M - Dr. Bellarmino. M - Secretary (from the National Institutes of Health, possibly earlier referred to as ""Some ditsy secretary""). F Unfortunately, it is unclear whether any additional new characters like the speaker querying Henry need to be separately identified or renamed based on previously listed characters. If you could clarify or provide more specific instructions, I can refine the response accordingly." “How can he do that?”,100475,100482,True,1287:the architect.M,"shoulder. He was barely a third of the way up, but he could see the crowds across the river, a gray mass speckled with the pale blobs of upturned faces. Closer to, the pale army of the dead, facing the small gray group of priests, with Dios in front of them. There was some sort of argument going on. The sun was on the horizon. He reached up, located the next crack, found a handhold… Dios spotted Ptaclusp’s head peering over the debris, and sent a couple of priests to bring him back. IIb followed, his carefully folded brother under his arm.“What is the boy doing?” Dios demanded.“O Dios, he said he was going to flare off the pyramid,” said Ptaclusp.“How can he do that?”“O lord, he says he is going to cap it off before the sun sets.”“Is it possible?” Dios demanded, turning to the architect, IIb hesitated.“It may be,” he said.“And what will happen? Will we return to the world outside?”“Well, it depends on whether the dimensional effect ratchets, as it were, and is stable in each state, or if, on the contrary, the pyramid is acting as a piece of rubber under tension—” His voice stuttered to a halt under the intensity of Dios’s stare.“I don’t know,” he admitted.“Back to the world outside,” said Dios.“Not our world. Our world is the Valley. Ours",the architect,"The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue","shoulder. He was barely a third of the way up, but he could see the crowds across the river, a gray mass speckled with the pale blobs of upturned faces. Closer to, the pale army of the dead, facing the small gray group of priests, with Dios in front of them. There was some sort of argument going on. The sun was on the horizon. He reached up, located the next crack, found a handhold… Dios spotted Ptaclusp’s head peering over the debris, and sent a couple of priests to bring him back. IIb followed, his carefully folded brother under his arm.“What is the boy doing?” Dios demanded.“O Dios, he said he was going to flare off the pyramid,” said Ptaclusp.“How can he do that?”“O lord, he says he is going to cap it off before the sun sets.”“Is it possible?” Dios demanded, turning to the architect, IIb hesitated.“It may be,” he said.“And what will happen? Will we return to the world outside?”“Well, it depends on whether the dimensional effect ratchets, as it were, and is stable in each state, or if, on the contrary, the pyramid is acting as a piece of rubber under tension—” His voice stuttered to a halt under the intensity of Dios’s stare.“I don’t know,” he admitted.“Back to the world outside,” said Dios.“Not our world. Our world is the Valley. Ours:Previous Entities: |The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue| ::: “How can he do that?” ",Dios.M they—”,39097,39104,True,1340:her ladyship.?,"Vimes. She wasn’t listening to him.“There must be a breeding colony somewhere,” she said.“After all this time! Where do you think it lives?” Vimes didn’t know. But he swore to himself that he would find out, and ask it some very serious questions.“One egg,” breathed the breeder.“Just let me get my hands on one egg…” Vimes stared at her in genuine astonishment. It dawned on him that he was very probably a flawed character. Below them, another building exploded into flame.“How far exactly,” he said, speaking very slowly and carefully, as to a child,“did these things fly?”“They’re very territorial animals,” murmured her ladyship.“According to legend, they—” Vimes realized he was in for another dose of dragon lore.“Just give me the facts, m’lady,” he said impatiently.“Not very far, really,” she said, slightly taken aback.“Thank you very much, ma’am, you’ve been very helpful,” muttered Vimes, and broke into a run. Somewhere in the city. There was nothing outside for miles except low fields and swamp. It had to be living somewhere in the city. His sandals flapped on the cobbles as he hurtled down the streets. Somewhere in the city! Which was totally ridiculous, of course. Totally ridiculous and impossible. He didn’t deserve this. Of all the cities in all the world it could have flown into, he thought, it’s flown into",her ladyship,"Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship","Vimes. She wasn’t listening to him.“There must be a breeding colony somewhere,” she said.“After all this time! Where do you think it lives?” Vimes didn’t know. But he swore to himself that he would find out, and ask it some very serious questions.“One egg,” breathed the breeder.“Just let me get my hands on one egg…” Vimes stared at her in genuine astonishment. It dawned on him that he was very probably a flawed character. Below them, another building exploded into flame.“How far exactly,” he said, speaking very slowly and carefully, as to a child,“did these things fly?”“They’re very territorial animals,” murmured her ladyship.“According to legend, they—” Vimes realized he was in for another dose of dragon lore.“Just give me the facts, m’lady,” he said impatiently.“Not very far, really,” she said, slightly taken aback.“Thank you very much, ma’am, you’ve been very helpful,” muttered Vimes, and broke into a run. Somewhere in the city. There was nothing outside for miles except low fields and swamp. It had to be living somewhere in the city. His sandals flapped on the cobbles as he hurtled down the streets. Somewhere in the city! Which was totally ridiculous, of course. Totally ridiculous and impossible. He didn’t deserve this. Of all the cities in all the world it could have flown into, he thought, it’s flown into:Previous Entities: |Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship| ::: they—” ",Vimes.M Room 7.”,85208,85246,True,3166:The floorwalker.?,"Not much. Fifteen bucks or so.” The store dick looked at the floorwalker and nodded. The crowd ahhh- ed again. The store dick handed the wallet to Blaze, who pocketed it.“You come with me,” the store dick said. He grabbed Hogan’s arm. The floorwalker said,“Break it up, folks, this is all over. Hardy’s is full of bargains this week, and I urge you to shop them.” Blaze thought he sounded as good as a radio announcer; it was no wonder he had such a responsible job. To Blaze, the floorwalker said:“Will you come with me, sir?”“Yeah.” Blaze glared at Hogan.“Just let me get the shirt I wanted.”“I think you’ll find that your shirt is a gift from Hardy’s today. But we would like to see you briefly on the third floor, ask for Mr. Flaherty. Room 7.” Blaze nodded and turned to the shirts again. The floorwalker left. Not far away, one of the clerks was getting ready to punch NO SALE on the register George had robbed.“Hey, you!” Blaze said to him, then beckoned. The clerk came over but not too close.“May I help you, sir?”“This joint got a lunch counter?” The clerk looked relieved.“First floor.”“You the man,” Blaze said. He made a gun of his right thumb and forefinger, tipped the clerk a wink, and strolled off toward the escalator. The clerk watched him go. By the time he got back to his register, where all the bill compartments in the tray were now empty, Blaze was out",The floorwalker,"Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker","Not much. Fifteen bucks or so.” The store dick looked at the floorwalker and nodded. The crowd ahhh- ed again. The store dick handed the wallet to Blaze, who pocketed it.“You come with me,” the store dick said. He grabbed Hogan’s arm. The floorwalker said,“Break it up, folks, this is all over. Hardy’s is full of bargains this week, and I urge you to shop them.” Blaze thought he sounded as good as a radio announcer; it was no wonder he had such a responsible job. To Blaze, the floorwalker said:“Will you come with me, sir?”“Yeah.” Blaze glared at Hogan.“Just let me get the shirt I wanted.”“I think you’ll find that your shirt is a gift from Hardy’s today. But we would like to see you briefly on the third floor, ask for Mr. Flaherty. Room 7.” Blaze nodded and turned to the shirts again. The floorwalker left. Not far away, one of the clerks was getting ready to punch NO SALE on the register George had robbed.“Hey, you!” Blaze said to him, then beckoned. The clerk came over but not too close.“May I help you, sir?”“This joint got a lunch counter?” The clerk looked relieved.“First floor.”“You the man,” Blaze said. He made a gun of his right thumb and forefinger, tipped the clerk a wink, and strolled off toward the escalator. The clerk watched him go. By the time he got back to his register, where all the bill compartments in the tray were now empty, Blaze was out:Previous Entities: |Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker| ::: Room 7.” ",Blaze.M “Yeah.”,71304,71307,True,127:Jesus.?,"always stuck close to her. Sometimes when she came out it swirled around her, like it was excited to see her. She’d talk to it, too, like it was a dog or something.” I pressed my throbbing temples.“She talked to it,” I repeated. Jesus Christ.“Don’t tell me the swarms have auditory sensors, too.”“No. They don’t.”“So talking was a waste of time.”“Uh, well... we think the cloud was close enough that her breath deflected some of the particles. In a rhythmic pattern.”“So the whole cloud was one giant eardrum?”“In a way, yeah.”“And it’s a net, so it learned...”“Yeah.” I sighed.“Are you going to tell me it talked back?”“No, but it started making weird sounds.” I nodded. I’d heard those weird sounds.“How does it do that?”“We’re not sure. Bobby thinks it’s the reverse of the auditory deflection that allows it to hear. The particles pulse in a coordinated front, and generate a sound wave. Sort of like an audio speaker.” It would have to be something like that, I thought. Even though it seemed unlikely that it could do it. The swarm was basically a dust cloud of miniature particles. The particles didn’t have either the mass or the energy to generate a sound wave. A thought occurred to me.“David,” I",Jesus,"the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm","always stuck close to her. Sometimes when she came out it swirled around her, like it was excited to see her. She’d talk to it, too, like it was a dog or something.” I pressed my throbbing temples.“She talked to it,” I repeated. Jesus Christ.“Don’t tell me the swarms have auditory sensors, too.”“No. They don’t.”“So talking was a waste of time.”“Uh, well... we think the cloud was close enough that her breath deflected some of the particles. In a rhythmic pattern.”“So the whole cloud was one giant eardrum?”“In a way, yeah.”“And it’s a net, so it learned...”“Yeah.” I sighed.“Are you going to tell me it talked back?”“No, but it started making weird sounds.” I nodded. I’d heard those weird sounds.“How does it do that?”“We’re not sure. Bobby thinks it’s the reverse of the auditory deflection that allows it to hear. The particles pulse in a coordinated front, and generate a sound wave. Sort of like an audio speaker.” It would have to be something like that, I thought. Even though it seemed unlikely that it could do it. The swarm was basically a dust cloud of miniature particles. The particles didn’t have either the mass or the energy to generate a sound wave. A thought occurred to me.“David,” I:Previous Entities: |the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm| ::: “Yeah.” ",David.M man.”,37965,37971,True,458:Acererak.M,"to slam his stork into one of the oncoming buzzards. By repeating this move, I was able to pick off his extra lives, one by one. I died several times myself in the process, but I finally took him down during the tenth wave, with no extra lives of my own to spare. I stepped back from the machine and sighed with relief. I could feel rivulets of sweat running down my forehead and around the edge of my visor. I wiped at my face with the sleeve of my shirt, and my avatar mimicked this motion.“Good game,” Acererak said. Then, to my surprise, he offered me his withered claw of a hand. I shook it, chuckling nervously as I did so.“Yeah,” I replied.“Good game, man.” It occurred to me that, in a weird way, I was actually playing against Halliday. I quickly pushed the thought out of my head, afraid I might psych myself out. Acererak once again produced two quarters and dropped them into the Joust machine.“This one is for all the marbles,” he said.“Art thou ready?” I nodded. This time, I took the liberty of slapping the Two Player button myself. Our final tie- breaking game lasted longer than the first two combined. During the final wave, so many buzzards filled the screen that it was hard to move without getting dusted by one of them. The lich and I faced off one final time, at the very top of the playing field, both of us incessantly hitting our",Acererak,"Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak","to slam his stork into one of the oncoming buzzards. By repeating this move, I was able to pick off his extra lives, one by one. I died several times myself in the process, but I finally took him down during the tenth wave, with no extra lives of my own to spare. I stepped back from the machine and sighed with relief. I could feel rivulets of sweat running down my forehead and around the edge of my visor. I wiped at my face with the sleeve of my shirt, and my avatar mimicked this motion.“Good game,” Acererak said. Then, to my surprise, he offered me his withered claw of a hand. I shook it, chuckling nervously as I did so.“Yeah,” I replied.“Good game, man.” It occurred to me that, in a weird way, I was actually playing against Halliday. I quickly pushed the thought out of my head, afraid I might psych myself out. Acererak once again produced two quarters and dropped them into the Joust machine.“This one is for all the marbles,” he said.“Art thou ready?” I nodded. This time, I took the liberty of slapping the Two Player button myself. Our final tie- breaking game lasted longer than the first two combined. During the final wave, so many buzzards filled the screen that it was hard to move without getting dusted by one of them. The lich and I faced off one final time, at the very top of the playing field, both of us incessantly hitting our:Previous Entities: |Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak| ::: man.” ",Acererak.M "friend,",36888,36907,True,269:D'Nall.?,"And while this was good for him, it was most definitely bad for her. Because although Artemis didn't know it, Holly needed every spark of magic she could muster-- not all of her had made it inside the train. Commander Root had just activated his piton cord winch when he received a most unexpected poke in the eye. The goblin D'Nall removed a small rectangular mirror from his tunic and checked his scales were smooth.' These Koboi wings are great. You think we'll be allowed to keep'em?' Aymon scowled. Not that you'd notice. Goblin lizard ancestry meant that facial movement was pretty limited.' Quiet, you hot- blooded fool!' Hot- blooded. That was a pretty serious insult for one of the B'waKell. D'Nall bristled.' Be careful, friend, or I'll tear that forked tongue right out of your head.'' We won't have a tongue between us if those elves escape!' retorted Aymon. It was true. The generals did not take disappointment well.' So what do we do? I got the looks in this outfit. That must make you the brains.'' We shoot at the train,' interjected Nyle.' Simple.' D'Nall adjusted his Koboi DoubleDex, hovering across to the squad's junior member.' Idiot,' he snapped, administering a swift slap to the head.' That thing is radioactive, can't you smell it? One stray burst and we'll all be ash floating on the breeze.'' Good point,' admitted Nyle.' You're not as stupid as you look.'' Thank you.''",D'Nall,"the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle","And while this was good for him, it was most definitely bad for her. Because although Artemis didn't know it, Holly needed every spark of magic she could muster-- not all of her had made it inside the train. Commander Root had just activated his piton cord winch when he received a most unexpected poke in the eye. The goblin D'Nall removed a small rectangular mirror from his tunic and checked his scales were smooth.' These Koboi wings are great. You think we'll be allowed to keep'em?' Aymon scowled. Not that you'd notice. Goblin lizard ancestry meant that facial movement was pretty limited.' Quiet, you hot- blooded fool!' Hot- blooded. That was a pretty serious insult for one of the B'waKell. D'Nall bristled.' Be careful, friend, or I'll tear that forked tongue right out of your head.'' We won't have a tongue between us if those elves escape!' retorted Aymon. It was true. The generals did not take disappointment well.' So what do we do? I got the looks in this outfit. That must make you the brains.'' We shoot at the train,' interjected Nyle.' Simple.' D'Nall adjusted his Koboi DoubleDex, hovering across to the squad's junior member.' Idiot,' he snapped, administering a swift slap to the head.' That thing is radioactive, can't you smell it? One stray burst and we'll all be ash floating on the breeze.'' Good point,' admitted Nyle.' You're not as stupid as you look.'' Thank you.'':Previous Entities: |the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle| ::: friend, ",D'Nall.M "” Perhaps a bit more than the other wolves,",33978,34008,True,154:Owls.?,"more days passed and still Hordweard had not returned. MacHeath knew that the other wolves had not accepted her into their packs. She was too old for mating, too slow for hunting.“She’ll come back. She’ll come back,” he muttered again and again. He finally sent Ragwyn to seek her. He wanted at least to know where she was dwelling. Ragwyn returned with more news than he had anticipated.“She is living close to the cave of Fengo,” she told him.“Does he pay her much attention?” MacHeath asked, suddenly nervous. It would not do to have Fengo taking up with one of his mates. How humiliating that would be! She was still his, by Lupus! No, no, not really.” Perhaps a bit more than the other wolves, she thought. But she would not tell MacHeath this. So she moved on to the other news.“Owls have been spotted coming over the southern ridges. They should be here by moonrise.”“You mean Grank?”“Yes, sir. And two others. Maybe more. I’m not sure.”“Is that so?” MacHeath said slowly. He had never trusted that owl, not in all the years Grank had been coming here. He closed his remaining eye. Sometimes it was almost as if he could still see with his missing eye. It was as if the empty socket had visions of its own of a very private nature. And what if one of those owls is the one destined to retrieve the ember, the wolf ember? he thought. Suddenly, MacHeath had an idea.“Ragwyn, get my gnaw- bone.” Ragwyn",Owls,"Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls","more days passed and still Hordweard had not returned. MacHeath knew that the other wolves had not accepted her into their packs. She was too old for mating, too slow for hunting.“She’ll come back. She’ll come back,” he muttered again and again. He finally sent Ragwyn to seek her. He wanted at least to know where she was dwelling. Ragwyn returned with more news than he had anticipated.“She is living close to the cave of Fengo,” she told him.“Does he pay her much attention?” MacHeath asked, suddenly nervous. It would not do to have Fengo taking up with one of his mates. How humiliating that would be! She was still his, by Lupus! No, no, not really.” Perhaps a bit more than the other wolves, she thought. But she would not tell MacHeath this. So she moved on to the other news.“Owls have been spotted coming over the southern ridges. They should be here by moonrise.”“You mean Grank?”“Yes, sir. And two others. Maybe more. I’m not sure.”“Is that so?” MacHeath said slowly. He had never trusted that owl, not in all the years Grank had been coming here. He closed his remaining eye. Sometimes it was almost as if he could still see with his missing eye. It was as if the empty socket had visions of its own of a very private nature. And what if one of those owls is the one destined to retrieve the ember, the wolf ember? he thought. Suddenly, MacHeath had an idea.“Ragwyn, get my gnaw- bone.” Ragwyn:Previous Entities: |Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls| ::: ” Perhaps a bit more than the other wolves, ",MacHeath.M as surely you know;,147142,147198,True,1217:Tammy.F,"young man was willowy, the Master’s houseboy showed no sign of fear. Tammy blinked, and for the first time since Tassa had shuffled into the kitchen— wanting no more than a cup of coffee, say thanks— an expression that was not irritation crossed her face. It might have been nervousness; it might even have been fear.“Are you so weak in the arms, Tammy of wherever-you- grew, that you can’t carry a box of soup- tins out of Stores?” She drew herself up to her full height, stung. Her jowls(greasy and a- glow with some sort of night- cream) quivered with self- righteousness.“Fetching pantry supplies has ever been the houseboy’s job! And thee knows it very well!”“That don’t make it a law that you can’t help out. I was mowing his lawn yest’y, as surely you know; I spied you sitting a- kitchen with a glass of cold tea, didn’t I, just as comfortable as old Ellie in your favorite chair.” She bristled, losing any fear she might have had in her outrage.“I have as much right to rest as anyone else! I’d just warshed the floor—”“Looked to me like Dobbie was doing it,” he said. Dobbie was the sort of domestic robot known as a“house- elf,” old but still quite efficient. Tammy grew hotter still.“What would you know about house chores, you mincy little queer?” Color flushed Tassa’s normally pale cheeks. He was aware that his hands had rolled themselves into fists, but only because he could feel his carefully cared- for nails biting into his palms. It occurred to him that this sort of petty bitch- and- whistle was downright ludicrous, coming as it did with",Tammy,"Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy","young man was willowy, the Master’s houseboy showed no sign of fear. Tammy blinked, and for the first time since Tassa had shuffled into the kitchen— wanting no more than a cup of coffee, say thanks— an expression that was not irritation crossed her face. It might have been nervousness; it might even have been fear.“Are you so weak in the arms, Tammy of wherever-you- grew, that you can’t carry a box of soup- tins out of Stores?” She drew herself up to her full height, stung. Her jowls(greasy and a- glow with some sort of night- cream) quivered with self- righteousness.“Fetching pantry supplies has ever been the houseboy’s job! And thee knows it very well!”“That don’t make it a law that you can’t help out. I was mowing his lawn yest’y, as surely you know; I spied you sitting a- kitchen with a glass of cold tea, didn’t I, just as comfortable as old Ellie in your favorite chair.” She bristled, losing any fear she might have had in her outrage.“I have as much right to rest as anyone else! I’d just warshed the floor—”“Looked to me like Dobbie was doing it,” he said. Dobbie was the sort of domestic robot known as a“house- elf,” old but still quite efficient. Tammy grew hotter still.“What would you know about house chores, you mincy little queer?” Color flushed Tassa’s normally pale cheeks. He was aware that his hands had rolled themselves into fists, but only because he could feel his carefully cared- for nails biting into his palms. It occurred to him that this sort of petty bitch- and- whistle was downright ludicrous, coming as it did with:Previous Entities: |Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy| ::: as surely you know; ",Tassa.M the ones I can not help but…”,108966,109004,True,1259:This lady.?,". Towels floated through the air, folding and stacking into neat piles. Spoons washed themselves in a copper sink. The scene reminded Leo of the invisible wind spirits that had served him lunch at Camp Jupiter. Calypso stood at a washbasin, cleaning the dirt off her arms. She scowled at Leo, but she didn’t yell at him to leave. She seemed to be running out of energy for her anger. Leo cleared his throat. If he was going to get any help from this lady, he needed to be nice.“So… I get why you’re angry. You probably never want to see another demigod again. I guess that didn’t sit right when, uh, Percy left you—”“He was only the latest,” she growled.“Before him, it was that pirate Drake. And before him, Odysseus. They were all the same! The gods send me the greatest heroes, the ones I can not help but…”“You fall in love with them,” Leo guessed.“And then they leave you.” Her chin trembled.“That is my curse. I had hoped to be free of it by now, but here I am, still stuck on Ogygia after three thousand years.”“Three thousand.” Leo’s mouth felt tingly, like he’d just eaten Pop Rocks.“Uh, you look good for three thousand.”“And now… the worst insult of all. The gods mock me by sending you.” Anger bubbled in Leo’s stomach. Yeah, typical. If Jason were here, Calypso would fall all over him. She’d beg him to stay, but he’d be all noble about returning to his duties, and he’d",This lady,"Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal",". Towels floated through the air, folding and stacking into neat piles. Spoons washed themselves in a copper sink. The scene reminded Leo of the invisible wind spirits that had served him lunch at Camp Jupiter. Calypso stood at a washbasin, cleaning the dirt off her arms. She scowled at Leo, but she didn’t yell at him to leave. She seemed to be running out of energy for her anger. Leo cleared his throat. If he was going to get any help from this lady, he needed to be nice.“So… I get why you’re angry. You probably never want to see another demigod again. I guess that didn’t sit right when, uh, Percy left you—”“He was only the latest,” she growled.“Before him, it was that pirate Drake. And before him, Odysseus. They were all the same! The gods send me the greatest heroes, the ones I can not help but…”“You fall in love with them,” Leo guessed.“And then they leave you.” Her chin trembled.“That is my curse. I had hoped to be free of it by now, but here I am, still stuck on Ogygia after three thousand years.”“Three thousand.” Leo’s mouth felt tingly, like he’d just eaten Pop Rocks.“Uh, you look good for three thousand.”“And now… the worst insult of all. The gods mock me by sending you.” Anger bubbled in Leo’s stomach. Yeah, typical. If Jason were here, Calypso would fall all over him. She’d beg him to stay, but he’d be all noble about returning to his duties, and he’d:Previous Entities: |Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal| ::: the ones I can not help but…” ","Leo.M Calypso.F" “Don’t these people realize what you’ve been through?,12685,12718,True,274:Hestia.F,"your nephew is going?” she asked, looking bewildered.“Certainly we know,” said Vernon Dursley.“He’s off with some of your lot, isn’t he? Right, Dudley, let’s get in the car, you heard the man, we’re in a hurry.” Again, Vernon Dursley marched as far as the front door, but Dudley did not follow.“Off with some of our lot?” Hestia looked outraged. Harry had met this attitude before: Witches and wizards seemed stunned that his closest living relatives took so little interest in the famous Harry Potter.“It’s fine,” Harry assured her.“It doesn’t matter, honestly.”“Doesn’t matter?” repeated Hestia, her voice rising ominously.“Don’t these people realize what you’ve been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the anti- Voldemort movement?”“Er— no, they don’t,” said Harry.“They think I’m a waste of space, actually, but I’m used to—”“I don’t think you’re a waste of space.” If Harry had not seen Dudley’s lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself.“Well… er… thanks, Dudley.” Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unwieldy for expression before mumbling,“You saved my life.”“Not really,” said Harry.“It was your soul the dementor would",Hestia,"Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia","your nephew is going?” she asked, looking bewildered.“Certainly we know,” said Vernon Dursley.“He’s off with some of your lot, isn’t he? Right, Dudley, let’s get in the car, you heard the man, we’re in a hurry.” Again, Vernon Dursley marched as far as the front door, but Dudley did not follow.“Off with some of our lot?” Hestia looked outraged. Harry had met this attitude before: Witches and wizards seemed stunned that his closest living relatives took so little interest in the famous Harry Potter.“It’s fine,” Harry assured her.“It doesn’t matter, honestly.”“Doesn’t matter?” repeated Hestia, her voice rising ominously.“Don’t these people realize what you’ve been through? What danger you are in? The unique position you hold in the hearts of the anti- Voldemort movement?”“Er— no, they don’t,” said Harry.“They think I’m a waste of space, actually, but I’m used to—”“I don’t think you’re a waste of space.” If Harry had not seen Dudley’s lips move, he might not have believed it. As it was, he stared at Dudley for several seconds before accepting that it must have been his cousin who had spoken; for one thing, Dudley had turned red. Harry was embarrassed and astonished himself.“Well… er… thanks, Dudley.” Again, Dudley appeared to grapple with thoughts too unwieldy for expression before mumbling,“You saved my life.”“Not really,” said Harry.“It was your soul the dementor would:Previous Entities: |Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia| ::: “Don’t these people realize what you’ve been through? ",Hestia.F Tends to drink too much.”,36650,36681,True,355:Rowe.M,". In motion, she was remarkably beautiful, an interesting mixture of innocence and sexuality. At moments, her face appeared knowing and almost hard. She appeared to know both men, but not well. She did not come close to either of them, or touch them except to shake hands. For their part, the senators seemed acutely aware of the camera, and maintained a friendly, if somewhat formal demeanor.“Our country’s going to hell, and on a Thursday night, United States senators are standing around chatting with models,” Jenny said.“No wonder we’re in trouble. And these are important guys. They’re talking about Morton as a presidential candidate in the next election.” I said,“What do you know about them personally?”“They’re both married. Well. Rowe’s se- separated. His wife stays home in Virginia. He gets around. Tends to drink too much.” I looked at Rowe on the monitor. He was the same man who had gotten on the elevator with us earlier in the evening. And he had been drunk then, almost falling down. But he wasn’t drunk now.“And Morton?”“Supposedly he’s Mr. Clean. Ex- athlete, fitness nut. Eats health food. Family man. Morton’s big area is science and technology. The environment. American competitiveness, American values. All that. But he can’t be that clean, I’ve heard he has a young girlfriend.”“Is that right?” She shrugged.“The story is, his staffers are trying to break it off. But who knows what’s true.” The tape ejected and Jenny pushed in the next one",Rowe,"the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe",". In motion, she was remarkably beautiful, an interesting mixture of innocence and sexuality. At moments, her face appeared knowing and almost hard. She appeared to know both men, but not well. She did not come close to either of them, or touch them except to shake hands. For their part, the senators seemed acutely aware of the camera, and maintained a friendly, if somewhat formal demeanor.“Our country’s going to hell, and on a Thursday night, United States senators are standing around chatting with models,” Jenny said.“No wonder we’re in trouble. And these are important guys. They’re talking about Morton as a presidential candidate in the next election.” I said,“What do you know about them personally?”“They’re both married. Well. Rowe’s se- separated. His wife stays home in Virginia. He gets around. Tends to drink too much.” I looked at Rowe on the monitor. He was the same man who had gotten on the elevator with us earlier in the evening. And he had been drunk then, almost falling down. But he wasn’t drunk now.“And Morton?”“Supposedly he’s Mr. Clean. Ex- athlete, fitness nut. Eats health food. Family man. Morton’s big area is science and technology. The environment. American competitiveness, American values. All that. But he can’t be that clean, I’ve heard he has a young girlfriend.”“Is that right?” She shrugged.“The story is, his staffers are trying to break it off. But who knows what’s true.” The tape ejected and Jenny pushed in the next one:Previous Entities: |the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe| ::: Tends to drink too much.” ",Rowe.M I shall bathe you myself.”,21694,21703,True,266:Luli.?,"You are certain?”“The wisdom of the Lord can not be questioned,” the masked woman said. Idaho did not like the sound of fanaticism in this Friend’s voice, but he felt secure in the integrity of the Atreides. They could appear cynical and cruel to outsiders and enemies, but to their own people they were just and they were loyal. Above all else, the Atreides were loyal to their own. And I am one of theirs, Idaho thought. But what happened to the me that I am replacing? He felt strongly that these two would not answer this question. But Leto will.“Shall we go?” he asked.“I’m anxious to wash the stink of the dirty Tleilaxu off me.” Luli grinned at him.“Come. I shall bathe you myself.” Enemies strengthen you. Allies weaken. I tell you this in the hope that it will help you understand why I act as I do in the full knowledge that great forces accumulate in my Empire with but one wish— the wish to destroy me. You who read these words may know full well what actually happened, but I doubt that you understand it.— THE STOLEN JOURNALS The ceremony of“Showing” by which the rebels began their meetings dragged on interminably for Siona. She sat in the front row and looked everywhere but at Topri, who was conducting the ceremony only a few paces away. This room in the service burrows beneath Onn was one they had never used before but it was so like all of their other meeting places that it could have been used as a",Luli,"Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman","You are certain?”“The wisdom of the Lord can not be questioned,” the masked woman said. Idaho did not like the sound of fanaticism in this Friend’s voice, but he felt secure in the integrity of the Atreides. They could appear cynical and cruel to outsiders and enemies, but to their own people they were just and they were loyal. Above all else, the Atreides were loyal to their own. And I am one of theirs, Idaho thought. But what happened to the me that I am replacing? He felt strongly that these two would not answer this question. But Leto will.“Shall we go?” he asked.“I’m anxious to wash the stink of the dirty Tleilaxu off me.” Luli grinned at him.“Come. I shall bathe you myself.” Enemies strengthen you. Allies weaken. I tell you this in the hope that it will help you understand why I act as I do in the full knowledge that great forces accumulate in my Empire with but one wish— the wish to destroy me. You who read these words may know full well what actually happened, but I doubt that you understand it.— THE STOLEN JOURNALS The ceremony of“Showing” by which the rebels began their meetings dragged on interminably for Siona. She sat in the front row and looked everywhere but at Topri, who was conducting the ceremony only a few paces away. This room in the service burrows beneath Onn was one they had never used before but it was so like all of their other meeting places that it could have been used as a:Previous Entities: |Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman| ::: I shall bathe you myself.” ",Luli.F “We were initiates together.,58438,58461,True,1712:the girl on my left.F,".“He isn’t coming, is he?”“No. He never comes to this,” she says.“It’s probably lost its appeal. Not much scares him, you know.” He isn’t coming. Something in me deflates like an untied balloon. I ignore it and nod. I do know that Four is not a coward. But I also know that at least one thing does scare him: heights. Whatever we’re doing, it must involve being high up for him to avoid it. She must not know that if she speaks of him with such reverence in her voice.“Do you know him well?” I ask. I am too curious; I always have been.“Everyone knows Four,” she says.“We were initiates together. I was bad at fighting, so he taught me every night after everyone was asleep.” She scratches the back of her neck, her expression suddenly serious.“Nice of him.” She gets up and stands behind the members sitting in the doorway. In a second, her serious expression is gone, but I still feel rattled by what she said, half confused by the idea of Four being“nice” and half wanting to punch her for no apparent reason.“Here we go!” shouts Shauna. The train doesn’t slow down, but she throws herself out of the car. The other members follow her, a stream of black- clothed, pierced people not much older than I am. I stand in the doorway next to Uriah. The train is going much faster than it has every other time I’ve jumped, but I can’t",the girl on my left,"Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left",".“He isn’t coming, is he?”“No. He never comes to this,” she says.“It’s probably lost its appeal. Not much scares him, you know.” He isn’t coming. Something in me deflates like an untied balloon. I ignore it and nod. I do know that Four is not a coward. But I also know that at least one thing does scare him: heights. Whatever we’re doing, it must involve being high up for him to avoid it. She must not know that if she speaks of him with such reverence in her voice.“Do you know him well?” I ask. I am too curious; I always have been.“Everyone knows Four,” she says.“We were initiates together. I was bad at fighting, so he taught me every night after everyone was asleep.” She scratches the back of her neck, her expression suddenly serious.“Nice of him.” She gets up and stands behind the members sitting in the doorway. In a second, her serious expression is gone, but I still feel rattled by what she said, half confused by the idea of Four being“nice” and half wanting to punch her for no apparent reason.“Here we go!” shouts Shauna. The train doesn’t slow down, but she throws herself out of the car. The other members follow her, a stream of black- clothed, pierced people not much older than I am. I stand in the doorway next to Uriah. The train is going much faster than it has every other time I’ve jumped, but I can’t:Previous Entities: |Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left| ::: “We were initiates together. ","Shauna.F Uriah.M" "Alas,",126144,126190,True,260:Geb.?,"He held it to his face and seemed to sniff it. Then he opened the envelope. Instead of a letter, fireworks burst out. A new constellation blazed in the night sky above us— the face of Nut, formed by a thousand stars. The wind rose quickly and ripped the image apart, but Geb sighed contentedly. He closed the envelope and tucked it inside his sandy chest as if there were a pocket right where his heart should be.“I owe you thanks, Sadie Kane,” Geb said.“It has been many millennia since I saw the face of my beloved. Ask me a favor that the earth can grant, and it shall be yours.”“Save my father,” I said immediately. Geb’s face rippled with surprise.“Hmm, what a loyal daughter! Isis could learn a thing from you. Alas, I can not. Your father’s path is twined with that of Osiris, and matters between the gods can not be solved by the earth.”“Then I don’t suppose you could collapse Set’s mountain and destroy his pyramid?” I asked. Geb’s laughter was like the world’s largest sand shaker.“I can not intervene so directly between my children. Set is my son too.” I almost stamped my foot in frustration. Then I remembered I was giant and might smash the whole camp. Could a ba do that? Better not to find out.“Well, your favors aren’t very useful, then.” Geb shrugged, sloughing off a few tons of sand from his shoulders.“Perhaps some advice to help you achieve what you desire. Go to the place of the crosses.”“And where is that?”“Close,” he promised.“And, Sadie",Geb,"Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb","He held it to his face and seemed to sniff it. Then he opened the envelope. Instead of a letter, fireworks burst out. A new constellation blazed in the night sky above us— the face of Nut, formed by a thousand stars. The wind rose quickly and ripped the image apart, but Geb sighed contentedly. He closed the envelope and tucked it inside his sandy chest as if there were a pocket right where his heart should be.“I owe you thanks, Sadie Kane,” Geb said.“It has been many millennia since I saw the face of my beloved. Ask me a favor that the earth can grant, and it shall be yours.”“Save my father,” I said immediately. Geb’s face rippled with surprise.“Hmm, what a loyal daughter! Isis could learn a thing from you. Alas, I can not. Your father’s path is twined with that of Osiris, and matters between the gods can not be solved by the earth.”“Then I don’t suppose you could collapse Set’s mountain and destroy his pyramid?” I asked. Geb’s laughter was like the world’s largest sand shaker.“I can not intervene so directly between my children. Set is my son too.” I almost stamped my foot in frustration. Then I remembered I was giant and might smash the whole camp. Could a ba do that? Better not to find out.“Well, your favors aren’t very useful, then.” Geb shrugged, sloughing off a few tons of sand from his shoulders.“Perhaps some advice to help you achieve what you desire. Go to the place of the crosses.”“And where is that?”“Close,” he promised.“And, Sadie:Previous Entities: |Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb| ::: Alas, ",Sadie Kane. you’ve got to move with the times.”,20959,21054,True,215:Rerpf.?,"afternoon,” said Rerpf.“I’m vice- guildmaster in charge of tourism, you know.”“What is this tourism of which you speak?”“Uh— we are not quite sure…” said Rerpf. An old bearded man poked his head over the guildmaster’s shoulder and cackled,“Speaking on behalf of the winesellers of Morpork, Tourism means Business. See?”“Well?” said Ymor coldly.“Well,” said Rerpf,“we’re protecting our interests, like I said.”“Thieves OUT, Thieves OUT!” cackled his elderly companion.” Several others took up the chant. Zlorf grinned.“And assassins,” chanted the old man. Zlorf growled.“Stands to reason,” said Rerpf.“People robbing and murdering all over place, what sort of impression are visitors going to take away? You come all the way to see our fine city with its many points of historical and civic interest, also many quaint customs, and you wake up dead in some back alley or as it might be floating down the Ankh, how are you going to tell all your friends what a great time you’re having? Let’s face it, you’ve got to move with the times.” Zlorf and Ymor met each other’s gaze.“We have, have we?” said Ymor.“Then let us move, brother,” agreed Zlorf. In one movement he brought his blowgun to his mouth and sent a dart hissing toward the nearest troll. It spun around, hurling its ax, which whirred over the assassin’s head and buried itself in a luckless thief behind him. Rerpf ducked, allowing a troll behind him to raise its huge iron crossbow and fire a spear length quarrel into the nearest assassin. That was the start… It has been remarked before that those who are sensitive to radiations in the far octarine— the eighth color, the pigment of the Imagination— can see things that others can not. Thus it was that Rincewind, hurrying through",Rerpf,"Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf","afternoon,” said Rerpf.“I’m vice- guildmaster in charge of tourism, you know.”“What is this tourism of which you speak?”“Uh— we are not quite sure…” said Rerpf. An old bearded man poked his head over the guildmaster’s shoulder and cackled,“Speaking on behalf of the winesellers of Morpork, Tourism means Business. See?”“Well?” said Ymor coldly.“Well,” said Rerpf,“we’re protecting our interests, like I said.”“Thieves OUT, Thieves OUT!” cackled his elderly companion.” Several others took up the chant. Zlorf grinned.“And assassins,” chanted the old man. Zlorf growled.“Stands to reason,” said Rerpf.“People robbing and murdering all over place, what sort of impression are visitors going to take away? You come all the way to see our fine city with its many points of historical and civic interest, also many quaint customs, and you wake up dead in some back alley or as it might be floating down the Ankh, how are you going to tell all your friends what a great time you’re having? Let’s face it, you’ve got to move with the times.” Zlorf and Ymor met each other’s gaze.“We have, have we?” said Ymor.“Then let us move, brother,” agreed Zlorf. In one movement he brought his blowgun to his mouth and sent a dart hissing toward the nearest troll. It spun around, hurling its ax, which whirred over the assassin’s head and buried itself in a luckless thief behind him. Rerpf ducked, allowing a troll behind him to raise its huge iron crossbow and fire a spear length quarrel into the nearest assassin. That was the start… It has been remarked before that those who are sensitive to radiations in the far octarine— the eighth color, the pigment of the Imagination— can see things that others can not. Thus it was that Rincewind, hurrying through:Previous Entities: |Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf| ::: you’ve got to move with the times.” ","Rerpf.M Ymor.? Zlorf.M Rincewind.M" "“Goodbye,”",5784,5787,True,229:her aunt.F,"into the hall and shouted down.“Upstairs!”“Come on down!” called her aunt.“Let’s get settled in.” She went back into the bedroom.“Okay,” she said.“I won’t tell about you, but you have to be really quiet. Stuff some rags under the door— this door and the hall door both. I’ll try and keep my aunt from coming up here. If she’s going to, I’ll try to warn you.”“Oh, thank you,” Amanda said.“Thank you a lot. It’s just for a couple days. I’m looking for a job, and when I get one I’ll find me a place of my own.” Nickie nodded.“Goodbye,” she said, and she dashed back down the stairs. For dinner that night, they had tomato soup from a can Crystal found in a cupboard. They sat at the big dining room table and ate while the rain beat on the windows. On a pad of paper, Crystal started making a list of all the things she’d have to do to get the house ready for sale: Call cleaning service. Call auction house. Call salvage place. Talk to lawyer. Call painters. Call plumbers. It was clear to Nickie that Crystal would be spending a lot of time on the phone.“Crystal,” Nickie said.“I don’t see anything so awful about Greenhaven. Why do you say it’s awful?”“It’s huge and dark and impossible",her aunt,"Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt","into the hall and shouted down.“Upstairs!”“Come on down!” called her aunt.“Let’s get settled in.” She went back into the bedroom.“Okay,” she said.“I won’t tell about you, but you have to be really quiet. Stuff some rags under the door— this door and the hall door both. I’ll try and keep my aunt from coming up here. If she’s going to, I’ll try to warn you.”“Oh, thank you,” Amanda said.“Thank you a lot. It’s just for a couple days. I’m looking for a job, and when I get one I’ll find me a place of my own.” Nickie nodded.“Goodbye,” she said, and she dashed back down the stairs. For dinner that night, they had tomato soup from a can Crystal found in a cupboard. They sat at the big dining room table and ate while the rain beat on the windows. On a pad of paper, Crystal started making a list of all the things she’d have to do to get the house ready for sale: Call cleaning service. Call auction house. Call salvage place. Talk to lawyer. Call painters. Call plumbers. It was clear to Nickie that Crystal would be spending a lot of time on the phone.“Crystal,” Nickie said.“I don’t see anything so awful about Greenhaven. Why do you say it’s awful?”“It’s huge and dark and impossible:Previous Entities: |Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt| ::: “Goodbye,” ",Nickie.F "It’s a sort of bet,",19437,19461,True,591:the innkeeper.?,"bully his men. Ymor carried on watching the tourist. It was strange, but the little man didn’t seem to realize the seriousness of his position. Ymor had on several occasions seen him look around the room with an expression of deep satisfaction. He had also been talking for ages to Broadman, and Ymor had seen a piece of paper change hands. And Broadman had given the foreigner some coins. It was strange. When Broadman got up and waddled past Ymor’s chair the thiefmaster’s arm shot out like a steel spring and grabbed the fat man by his apron.“What was that all about, friend?” asked Ymor quietly.“N- nothing, Ymor. Just private business, like.”“There are no secrets between friends, Broadman.”“Yar. Well, I’m not sure about it myself, really. It’s a sort of bet, see?” said the innkeeper nervously.“Inn- sewer- ants, it’s called. It’s like a bet that the Broken Drum won’t get burned down.” Ymor held the man’s gaze until Broadman twitched in fear and embarrassment. Then the thiefmaster laughed.“This worm- eaten old tinder pile?” he said.“The man must be mad!”“Yes, but mad with money. He says now he’s got the— can’t remember the word, begins with a P, it’s what you might call the stake money— the people he works for in the Agatean Empire will pay up. If the Broken Drum burns down. Not that I hope it does. Burn down. The Broken Drum, I mean. I mean, it’s",the innkeeper,"Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster","bully his men. Ymor carried on watching the tourist. It was strange, but the little man didn’t seem to realize the seriousness of his position. Ymor had on several occasions seen him look around the room with an expression of deep satisfaction. He had also been talking for ages to Broadman, and Ymor had seen a piece of paper change hands. And Broadman had given the foreigner some coins. It was strange. When Broadman got up and waddled past Ymor’s chair the thiefmaster’s arm shot out like a steel spring and grabbed the fat man by his apron.“What was that all about, friend?” asked Ymor quietly.“N- nothing, Ymor. Just private business, like.”“There are no secrets between friends, Broadman.”“Yar. Well, I’m not sure about it myself, really. It’s a sort of bet, see?” said the innkeeper nervously.“Inn- sewer- ants, it’s called. It’s like a bet that the Broken Drum won’t get burned down.” Ymor held the man’s gaze until Broadman twitched in fear and embarrassment. Then the thiefmaster laughed.“This worm- eaten old tinder pile?” he said.“The man must be mad!”“Yes, but mad with money. He says now he’s got the— can’t remember the word, begins with a P, it’s what you might call the stake money— the people he works for in the Agatean Empire will pay up. If the Broken Drum burns down. Not that I hope it does. Burn down. The Broken Drum, I mean. I mean, it’s:Previous Entities: |Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster| ::: It’s a sort of bet, ",Ymor.M I must be running along now.,70918,70990,True,3326:the Guestmaster.?,"protect himself. There was a crackle of octarine flame from his fingers and the air suddenly took on the thick, greasy feel that indicated a powerful magical discharge. The flung bottle slowed and then stopped in midair, rotating gently. At the same time an invisible force picked Rincewind up and hurled him down the length of the room, pinning him awkwardly halfway up the far wall with no breath left in his body. He hung there with his mouth open in rage and astonishment. Garhartra lowered his hand and brushed it slowly on his robe.“I didn’t enjoy doing that, you know,” he said.“I could tell,” muttered Rincewind.“But what do you want to sacrifice us for?” asked Twoflower.“You hardly know us!”“That’s rather the point, isn’t it? It’s not very good manners to sacrifice a friend. Besides, you were, um, specified. I don’t know a lot about the god in question, but He was quite clear on that point. Look, I must be running along now. So much to organize, you know how it is,” the Guestmaster opened the door, and then peered back around it.“Please make yourselves comfortable, and don’t worry.”“But you haven’t actually told us anything!” wailed Twoflower.“It’s not really worth it, is it? What with you being sacrificed in the morning,” said Garhartra,“it’s hardly worth the bother of knowing, really. Sleep well. Comparatively well, anyway.” He shut the door. A brief octarine flicker of balefire around it suggested that it had now been sealed beyond the skills of any earthly locksmith. Gling, clang, tang went the bells along the Circumfence in the moonlit, Rimfall- roaring night. Terton, lengthman of the 45th Length, hadn’t heard such a clashing since the night a",the Guestmaster,"The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster","protect himself. There was a crackle of octarine flame from his fingers and the air suddenly took on the thick, greasy feel that indicated a powerful magical discharge. The flung bottle slowed and then stopped in midair, rotating gently. At the same time an invisible force picked Rincewind up and hurled him down the length of the room, pinning him awkwardly halfway up the far wall with no breath left in his body. He hung there with his mouth open in rage and astonishment. Garhartra lowered his hand and brushed it slowly on his robe.“I didn’t enjoy doing that, you know,” he said.“I could tell,” muttered Rincewind.“But what do you want to sacrifice us for?” asked Twoflower.“You hardly know us!”“That’s rather the point, isn’t it? It’s not very good manners to sacrifice a friend. Besides, you were, um, specified. I don’t know a lot about the god in question, but He was quite clear on that point. Look, I must be running along now. So much to organize, you know how it is,” the Guestmaster opened the door, and then peered back around it.“Please make yourselves comfortable, and don’t worry.”“But you haven’t actually told us anything!” wailed Twoflower.“It’s not really worth it, is it? What with you being sacrificed in the morning,” said Garhartra,“it’s hardly worth the bother of knowing, really. Sleep well. Comparatively well, anyway.” He shut the door. A brief octarine flicker of balefire around it suggested that it had now been sealed beyond the skills of any earthly locksmith. Gling, clang, tang went the bells along the Circumfence in the moonlit, Rimfall- roaring night. Terton, lengthman of the 45th Length, hadn’t heard such a clashing since the night a:Previous Entities: |The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster| ::: I must be running along now. ",Garhartra.M That was the sound he heard.”,148107,148208,True,930:her dad.M,"this?”“Because you asked me to,” her dad reminded her. And indeed, something about the story fascinated Piper. She had heard it dozens of times, but she kept thinking about it.“Anyway,” said her dad,“the man grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and saw that its skin and fur were already coming apart. Underneath was nothing but bones. The dog was a skeleton dog.”“Gross.”“I agree. So with tears in his eyes, the man said good- bye to his annoying skeleton dog and tossed it into the water, where it promptly sank. The man built a raft, and when the flood came, he and his family survived.”“Without the dog.”“Yes. Without the dog. When the rains subsided, and the raft landed, the man and his family were the only ones alive. The man heard sounds from the other side of a hill— like thousands of people laughing and dancing— but when he raced to the top, alas, down below he saw nothing except bones littering the ground— thousands of skeletons of all the people who had died in the flood. He realized the ghosts of the dead had been dancing. That was the sound he heard.” Piper waited.“And?”“And, nothing. The end.”“You can’t end it that way! Why were the ghosts dancing?”“I don’t know,” Dad said.“Your grandfather never felt the need to explain. Maybe the ghosts were happy that one family had survived. Maybe they were enjoying the afterlife. They’re ghosts. Who can say?” Piper was very unsatisfied with that. She had so many unanswered questions. Did the family ever find another dog? Obviously not all dogs drowned, because she herself had a dog. She couldn’t shake the story. She never looked at dogs the same way, wondering if one of them might be a skeleton dog. And she didn’t understand why the family had",her dad,"two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad","this?”“Because you asked me to,” her dad reminded her. And indeed, something about the story fascinated Piper. She had heard it dozens of times, but she kept thinking about it.“Anyway,” said her dad,“the man grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck and saw that its skin and fur were already coming apart. Underneath was nothing but bones. The dog was a skeleton dog.”“Gross.”“I agree. So with tears in his eyes, the man said good- bye to his annoying skeleton dog and tossed it into the water, where it promptly sank. The man built a raft, and when the flood came, he and his family survived.”“Without the dog.”“Yes. Without the dog. When the rains subsided, and the raft landed, the man and his family were the only ones alive. The man heard sounds from the other side of a hill— like thousands of people laughing and dancing— but when he raced to the top, alas, down below he saw nothing except bones littering the ground— thousands of skeletons of all the people who had died in the flood. He realized the ghosts of the dead had been dancing. That was the sound he heard.” Piper waited.“And?”“And, nothing. The end.”“You can’t end it that way! Why were the ghosts dancing?”“I don’t know,” Dad said.“Your grandfather never felt the need to explain. Maybe the ghosts were happy that one family had survived. Maybe they were enjoying the afterlife. They’re ghosts. Who can say?” Piper was very unsatisfied with that. She had so many unanswered questions. Did the family ever find another dog? Obviously not all dogs drowned, because she herself had a dog. She couldn’t shake the story. She never looked at dogs the same way, wondering if one of them might be a skeleton dog. And she didn’t understand why the family had:Previous Entities: |two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad| ::: That was the sound he heard.” ",her dad.M I wouldn’t want even her participating in the Rite.”,69178,69204,True,1883:Him.M,"the same breath, and entered the Carynthian tier of warriors.” Nesta failed to keep the shock off her face.“And you say only twelve have become Carynthian… in five hundred years?”“No. Twelve made it to the mountain and became Oristian. Only three others, besides us, won the Blood Rite and became Carynthian.” His throat bobbed.“They were fine warriors, and led exemplary units. We lost two of them against Hybern.” Likely in that blast that had decimated a thousand of them. The blast she’d shielded him from. Him, and only him. Nesta’s stomach clenched, nausea sliding through her. She forced herself to take a long breath.“So you think females can’t participate in the Rite?”“Mor would likely win the damn thing in record time, but no. I wouldn’t want even her participating in the Rite.” The unspoken part of his reasoning lay coldly in his eyes. There would be a different, worse kind of violence to defend against, even if the females were as highly trained as the males. Nesta shivered.“Could you have a female unit without them taking the Blood Rite?”“They would never be honored as true warriors without it— without one of those three titles. Well, I would consider them warriors, but not the rest of the Illyrians. No other units would fly with them. They’d consider it a disgrace and an insult.” She frowned and he held up his hands.“Like I said: change comes slowly. You heard the bullshit Devlon spewed about your cycle. That’s considered progress. In the past, they’d kill",Him,"the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick","the same breath, and entered the Carynthian tier of warriors.” Nesta failed to keep the shock off her face.“And you say only twelve have become Carynthian… in five hundred years?”“No. Twelve made it to the mountain and became Oristian. Only three others, besides us, won the Blood Rite and became Carynthian.” His throat bobbed.“They were fine warriors, and led exemplary units. We lost two of them against Hybern.” Likely in that blast that had decimated a thousand of them. The blast she’d shielded him from. Him, and only him. Nesta’s stomach clenched, nausea sliding through her. She forced herself to take a long breath.“So you think females can’t participate in the Rite?”“Mor would likely win the damn thing in record time, but no. I wouldn’t want even her participating in the Rite.” The unspoken part of his reasoning lay coldly in his eyes. There would be a different, worse kind of violence to defend against, even if the females were as highly trained as the males. Nesta shivered.“Could you have a female unit without them taking the Blood Rite?”“They would never be honored as true warriors without it— without one of those three titles. Well, I would consider them warriors, but not the rest of the Illyrians. No other units would fly with them. They’d consider it a disgrace and an insult.” She frowned and he held up his hands.“Like I said: change comes slowly. You heard the bullshit Devlon spewed about your cycle. That’s considered progress. In the past, they’d kill:Previous Entities: |the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick| ::: I wouldn’t want even her participating in the Rite.” ",He.M “C’m on.,837,855,True,257:Mnookin.M,"kidnapper. What are you going to do?” I experienced a flash of panic, but that was to be expected. It never changes: even after two decades negotiating for human lives you still feel fear. Even in a role- playing situation. I calmed myself down. Sure, I was a street cop turned FBI agent playing against real heavyweights. And I wasn’t a genius. But I was in this room for a reason. Over the years I had picked up skills, tactics, and a whole approach to human interaction that had not just helped me save lives but, as I recognize now looking back, had also begun to transform my own life. My years of negotiating had infused everything from how I dealt with customer service reps to my parenting style.“C’m on. Get me the money or I cut your son’s throat right now,” Mnookin said. Testy. I gave him a long, slow stare. Then I smiled.“How am I supposed to do that?” Mnookin paused. His expression had a touch of amused pity in it, like a dog when the cat it’s been chasing turns around and tries to chase it back. It was as if we were playing different games, with different rules. Mnookin regained his composure and eyed me with arched brows as if to remind me that we were still playing.“So you’re okay with me killing your son, Mr. Voss?”“I’m sorry, Robert, how do I know he’s even alive?” I said, using an apology and his first name, seeding more warmth into the interaction in order to complicate his",Mnookin,"the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin","kidnapper. What are you going to do?” I experienced a flash of panic, but that was to be expected. It never changes: even after two decades negotiating for human lives you still feel fear. Even in a role- playing situation. I calmed myself down. Sure, I was a street cop turned FBI agent playing against real heavyweights. And I wasn’t a genius. But I was in this room for a reason. Over the years I had picked up skills, tactics, and a whole approach to human interaction that had not just helped me save lives but, as I recognize now looking back, had also begun to transform my own life. My years of negotiating had infused everything from how I dealt with customer service reps to my parenting style.“C’m on. Get me the money or I cut your son’s throat right now,” Mnookin said. Testy. I gave him a long, slow stare. Then I smiled.“How am I supposed to do that?” Mnookin paused. His expression had a touch of amused pity in it, like a dog when the cat it’s been chasing turns around and tries to chase it back. It was as if we were playing different games, with different rules. Mnookin regained his composure and eyed me with arched brows as if to remind me that we were still playing.“So you’re okay with me killing your son, Mr. Voss?”“I’m sorry, Robert, how do I know he’s even alive?” I said, using an apology and his first name, seeding more warmth into the interaction in order to complicate his:Previous Entities: |the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin| ::: “C’m on. ",Mnookin.M “It should be tomorrow or the next day.”,74110,74120,True,112:Len.M,"and smelly, she adored the feel of him leaning against her. After a while he got sleepy and lay down with his head hanging sideways over her leg, and she adored the way his mouth looked upside down, with his black lips and the tips of his teeth showing. She picked the dried mud out from between the pads of his feet and didn’t mind at all that she got dirt under her fingernails. Crystal came out of the real estate office quite a while later, just as Nickie was starting to wonder what was taking her so long. Len was with her. When she got into the car, she rolled down the window, and he bent over, curling his hands over the windowsill.“So I’ll let you know,” he said.“It should be tomorrow or the next day.” Crystal nodded.“I don’t even know how to feel about it,” she said.“But you’ll call me.”“Oh, yes,” said Len. He looked at her in a meaningful way.“Oh, yes, I’ll call you. Never fear.” Crystal smiled. She put one of her hands over one of his.“Goodbye, then,” she said, looking up at him, and quickly he poked his head a bit farther through the window and kissed her on the mouth. It was just a peck, but even Nickie, with her limited experience of being in love, could feel that it was quite thrilling to both of them. Crystal pushed the Up button to close the window. She put on",Len,"The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet","and smelly, she adored the feel of him leaning against her. After a while he got sleepy and lay down with his head hanging sideways over her leg, and she adored the way his mouth looked upside down, with his black lips and the tips of his teeth showing. She picked the dried mud out from between the pads of his feet and didn’t mind at all that she got dirt under her fingernails. Crystal came out of the real estate office quite a while later, just as Nickie was starting to wonder what was taking her so long. Len was with her. When she got into the car, she rolled down the window, and he bent over, curling his hands over the windowsill.“So I’ll let you know,” he said.“It should be tomorrow or the next day.” Crystal nodded.“I don’t even know how to feel about it,” she said.“But you’ll call me.”“Oh, yes,” said Len. He looked at her in a meaningful way.“Oh, yes, I’ll call you. Never fear.” Crystal smiled. She put one of her hands over one of his.“Goodbye, then,” she said, looking up at him, and quickly he poked his head a bit farther through the window and kissed her on the mouth. It was just a peck, but even Nickie, with her limited experience of being in love, could feel that it was quite thrilling to both of them. Crystal pushed the Up button to close the window. She put on:Previous Entities: |The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet| ::: “It should be tomorrow or the next day.” ",Len.M "I ken that well enough,",35626,35654,True,1358:A slightly different Feegle voice.?,"I can clean your kitchen for you,’ Tiffany said cheerfully. It would have been fine if she had simply grabbed a broom and got to work but, oh no, she had to go and look up at the grey, cobweb- filled ceiling and say,‘ All right, I know you’re here, you always follow me, so make yourself useful and clean this kitchen thoroughly!’ Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then she heard, because she was listening for it, a muffled conversation from up near the ceiling.‘ Did ye no’ hear that? She kens we is here! How come she always gets it right?’ A slightly different Feegle voice said,‘ It’s because we always follow her, ye wee dafty!’‘ Oh aye, I ken that well enough, but my point is, did we not promise faithfully not to follow her around any more?’‘ Aye, it was a solemn oath.’‘ Exactly, and so I cannae but be a wee bit disappointed that the big wee hag will nae take heed of a solemn promise. It’s a wee bit hurtful to the feelings.’‘ But we have broken the solemn oath; it’s a Feegle thing.’ A third voice said,‘ Look lively, ye scunners, it’s the tapping o’ the feets!’ A whirlwind hit the grubby little kitchen.16 Foaming water swirled across Tiffany’s boots, which had indeed been tapping. It has to be said that no one could create a mess more quickly than a party of Feegles, but strangely, they could clean one up as well, without even the help of bluebirds and miscellaneous woodland creatures. The",A slightly different Feegle voice,"the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice","I can clean your kitchen for you,’ Tiffany said cheerfully. It would have been fine if she had simply grabbed a broom and got to work but, oh no, she had to go and look up at the grey, cobweb- filled ceiling and say,‘ All right, I know you’re here, you always follow me, so make yourself useful and clean this kitchen thoroughly!’ Nothing happened for a few seconds, and then she heard, because she was listening for it, a muffled conversation from up near the ceiling.‘ Did ye no’ hear that? She kens we is here! How come she always gets it right?’ A slightly different Feegle voice said,‘ It’s because we always follow her, ye wee dafty!’‘ Oh aye, I ken that well enough, but my point is, did we not promise faithfully not to follow her around any more?’‘ Aye, it was a solemn oath.’‘ Exactly, and so I cannae but be a wee bit disappointed that the big wee hag will nae take heed of a solemn promise. It’s a wee bit hurtful to the feelings.’‘ But we have broken the solemn oath; it’s a Feegle thing.’ A third voice said,‘ Look lively, ye scunners, it’s the tapping o’ the feets!’ A whirlwind hit the grubby little kitchen.16 Foaming water swirled across Tiffany’s boots, which had indeed been tapping. It has to be said that no one could create a mess more quickly than a party of Feegles, but strangely, they could clean one up as well, without even the help of bluebirds and miscellaneous woodland creatures. The:Previous Entities: |the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice| ::: I ken that well enough, ",Tiffany.F muy bonita.”,17888,17896,True,106:el Pulpo.M,"were already in the seats or standing near the pit. Above the stands were several elevated booths with fans blowing on their occupants. Imulah beckoned her toward a platform built over the dirt, surrounded by lush tropical plants and flowers. The two soldiers ahead stopped at the largest booth overlooking the arena and jammed their spear butts into the dirt. They stiffened and looked ahead, ready to protect their king, who sat inside on a throne overlooking the arena. She could see el Pulpo, hunched over and enjoying a meal. He looked up at her approach, dropping a bone on the ground as he stood. The octopus tattoo on his forehead glistened with sweat. He mopped it with his sleeve and displayed his sharpened teeth in a stupid grin.“Welcome,” he said.“Tú eres muy, muy bonita.” Magnolia stopped in the entrance with Imulah. The two soldiers behind her crossed their spears in an X, fencing her inside the booth.“Let’s go,” Imulah said. She walked into the booth and sat in a chair under a ceiling fan. The breeze felt good, but it blew her dress, exposing her legs. She pressed the material back down. El Pulpo grinned and stepped over to the rail overlooking the sand pit. It took every bit of resistance to not stab him in the back of the head with the scissors she had taken from her quarters when the others weren’t looking. But she had to play the long game now. Cheers rang out from the stands as a wide hatch opened in the bulkhead of the hollowed- out airship. The",el Pulpo,"Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo","were already in the seats or standing near the pit. Above the stands were several elevated booths with fans blowing on their occupants. Imulah beckoned her toward a platform built over the dirt, surrounded by lush tropical plants and flowers. The two soldiers ahead stopped at the largest booth overlooking the arena and jammed their spear butts into the dirt. They stiffened and looked ahead, ready to protect their king, who sat inside on a throne overlooking the arena. She could see el Pulpo, hunched over and enjoying a meal. He looked up at her approach, dropping a bone on the ground as he stood. The octopus tattoo on his forehead glistened with sweat. He mopped it with his sleeve and displayed his sharpened teeth in a stupid grin.“Welcome,” he said.“Tú eres muy, muy bonita.” Magnolia stopped in the entrance with Imulah. The two soldiers behind her crossed their spears in an X, fencing her inside the booth.“Let’s go,” Imulah said. She walked into the booth and sat in a chair under a ceiling fan. The breeze felt good, but it blew her dress, exposing her legs. She pressed the material back down. El Pulpo grinned and stepped over to the rail overlooking the sand pit. It took every bit of resistance to not stab him in the back of the head with the scissors she had taken from her quarters when the others weren’t looking. But she had to play the long game now. Cheers rang out from the stands as a wide hatch opened in the bulkhead of the hollowed- out airship. The:Previous Entities: |Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo| ::: muy bonita.” ",el Pulpo.M "Now she dwells in riches and comfort as a High Fae’s bride,",8724,8815,True,420:the young woman.F,"them hurled at the young woman. I couldn’t disagree. The acolytes kept silent. The other villager— wealthy enough to have a full necklace of braided iron around her throat— narrowed her eyes, her upper lip curling back from her teeth.“Don’t you idiots understand what those monsters did to us for all those centuries? What they still do for sport, when they can get away with it? You deserve the end you’ll meet at faerie hands. Fools and whores, all of you.” Nesta nodded her agreement to the women as they continued on their way. We turned back to the young woman still lingering before us, and even Elain frowned in distaste. But the young woman took a breath, her face again becoming serene, and said,“I lived in such ignorance, too, until I heard the Word of the Blessed. I grew up in a village so similar to this— so bleak and grim. But not one month ago, a friend of my cousin went to the border as our offering to Prythian— and she has not been sent back. Now she dwells in riches and comfort as a High Fae’s bride, and so might you, if you were to take a moment to—”“She was likely eaten,” Nesta said.“That’s why she hasn’t returned.” Or worse, I thought, if a High Fae truly was involved in spiriting a human into Prythian. I’d never encountered the cruel, human- looking High Fae who ruled Prythian itself, or the faeries who occupied their lands, with their scales and wings and long, spindly arms that could drag you deep, deep beneath the surface of a forgotten pond. I didn’t know which would be worse to face. The acolyte’s face tightened.“Our benevolent masters would never harm us. Prythian is a land of peace and plenty. Should they bless you with their attention, you would be glad to live amongst them.” Nesta rolled her eyes. Elain was",the young woman,"Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J","them hurled at the young woman. I couldn’t disagree. The acolytes kept silent. The other villager— wealthy enough to have a full necklace of braided iron around her throat— narrowed her eyes, her upper lip curling back from her teeth.“Don’t you idiots understand what those monsters did to us for all those centuries? What they still do for sport, when they can get away with it? You deserve the end you’ll meet at faerie hands. Fools and whores, all of you.” Nesta nodded her agreement to the women as they continued on their way. We turned back to the young woman still lingering before us, and even Elain frowned in distaste. But the young woman took a breath, her face again becoming serene, and said,“I lived in such ignorance, too, until I heard the Word of the Blessed. I grew up in a village so similar to this— so bleak and grim. But not one month ago, a friend of my cousin went to the border as our offering to Prythian— and she has not been sent back. Now she dwells in riches and comfort as a High Fae’s bride, and so might you, if you were to take a moment to—”“She was likely eaten,” Nesta said.“That’s why she hasn’t returned.” Or worse, I thought, if a High Fae truly was involved in spiriting a human into Prythian. I’d never encountered the cruel, human- looking High Fae who ruled Prythian itself, or the faeries who occupied their lands, with their scales and wings and long, spindly arms that could drag you deep, deep beneath the surface of a forgotten pond. I didn’t know which would be worse to face. The acolyte’s face tightened.“Our benevolent masters would never harm us. Prythian is a land of peace and plenty. Should they bless you with their attention, you would be glad to live amongst them.” Nesta rolled her eyes. Elain was:Previous Entities: |Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J| ::: Now she dwells in riches and comfort as a High Fae’s bride, ",Nesta.F “Shall I jinx him?,198549,198563,True,600:Zacharias Smith.M,"- Potions lesson did nothing to dispel his trepidation, as Snape was as unpleasant as ever. His mood was further lowered by the D.A. members constantly approaching him in the corridors between classes, askinghopefully if there would be a meeting that night.“I’ll let you know in the usual way when the next one is,” Harry said over and over again,“but I can’t do it tonight, I’ve got to go to- er- remedial Potions.”“You take remedial Potions!” asked Zacharias Smith superciliously, having cornered Harry in the Entrance Hall after lunch.“Good Lord, you must be terrible. Snape doesn’t usually give extra lessons, does he?” As Smith strode away in an annoyingly buoyant fashion, Ron glared after him.“Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here,” he said, raising his wand and taking aim between Smith’s shoulder blades.“Forget it,” said Harry dismally.“It’s what everyone’s going to think, isn’t it? That I’m really stup—”“Hi, Harry,” said a voice behind him. He turned round and found Cho standing there.“Oh,” said Harry as his stomach leapt uncomfortably.“Hi.”“We’ll be in the library, Harry,” said Hermione firmly as she seized Ron above the elbow and dragged him off towards the marble staircase.“Had a good Christmas?” asked Cho.“Yeah, not bad,” said Harry.“Mine was pretty quiet,” said Cho. For some reason, she was looking rather",Zacharias Smith,"The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair","- Potions lesson did nothing to dispel his trepidation, as Snape was as unpleasant as ever. His mood was further lowered by the D.A. members constantly approaching him in the corridors between classes, askinghopefully if there would be a meeting that night.“I’ll let you know in the usual way when the next one is,” Harry said over and over again,“but I can’t do it tonight, I’ve got to go to- er- remedial Potions.”“You take remedial Potions!” asked Zacharias Smith superciliously, having cornered Harry in the Entrance Hall after lunch.“Good Lord, you must be terrible. Snape doesn’t usually give extra lessons, does he?” As Smith strode away in an annoyingly buoyant fashion, Ron glared after him.“Shall I jinx him? I can still get him from here,” he said, raising his wand and taking aim between Smith’s shoulder blades.“Forget it,” said Harry dismally.“It’s what everyone’s going to think, isn’t it? That I’m really stup—”“Hi, Harry,” said a voice behind him. He turned round and found Cho standing there.“Oh,” said Harry as his stomach leapt uncomfortably.“Hi.”“We’ll be in the library, Harry,” said Hermione firmly as she seized Ron above the elbow and dragged him off towards the marble staircase.“Had a good Christmas?” asked Cho.“Yeah, not bad,” said Harry.“Mine was pretty quiet,” said Cho. For some reason, she was looking rather:Previous Entities: |The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair| ::: “Shall I jinx him? ",Ron.M "I go up,""",11721,11726,True,465:the elevator.?,","" said the elevator sweetly,"" I am to be your elevator for this trip to the floor of your choice. I have been designed by the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation to take you, the visitor to the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, into these their offices. If you enjoy your ride, which will be swift and pleasurable, then you may care to experience some of the other elevators which have recently been installed in the offices of the Galactic tax department, Boobiloo Baby Foods and the Sirian State Mental Hospital, where many ex- Sirius Cybernetics Corporation executives will be delighted to welcome your visits, sympathy, and happy tales of the outside world."""" Yeah,"" said Zaphod, stepping into it,"" what else do you do besides talk?"""" I go up,"" said the elevator,"" or down."""" Good,"" said Zaphod,"" We're going up."""" Or down,"" the elevator reminded him."" Yeah, OK, up please."" There was a moment of silence."" Down's very nice,"" suggested the elevator hopefully."" Oh yeah?"""" Super."""" Good,"" said Zaphod,"" Now will you take us up?"""" May I ask you,"" inquired the elevator in its sweetest, most reasonable voice,"" if you've considered all the possibilities that down might offer you?"" Zaphod knocked one of his heads against the inside wall. He didn't need this, he thought to himself, this of all things he had no need of",the elevator,"one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator",","" said the elevator sweetly,"" I am to be your elevator for this trip to the floor of your choice. I have been designed by the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation to take you, the visitor to the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, into these their offices. If you enjoy your ride, which will be swift and pleasurable, then you may care to experience some of the other elevators which have recently been installed in the offices of the Galactic tax department, Boobiloo Baby Foods and the Sirian State Mental Hospital, where many ex- Sirius Cybernetics Corporation executives will be delighted to welcome your visits, sympathy, and happy tales of the outside world."""" Yeah,"" said Zaphod, stepping into it,"" what else do you do besides talk?"""" I go up,"" said the elevator,"" or down."""" Good,"" said Zaphod,"" We're going up."""" Or down,"" the elevator reminded him."" Yeah, OK, up please."" There was a moment of silence."" Down's very nice,"" suggested the elevator hopefully."" Oh yeah?"""" Super."""" Good,"" said Zaphod,"" Now will you take us up?"""" May I ask you,"" inquired the elevator in its sweetest, most reasonable voice,"" if you've considered all the possibilities that down might offer you?"" Zaphod knocked one of his heads against the inside wall. He didn't need this, he thought to himself, this of all things he had no need of:Previous Entities: |one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator| ::: I go up,"" ",the elevator.?> ' What is it?',23781,23786,True,821:The manservant.M,"for you, you're expendable. Irish tourists on holiday, you'll fit right in.'' Lucky us. What leads do we have?' Holly slid a disk into the console.' Foaly stuck his Retimager on the goblin prisoner. Apparently he has seen this human.' The captain brought up a mugshot on the screen.' Foaly got a match on his Interpol files. Luc Carrere. Disbarred attorney, does a bit of PI work.' She printed off a card.' Here's his address. He just moved to a swanky new apartment. It could be nothing, but at least we have somewhere to start. I need you to immobilize him, and show him this.' Holly handed the bodyguard what looked like a diver's watch.' What is it?' asked the manservant.' Just a com screen. You put it in front of Carrere's face and I can mesmerize the truth out of him from down here. It also contains one of Foaly's doodahs: a personal shield. The Safetynet. A prototype, you'll be delighted to know. You have the honour of testing it. Touch the screen, and the micro- reactor generates a two- metre diameter sphere of tri- phased light. No good for solids, but laser bursts or concussion shocks are OK.'' Hmm,' said Butler doubtfully.' We don't get a lot of laser bursts above ground.'' Hey, don't use it. Do I care?' Butler studied the tiny instrument.' One- metre radius?",The manservant,"Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant","for you, you're expendable. Irish tourists on holiday, you'll fit right in.'' Lucky us. What leads do we have?' Holly slid a disk into the console.' Foaly stuck his Retimager on the goblin prisoner. Apparently he has seen this human.' The captain brought up a mugshot on the screen.' Foaly got a match on his Interpol files. Luc Carrere. Disbarred attorney, does a bit of PI work.' She printed off a card.' Here's his address. He just moved to a swanky new apartment. It could be nothing, but at least we have somewhere to start. I need you to immobilize him, and show him this.' Holly handed the bodyguard what looked like a diver's watch.' What is it?' asked the manservant.' Just a com screen. You put it in front of Carrere's face and I can mesmerize the truth out of him from down here. It also contains one of Foaly's doodahs: a personal shield. The Safetynet. A prototype, you'll be delighted to know. You have the honour of testing it. Touch the screen, and the micro- reactor generates a two- metre diameter sphere of tri- phased light. No good for solids, but laser bursts or concussion shocks are OK.'' Hmm,' said Butler doubtfully.' We don't get a lot of laser bursts above ground.'' Hey, don't use it. Do I care?' Butler studied the tiny instrument.' One- metre radius?:Previous Entities: |Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant| ::: ' What is it?' ",Butler. you moron.,85094,85140,True,2485:a magician.?,"That we're never going back home. This is our home now.'' But you said...'' I know. I said that the spell would end, and we would be sucked back to where we came from. And who knows, it may even be true. But I have no idea what will actually happen. All I know is that for as long as we are here, I intend to be in charge.' Basset was stunned.' There will be no great battle? But we've been training for so long.'' Distraction,' said Abbot, waving his fingers like a magician.' Smoke and spells. It gave the troops something to concentrate on.'' To what on?' asked Basset, puzzled.' Concentrate, you moron. Think about. As long as there's a war to be planned, demons are happy. I provided the war, and I showed them how to win. So, naturally, I am a saviour.'' You gave us the crossbow.' Abbot had to stop and laugh. This Basset really was a prize fool. He could almost pass for a gnome.' The crossbow,' he panted at last, when his mirth had petered away.' The crossbow! The Mud Men have weapons that shoot death. They have iron birds that fly, dropping exploding eggs. And there are millions of them. Millions! All they would have to do is drop one egg on our little island and we would disappear. And this time, there would be no coming back.' Basset did not know whether to attack or flee. All these revelations were hurting his brain, and all the other Council members could do was sit there drooling. It was almost as if they were",a magician,"Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician","That we're never going back home. This is our home now.'' But you said...'' I know. I said that the spell would end, and we would be sucked back to where we came from. And who knows, it may even be true. But I have no idea what will actually happen. All I know is that for as long as we are here, I intend to be in charge.' Basset was stunned.' There will be no great battle? But we've been training for so long.'' Distraction,' said Abbot, waving his fingers like a magician.' Smoke and spells. It gave the troops something to concentrate on.'' To what on?' asked Basset, puzzled.' Concentrate, you moron. Think about. As long as there's a war to be planned, demons are happy. I provided the war, and I showed them how to win. So, naturally, I am a saviour.'' You gave us the crossbow.' Abbot had to stop and laugh. This Basset really was a prize fool. He could almost pass for a gnome.' The crossbow,' he panted at last, when his mirth had petered away.' The crossbow! The Mud Men have weapons that shoot death. They have iron birds that fly, dropping exploding eggs. And there are millions of them. Millions! All they would have to do is drop one egg on our little island and we would disappear. And this time, there would be no coming back.' Basset did not know whether to attack or flee. All these revelations were hurting his brain, and all the other Council members could do was sit there drooling. It was almost as if they were:Previous Entities: |Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician| ::: you moron. ",Abbot.M “Poor thing.,102586,102599,True,3078:the river god.?,"Piper had to fight back a whimper. She hadn’t told Achelous anything about that.“H- how—?”“River gods know many things,” he said.“Alas, you are focusing on the wrong story. If you had made it to Rome, the story of the flood would have served you better.”“Piper?” Jason asked.“What’s he talking about?” Her thoughts were suddenly as jumbled as kaleidoscope glass. The story of the flood… If you had made it to Rome.“I— I’m not sure,” she said, though the mention of a flood story rang a distant bell.“Achelous, I don’t understand—”“No, you don’t,” the river god sympathized.“Poor thing. Another girl stuck with a son of Zeus.”“Wait a minute,” Jason said.“It’s Jupiter, actually. And how does that make her a poor thing?” Achelous ignored him.“My girl, do you know the cause of my fight with Hercules?”“It was over a woman,” Piper recalled.“Deianira?”“Yes.” Achelous heaved a sigh.“And do you know what happened to her?”“Uh…” Piper glanced at Jason. He took out his guidebook and began flipping through pages.“It doesn’t really—” Achelous snorted indignantly.“What is that?” Jason blinked.“Just… The Hercules Guide to Mare Nostrum. He gave us the guidebook so—”“That is not a book,” Achelous insisted",the river god,"a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god","Piper had to fight back a whimper. She hadn’t told Achelous anything about that.“H- how—?”“River gods know many things,” he said.“Alas, you are focusing on the wrong story. If you had made it to Rome, the story of the flood would have served you better.”“Piper?” Jason asked.“What’s he talking about?” Her thoughts were suddenly as jumbled as kaleidoscope glass. The story of the flood… If you had made it to Rome.“I— I’m not sure,” she said, though the mention of a flood story rang a distant bell.“Achelous, I don’t understand—”“No, you don’t,” the river god sympathized.“Poor thing. Another girl stuck with a son of Zeus.”“Wait a minute,” Jason said.“It’s Jupiter, actually. And how does that make her a poor thing?” Achelous ignored him.“My girl, do you know the cause of my fight with Hercules?”“It was over a woman,” Piper recalled.“Deianira?”“Yes.” Achelous heaved a sigh.“And do you know what happened to her?”“Uh…” Piper glanced at Jason. He took out his guidebook and began flipping through pages.“It doesn’t really—” Achelous snorted indignantly.“What is that?” Jason blinked.“Just… The Hercules Guide to Mare Nostrum. He gave us the guidebook so—”“That is not a book,” Achelous insisted:Previous Entities: |a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god| ::: “Poor thing. ","Piper.F Achelous.M Jason.M Hercules.M Deianira.F" "before the end of the week,",6587,6687,True,414:the master.M,"such lessons as they had and then locked themselves in their rooms.“I will sir,” said the teacher. He consulted the list in his hand.“What is your name, boy?” he continued.“Prince Pteppic of the Old Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Sun,” said Teppic easily.“I appreciate you are ignorant of the etiquette, but you should not call me sir, and you should touch the ground with your forehead when you address me.”“Pateppic, is it?” said the master.“No. Pteppic.”“Ah. Teppic,” said the master, and ticked off a name on his list. He gave Teppic a generous smile.“Well, now, your majesty,” he said,“I am Grunworth Nivor, your housemaster. You are in Viper House. To my certain knowledge there are at least eleven Kingdoms of the Sun on the Disc and, before the end of the week, you will present me with a short essay detailing their geographical location, political complexion, capital city or principal seat of government, and a suggested route into the bedchamber of the head of state of your choice. However, in all the world there is only one Viper House. Good morning to you, boy.” He turned away and homed in on another cowering pupil.“He’s not a bad sort,” said a voice behind Teppic.“Anyway, all the stuff’s in the library. I’ll show you if you like. I’m Chidder.” Teppic turned. He was being addressed by a boy of about his own age and height, whose black suit— plain black, for First Years— looked as though it had been nailed onto him in bits. The youth was holding out a hand. Teppic gave it a polite glance.“Yes?” he said.“What’s your name, kiddo?” Teppic drew himself up. He was getting fed up with this treatment.“Kiddo? I’ll have you know the blood of pharaohs runs in",the master,"The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master","such lessons as they had and then locked themselves in their rooms.“I will sir,” said the teacher. He consulted the list in his hand.“What is your name, boy?” he continued.“Prince Pteppic of the Old Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Sun,” said Teppic easily.“I appreciate you are ignorant of the etiquette, but you should not call me sir, and you should touch the ground with your forehead when you address me.”“Pateppic, is it?” said the master.“No. Pteppic.”“Ah. Teppic,” said the master, and ticked off a name on his list. He gave Teppic a generous smile.“Well, now, your majesty,” he said,“I am Grunworth Nivor, your housemaster. You are in Viper House. To my certain knowledge there are at least eleven Kingdoms of the Sun on the Disc and, before the end of the week, you will present me with a short essay detailing their geographical location, political complexion, capital city or principal seat of government, and a suggested route into the bedchamber of the head of state of your choice. However, in all the world there is only one Viper House. Good morning to you, boy.” He turned away and homed in on another cowering pupil.“He’s not a bad sort,” said a voice behind Teppic.“Anyway, all the stuff’s in the library. I’ll show you if you like. I’m Chidder.” Teppic turned. He was being addressed by a boy of about his own age and height, whose black suit— plain black, for First Years— looked as though it had been nailed onto him in bits. The youth was holding out a hand. Teppic gave it a polite glance.“Yes?” he said.“What’s your name, kiddo?” Teppic drew himself up. He was getting fed up with this treatment.“Kiddo? I’ll have you know the blood of pharaohs runs in:Previous Entities: |The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master| ::: before the end of the week, ","Teppic.M Grunworth Nivor.M Chidder.M" “The other governors are all reporting the same problems.,75492,75513,True,72:the Hilltop Bastion.?,"soldiers. Timothy was there again, seated directly across from the governor.“We can’t control them,” Meredith said.“Something is wrong. They aren’t normal. They’re killing people for scraps of food.”“Basic predatory instinct,” Timothy said.“The scientists who designed the chambers and created this place are all dead now, but I understood enough from their notes to tell you that these hybrids are not like you and me. They underwent genetic modifications to help them survive in hostile conditions.”“They are monsters,” Meredith began to say.“They weren’t supposed to be woken for five hundred years,” Timothy said.“You’ve opened Pandora’s box.”“We all have,” Meredith said coldly.“The other governors are all reporting the same problems. We just lost contact with the communal in Hades.” Magnolia’s eyes widened behind her visor as she looked at Rodger.“Hades,” she said.“That’s where…”“I had my suspicions that they would be different,” Timothy continued,“but not like this. I’m sorry, but there’s only one thing to do: a complete cleanse.” The holograms faded away and were quickly replaced by a scene inside a stairwell. A makeshift barricade of chairs and desks blocked the passage. Soldiers fired their weapons as they escorted Governor Meredith down the stairs. It was obvious to Rodger that the cleanse had failed, but watching it unfold was still horrifying, especially knowing he had just walked down the same stairwell. The governor held a radio to her lips.“We’re low on food and",the Hilltop Bastion,"Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion","soldiers. Timothy was there again, seated directly across from the governor.“We can’t control them,” Meredith said.“Something is wrong. They aren’t normal. They’re killing people for scraps of food.”“Basic predatory instinct,” Timothy said.“The scientists who designed the chambers and created this place are all dead now, but I understood enough from their notes to tell you that these hybrids are not like you and me. They underwent genetic modifications to help them survive in hostile conditions.”“They are monsters,” Meredith began to say.“They weren’t supposed to be woken for five hundred years,” Timothy said.“You’ve opened Pandora’s box.”“We all have,” Meredith said coldly.“The other governors are all reporting the same problems. We just lost contact with the communal in Hades.” Magnolia’s eyes widened behind her visor as she looked at Rodger.“Hades,” she said.“That’s where…”“I had my suspicions that they would be different,” Timothy continued,“but not like this. I’m sorry, but there’s only one thing to do: a complete cleanse.” The holograms faded away and were quickly replaced by a scene inside a stairwell. A makeshift barricade of chairs and desks blocked the passage. Soldiers fired their weapons as they escorted Governor Meredith down the stairs. It was obvious to Rodger that the cleanse had failed, but watching it unfold was still horrifying, especially knowing he had just walked down the same stairwell. The governor held a radio to her lips.“We’re low on food and:Previous Entities: |Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion| ::: “The other governors are all reporting the same problems. ",Governor Meredith.F "Senator Morton is not exactly Mel Gibson,",92812,92887,True,600:Debbie.F,"and... oh, lots of others. And he has directed famous movies, too. Edgar is just the best.” She paused.“And not too crazy. Really.” Across from the camera, Senator John Morton stood patiently while four people fussed with his tie, his jacket, his hair, his makeup. Morton was wearing a suit. He was standing under a tree with the rolling golf course and the skyscrapers of Beverly Hills in the background. The production crew had laid down a strip of carpet for him to walk on as he approached the camera. I said,“And how is the senator?” Debbie nodded.“Pretty good. I think he has a shot.” Connor said,“You mean a chance for the presidency?”“Yeah. Especially if Edgar can do his magic. I mean, let’s face it, Senator Morton is not exactly Mel Gibson, you know what I mean? He’s got a big nose, and he’s a little bald, and those freckles are a problem because they photograph so prominently. They distract you from his eyes. And the eyes are what sell a candidate.”“The eyes,” Connor said.“Oh, yeah. People get elected on their eyes.” She shrugged, as if it was common knowledge.“But if the senator puts himself in Edgar’s hands... Edgar is a great artist. He can make, it happen.” Edgar Lynn walked past us, huddled with the cameraman.“Christ, clean up the luggage under his eyes,” Lynn said.“And get the chin. Finn that chin with a hard inky low and up.”“Okay,” the cameraman said. The production assistant excused herself and we waited, watching. Senator Morton was still some distance away, being worked over by the makeup and wardrobe people.“Mr. Connor? Mr. Smith?” I turned",Debbie,"a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn","and... oh, lots of others. And he has directed famous movies, too. Edgar is just the best.” She paused.“And not too crazy. Really.” Across from the camera, Senator John Morton stood patiently while four people fussed with his tie, his jacket, his hair, his makeup. Morton was wearing a suit. He was standing under a tree with the rolling golf course and the skyscrapers of Beverly Hills in the background. The production crew had laid down a strip of carpet for him to walk on as he approached the camera. I said,“And how is the senator?” Debbie nodded.“Pretty good. I think he has a shot.” Connor said,“You mean a chance for the presidency?”“Yeah. Especially if Edgar can do his magic. I mean, let’s face it, Senator Morton is not exactly Mel Gibson, you know what I mean? He’s got a big nose, and he’s a little bald, and those freckles are a problem because they photograph so prominently. They distract you from his eyes. And the eyes are what sell a candidate.”“The eyes,” Connor said.“Oh, yeah. People get elected on their eyes.” She shrugged, as if it was common knowledge.“But if the senator puts himself in Edgar’s hands... Edgar is a great artist. He can make, it happen.” Edgar Lynn walked past us, huddled with the cameraman.“Christ, clean up the luggage under his eyes,” Lynn said.“And get the chin. Finn that chin with a hard inky low and up.”“Okay,” the cameraman said. The production assistant excused herself and we waited, watching. Senator Morton was still some distance away, being worked over by the makeup and wardrobe people.“Mr. Connor? Mr. Smith?” I turned:Previous Entities: |a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn| ::: Senator Morton is not exactly Mel Gibson, ","Debbie.F Senator John Morton.M Edgar Lynn.M Connor.M" Augur.,19639,19655,True,442:Jacob.?,"ancestor Augustus. And you know how he united the Romans?’‘ He seized power and became emperor,’ Mike rumbled. Octavian waved aside the comment.‘ Nonsense. He saved Rome by becoming First Citizen. He wanted peace and prosperity, not power! Believe me, Mike, I intend to follow his example. I will save New Rome and, when I do, I will remember my friends.’ Mike shifted his considerable bulk.‘ You sound certain. Has your gift of prophecy–’ Octavian held up his hand in warning. He glanced at Jacob the eagle bearer, who was still standing at attention behind him.‘ Jacob, you’re dismissed. Why don’t you go polish the eagle or something?’ Jacob’s shoulders slumped in relief.‘ Yes, Augur. I mean Centurion! I mean Pontifex! I mean–’‘ Go.’‘ I’ll go.’ Once Jacob had hobbled off, Octavian’s face clouded.‘ Mike, I told you not to speak of my, ah, problem. But to answer your question: no, there still seems to be some interference with Apollo’s usual gift to me.’ He glanced resentfully at a pile of mutilated stuffed animals heaped in the corner of the porch.‘ I can’t see the future. Perhaps that false Oracle at Camp Half- Blood is working some sort of witchcraft. But as I’ve told you before, in strictest confidence, Apollo spoke to me clearly last year at Camp Jupiter! He personally blessed my endeavours. He promised I would be remembered as the saviour of the Romans.’ Octavian spread his arms",Jacob,"Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob","ancestor Augustus. And you know how he united the Romans?’‘ He seized power and became emperor,’ Mike rumbled. Octavian waved aside the comment.‘ Nonsense. He saved Rome by becoming First Citizen. He wanted peace and prosperity, not power! Believe me, Mike, I intend to follow his example. I will save New Rome and, when I do, I will remember my friends.’ Mike shifted his considerable bulk.‘ You sound certain. Has your gift of prophecy–’ Octavian held up his hand in warning. He glanced at Jacob the eagle bearer, who was still standing at attention behind him.‘ Jacob, you’re dismissed. Why don’t you go polish the eagle or something?’ Jacob’s shoulders slumped in relief.‘ Yes, Augur. I mean Centurion! I mean Pontifex! I mean–’‘ Go.’‘ I’ll go.’ Once Jacob had hobbled off, Octavian’s face clouded.‘ Mike, I told you not to speak of my, ah, problem. But to answer your question: no, there still seems to be some interference with Apollo’s usual gift to me.’ He glanced resentfully at a pile of mutilated stuffed animals heaped in the corner of the porch.‘ I can’t see the future. Perhaps that false Oracle at Camp Half- Blood is working some sort of witchcraft. But as I’ve told you before, in strictest confidence, Apollo spoke to me clearly last year at Camp Jupiter! He personally blessed my endeavours. He promised I would be remembered as the saviour of the Romans.’ Octavian spread his arms:Previous Entities: |Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob| ::: Augur. ",Octavian.M room four- thirteen…”,49527,49544,True,2360:The older lawyer.M,"”“Attorney’s here.” The cop pushed Brad down a hallway and into a small room. There was an older man in a pinstripe suit and a younger kid in a Dodgers jacket, sitting at a table with a laptop. The kid had thick horn- rim glasses, which made him look like an owl, or Harry Potter or something. They both stood up, shook his hand. He didn’t catch their names. But he knew they were from his uncle’s law firm.“What’s going on here?” he said. The older lawyer opened a folder.“Her name is Kelly Chin,” he said.“You met her at a soccer game, you came on to her—”“I came on to her?”“And then you took her to the Westview Plaza Hotel, room four- thirteen…”“You don’t have this story right…”“And once in the room you had oral, genital, and anal sex with her. And she’s sixteen.”“Christ,” he said.“It never happened.” The older attorney just stared at him.“You’re in very deep shit, my friend.”“I’m telling you it never happened.”“I see. The two of you were photographed on hotel security cameras in the lobby and again in the elevator. Hallway cameras on the fourth floor recorded you with Miss Chin as you entered room four- thirteen. You were there one hour and seven minutes. Then she left by herself.”“Yeah, sure, but—”“She was crying in the elevator",The older lawyer,"The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer","”“Attorney’s here.” The cop pushed Brad down a hallway and into a small room. There was an older man in a pinstripe suit and a younger kid in a Dodgers jacket, sitting at a table with a laptop. The kid had thick horn- rim glasses, which made him look like an owl, or Harry Potter or something. They both stood up, shook his hand. He didn’t catch their names. But he knew they were from his uncle’s law firm.“What’s going on here?” he said. The older lawyer opened a folder.“Her name is Kelly Chin,” he said.“You met her at a soccer game, you came on to her—”“I came on to her?”“And then you took her to the Westview Plaza Hotel, room four- thirteen…”“You don’t have this story right…”“And once in the room you had oral, genital, and anal sex with her. And she’s sixteen.”“Christ,” he said.“It never happened.” The older attorney just stared at him.“You’re in very deep shit, my friend.”“I’m telling you it never happened.”“I see. The two of you were photographed on hotel security cameras in the lobby and again in the elevator. Hallway cameras on the fourth floor recorded you with Miss Chin as you entered room four- thirteen. You were there one hour and seven minutes. Then she left by herself.”“Yeah, sure, but—”“She was crying in the elevator:Previous Entities: |The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer| ::: room four- thirteen…” ",The older lawyer.M "“And that these owls are commanded by him,",23376,23391,True,231:Ifghar.M,"the keeper. I found out that skog means not only‘ telling’ but‘ keeping.’”“Well what in Glaux’s name is she keeping or telling up there?” Gylfie asked.“Us,” Soren said quietly.“She’s telling about us. What we’re doing here. Why we have come. But I wish I knew the end of the story.” Soren sighed. Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows of a distant cliff on Dark Fowl Island, a raggedy old Whiskered Screech Owl perched. At his feet, a snake coiled.“You mean to say that my brother still lives?” This was at least the hundredth time in two days that Ifghar had asked this question.“Yes.” Gragg nodded with infinite patience.“And that these owls are commanded by him, for some… some…” Ifghar tried to arrange his thoughts. It had been such a long time since he had felt that there was anything worth thinking, let alone speaking about.“An invasion,” Gragg prompted.“An invasion of what?”“I’m not sure. Something called the canyonlands that are being held by some force called the Pure Ones.”“I thought Lyze had stopped fighting. Hung up his claws.”“He’s not doing the fighting. Those owls out there are. And they’re trying to recruit owls and snakes from the Kielian League.”“Hrrruh!” Ifghar made a growling sound.“Good luck,” he said acidly. This is good! This is good! Gragg thought. He’s feeling something. It had been years",Ifghar,"Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar","the keeper. I found out that skog means not only‘ telling’ but‘ keeping.’”“Well what in Glaux’s name is she keeping or telling up there?” Gylfie asked.“Us,” Soren said quietly.“She’s telling about us. What we’re doing here. Why we have come. But I wish I knew the end of the story.” Soren sighed. Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows of a distant cliff on Dark Fowl Island, a raggedy old Whiskered Screech Owl perched. At his feet, a snake coiled.“You mean to say that my brother still lives?” This was at least the hundredth time in two days that Ifghar had asked this question.“Yes.” Gragg nodded with infinite patience.“And that these owls are commanded by him, for some… some…” Ifghar tried to arrange his thoughts. It had been such a long time since he had felt that there was anything worth thinking, let alone speaking about.“An invasion,” Gragg prompted.“An invasion of what?”“I’m not sure. Something called the canyonlands that are being held by some force called the Pure Ones.”“I thought Lyze had stopped fighting. Hung up his claws.”“He’s not doing the fighting. Those owls out there are. And they’re trying to recruit owls and snakes from the Kielian League.”“Hrrruh!” Ifghar made a growling sound.“Good luck,” he said acidly. This is good! This is good! Gragg thought. He’s feeling something. It had been years:Previous Entities: |Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar| ::: “And that these owls are commanded by him, ",Ifghar.M "mistress,’",49625,49636,True,195:Nearly Big Angus.?,"looked, too,’ said Nearly Big Angus.‘ Aye, she did that. But she’d put‘ em on, and then standing in the middle o’ the floor and said– whut wuz it she said, Nearly Big Angus?’‘“See me”,’ Nearly Big Angus volunteered. Miss Level looked blank. The speaker, now looking a bit sorry that he’d raised this, went on:‘ Then after a wee while we’d hear her voice say“See me not” and then she’d adjust the hat, ye know, mebbe to a more fetchin’ angle.’‘ Oh, you mean she was looking at herself in what we call a mirror,’ said Miss Level.‘ That’s a kind of—’‘ We ken well what them things are, mistress,’ said Nearly Big Angus.‘ She’s got a tiny one, all cracked and dirty. But it’s nae good for a body as wants tae see herself properly.’‘ Verra good for the stealin’, mirrors,’ said Rob Anybody.‘ We got oor Jeannie a silver one wi’ garnets in the frame.’‘ And she’d say“See me”?’ said Miss Level.‘ Aye, an’ then“See me not”,’ said Big Yan.‘ An’ betweentimes she’d stand verra still, like a stachoo.’‘ Sounds like she was trying to invent some kind of invisibility spell,’ Miss Level mused.‘ They don’t work like that, of course.’‘ We reckoned she was just tryin",Nearly Big Angus,"Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus","looked, too,’ said Nearly Big Angus.‘ Aye, she did that. But she’d put‘ em on, and then standing in the middle o’ the floor and said– whut wuz it she said, Nearly Big Angus?’‘“See me”,’ Nearly Big Angus volunteered. Miss Level looked blank. The speaker, now looking a bit sorry that he’d raised this, went on:‘ Then after a wee while we’d hear her voice say“See me not” and then she’d adjust the hat, ye know, mebbe to a more fetchin’ angle.’‘ Oh, you mean she was looking at herself in what we call a mirror,’ said Miss Level.‘ That’s a kind of—’‘ We ken well what them things are, mistress,’ said Nearly Big Angus.‘ She’s got a tiny one, all cracked and dirty. But it’s nae good for a body as wants tae see herself properly.’‘ Verra good for the stealin’, mirrors,’ said Rob Anybody.‘ We got oor Jeannie a silver one wi’ garnets in the frame.’‘ And she’d say“See me”?’ said Miss Level.‘ Aye, an’ then“See me not”,’ said Big Yan.‘ An’ betweentimes she’d stand verra still, like a stachoo.’‘ Sounds like she was trying to invent some kind of invisibility spell,’ Miss Level mused.‘ They don’t work like that, of course.’‘ We reckoned she was just tryin:Previous Entities: |Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus| ::: mistress,’ ",Miss Level. "There’s just me,",21850,21923,True,971:the Miss Level on the right.?,"’m a bit more complicated than that, I suppose, because–’‘– I’m one person with two bodies,’ said the first Miss Level, and now they spoke like players in a tennis match, slamming the words back and forth.‘ I wanted to break this to you–’‘– gently, because some people get upset by the–’‘– idea and find it creepy or–’‘– just plain–’‘– weird.’ The two bodies stopped.‘ Sorry about that last sentence,’ said the Miss Level on the left.‘ I only do that when I’m really nervous.’‘ Er, do you mean that you both—’ Tiffany began, but the Miss Level on the right said quickly,‘ There is no both. There’s just me, do you understand? I know it’s hard. But I have a right right hand and a right left hand and a left right hand and a left left hand. It’s all me. I can go shopping and stay home at the same time, Tiffany. If it helps, think of me as one–’‘– person with four arms and–’‘– four legs and–’‘– four eyes.’ All four of those eyes now watched Tiffany nervously.‘ And two noses,’ said Tiffany.‘ That’s right. You’ve got it. My right body is slightly clumsier than my left body, but I have better eyesight in my right pair of eyes. I’m human, just like you, except that there’s more of me.’‘ But one of you– that is, one half of you– came all the way to Twoshirts for me,’ said Tiffany.‘ Oh yes, I can split up like that,’ said Miss Level.‘ I’m quite good at it. But if there’s a gap of more",the Miss Level on the right,"John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level","’m a bit more complicated than that, I suppose, because–’‘– I’m one person with two bodies,’ said the first Miss Level, and now they spoke like players in a tennis match, slamming the words back and forth.‘ I wanted to break this to you–’‘– gently, because some people get upset by the–’‘– idea and find it creepy or–’‘– just plain–’‘– weird.’ The two bodies stopped.‘ Sorry about that last sentence,’ said the Miss Level on the left.‘ I only do that when I’m really nervous.’‘ Er, do you mean that you both—’ Tiffany began, but the Miss Level on the right said quickly,‘ There is no both. There’s just me, do you understand? I know it’s hard. But I have a right right hand and a right left hand and a left right hand and a left left hand. It’s all me. I can go shopping and stay home at the same time, Tiffany. If it helps, think of me as one–’‘– person with four arms and–’‘– four legs and–’‘– four eyes.’ All four of those eyes now watched Tiffany nervously.‘ And two noses,’ said Tiffany.‘ That’s right. You’ve got it. My right body is slightly clumsier than my left body, but I have better eyesight in my right pair of eyes. I’m human, just like you, except that there’s more of me.’‘ But one of you– that is, one half of you– came all the way to Twoshirts for me,’ said Tiffany.‘ Oh yes, I can split up like that,’ said Miss Level.‘ I’m quite good at it. But if there’s a gap of more:Previous Entities: |John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level| ::: There’s just me, ",Tiffany. “We should never have left our parents!”,12166,12175,True,163:Flint.?,"their rapidly increasing heartbeats. He didn’t want to wait much longer. Now was the time. He slowed his flight and spiraled down and then began to hover. It was perfect timing as the cloud cover parted and a misty trail of moonlight slipped through the trees.“Nyra!” one of them screamed.“Not Nyra! Her hagsfiend’s come to curse you.” And then Coryn let loose with a terrifying shree. Your gizzards are a- wobble, Your gall grot turned to mush. I shall take you all to hagsmire And rip out all your guts. I shall make you my slaves, Condemn you to shame, Unless you learn to play My great and evil game.“My Glaux! My Glaux! Save us!” Flint was gasping.“We should never have left our parents!”“It’s not my fault. I was snatched!” The three Barn Owls were fleeing, spiraling upward in flight. They could not leave their post quickly enough. It had worked! CHAPTER NINE The Egg Restored Coryn tore off the scarves of moss. The great ruse had worked better than he had ever dreamed. He lighted down at the base of the tree and carefully cleared away the leaves from the shallow pit. There was the egg, perfectly round and gleaming white, with still a little bit of dirt from The Barrens stuck to its shell. Ever so cautiously, Coryn wrapped his talons around the precious egg. Then he spread his wings and, with a powerful upstroke followed by a downstroke, lifted off the ground. He felt bad that he could not save",Flint,"Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint","their rapidly increasing heartbeats. He didn’t want to wait much longer. Now was the time. He slowed his flight and spiraled down and then began to hover. It was perfect timing as the cloud cover parted and a misty trail of moonlight slipped through the trees.“Nyra!” one of them screamed.“Not Nyra! Her hagsfiend’s come to curse you.” And then Coryn let loose with a terrifying shree. Your gizzards are a- wobble, Your gall grot turned to mush. I shall take you all to hagsmire And rip out all your guts. I shall make you my slaves, Condemn you to shame, Unless you learn to play My great and evil game.“My Glaux! My Glaux! Save us!” Flint was gasping.“We should never have left our parents!”“It’s not my fault. I was snatched!” The three Barn Owls were fleeing, spiraling upward in flight. They could not leave their post quickly enough. It had worked! CHAPTER NINE The Egg Restored Coryn tore off the scarves of moss. The great ruse had worked better than he had ever dreamed. He lighted down at the base of the tree and carefully cleared away the leaves from the shallow pit. There was the egg, perfectly round and gleaming white, with still a little bit of dirt from The Barrens stuck to its shell. Ever so cautiously, Coryn wrapped his talons around the precious egg. Then he spread his wings and, with a powerful upstroke followed by a downstroke, lifted off the ground. He felt bad that he could not save:Previous Entities: |Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint| ::: “We should never have left our parents!” ",Flint.M and you got all kinds of strangers and travellers passing through all the time.,12319,12366,True,625:Tiffany ’s father.M,"together. In those days, Seth was a drover, driving the flocks all the way to the big city sometimes. It wasn’t the kind of job you needed much learning for, and it might be that some of the sheep were a bit brighter than he was, but it was a job that needed doing, and he picked up a wage and no one thought the worse of him for that. The trouble was, that meant he left Molly alone for weeks at a time, and…’ Tiffany’s father paused here, looking embarrassed.‘ I know what you’re going to tell me,’ said Tiffany, to help him out, but he took care to ignore this.‘ It’s not that she was a bad girl,’ he said.‘ It’s just that she never really understood what it was all about, and there wasn’t anyone to tell her, and you got all kinds of strangers and travellers passing through all the time. Quite handsome chaps, some of them.’ Tiffany took pity on him, sitting there looking miserable, embarrassed about telling his little girl things his little girl shouldn’t know. So she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek again.‘ I know, Dad, I really do know. Amber isn’t actually his daughter, right?’‘ Well, I never said that, did I? She might be,’ said her father awkwardly. And that would be the trick, wouldn’t it, Tiffany thought. Maybe if Seth Petty had known one way or the other, he might have come to terms with the perhaps. Maybe. You never know. But he didn’t know, either, and there would be some days when he thought he did know and some days when he thought the worst.",Tiffany ’s father,"HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father","together. In those days, Seth was a drover, driving the flocks all the way to the big city sometimes. It wasn’t the kind of job you needed much learning for, and it might be that some of the sheep were a bit brighter than he was, but it was a job that needed doing, and he picked up a wage and no one thought the worse of him for that. The trouble was, that meant he left Molly alone for weeks at a time, and…’ Tiffany’s father paused here, looking embarrassed.‘ I know what you’re going to tell me,’ said Tiffany, to help him out, but he took care to ignore this.‘ It’s not that she was a bad girl,’ he said.‘ It’s just that she never really understood what it was all about, and there wasn’t anyone to tell her, and you got all kinds of strangers and travellers passing through all the time. Quite handsome chaps, some of them.’ Tiffany took pity on him, sitting there looking miserable, embarrassed about telling his little girl things his little girl shouldn’t know. So she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek again.‘ I know, Dad, I really do know. Amber isn’t actually his daughter, right?’‘ Well, I never said that, did I? She might be,’ said her father awkwardly. And that would be the trick, wouldn’t it, Tiffany thought. Maybe if Seth Petty had known one way or the other, he might have come to terms with the perhaps. Maybe. You never know. But he didn’t know, either, and there would be some days when he thought he did know and some days when he thought the worst.:Previous Entities: |HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father| ::: and you got all kinds of strangers and travellers passing through all the time. ",Tiffany.F “that I find you attractive?”,136850,136857,True,2876:I’m.M,",“Maybe I’ll send a few to Tarquin— with an offer to wear them for him if he forgives us. Maybe he’ll take those blood rubies right back.” His mouth barely, barely tugged up at the corners.“He’d see that as a taunt.”“I gave him a few smiles and he handed over a family heirloom. I bet he’d give me the keys to his territory if I showed up wearing those undergarments.”“Someone thinks mighty highly of herself.”“Why shouldn’t I? You seem to have difficulty not staring at me day and night.” There it was— a kernel of truth and a question.“Am I supposed to deny,” he drawled, but something sparked in those eyes,“that I find you attractive?”“You’ve never said it.”“I’ve told you many times, and quite frequently, how attractive I find you.” I shrugged, even as I thought of all those times— when I’d dismissed them as teasing compliments, nothing more.“Well, maybe you should do a better job of it.” The gleam in his eyes turned into something predatory. A thrill went through me as he braced his powerful arms on the table and purred,“Is that a challenge, Feyre?” I held that predator’s gaze— the gaze of the most powerful male in Prythian.“Is it?” His pupils flared. Gone was the quiet sadness, the isolated guilt. Only that lethal focus— on me. On my mouth. On",I’m,"the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m",",“Maybe I’ll send a few to Tarquin— with an offer to wear them for him if he forgives us. Maybe he’ll take those blood rubies right back.” His mouth barely, barely tugged up at the corners.“He’d see that as a taunt.”“I gave him a few smiles and he handed over a family heirloom. I bet he’d give me the keys to his territory if I showed up wearing those undergarments.”“Someone thinks mighty highly of herself.”“Why shouldn’t I? You seem to have difficulty not staring at me day and night.” There it was— a kernel of truth and a question.“Am I supposed to deny,” he drawled, but something sparked in those eyes,“that I find you attractive?”“You’ve never said it.”“I’ve told you many times, and quite frequently, how attractive I find you.” I shrugged, even as I thought of all those times— when I’d dismissed them as teasing compliments, nothing more.“Well, maybe you should do a better job of it.” The gleam in his eyes turned into something predatory. A thrill went through me as he braced his powerful arms on the table and purred,“Is that a challenge, Feyre?” I held that predator’s gaze— the gaze of the most powerful male in Prythian.“Is it?” His pupils flared. Gone was the quiet sadness, the isolated guilt. Only that lethal focus— on me. On my mouth. On:Previous Entities: |the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m| ::: “that I find you attractive?” ","This quote clearly combines elements of flirtation with some strategic teasing and an underlying power dynamic. The characters involved seem to be engaging in a playful yet intense exchange where attraction and seduction intertwine with their goals and positions of power. The mention of ""Tarquin"" and ""blood rubies"" suggests political intrigue and possible manipulation alongside personal connections. ""Maybe I’ll send a few to Tarquin—with an offer to wear them for him if he forgives us. Maybe he’ll take those blood rubies right back."" This statement could be interpreted as a bold, perhaps reckless taunt that challenges Tarquin's authority or tests his resolve. It mixes the allure of personal attraction with the stakes of political alliance or rivalry. When he mentions, ""He’d see that as a taunt,"" it shows an awareness of the potential consequences of such actions, implying a depth of strategic thinking about relationships and power dynamics. ""I gave him a few smiles and he handed over a family heirloom. I bet he’d give me the keys to his territory if I showed up wearing those undergarments."" This line highlights how personal charm and seduction are used as tools in their world, not just for personal gain but possibly for significant political advantage. The conversation shifts to a more personal interaction where attraction is openly acknowledged, yet wrapped in competitive banter. ""Am I supposed to deny that I find you attractive?"" When he says this, it's both a confirmation of his feelings and a rhetorical challenge, adding layers of tension and anticipation to their dialogue. ""Is that a challenge, Feyre?"" Here, the dynamic deepens with the naming of 'Feyre,' directly addressing her and adding a personalized, intense edge to their interaction. This is not just flirtation; it is a challenge that could shift their relationship and power dynamics dramatically. This exchange of dialogue encapsulates a complex interplay of flirtation, power, strategy, and personal attraction, all set against a backdrop of larger political and magical stakes. Such an interaction suggests that relationships in this narrative are multifaceted, imbued with both personal desire and broader implications for power and control." "our time together is short,’",13259,13269,True,384:Juno.?,", we need your help. We–’ Jason tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. His insides felt like they were being twirled on a giant spaghetti fork. Piper kept him from falling over.‘ First things first,’ she said.‘ Jason is hurt. Heal him!’ The goddess knitted her eyebrows. Her form shimmered unsteadily.‘ Some things even the gods can not heal,’ she said.‘ This wound touches your soul as well as your body. You must fight it, Jason Grace… you must survive.’‘ Yeah, thanks,’ he said, his mouth dry.‘ I’m trying.’‘ What do you mean, the wound touches his soul?’ Piper demanded.‘ Why can’t you–’‘ My heroes, our time together is short,’ Juno said.‘ I am grateful that you called upon me. I have spent weeks in a state of pain and confusion… my Greek and Roman natures warring against each other. Worse, I’ve been forced to hide from Jupiter, who searches for me in his misguided wrath, believing that I caused this war with Gaia.’‘ Gee,’ Annabeth said,‘ why would he think that?’ Juno flashed her an irritated look.‘ Fortunately, this place is sacred to me. By clearing away those ghosts, you have purified it and given me a moment of clarity. I will be able to speak with you– if only briefly.’‘ Why is it sacred…?’ Piper’s eyes widened.‘ Oh. The marriage bed!’",Juno,"The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno",", we need your help. We–’ Jason tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. His insides felt like they were being twirled on a giant spaghetti fork. Piper kept him from falling over.‘ First things first,’ she said.‘ Jason is hurt. Heal him!’ The goddess knitted her eyebrows. Her form shimmered unsteadily.‘ Some things even the gods can not heal,’ she said.‘ This wound touches your soul as well as your body. You must fight it, Jason Grace… you must survive.’‘ Yeah, thanks,’ he said, his mouth dry.‘ I’m trying.’‘ What do you mean, the wound touches his soul?’ Piper demanded.‘ Why can’t you–’‘ My heroes, our time together is short,’ Juno said.‘ I am grateful that you called upon me. I have spent weeks in a state of pain and confusion… my Greek and Roman natures warring against each other. Worse, I’ve been forced to hide from Jupiter, who searches for me in his misguided wrath, believing that I caused this war with Gaia.’‘ Gee,’ Annabeth said,‘ why would he think that?’ Juno flashed her an irritated look.‘ Fortunately, this place is sacred to me. By clearing away those ghosts, you have purified it and given me a moment of clarity. I will be able to speak with you– if only briefly.’‘ Why is it sacred…?’ Piper’s eyes widened.‘ Oh. The marriage bed!’:Previous Entities: |The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno| ::: our time together is short,’ ",Juno.F "scowvane,",17107,17114,True,681:The orderly.M,"baby just screamed.... Half an hour later, she went into convulsions. They started while one of the white- coated consultants was bent over her, examining her. Her little body wrenched and twisted. She made retching sounds as if she was trying to vomit. Her legs jerked spastically. She began to wheeze. Her eyes rolled up into her head. I don’t remember what I said or did then, but a big orderly the size of a football player came in and pushed me to one side of the cubicle and held my arms. I looked past his huge shoulder as six people clustered around my daughter; a nurse wearing a Bart Simpson T- shirt was sticking a needle into her forehead. I began to shout and struggle. The orderly was yelling,“Scowvane, scowvane, scowvane,” over and over. Finally I realized he was saying“Scalp vein.” He explained it was just to start an IV, that the baby had become dehydrated. That was why she was convulsing. I heard talk of electrolytes, magnesium, potassium. Anyway, the convulsions stopped in a few seconds. But she continued to scream. I called Julia. She was awake.“How is she?”“The same.”“Still crying? Is that her?”“Yes.” She could hear Amanda in the background.“Oh God.” She groaned.“What are they saying it is?”“They don’t know yet.”“Oh, the poor baby.”“There have been about fifty doctors in here to look at",The orderly,"her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician","baby just screamed.... Half an hour later, she went into convulsions. They started while one of the white- coated consultants was bent over her, examining her. Her little body wrenched and twisted. She made retching sounds as if she was trying to vomit. Her legs jerked spastically. She began to wheeze. Her eyes rolled up into her head. I don’t remember what I said or did then, but a big orderly the size of a football player came in and pushed me to one side of the cubicle and held my arms. I looked past his huge shoulder as six people clustered around my daughter; a nurse wearing a Bart Simpson T- shirt was sticking a needle into her forehead. I began to shout and struggle. The orderly was yelling,“Scowvane, scowvane, scowvane,” over and over. Finally I realized he was saying“Scalp vein.” He explained it was just to start an IV, that the baby had become dehydrated. That was why she was convulsing. I heard talk of electrolytes, magnesium, potassium. Anyway, the convulsions stopped in a few seconds. But she continued to scream. I called Julia. She was awake.“How is she?”“The same.”“Still crying? Is that her?”“Yes.” She could hear Amanda in the background.“Oh God.” She groaned.“What are they saying it is?”“They don’t know yet.”“Oh, the poor baby.”“There have been about fifty doctors in here to look at:Previous Entities: |her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician| ::: scowvane, ",The orderly.M “Creep!”,136991,136994,True,1465:the others.?,"the rose bushes with no help from her. Can’t work up any dignity getting up to your feet with your ass full of thorns. And there’s at least a hundred people watching him. And any minute, security guards. And the black monkey- looking kid is gone. Can’t see him anywhere. Vasco realizes that he’s got to get out of there. It’s finished; it’s a fucking disaster. Dolly is still frozen like the fucking Statue of Liberty, so he starts pushing her, yelling at her to get moving, that they have to leave. All the other women in the garden start booing and hissing. Some old broad in a leotard screams,“Testosterone poisoning!” And the others are yelling,“Leave her alone!”“Creep!”“Abuser!” He wants to yell back,“She works for me!” but of course, she doesn’t anymore. She’s dazed and bewildered. And by now the leotard broads are screaming for the police. So it’s only going to get worse. Dolly is so slow; she might be sleepwalking. Vasco has to get out. He pushes past her, moving through the garden at a half- trot, his only thought now to get away, get out of this place. In the next garden he sees the kid standing with some guy, and in front of the two of them he sees the broad Alex, and she’s holding a fucking sawed- off twelve- gauge like she knows how to use it— hand on the stock,",the others,"An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler","the rose bushes with no help from her. Can’t work up any dignity getting up to your feet with your ass full of thorns. And there’s at least a hundred people watching him. And any minute, security guards. And the black monkey- looking kid is gone. Can’t see him anywhere. Vasco realizes that he’s got to get out of there. It’s finished; it’s a fucking disaster. Dolly is still frozen like the fucking Statue of Liberty, so he starts pushing her, yelling at her to get moving, that they have to leave. All the other women in the garden start booing and hissing. Some old broad in a leotard screams,“Testosterone poisoning!” And the others are yelling,“Leave her alone!”“Creep!”“Abuser!” He wants to yell back,“She works for me!” but of course, she doesn’t anymore. She’s dazed and bewildered. And by now the leotard broads are screaming for the police. So it’s only going to get worse. Dolly is so slow; she might be sleepwalking. Vasco has to get out. He pushes past her, moving through the garden at a half- trot, his only thought now to get away, get out of this place. In the next garden he sees the kid standing with some guy, and in front of the two of them he sees the broad Alex, and she’s holding a fucking sawed- off twelve- gauge like she knows how to use it— hand on the stock,:Previous Entities: |An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler| ::: “Creep!” ",The woman standing in the doorway.F I won’t even go into it.”,1070,1116,True,190:nest - maids.?,"here, ma’am.” Mrs. Plithiver, the old blind snake who had been with the owl family for years and years, slithered into the hollow. Blind snakes, born without eyes, served as nest- maids and were kept by many owls to make sure the nests were clean and free of maggots and various insects that found their way into the hollows.“Mrs. P., no maggots or vermin in that corner where Noctus put in fresh down.”“‘ Course not, ma’am. Now, how many broods of owlets have I been through with you?”“Oh, sorry, Mrs. P. How could I have ever doubted you? I’m always nervous at the hatching. Each one is just like the first time. I never get used to it.”“Don’t you apologize, ma’am. You think any other birds would care two whits if their nest was clean? The stories I’ve heard about seagulls! Oh, my goodness! Well, I won’t even go into it.” Blind snakes prided themselves on working for owls, whom they considered the noblest of birds. Meticulous, the blind snakes had great disdain for other birds that they felt were less clean due to their unfortunate digestive processes that caused them to eliminate only sloppy wet droppings instead of nice neat bundles— the pellets that owls yarped, or spit up. Although owls did digest the soft parts of their food in a manner similar to other birds, and indeed passed it in a liquid form, for some reason they were never associated with these lesser digestive processes. All the fur and bones and tiny teeth of their prey, like mice, that could not be digested in the ordinary way were pressed into little pellets just the shape and size of the owl’s gizzard. Several hours after eating,",nest - maids,"Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","here, ma’am.” Mrs. Plithiver, the old blind snake who had been with the owl family for years and years, slithered into the hollow. Blind snakes, born without eyes, served as nest- maids and were kept by many owls to make sure the nests were clean and free of maggots and various insects that found their way into the hollows.“Mrs. P., no maggots or vermin in that corner where Noctus put in fresh down.”“‘ Course not, ma’am. Now, how many broods of owlets have I been through with you?”“Oh, sorry, Mrs. P. How could I have ever doubted you? I’m always nervous at the hatching. Each one is just like the first time. I never get used to it.”“Don’t you apologize, ma’am. You think any other birds would care two whits if their nest was clean? The stories I’ve heard about seagulls! Oh, my goodness! Well, I won’t even go into it.” Blind snakes prided themselves on working for owls, whom they considered the noblest of birds. Meticulous, the blind snakes had great disdain for other birds that they felt were less clean due to their unfortunate digestive processes that caused them to eliminate only sloppy wet droppings instead of nice neat bundles— the pellets that owls yarped, or spit up. Although owls did digest the soft parts of their food in a manner similar to other birds, and indeed passed it in a liquid form, for some reason they were never associated with these lesser digestive processes. All the fur and bones and tiny teeth of their prey, like mice, that could not be digested in the ordinary way were pressed into little pellets just the shape and size of the owl’s gizzard. Several hours after eating,:Previous Entities: |Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: I won’t even go into it.” ",Mrs. Plithiver.F "“We should give up,”",39511,39517,True,144:Dink.M,". He was husky, with a small head, and kind of looked like... well, a large two- liter soda bottle."" Someone get me something to drink,” I barked to my honor guard, then walked up to the soda- pop triplets."" You're my advisers?""“We are,"" said soda- can woman."" I'm Mink, the large fellow to my right is Dink, and the man to my left is Wink."""" Mink, Dink, and wink,"" I said, voice flat.(Like soda that's been left out too long.)"" No relation,"" Dink added."" Thanks for clearing that up,” I said.“All right, advise me.""“We should give up,” Dink said."" Good speech,"" Mink added,"" but it sounded too much like a rock ballad."""" That jacket looks good on you,” Wink said."" Er, thank you, Wink,” I said, confused."" Oh, Wink got caught in an unfortunate Librarian disharmony grenade,"" Mink added.“Messed up his brain a little bit. He gives great advice... it’s just not always on the topic you want at the moment.”"" Never get involved in a land war in Asia,” Wink added."" Great,"" I said."" So you think there’s no way out of this?”"" The dome is going to crack soon,” Dink said, shaking his head.""",Dink,"Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink",". He was husky, with a small head, and kind of looked like... well, a large two- liter soda bottle."" Someone get me something to drink,” I barked to my honor guard, then walked up to the soda- pop triplets."" You're my advisers?""“We are,"" said soda- can woman."" I'm Mink, the large fellow to my right is Dink, and the man to my left is Wink."""" Mink, Dink, and wink,"" I said, voice flat.(Like soda that's been left out too long.)"" No relation,"" Dink added."" Thanks for clearing that up,” I said.“All right, advise me.""“We should give up,” Dink said."" Good speech,"" Mink added,"" but it sounded too much like a rock ballad."""" That jacket looks good on you,” Wink said."" Er, thank you, Wink,” I said, confused."" Oh, Wink got caught in an unfortunate Librarian disharmony grenade,"" Mink added.“Messed up his brain a little bit. He gives great advice... it’s just not always on the topic you want at the moment.”"" Never get involved in a land war in Asia,” Wink added."" Great,"" I said."" So you think there’s no way out of this?”"" The dome is going to crack soon,” Dink said, shaking his head."":Previous Entities: |Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink| ::: “We should give up,” ",Dink.M "You don't understand.""",107223,107229,True,3006:the makeup woman.F,", in case you change your mind,"" the makeup woman said, using the powder puff."" Hmm. I better get some base on that, to take the blue out."" She turned back to her box, got a piece of sponge with makeup on it. She began to daub it onto Casey's neck."" I can't tell you how much I see, in my line of work, and the woman always denies it. But domestic violence has to be stopped."" Casey said,"" I live alone."""" I know, I know,"" the makeup woman said."" Men count on your silence. My own husband, Jeez, he wouldn't go into counseling. I finally left with the kids."" Casey said,"" You don't understand."""" I understand that when this violence is going on, you think there's nothing you can do. That's part of the depression, the hopelessness,"" the makeup woman said."" But sooner or later, we all face the truth."" Malone came over."" Did Marty tell you? We're mostly doing the accident, and he'll probably start with that. But he may mention the China sale, and the unions. Just take your time. And don't worry if he jumps around from one thing to another. He does that."""" Look right,"" the makeup woman said, doing the other side of her neck. Casey turned to the right. A man came over and said,"" Ma'am? Can I give you this?",the makeup woman,"Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman",", in case you change your mind,"" the makeup woman said, using the powder puff."" Hmm. I better get some base on that, to take the blue out."" She turned back to her box, got a piece of sponge with makeup on it. She began to daub it onto Casey's neck."" I can't tell you how much I see, in my line of work, and the woman always denies it. But domestic violence has to be stopped."" Casey said,"" I live alone."""" I know, I know,"" the makeup woman said."" Men count on your silence. My own husband, Jeez, he wouldn't go into counseling. I finally left with the kids."" Casey said,"" You don't understand."""" I understand that when this violence is going on, you think there's nothing you can do. That's part of the depression, the hopelessness,"" the makeup woman said."" But sooner or later, we all face the truth."" Malone came over."" Did Marty tell you? We're mostly doing the accident, and he'll probably start with that. But he may mention the China sale, and the unions. Just take your time. And don't worry if he jumps around from one thing to another. He does that."""" Look right,"" the makeup woman said, doing the other side of her neck. Casey turned to the right. A man came over and said,"" Ma'am? Can I give you this?:Previous Entities: |Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman| ::: You don't understand."" ",Casey.F "but a cutting of Devil’s Snare which,",205399,205485,True,4080:a spokeswizard for the hospital.?,"fold ed back page ten of the newspaper and handed it to Harry and Ron. TRAGIC DEMISE OF MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER St. Mungo’s Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted- plant. Healers called to the scene were unable to revive Mr. Bode, who had been injured in a workplace accident some weeks prior to his death. Healer Miriam Strout, who was in charge of Mr. Bodes ward at the time of the incident, has been suspended on full pay and was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a spokeswizard for the hospital said in a statement:“St. Mungo’s deeply regrets the death of Mr. Bode, whose health was improving steadily prior to this tragic accident.“We have strict guidelines on the decorations permitted on our wards but it appears that Healer Strout, busy over the Christmas period, overlooked the dangers of the plant on Mr. Bode’s bedside table. As his speech and mobility improved, Healer Strout encouraged Mr. Bode to look after the plant himself, unaware that it was not an innocent Flitterbloom, but a cutting of Devil’s Snare which, when touched by the convalescent Mr. Bode, throttled him instantly.“St. Mungo’s is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward.”“Bode…” said Ron.“Bode. It rings a bell…”“We saw him,” Hermione whispered.“In St. Mungo’s, remember? He was in the bed opposite Lockhart’s, just lying there, staring at the ceiling. And we saw the Devil’s Snare arrive. She- the Healer- said it was a Christmas present.” Harry looked back at the story. A feeling of horror was rising like bile in his throat.“How come we didn’t recognize Devils Snare? We’ve seen it before… we could’ve stopped this from happening.”“",a spokeswizard for the hospital,"Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital","fold ed back page ten of the newspaper and handed it to Harry and Ron. TRAGIC DEMISE OF MINISTRY OF MAGIC WORKER St. Mungo’s Hospital promised a full inquiry last night after Ministry of Magic worker Broderick Bode, 49, was discovered dead in his bed, strangled by a potted- plant. Healers called to the scene were unable to revive Mr. Bode, who had been injured in a workplace accident some weeks prior to his death. Healer Miriam Strout, who was in charge of Mr. Bodes ward at the time of the incident, has been suspended on full pay and was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a spokeswizard for the hospital said in a statement:“St. Mungo’s deeply regrets the death of Mr. Bode, whose health was improving steadily prior to this tragic accident.“We have strict guidelines on the decorations permitted on our wards but it appears that Healer Strout, busy over the Christmas period, overlooked the dangers of the plant on Mr. Bode’s bedside table. As his speech and mobility improved, Healer Strout encouraged Mr. Bode to look after the plant himself, unaware that it was not an innocent Flitterbloom, but a cutting of Devil’s Snare which, when touched by the convalescent Mr. Bode, throttled him instantly.“St. Mungo’s is as yet unable to account for the presence of the plant on the ward and asks any witch or wizard with information to come forward.”“Bode…” said Ron.“Bode. It rings a bell…”“We saw him,” Hermione whispered.“In St. Mungo’s, remember? He was in the bed opposite Lockhart’s, just lying there, staring at the ceiling. And we saw the Devil’s Snare arrive. She- the Healer- said it was a Christmas present.” Harry looked back at the story. A feeling of horror was rising like bile in his throat.“How come we didn’t recognize Devils Snare? We’ve seen it before… we could’ve stopped this from happening.”“:Previous Entities: |Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital| ::: but a cutting of Devil’s Snare which, ",Healer Miriam Strout.F "but it is made of plastic,”",22446,22460,True,252:Topri.M,"only light had come from a dim yellow torch supported on a stick driven into the crumbling mud wall. The Fremen’s first words had filled Siona with misgivings.“Have you brought the money?” Both Topri and Siona had risen at his entry. Topri did not appear bothered by the question. He tapped the pouch beneath his robe, making it jingle.“I have the money right here.” The Fremen was a wizened figure, crabbed and bent, wearing a copy of the old Fremen robes and some glistening garment underneath, probably their version of a stillsuit. His hood was drawn forward, shading his features. The torchlight sent shadows dancing across his face. He peered first at Topri then at Siona before removing an object wrapped in cloth from beneath his robe.“It is a true copy, but it is made of plastic,” he said.“It will not cut cold grease.” He pulled the blade from its wrappings then and held it up. Siona, who had seen crysknives only in museums and in the rare old visual recordings of her family’s archives, had found herself oddly gripped by the sight of the blade in this setting. She felt something atavistic working on her and imagined this poor Museum Fremen with his plastic crysknife as a real Fremen of the old days. The thing he held was suddenly a silver- bladed crysknife shimmering in the yellow shadows.“I guarantee the authenticity of the blade from which we copied it,” the Fremen said. He spoke in a low voice, somehow made menacing by its lack of emphasis. Siona heard it then, the way he carried his",Topri,"Topri, Luli, the masked woman","only light had come from a dim yellow torch supported on a stick driven into the crumbling mud wall. The Fremen’s first words had filled Siona with misgivings.“Have you brought the money?” Both Topri and Siona had risen at his entry. Topri did not appear bothered by the question. He tapped the pouch beneath his robe, making it jingle.“I have the money right here.” The Fremen was a wizened figure, crabbed and bent, wearing a copy of the old Fremen robes and some glistening garment underneath, probably their version of a stillsuit. His hood was drawn forward, shading his features. The torchlight sent shadows dancing across his face. He peered first at Topri then at Siona before removing an object wrapped in cloth from beneath his robe.“It is a true copy, but it is made of plastic,” he said.“It will not cut cold grease.” He pulled the blade from its wrappings then and held it up. Siona, who had seen crysknives only in museums and in the rare old visual recordings of her family’s archives, had found herself oddly gripped by the sight of the blade in this setting. She felt something atavistic working on her and imagined this poor Museum Fremen with his plastic crysknife as a real Fremen of the old days. The thing he held was suddenly a silver- bladed crysknife shimmering in the yellow shadows.“I guarantee the authenticity of the blade from which we copied it,” the Fremen said. He spoke in a low voice, somehow made menacing by its lack of emphasis. Siona heard it then, the way he carried his:Previous Entities: |Topri, Luli, the masked woman| ::: but it is made of plastic,” ",Topri.M "“Okay,",98257,98274,True,3335:The detective.?,"how he got here. Forgive me if I feel you’re maybe leaving something out.”“I am.”“Okay.” Perry took out his notebook.“Go ahead.”“The guy’s a private detective.”“I know that.”“You do?” Evans said.“The paramedics checked his pockets, found a license in his wallet. Go on.”“He told me he had been hired by a client of mine.”“Uh- huh. Which client is that?” Perry was writing.“I can’t tell you that,” Evans said. He looked up from his pad.“Mr. Evans—”“I’m sorry. That’s privileged.” The detective gave a long sigh.“Okay, so this guy is a private investigator hired by a client of yours.”“Right,” Evans said.“The investigator contacted me and said he wanted to see me, to give me something.”“To give you something?”“Right.”“He didn’t want to give it to the client?”“He couldn’t.”“Because?”“The client is, uh, unavailable.”“I see. So he came to you instead?”“Yes. And he was a bit paranoid, and wanted to meet me in my apartment.”“So you left the door to your apartment open for him.”“Yes.”“Some guy you’d never seen before?”“Yes, well, I knew he was working for my client.”“How did you know",The detective,"Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective","how he got here. Forgive me if I feel you’re maybe leaving something out.”“I am.”“Okay.” Perry took out his notebook.“Go ahead.”“The guy’s a private detective.”“I know that.”“You do?” Evans said.“The paramedics checked his pockets, found a license in his wallet. Go on.”“He told me he had been hired by a client of mine.”“Uh- huh. Which client is that?” Perry was writing.“I can’t tell you that,” Evans said. He looked up from his pad.“Mr. Evans—”“I’m sorry. That’s privileged.” The detective gave a long sigh.“Okay, so this guy is a private investigator hired by a client of yours.”“Right,” Evans said.“The investigator contacted me and said he wanted to see me, to give me something.”“To give you something?”“Right.”“He didn’t want to give it to the client?”“He couldn’t.”“Because?”“The client is, uh, unavailable.”“I see. So he came to you instead?”“Yes. And he was a bit paranoid, and wanted to meet me in my apartment.”“So you left the door to your apartment open for him.”“Yes.”“Some guy you’d never seen before?”“Yes, well, I knew he was working for my client.”“How did you know:Previous Entities: |Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective| ::: “Okay, ",Perry.M "it is no trouble,",22363,22396,True,792:the Masked Owl.?,"would be most appreciative.”“Ah, the MacDuncans. Yes, a fine clan, one of the oldest,” the Masked Owl said.“They were hunting here a few days ago and then I heard they’d gone up into the region of the Pennvault River. That is their territory up there. So that’s where you might find them.”“Well, that’s very kind of you. Now, might you direct me to this territory of the Pennvault River?”“I’d be more than happy to accompany you there.”“Oh, that won’t be necessary at all!” She didn’t want this sooty old thing going with her. He was shedding grime and fine ash over her lustrous white spots even as he spoke.“Madame, it is no trouble, I assure you. I am going there myself. I had heard rumors of an old friend of mine being with the MacDuncans.”“Oh,” Otulissa said softly. She was flummoxed. What was she to do? It was a free country. An owl could fly anywhere he or she wanted to. Well, she would just not talk to him. Give him a bit of the cold feather, not out- and- out rudeness, but she would maintain a certain quietness that would suggest both dignity and mystery. Of course, for Otulissa to remain quiet was almost a physical impossibility. She began yakking away as soon as they lifted off for the MacDuncan territory.“Now, tell me about this smell business with dire wolves. What’s all this scent marking about?” No sooner did Gwyndor answer one question than she popped out another.“And do they use it offensively, would",the Masked Owl,"Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl","would be most appreciative.”“Ah, the MacDuncans. Yes, a fine clan, one of the oldest,” the Masked Owl said.“They were hunting here a few days ago and then I heard they’d gone up into the region of the Pennvault River. That is their territory up there. So that’s where you might find them.”“Well, that’s very kind of you. Now, might you direct me to this territory of the Pennvault River?”“I’d be more than happy to accompany you there.”“Oh, that won’t be necessary at all!” She didn’t want this sooty old thing going with her. He was shedding grime and fine ash over her lustrous white spots even as he spoke.“Madame, it is no trouble, I assure you. I am going there myself. I had heard rumors of an old friend of mine being with the MacDuncans.”“Oh,” Otulissa said softly. She was flummoxed. What was she to do? It was a free country. An owl could fly anywhere he or she wanted to. Well, she would just not talk to him. Give him a bit of the cold feather, not out- and- out rudeness, but she would maintain a certain quietness that would suggest both dignity and mystery. Of course, for Otulissa to remain quiet was almost a physical impossibility. She began yakking away as soon as they lifted off for the MacDuncan territory.“Now, tell me about this smell business with dire wolves. What’s all this scent marking about?” No sooner did Gwyndor answer one question than she popped out another.“And do they use it offensively, would:Previous Entities: |Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl| ::: it is no trouble, ","Otulissa.F Masked Owl.M Gwyndor.M " “It is my pleasure.”,66383,66389,True,93:The AI.?,"and relaxed in her harness.“The shit never ends,” she muttered. Timothy’s hologram reemerged in the center of the small cargo hold, his hands clasped behind his back. Michael coughed again and spat on the ground.“How in the hell did you find us?”“I received your transmissions but was unable to reply due to the electrical interference. I traced your last SOS. It appears I found you right in the…” He paused and brought a finger to the bottom of his close- cropped beard.“… in the nick of time, I believe is how the phrase goes.”“All that matters is you came back for us,” Rodger said.“Thank you, Timothy.” The AI dipped his head politely.“It is my pleasure.”“Yeah, thanks, Timothy,” Michael said,“but we’re not out of this just yet. Can you put together a damage report?” He staggered across the hold to his helmet and armor. Layla held his arm to keep him steady. The Klaxon had shut off, but the female voice continued to repeat,“Threat level critical.”“One moment,” Timothy said.“What are we supposed to do now?” Magnolia asked as the hologram disappeared again.“Let’s wait to hear how bad the damage is before we start worrying about what to do next,” Michael said.“Several secondary systems are offline,” Timothy announced.“Lightning strikes damaged the stern. Several areas require patching.” The divers gathered around",The AI,"Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan","and relaxed in her harness.“The shit never ends,” she muttered. Timothy’s hologram reemerged in the center of the small cargo hold, his hands clasped behind his back. Michael coughed again and spat on the ground.“How in the hell did you find us?”“I received your transmissions but was unable to reply due to the electrical interference. I traced your last SOS. It appears I found you right in the…” He paused and brought a finger to the bottom of his close- cropped beard.“… in the nick of time, I believe is how the phrase goes.”“All that matters is you came back for us,” Rodger said.“Thank you, Timothy.” The AI dipped his head politely.“It is my pleasure.”“Yeah, thanks, Timothy,” Michael said,“but we’re not out of this just yet. Can you put together a damage report?” He staggered across the hold to his helmet and armor. Layla held his arm to keep him steady. The Klaxon had shut off, but the female voice continued to repeat,“Threat level critical.”“One moment,” Timothy said.“What are we supposed to do now?” Magnolia asked as the hologram disappeared again.“Let’s wait to hear how bad the damage is before we start worrying about what to do next,” Michael said.“Several secondary systems are offline,” Timothy announced.“Lightning strikes damaged the stern. Several areas require patching.” The divers gathered around:Previous Entities: |Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan| ::: “It is my pleasure.” ",Timothy.M Their coloring,6294,6378,True,929:The fat hand.?,"the Duke’s headed into its jaws. Is it not a magnificent thing that I, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, do?”“Assuredly, Baron,” said the man. His voice came out tenor with a sweet, musical quality. The fat hand descended onto the globe, stopped the spinning. Now, all eyes in the room could focus on the motionless surface and see that it was the kind of globe made for wealthy collectors or planetary governors of the Empire. It had the stamp of Imperial handicraft about it. Latitude and longitude lines were laid in with hair- fine platinum wire. The polar caps were insets of finest cloudmilk diamonds. The fat hand moved, tracing details on the surface.“I invite you to observe,” the basso voice rumbled.“Observe closely, Piter, and you, too, Feyd- Rautha, my darling: from sixty degrees north to seventy degrees south— these exquisite ripples. Their coloring: does it not remind you of sweet caramels? And nowhere do you see blue of lakes or rivers or seas. And these lovely polar caps— so small. Could anyone mistake this place? Arrakis! Truly unique. A superb setting for a unique victory.” A smile touched Piter’s lips.“And to think, Baron: the Padishah Emperor believes he’s given the Duke your spice planet. How poignant.”“That’s a nonsensical statement,” the Baron rumbled.“You say this to confuse young Feyd- Rautha, but it is not necessary to confuse my nephew.” The sullen- faced youth stirred in his chair, smoothed a wrinkle in the black leotards he wore. He sat upright as a discreet tapping sounded at the door in the wall behind him. Piter unfolded from his chair, crossed to the door, cracked it wide enough to accept a message cylinder. He closed the door, unrolled the cylinder and scanned it. A chuckle sounded from him. Another.“Well?” the Baron demanded",The fat hand,"the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand","the Duke’s headed into its jaws. Is it not a magnificent thing that I, the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, do?”“Assuredly, Baron,” said the man. His voice came out tenor with a sweet, musical quality. The fat hand descended onto the globe, stopped the spinning. Now, all eyes in the room could focus on the motionless surface and see that it was the kind of globe made for wealthy collectors or planetary governors of the Empire. It had the stamp of Imperial handicraft about it. Latitude and longitude lines were laid in with hair- fine platinum wire. The polar caps were insets of finest cloudmilk diamonds. The fat hand moved, tracing details on the surface.“I invite you to observe,” the basso voice rumbled.“Observe closely, Piter, and you, too, Feyd- Rautha, my darling: from sixty degrees north to seventy degrees south— these exquisite ripples. Their coloring: does it not remind you of sweet caramels? And nowhere do you see blue of lakes or rivers or seas. And these lovely polar caps— so small. Could anyone mistake this place? Arrakis! Truly unique. A superb setting for a unique victory.” A smile touched Piter’s lips.“And to think, Baron: the Padishah Emperor believes he’s given the Duke your spice planet. How poignant.”“That’s a nonsensical statement,” the Baron rumbled.“You say this to confuse young Feyd- Rautha, but it is not necessary to confuse my nephew.” The sullen- faced youth stirred in his chair, smoothed a wrinkle in the black leotards he wore. He sat upright as a discreet tapping sounded at the door in the wall behind him. Piter unfolded from his chair, crossed to the door, cracked it wide enough to accept a message cylinder. He closed the door, unrolled the cylinder and scanned it. A chuckle sounded from him. Another.“Well?” the Baron demanded:Previous Entities: |the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand| ::: Their coloring ",Their coloring: does it not remind you of sweet caramels? Baron. M "“I’m sorry,",129958,129970,True,4072:The operator.?,"carpet. I picked it up again. There was something on the shelf. A small gray rectangle. I knew at once what it was. It was an eight- millimeter video cassette, with Japanese writing on the label. Elaine said,“Lieutenant? Do you need anything else?” She had her coat on; she was ready to go.“Hang on a minute,” I said. I went to the phone, and called the switchboard downtown. I asked them to connect me to Connor in my car. I waited impatiently. Elaine looked at me.“Just another minute, Elaine,” I said. On the TV, the prince was singing a duet with Sleeping Beauty while birds chirped. Michelle was sucking her thumb. The operator said,“I’m sorry, there is no answer from the car.“Okay,” I said.“Do you have a forwarding number for Captain Connor?” A pause.“He’s not on our active roster.”“I know that. But did he leave a number?”“I don’t have anything, Lieutenant.”“I’m trying to find him.”“Wait a minute.” She put me on hold. I swore. Elaine stood in the front hallway. She was waiting to go. The operator came back on.“Lieutenant? Captain Ellis says that Captain Connor has gone.”“Gone?”“He was here a while ago, but he’s gone now.”“You mean he was downtown?”“Yes, but he’s gone now. I don’t",The operator,"The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator","carpet. I picked it up again. There was something on the shelf. A small gray rectangle. I knew at once what it was. It was an eight- millimeter video cassette, with Japanese writing on the label. Elaine said,“Lieutenant? Do you need anything else?” She had her coat on; she was ready to go.“Hang on a minute,” I said. I went to the phone, and called the switchboard downtown. I asked them to connect me to Connor in my car. I waited impatiently. Elaine looked at me.“Just another minute, Elaine,” I said. On the TV, the prince was singing a duet with Sleeping Beauty while birds chirped. Michelle was sucking her thumb. The operator said,“I’m sorry, there is no answer from the car.“Okay,” I said.“Do you have a forwarding number for Captain Connor?” A pause.“He’s not on our active roster.”“I know that. But did he leave a number?”“I don’t have anything, Lieutenant.”“I’m trying to find him.”“Wait a minute.” She put me on hold. I swore. Elaine stood in the front hallway. She was waiting to go. The operator came back on.“Lieutenant? Captain Ellis says that Captain Connor has gone.”“Gone?”“He was here a while ago, but he’s gone now.”“You mean he was downtown?”“Yes, but he’s gone now. I don’t:Previous Entities: |The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator| ::: “I’m sorry, ",Elaine.F They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago.,39186,39211,True,1802:the man in denim.M,".“Right. I remember reading about them.” Frank glared at him.“Now you remember?” Nico hung his head almost as low as a katobleps.“I, uh… used to play this stupid card game when I was younger. Mythomagic. The katobleps was one of the monster cards.” Frank blinked.“I played Mythomagic. I never saw that card.”“It was in the Africanus Extreme expansion deck.”“Oh.” Their host cleared his throat.“Are you two done, ah, geeking out, as they say?”“Right, sorry,” Nico muttered.“Anyway, katoblepones have poison breath and a poison gaze. I thought they only lived in Africa.” The man in denim shrugged.“That’s their native land. They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago. You’ve heard of Saint Mark?” Frank wanted to scream with frustration. He didn’t see how any of this was relevant, but if their host could heal Hazel, Frank decided maybe it would be best not to make him angry.“Saints? They’re not part of Greek mythology.” The man in denim chuckled.“No, but Saint Mark is the patron saint of this city. He died in Egypt, oh, a long time ago. When the Venetians became powerful… well, the relics of saints were a big tourist attraction back in the Middle Ages. The Venetians decided to steal Saint Mark’s remains and bring them to their big church of San Marco. They smuggled out his body in a barrel of pickled pig parts.”“That’s… disgusting,” Frank said.“",the man in denim,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host",".“Right. I remember reading about them.” Frank glared at him.“Now you remember?” Nico hung his head almost as low as a katobleps.“I, uh… used to play this stupid card game when I was younger. Mythomagic. The katobleps was one of the monster cards.” Frank blinked.“I played Mythomagic. I never saw that card.”“It was in the Africanus Extreme expansion deck.”“Oh.” Their host cleared his throat.“Are you two done, ah, geeking out, as they say?”“Right, sorry,” Nico muttered.“Anyway, katoblepones have poison breath and a poison gaze. I thought they only lived in Africa.” The man in denim shrugged.“That’s their native land. They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago. You’ve heard of Saint Mark?” Frank wanted to scream with frustration. He didn’t see how any of this was relevant, but if their host could heal Hazel, Frank decided maybe it would be best not to make him angry.“Saints? They’re not part of Greek mythology.” The man in denim chuckled.“No, but Saint Mark is the patron saint of this city. He died in Egypt, oh, a long time ago. When the Venetians became powerful… well, the relics of saints were a big tourist attraction back in the Middle Ages. The Venetians decided to steal Saint Mark’s remains and bring them to their big church of San Marco. They smuggled out his body in a barrel of pickled pig parts.”“That’s… disgusting,” Frank said.“:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host| ::: They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago. ",Man in denim.M I can not leave Ogygia.,108293,108317,True,3476:this girl.F,"language.“I’m going to need some more information here,” he said.“You don’t want me in your face, that’s cool. I don’t want to be here either. But I’m not going to go die in a corner. I have to get off this island. There’s got to be a way. Every problem has a fix.” She laughed bitterly.“You haven’t lived very long, if you still believe that.” The way she said it sent a shiver up his back. She looked the same age as him, but he wondered how old she really was.“You said something about a curse,” he prompted. She flexed her fingers, like she was practicing her throat- strangling technique.“Yes. I can not leave Ogygia. My father, Atlas, fought against the gods, and I supported him.”“Atlas,” Leo said.“As in the Titan Atlas?” The girl rolled her eyes.“Yes, you impossible little…” Whatever she was going to say, she bit it back.“I was imprisoned here, where I could cause the Olympians no trouble. About a year ago, after the Second Titan War, the gods vowed to forgive their enemies and offer amnesty. Supposedly Percy made them promise—”“Percy,” Leo said.“Percy Jackson?” She squeezed her eyes shut. A tear trickled down her cheek. Oh, Leo thought.“Percy came here,” he said. She dug her fingers into the soil.“I— I thought I would be released. I dared to hope… but I am",this girl,"Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal","language.“I’m going to need some more information here,” he said.“You don’t want me in your face, that’s cool. I don’t want to be here either. But I’m not going to go die in a corner. I have to get off this island. There’s got to be a way. Every problem has a fix.” She laughed bitterly.“You haven’t lived very long, if you still believe that.” The way she said it sent a shiver up his back. She looked the same age as him, but he wondered how old she really was.“You said something about a curse,” he prompted. She flexed her fingers, like she was practicing her throat- strangling technique.“Yes. I can not leave Ogygia. My father, Atlas, fought against the gods, and I supported him.”“Atlas,” Leo said.“As in the Titan Atlas?” The girl rolled her eyes.“Yes, you impossible little…” Whatever she was going to say, she bit it back.“I was imprisoned here, where I could cause the Olympians no trouble. About a year ago, after the Second Titan War, the gods vowed to forgive their enemies and offer amnesty. Supposedly Percy made them promise—”“Percy,” Leo said.“Percy Jackson?” She squeezed her eyes shut. A tear trickled down her cheek. Oh, Leo thought.“Percy came here,” he said. She dug her fingers into the soil.“I— I thought I would be released. I dared to hope… but I am:Previous Entities: |Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal| ::: I can not leave Ogygia. ",The lady.F "That's your video link with Arthur from Monday.""",84934,84945,True,205:Conley - White.M,""" Conley extended his hand."" Thanks for your candor. I appreciate it."" He turned to go."" One last thing. It'd be very helpful if we had a handle on the Twinkle drive problem by tomorrow."""" I know it,"" Sanders said."" Believe me, we're working on it."" Good."" Conley turned, and left. Cindy came in."" How are you today?"" Nervous."""" What do you need me to do?"""" Pull the data on the Twinkle drives. I want copies of everything I took Meredith Monday night."""" It's on your desk."" He scooped up a stack of folders. On top was a small DAT cartridge."" What's this?"""" That's your video link with Arthur from Monday."" He shrugged, and dropped it in his briefcase. Cindy said,"" Anything else?"""" No."" He glanced at his watch."" I'm late."""" Good luck, Tom,"" she said. He thanked her and left the office. Ariving in morning rush- hour traffic, Sanders realized that the only surprise in his encounter with Conley was how sharp the young lawyer was. As for Meredith, her behavior didn't surprise him at all. For years, Sanders had fought the B- school mentality that she exemplified. After watching these graduates come and go, Sanders had finally concluded that there was a fundamental flaw in their education. They had been trained to believe that they were equipped to manage anything. But there was no such thing as",Conley - White,"Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White",""" Conley extended his hand."" Thanks for your candor. I appreciate it."" He turned to go."" One last thing. It'd be very helpful if we had a handle on the Twinkle drive problem by tomorrow."""" I know it,"" Sanders said."" Believe me, we're working on it."" Good."" Conley turned, and left. Cindy came in."" How are you today?"" Nervous."""" What do you need me to do?"""" Pull the data on the Twinkle drives. I want copies of everything I took Meredith Monday night."""" It's on your desk."" He scooped up a stack of folders. On top was a small DAT cartridge."" What's this?"""" That's your video link with Arthur from Monday."" He shrugged, and dropped it in his briefcase. Cindy said,"" Anything else?"""" No."" He glanced at his watch."" I'm late."""" Good luck, Tom,"" she said. He thanked her and left the office. Ariving in morning rush- hour traffic, Sanders realized that the only surprise in his encounter with Conley was how sharp the young lawyer was. As for Meredith, her behavior didn't surprise him at all. For years, Sanders had fought the B- school mentality that she exemplified. After watching these graduates come and go, Sanders had finally concluded that there was a fundamental flaw in their education. They had been trained to believe that they were equipped to manage anything. But there was no such thing as:Previous Entities: |Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White| ::: That's your video link with Arthur from Monday."" ","Conley.M Sanders.M Cindy.F Arthur.M Meredith.F" Pa?”,41257,41266,True,114:Kanza.F,"Yorick peered over Kanza’s shoulder, and Doon, too, clanked over to see.“There’s words on it,” said Yorick.“Someone else must have written them for her,” Trogg said.“Strange. Why would she want words? Who would be up there anyway?”“So what does it mean, Pa?” asked Kanza. Trogg took the candle from his cap and held it near the paper.“It means,” he said. Then he was silent for a while.“It means she is going away.”“Oh, alas!” cried Minny.“Leaving us? For good?”“Well, who knows?” Trogg said.“Looks like it, though. She’s waving.”“But what about the words, Pa?” asked Kanza.“Pass it over to him,” Trogg said, nodding toward Doon.“He likes to waste his time with words.” Kanza handed Doon the paper. Silently, he read the message.“So?” said Kanza.“What does it say?” With an effort, Doon kept himself from smiling. He could see that Trogg was listening, though he was pretending not to, so he had to think of something fast. He frowned over the words, as if he was having trouble making them out. The curly bits of the drawing were clearly sheep. The person who was dropping supplies from up above must be a shepherd. It did look as if the shepherd was waving goodbye. He thought of making up something that might help",Kanza,"Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny","Yorick peered over Kanza’s shoulder, and Doon, too, clanked over to see.“There’s words on it,” said Yorick.“Someone else must have written them for her,” Trogg said.“Strange. Why would she want words? Who would be up there anyway?”“So what does it mean, Pa?” asked Kanza. Trogg took the candle from his cap and held it near the paper.“It means,” he said. Then he was silent for a while.“It means she is going away.”“Oh, alas!” cried Minny.“Leaving us? For good?”“Well, who knows?” Trogg said.“Looks like it, though. She’s waving.”“But what about the words, Pa?” asked Kanza.“Pass it over to him,” Trogg said, nodding toward Doon.“He likes to waste his time with words.” Kanza handed Doon the paper. Silently, he read the message.“So?” said Kanza.“What does it say?” With an effort, Doon kept himself from smiling. He could see that Trogg was listening, though he was pretending not to, so he had to think of something fast. He frowned over the words, as if he was having trouble making them out. The curly bits of the drawing were clearly sheep. The person who was dropping supplies from up above must be a shepherd. It did look as if the shepherd was waving goodbye. He thought of making up something that might help:Previous Entities: |Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny| ::: Pa?” ",Kanza.F All the driver knew was that Graves was important enough to have a government helicopter fly him in and a government sedan pick him up.,2302,2376,True,379:sir.?,"as bad as a zip code. He opened his early edition of The New York Times and tried to read it. He had tried on the helicopter but had found it impossible to concentrate. He assumed that was because of the noise. And the distractions: when they passed over San Clemente, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, he had been craning his neck, peering out the window like an ordinary tourist. The President was there now, had been for the last week. He looked at the headlines: trouble in the UN, arguments in the German parliament about the mark, Britain and France squabbling... He put the paper aside and stared out the window at Los Angeles, flat and bleak in the early morning light.` Good trip, sir?' the driver asked. It was perfectly said- no inflection, no prying, just detached polite interest. The driver didn't know who Graves was. He didn't know where he had come from. He didn't know what his business was. All the driver knew was that Graves was important enough to have a government helicopter fly him in and a government sedan pick him up.` Fine, thanks.' Graves smiled, staring out the window. In fact the trip had been horrible. Phelps had called him just an hour before and asked him to come up and give a briefing on Wright. That was the way Phelps worked- everything was a crisis, there were no routine activities. It was typical that Phelps hadn't bothered to let Graves know beforehand that he was even in Los Angeles. Although on reflection, Graves knew he should have expected that. With the Republican Convention in San Diego, all the activity of the country had shifted from Washington to the West Coast. The President was in the Western White House in San Clemente; the Convention was eighty miles to the south; and Phelps-what would Phelps do? Obviously, relocate discreetly in",sir,"God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir","as bad as a zip code. He opened his early edition of The New York Times and tried to read it. He had tried on the helicopter but had found it impossible to concentrate. He assumed that was because of the noise. And the distractions: when they passed over San Clemente, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, he had been craning his neck, peering out the window like an ordinary tourist. The President was there now, had been for the last week. He looked at the headlines: trouble in the UN, arguments in the German parliament about the mark, Britain and France squabbling... He put the paper aside and stared out the window at Los Angeles, flat and bleak in the early morning light.` Good trip, sir?' the driver asked. It was perfectly said- no inflection, no prying, just detached polite interest. The driver didn't know who Graves was. He didn't know where he had come from. He didn't know what his business was. All the driver knew was that Graves was important enough to have a government helicopter fly him in and a government sedan pick him up.` Fine, thanks.' Graves smiled, staring out the window. In fact the trip had been horrible. Phelps had called him just an hour before and asked him to come up and give a briefing on Wright. That was the way Phelps worked- everything was a crisis, there were no routine activities. It was typical that Phelps hadn't bothered to let Graves know beforehand that he was even in Los Angeles. Although on reflection, Graves knew he should have expected that. With the Republican Convention in San Diego, all the activity of the country had shifted from Washington to the West Coast. The President was in the Western White House in San Clemente; the Convention was eighty miles to the south; and Phelps-what would Phelps do? Obviously, relocate discreetly in:Previous Entities: |God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir| ::: All the driver knew was that Graves was important enough to have a government helicopter fly him in and a government sedan pick him up. ",Graves.M “The beasts of the woods might smell your friend’s blood and track us right to this cave.”,236978,236998,True,312:Balthazar.M,"that, too.” Nesta’s throat bobbed as she weighed the male’s expression. Glanced to the hidden cave entrance behind him.“I need help carrying her.” They didn’t risk a fire in the cave, but the male, whose name was Balthazar, offered his thick wool cloak to cover Emerie. Nesta slid Emerie into the dead male’s clothing, leaving herself wearing only the leather jacket, and though it went against every instinct, she allowed Balthazar to sit on her other side, his warmth leaking into her chilled body.“When dawn comes, be gone,” Nesta said into the dark of the musty, leaf- filled cave as night fell.“If we survive the night, I’ll be glad to go,” Balthazar said.“The beasts of the woods might smell your friend’s blood and track us right to this cave.” Nesta slid her gaze to the young warrior.“Why aren’t you out there killing everyone?”“Because I want to reach the mountain and become Oristian. But if I meet someone I’d like to kill, I won’t hesitate.” Silence fell, and remained. Within moments, branches snapped. Balthazar’s body tightened, his breath becoming impossibly quiet. In the pitch- black of the cave, the only sounds were the rustle of their clothes and the leaves beneath them. A howl rent the night, and Nesta flinched, clutching Emerie closer to her side. But the snapping branches and howling moved off, and Balthazar’s body relaxed.“It’s just the first,” he whispered into the blackness.“They’ll prowl until dawn.”",Balthazar,"a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar","that, too.” Nesta’s throat bobbed as she weighed the male’s expression. Glanced to the hidden cave entrance behind him.“I need help carrying her.” They didn’t risk a fire in the cave, but the male, whose name was Balthazar, offered his thick wool cloak to cover Emerie. Nesta slid Emerie into the dead male’s clothing, leaving herself wearing only the leather jacket, and though it went against every instinct, she allowed Balthazar to sit on her other side, his warmth leaking into her chilled body.“When dawn comes, be gone,” Nesta said into the dark of the musty, leaf- filled cave as night fell.“If we survive the night, I’ll be glad to go,” Balthazar said.“The beasts of the woods might smell your friend’s blood and track us right to this cave.” Nesta slid her gaze to the young warrior.“Why aren’t you out there killing everyone?”“Because I want to reach the mountain and become Oristian. But if I meet someone I’d like to kill, I won’t hesitate.” Silence fell, and remained. Within moments, branches snapped. Balthazar’s body tightened, his breath becoming impossibly quiet. In the pitch- black of the cave, the only sounds were the rustle of their clothes and the leaves beneath them. A howl rent the night, and Nesta flinched, clutching Emerie closer to her side. But the snapping branches and howling moved off, and Balthazar’s body relaxed.“It’s just the first,” he whispered into the blackness.“They’ll prowl until dawn.”:Previous Entities: |a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar| ::: “The beasts of the woods might smell your friend’s blood and track us right to this cave.” ",Nesta.F and be damned to your curfew!”,187101,187121,True,3953:the barman.?,"a Patronus back at’em! I’m not having’em near me, I’ve told you that, I’m not having it!”“That wasn’t your Patronus!” said a Death Eater.“That was a stag, it was Potter’s!”“Stag!” roared the barman, and he pulled out a wand.“Stag! You idiot— Expecto Patronum!” Something huge and horned erupted from the wand: Head down, it charged toward the High Street and out of sight.“That’s not what I saw—” said the Death Eater, though with less certainty.“Curfew’s been broken, you heard the noise,” one of his companions told the barman.“Someone was out in the street against regulations—”“If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!”“You set off the Caterwauling Charm?”“What if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my own front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven’t pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He’s not going to like being called here for me and my old cat, is he, now?”“Don’t you worry about us,” said one of the Death Eaters,“worry about yourself, breaking curfew!”“And where will you lot traffick potions and poisons when my pub’s closed down? What’ll happen to your little sidelines then?”“Are you threatening—?”“I keep my mouth shut",the barman,"Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers","a Patronus back at’em! I’m not having’em near me, I’ve told you that, I’m not having it!”“That wasn’t your Patronus!” said a Death Eater.“That was a stag, it was Potter’s!”“Stag!” roared the barman, and he pulled out a wand.“Stag! You idiot— Expecto Patronum!” Something huge and horned erupted from the wand: Head down, it charged toward the High Street and out of sight.“That’s not what I saw—” said the Death Eater, though with less certainty.“Curfew’s been broken, you heard the noise,” one of his companions told the barman.“Someone was out in the street against regulations—”“If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!”“You set off the Caterwauling Charm?”“What if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my own front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven’t pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He’s not going to like being called here for me and my old cat, is he, now?”“Don’t you worry about us,” said one of the Death Eaters,“worry about yourself, breaking curfew!”“And where will you lot traffick potions and poisons when my pub’s closed down? What’ll happen to your little sidelines then?”“Are you threatening—?”“I keep my mouth shut:Previous Entities: |Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers| ::: and be damned to your curfew!” ",the barman.M We just came back from Tokyo yesterday evening.,45435,45466,True,991:the aide.?,"“Jesus Christ,” Rowe said, finally dropping his arm. He looked at me with bleary eyes.“What the fuck is going on here.” I introduced myself.“Then why don’t you do something about this fucking zoo,” Rowe said.“I’m just driving to my fucking hotel.”“I understand that, Senator.”“Don’t know...” He waved his hand, a sloppy gesture.“What the fucking problem is around here.”“Senator, you were driving this car?”“Fuck. Driving.” He turned away.“Jerry? Explain it to them. Christ’s sake.” The aide came up immediately.“I’m sorry about all this,” he said smoothly.“The senator isn’t feeling at all well. We just came back from Tokyo yesterday evening. Jet lag. He’s not himself. He’s tired.”“Who was driving the car?” I said.“I was,” the aide said.“Absolutely.” One of’ the girls giggled.“No, he wasn’t,” the man in the bathrobe shouted, from the other side of the car.“He was driving it. And he couldn’t get out of the car without falling down.”“Christ, fucking zoo,” Senator Rowe said, rubbing his head.“Detective,” the aide said,“I was driving the car and these two women here will testify that I was.” He gestured to the girls in party dresses. Giving them a look.“That’s a goddamn lie,” the man in the bathrobe said.“No, that’s correct",the aide,"a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe","“Jesus Christ,” Rowe said, finally dropping his arm. He looked at me with bleary eyes.“What the fuck is going on here.” I introduced myself.“Then why don’t you do something about this fucking zoo,” Rowe said.“I’m just driving to my fucking hotel.”“I understand that, Senator.”“Don’t know...” He waved his hand, a sloppy gesture.“What the fucking problem is around here.”“Senator, you were driving this car?”“Fuck. Driving.” He turned away.“Jerry? Explain it to them. Christ’s sake.” The aide came up immediately.“I’m sorry about all this,” he said smoothly.“The senator isn’t feeling at all well. We just came back from Tokyo yesterday evening. Jet lag. He’s not himself. He’s tired.”“Who was driving the car?” I said.“I was,” the aide said.“Absolutely.” One of’ the girls giggled.“No, he wasn’t,” the man in the bathrobe shouted, from the other side of the car.“He was driving it. And he couldn’t get out of the car without falling down.”“Christ, fucking zoo,” Senator Rowe said, rubbing his head.“Detective,” the aide said,“I was driving the car and these two women here will testify that I was.” He gestured to the girls in party dresses. Giving them a look.“That’s a goddamn lie,” the man in the bathrobe said.“No, that’s correct:Previous Entities: |a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe| ::: We just came back from Tokyo yesterday evening. ",the man in the bathrobe.M lately condemned by the Audencia—”,2999,3033,True,536:the executioner.M,"Then they heard the low roll of drums that presaged the arrival of the cart. Moments later, there were shouts and laughter from the crowd, which parted as the cart came into view. The prisoner LeClerc was standing erect, his hands bound behind his back. He wore a gray cloth tunic, spattered with garbage thrown by the jeering crowd. Yet he continued to hold his chin high. Commander Scott leaned over.“He does make a good impression, Your Excellency.” Sir James grunted.“I do so think well of a man who dies with finesse.” Sir James said nothing. The cart rolled up to the gallows, and turned so that the prisoner faced the crowd. The executioner, Henry Edmonds, walked over to the governor and bowed deeply.“A good morning to Your Excellency, and to you, Commander Scott. I have the honor to present the prisoner, the Frenchman LeClerc, lately condemned by the Audencia—”“Get on with it, Henry,” Sir James said.“By all means, Your Excellency.” Looking wounded, the executioner bowed again, and then returned to the cart. He stepped up alongside the prisoner, and slipped the noose around LeClerc’s neck. Then he walked to the front of the cart and stood next to the mule. There was a moment of silence, which stretched rather too long. Finally, the executioner spun on his heel and barked,“Teddy, damn you, look sharp!” Immediately, a young boy— the executioner’s son— began to beat out a rapid drum roll. The executioner turned back to face the crowd. He raised his switch high in the air, then struck the mule a single blow; the",the executioner,"A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin","Then they heard the low roll of drums that presaged the arrival of the cart. Moments later, there were shouts and laughter from the crowd, which parted as the cart came into view. The prisoner LeClerc was standing erect, his hands bound behind his back. He wore a gray cloth tunic, spattered with garbage thrown by the jeering crowd. Yet he continued to hold his chin high. Commander Scott leaned over.“He does make a good impression, Your Excellency.” Sir James grunted.“I do so think well of a man who dies with finesse.” Sir James said nothing. The cart rolled up to the gallows, and turned so that the prisoner faced the crowd. The executioner, Henry Edmonds, walked over to the governor and bowed deeply.“A good morning to Your Excellency, and to you, Commander Scott. I have the honor to present the prisoner, the Frenchman LeClerc, lately condemned by the Audencia—”“Get on with it, Henry,” Sir James said.“By all means, Your Excellency.” Looking wounded, the executioner bowed again, and then returned to the cart. He stepped up alongside the prisoner, and slipped the noose around LeClerc’s neck. Then he walked to the front of the cart and stood next to the mule. There was a moment of silence, which stretched rather too long. Finally, the executioner spun on his heel and barked,“Teddy, damn you, look sharp!” Immediately, a young boy— the executioner’s son— began to beat out a rapid drum roll. The executioner turned back to face the crowd. He raised his switch high in the air, then struck the mule a single blow; the:Previous Entities: |A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin| ::: lately condemned by the Audencia—” ","LeClerc.M Commander Scott.M Sir James.M Henry Edmonds.M Teddy.M " "So that the endgame could be the sweeter,",28491,28510,True,171:Fate.M,"holes opening onto a blackness so remote, so deep that the watcher would feel himself inexorably drawn into the twin pools of infinite night and their terrible, wheeling stars… The Lady coughed politely, and laid twenty- one white chips on the table. Then from her robe she took another chip, silvery and translucent and twice the size of the others. The soul of a true Hero always finds a better rate of exchange, and is valued highly by the gods. Fate raised an eyebrow.“And no cheating, Lady,” he said.“But who could cheat Fate?” she asked. He shrugged.“No one. Yet everyone tries.”“And yet, again, I believe I felt you giving me a little assistance against the others?”“But of course. So that the endgame could be the sweeter, Lady. And now…” He reached into his gaming box and brought forth a piece, setting it down on the board with a satisfied air. The watching deities gave a collective sigh. Even the Lady was momentarily taken aback. It was certainly ugly. The carving was uncertain, as if the craftsman’s hands were shaking in horror of the thing taking shape under his reluctant fingers. It seemed to be all suckers and tentacles. And mandibles, the Lady observed. And one great eye.“I thought such as He died out at the beginnings of Time,” she said.“Mayhap our necrotic friend was loath even to go near this one,” laughed Fate. He was enjoying himself.“It should never have been spawned.”“Nevertheless,” said Fate gnomically. He scooped",Fate,"Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate","holes opening onto a blackness so remote, so deep that the watcher would feel himself inexorably drawn into the twin pools of infinite night and their terrible, wheeling stars… The Lady coughed politely, and laid twenty- one white chips on the table. Then from her robe she took another chip, silvery and translucent and twice the size of the others. The soul of a true Hero always finds a better rate of exchange, and is valued highly by the gods. Fate raised an eyebrow.“And no cheating, Lady,” he said.“But who could cheat Fate?” she asked. He shrugged.“No one. Yet everyone tries.”“And yet, again, I believe I felt you giving me a little assistance against the others?”“But of course. So that the endgame could be the sweeter, Lady. And now…” He reached into his gaming box and brought forth a piece, setting it down on the board with a satisfied air. The watching deities gave a collective sigh. Even the Lady was momentarily taken aback. It was certainly ugly. The carving was uncertain, as if the craftsman’s hands were shaking in horror of the thing taking shape under his reluctant fingers. It seemed to be all suckers and tentacles. And mandibles, the Lady observed. And one great eye.“I thought such as He died out at the beginnings of Time,” she said.“Mayhap our necrotic friend was loath even to go near this one,” laughed Fate. He was enjoying himself.“It should never have been spawned.”“Nevertheless,” said Fate gnomically. He scooped:Previous Entities: |Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate| ::: So that the endgame could be the sweeter, ","The Lady.F Fate.M" "he’s had them poisoned,",71646,71719,True,2048:a Ministry insider.?,"in disbelief. Perhaps it was a joke, he thought, perhaps the magazine often printed spoof Hems. He flicked back a few pages and found the piece on Fudge. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, when he was elected Minister for Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to‘ co- operate peacefully’ with the guardians of our gold. BUT DOES HE? Sources close to the Minister have recently disclosed that Fudge’s dearest ambition is to seize control of the goblin gold supplies and that he will not hesitate to use force if need be.“It wouldn’t be the first time, either,” said a Ministry insider.“Cornelius‘ Goblin- Crusher’ Fudge, that’s what his friends call him. If you could hear him when he thinks no one’s listening, oh, he’s always talking about the goblins he’s had done in; he’s had them drowned, he’s had them dropped off buildings, he’s had them poisoned, he’s had them cooked in pies…” Harry did not read any further. Fudge might have many faults but Harry found it extremely hard to imagine him ordering goblins to be cooked in pies. He flicked through the rest of the magazine. Pausing every few pages, he read: an accusation that the Tutshill Tornados were winning the Quidditch League by a combination of blackmail, illegal broom- tampering and torture; an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of moon frogs to prove it; and an article on ancient runes which at least explained why Luna had been reading The Quibbler upside- down. According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads they revealed a spell to make your enemy’s ears turn into kumquats. In fact,",a Ministry insider,"the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider","in disbelief. Perhaps it was a joke, he thought, perhaps the magazine often printed spoof Hems. He flicked back a few pages and found the piece on Fudge. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, denied that he had any plans to take over the running of the Wizarding Bank, Gringotts, when he was elected Minister for Magic five years ago. Fudge has always insisted that he wants nothing more than to‘ co- operate peacefully’ with the guardians of our gold. BUT DOES HE? Sources close to the Minister have recently disclosed that Fudge’s dearest ambition is to seize control of the goblin gold supplies and that he will not hesitate to use force if need be.“It wouldn’t be the first time, either,” said a Ministry insider.“Cornelius‘ Goblin- Crusher’ Fudge, that’s what his friends call him. If you could hear him when he thinks no one’s listening, oh, he’s always talking about the goblins he’s had done in; he’s had them drowned, he’s had them dropped off buildings, he’s had them poisoned, he’s had them cooked in pies…” Harry did not read any further. Fudge might have many faults but Harry found it extremely hard to imagine him ordering goblins to be cooked in pies. He flicked through the rest of the magazine. Pausing every few pages, he read: an accusation that the Tutshill Tornados were winning the Quidditch League by a combination of blackmail, illegal broom- tampering and torture; an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of moon frogs to prove it; and an article on ancient runes which at least explained why Luna had been reading The Quibbler upside- down. According to the magazine, if you turned the runes on their heads they revealed a spell to make your enemy’s ears turn into kumquats. In fact,:Previous Entities: |the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider| ::: he’s had them poisoned, ",Harry.M "Those other ones,",80704,80748,True,279:Mister Lin.M,"n't they? Because of me.' Butler placed a hand on her shoulder.' If they were all dead, it would be because of you, but they're not— Artemis has everything under control. Now, chin up, we have to talk our way out of here, daughter.' Minerva frowned.' Daughter?' Butler winked, though he felt anything but cheery.' Yes, daughter.' Seconds later a squad of Taiwanese regular police heaved open the door, flooding the room with blue and grey uniforms. Butler found himself looking down the barrels of a dozen police special pistols. Most of these barrels were wobbling slightly.' No, you dolts,' squealed Mr Lin, threading his way through the policemen, slapping at their gun arms.' Not that one. He is my good friend. Those other ones, the unconscious ones. They are the ones who broke in here; they knocked me down. It is a miracle my friend and his...'' Daughter,' prompted Butler.' And his daughter were not harmed.' Then the curator noticed his demolished exhibit and faked a faint. When no one rushed to aid him, he picked himself up, went off into a corner and had a little cry. An inspector, who wore his gun cowboy- style, ambled across to Butler.' You did this?'' No. Not me. We were hiding behind a crate. They blew up the sculpture then started fighting among themselves.'' Do you have any idea why these people would want to destroy a sculpture?' Butler shrugged.' I think they think they're anarchists. Who knows with these people.'' They have no ID,' said the inspector.' Not one of",Mister Lin,"his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin","n't they? Because of me.' Butler placed a hand on her shoulder.' If they were all dead, it would be because of you, but they're not— Artemis has everything under control. Now, chin up, we have to talk our way out of here, daughter.' Minerva frowned.' Daughter?' Butler winked, though he felt anything but cheery.' Yes, daughter.' Seconds later a squad of Taiwanese regular police heaved open the door, flooding the room with blue and grey uniforms. Butler found himself looking down the barrels of a dozen police special pistols. Most of these barrels were wobbling slightly.' No, you dolts,' squealed Mr Lin, threading his way through the policemen, slapping at their gun arms.' Not that one. He is my good friend. Those other ones, the unconscious ones. They are the ones who broke in here; they knocked me down. It is a miracle my friend and his...'' Daughter,' prompted Butler.' And his daughter were not harmed.' Then the curator noticed his demolished exhibit and faked a faint. When no one rushed to aid him, he picked himself up, went off into a corner and had a little cry. An inspector, who wore his gun cowboy- style, ambled across to Butler.' You did this?'' No. Not me. We were hiding behind a crate. They blew up the sculpture then started fighting among themselves.'' Do you have any idea why these people would want to destroy a sculpture?' Butler shrugged.' I think they think they're anarchists. Who knows with these people.'' They have no ID,' said the inspector.' Not one of:Previous Entities: |his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin| ::: Those other ones, ",Butler.M It’s definitely the‘ fang’ part.”,8409,8453,True,1655:the Burrowing Owl.?,"’s it!” Twilight replied, and Soren thought that Digger was sometimes just too nice.“Well, let me tell you,” Digger continued.“There is scant difference between a bracing feeling and a terrifying one. Fangs more than six inches long scare the be- Glaux out of me. And I can not help but think that this Firth of Fangs place must have been named that for a reason. I only hope that the trip to seek out Moss, this old warrior friend of Ezylryb’s, will be worth it.”“Well, Digger,” Eglantine, who had been flying in between Twilight and the Burrowing Owl, began to speak quietly,“technically a firth is a long narrow body of water, an indentation in the seacoast.”“Good grief! If I didn’t know better I would have thought it was Otulissa speaking. No, Eglantine, it’s not the‘ firth’ part that bothers me. It’s definitely the‘ fang’ part.”“But have you ever considered, Digger, that the firth might be called a fang because it is long and curved like a fang?” Eglantine flew closer to him as she posed the question.“Oh, that’s a thought. Its shape…” But before the Burrowing Owl could look to confirm this, Soren let loose with a gizzard- piercing shriek as only a Barn Owl can.“What is it?” Digger said. But then they all saw where Soren was looking— straight down. Several late- summer ice floes that had broken off the winter pack ice bobbed peacefully in the waters of the firth. But from one ice floe, clearly visible in the moonlight, gushed a stream of blood. An immense white beast like none they had ever",the Burrowing Owl,"a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl","’s it!” Twilight replied, and Soren thought that Digger was sometimes just too nice.“Well, let me tell you,” Digger continued.“There is scant difference between a bracing feeling and a terrifying one. Fangs more than six inches long scare the be- Glaux out of me. And I can not help but think that this Firth of Fangs place must have been named that for a reason. I only hope that the trip to seek out Moss, this old warrior friend of Ezylryb’s, will be worth it.”“Well, Digger,” Eglantine, who had been flying in between Twilight and the Burrowing Owl, began to speak quietly,“technically a firth is a long narrow body of water, an indentation in the seacoast.”“Good grief! If I didn’t know better I would have thought it was Otulissa speaking. No, Eglantine, it’s not the‘ firth’ part that bothers me. It’s definitely the‘ fang’ part.”“But have you ever considered, Digger, that the firth might be called a fang because it is long and curved like a fang?” Eglantine flew closer to him as she posed the question.“Oh, that’s a thought. Its shape…” But before the Burrowing Owl could look to confirm this, Soren let loose with a gizzard- piercing shriek as only a Barn Owl can.“What is it?” Digger said. But then they all saw where Soren was looking— straight down. Several late- summer ice floes that had broken off the winter pack ice bobbed peacefully in the waters of the firth. But from one ice floe, clearly visible in the moonlight, gushed a stream of blood. An immense white beast like none they had ever:Previous Entities: |a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl| ::: It’s definitely the‘ fang’ part.” ","Eglantine.F Digger.M Soren.M " kid.,49225,49272,True,209:Pearson.M,"detector beams. The beam basically breaks your body down into its elements and displays them on this screen here.' Artemis saw a 3D replica of himself being traced out on the small plasma screen. He held his breath, praying that Foaly's equipment was as clever as the centaur thought it was. On- screen, a red light pulsed on Artemis's jacket front.' Aha,' said Doctor Pearson, plucking off a button.' What have we here?' He cracked the button open, revealing a tiny chip, mike and power source.' Very clever. A micro- bug. Our young friend was attempting to spy on us, Mister Spiro.' Jon Spiro was not angry. In fact, he was delighted to have the opportunity to gloat.' You see, kid. You may be some kind of genius, but surveillance and espionage are my business. You can't slip anything past me. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can get this thing over with.' Artemis stepped off the pad. The decoy had worked, and the real bugs hadn't caused a blip in the system. Pearson was smart, but Foaly was smarter. Artemis made sure he had a good look around the antechamber. There was more here. Every square centimetre of the metal surface contained a security or surveillance device. From what Artemis could see, an invisible ant would have trouble sneaking in. Not to mention two humans, an elf and a dwarf-- assuming the dwarf survived Pex and Chips. The vault door itself was impressive. Most corporate vaults looked impressive, plenty of chrome and keypads, but that was just to make an impression on stockholders. In Spiro's vault there wasn't a tumbler out of place. Artemis spotted the very latest computer lock on the",Pearson,"The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin","detector beams. The beam basically breaks your body down into its elements and displays them on this screen here.' Artemis saw a 3D replica of himself being traced out on the small plasma screen. He held his breath, praying that Foaly's equipment was as clever as the centaur thought it was. On- screen, a red light pulsed on Artemis's jacket front.' Aha,' said Doctor Pearson, plucking off a button.' What have we here?' He cracked the button open, revealing a tiny chip, mike and power source.' Very clever. A micro- bug. Our young friend was attempting to spy on us, Mister Spiro.' Jon Spiro was not angry. In fact, he was delighted to have the opportunity to gloat.' You see, kid. You may be some kind of genius, but surveillance and espionage are my business. You can't slip anything past me. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can get this thing over with.' Artemis stepped off the pad. The decoy had worked, and the real bugs hadn't caused a blip in the system. Pearson was smart, but Foaly was smarter. Artemis made sure he had a good look around the antechamber. There was more here. Every square centimetre of the metal surface contained a security or surveillance device. From what Artemis could see, an invisible ant would have trouble sneaking in. Not to mention two humans, an elf and a dwarf-- assuming the dwarf survived Pex and Chips. The vault door itself was impressive. Most corporate vaults looked impressive, plenty of chrome and keypads, but that was just to make an impression on stockholders. In Spiro's vault there wasn't a tumbler out of place. Artemis spotted the very latest computer lock on the:Previous Entities: |The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin| ::: kid. ",Artemis.M "” I say,",22429,22433,True,324:her brother.M,"I am running out of space— the platform is ending— I seize the handle and swing myself in, my muscles absorbing the pull forward. Tris stands inside the car, wearing a small, crooked smile. Her black jacket is zipped up to her throat, framing her face in darkness. She grabs my collar and pulls me in for a kiss. As she pulls away, she says,“I always loved watching you do that.” I grin.“Is this what you had planned?” Caleb demands from behind me.“For her to be here when you kill me? That’s—”“Kill him?” Tris asks me, not looking at her brother.“Yeah, I let him think he was being taken to his execution,” I say, loud enough that he can hear.“You know, sort of like he did to you in Erudite headquarters.”“I... it isn’t true?” His face, lit by the moon, is slack with shock. I notice that his shirt’s buttons are in the wrong buttonholes.“No,” I say.“I just saved your life, actually.” He starts to say something, and I interrupt him.“Might not want to thank me just yet. We’re taking you with us. Outside the fence.” Outside the fence— the place he once tried so hard to avoid that he turned on his own sister. It seems a more fitting punishment than death, anyway. Death is so quick, so certain. Where",her brother,"Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end","I am running out of space— the platform is ending— I seize the handle and swing myself in, my muscles absorbing the pull forward. Tris stands inside the car, wearing a small, crooked smile. Her black jacket is zipped up to her throat, framing her face in darkness. She grabs my collar and pulls me in for a kiss. As she pulls away, she says,“I always loved watching you do that.” I grin.“Is this what you had planned?” Caleb demands from behind me.“For her to be here when you kill me? That’s—”“Kill him?” Tris asks me, not looking at her brother.“Yeah, I let him think he was being taken to his execution,” I say, loud enough that he can hear.“You know, sort of like he did to you in Erudite headquarters.”“I... it isn’t true?” His face, lit by the moon, is slack with shock. I notice that his shirt’s buttons are in the wrong buttonholes.“No,” I say.“I just saved your life, actually.” He starts to say something, and I interrupt him.“Might not want to thank me just yet. We’re taking you with us. Outside the fence.” Outside the fence— the place he once tried so hard to avoid that he turned on his own sister. It seems a more fitting punishment than death, anyway. Death is so quick, so certain. Where:Previous Entities: |Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end| ::: ” I say, ",Tobias.M "' That's the story,'",156397,156403,True,451:Sid.M,"Bite your tongue, he was an artist—' a seacoast primitive.' Ma still calls him that.' Siddy wasn't quite laughing.' Shit, he sold lobster- pot coffee- tables and lawn- puffins to the tourists when he got too rheumatic to go out on the bay and haul traps.'' I know that, but Ma's got her marriage edited like a movie for television.' How true. Our own version of Blanche Du Bois.' Dad was a lobster- man in Prout's Neck. He—' Siddy interrupted, singing the first verse of' Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' in a horrible off key tenor.' Come on, this is serious. He had his first boat from his father, right?'' That's the story,' Sid agreed.' Jack Noonan's Lazy Betty, original owner Paul Noonan. Also of Prout's. Boat took a hell of a pasting in Hurricane Donna, back in 1960. I think it was Donna.' Two years after I was born.' And Daddy put it up for sale in' 63.'' Yep. I don't know whatever became of it, but it was Grampy Paul's to begin with, all right. Do you remember all the lobster stew we ate when we were kids, Mikey?'' Seacoast meatloaf,' I said, hardly thinking about it. Like most kids raised on the coast of Maine, I can't imagine ordering lobster in a restaurant— that's for flatlanders. I was thinking about Grampy Paul, who",Sid,"an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid","Bite your tongue, he was an artist—' a seacoast primitive.' Ma still calls him that.' Siddy wasn't quite laughing.' Shit, he sold lobster- pot coffee- tables and lawn- puffins to the tourists when he got too rheumatic to go out on the bay and haul traps.'' I know that, but Ma's got her marriage edited like a movie for television.' How true. Our own version of Blanche Du Bois.' Dad was a lobster- man in Prout's Neck. He—' Siddy interrupted, singing the first verse of' Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' in a horrible off key tenor.' Come on, this is serious. He had his first boat from his father, right?'' That's the story,' Sid agreed.' Jack Noonan's Lazy Betty, original owner Paul Noonan. Also of Prout's. Boat took a hell of a pasting in Hurricane Donna, back in 1960. I think it was Donna.' Two years after I was born.' And Daddy put it up for sale in' 63.'' Yep. I don't know whatever became of it, but it was Grampy Paul's to begin with, all right. Do you remember all the lobster stew we ate when we were kids, Mikey?'' Seacoast meatloaf,' I said, hardly thinking about it. Like most kids raised on the coast of Maine, I can't imagine ordering lobster in a restaurant— that's for flatlanders. I was thinking about Grampy Paul, who:Previous Entities: |an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid| ::: ' That's the story,' ",Sid.M "Said the soldier gloomily,",24286,24293,True,713:the soldier.M,"word? You'd be amazed at the grasp of language those chaps have got.“” Do him the power of good, I expect,"" said Rincewind. The soldier picked up his helmet, sighed, nodded at the sergeant and smoothed out the creases in his cloak. It was a grubby cloak.“I think I'm expected to tell you off, or something,” he said.“What for?”“Spoiling the war, apparently.”“Spoiling the war?” The soldier sighed."" Come on. Let's go for a stroll. Sergeant- you and a couple of lads, please.“A stone whistled down from the fort high above them, and shattered.” They can hold out for bloody weeks, up there."" Said the soldier gloomily, as they walked away with the Luggage padding patiently behind them.“I'm Lavaeolus. Who're you?”“He's my demon,” said Eric. Lavaeolus raised an eyebrow, the closest he ever came to expressing surprise at anything.“Is he? I suppose it takes all sorts. Any good at getting into places, is he?”“He's more the getting- out kind,” said Eric.“Right,” said Lavaeolus. He stopped beside a building and walked up and down a bit with his hands in his pockets, tapping on the flagstones with the toe of his sandal.“Just here, I think, sergeant,” he said after a while.“Right you are, sir.”“Look at that lot, will",the soldier,"the soldier, the owner","word? You'd be amazed at the grasp of language those chaps have got.“” Do him the power of good, I expect,"" said Rincewind. The soldier picked up his helmet, sighed, nodded at the sergeant and smoothed out the creases in his cloak. It was a grubby cloak.“I think I'm expected to tell you off, or something,” he said.“What for?”“Spoiling the war, apparently.”“Spoiling the war?” The soldier sighed."" Come on. Let's go for a stroll. Sergeant- you and a couple of lads, please.“A stone whistled down from the fort high above them, and shattered.” They can hold out for bloody weeks, up there."" Said the soldier gloomily, as they walked away with the Luggage padding patiently behind them.“I'm Lavaeolus. Who're you?”“He's my demon,” said Eric. Lavaeolus raised an eyebrow, the closest he ever came to expressing surprise at anything.“Is he? I suppose it takes all sorts. Any good at getting into places, is he?”“He's more the getting- out kind,” said Eric.“Right,” said Lavaeolus. He stopped beside a building and walked up and down a bit with his hands in his pockets, tapping on the flagstones with the toe of his sandal.“Just here, I think, sergeant,” he said after a while.“Right you are, sir.”“Look at that lot, will:Previous Entities: |the soldier, the owner| ::: Said the soldier gloomily, ",Lavaeolus.M ' I must begin choosing my business associates more carefully.,10610,10636,True,669:the teenager.?,"Of course, Artemis's brain was only throwing up these facts so he could avoid thinking about what had happened. But a ninety- kilogram deadweight is a hard thing to ignore. Luckily for Artemis, Butler's impact had actually driven him through to the trolley's second shelf, while the bodyguard remained on the ice- cream ledge above. As far as Artemis could tell, the Black Forest gateau had cushioned his impact sufficiently to avoid serious internal injury. Still, he had no doubt that a visit to the chiropractor would be called for. Possibly for Butler too, though the man had the constitution of a troll. Artemis struggled out from underneath his manservant. With each movement, malignant cream horns exploded in his direction.' Really, Butler,' grumbled the teenager.' I must begin choosing my business associates more carefully. Hardly a day goes by when we aren't the victims of some plot.' Artemis was relieved to see Arno Blunt unconscious on the restaurant floor.' Another villain dispatched. Good shooting, Butler, as usual. And one more thing, I have decided to wear a bulletproof vest to all future meetings. That should make your job somewhat easier, eh?' It was at this point that Artemis noticed Butler's shirt. The sight knocked the air from his chest like an invisible mallet. Not the hole in the material, but the blood leaking from it.' Butler, you're injured. Shot. But the Kevlar?' The bodyguard didn't reply, nor did he have to. Artemis knew science better than most nuclear physicists. Truth be told, he often posted lectures on the Internet under the pseudonym Emmsey Squire. Obviously the bullet's",the teenager,"a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager","Of course, Artemis's brain was only throwing up these facts so he could avoid thinking about what had happened. But a ninety- kilogram deadweight is a hard thing to ignore. Luckily for Artemis, Butler's impact had actually driven him through to the trolley's second shelf, while the bodyguard remained on the ice- cream ledge above. As far as Artemis could tell, the Black Forest gateau had cushioned his impact sufficiently to avoid serious internal injury. Still, he had no doubt that a visit to the chiropractor would be called for. Possibly for Butler too, though the man had the constitution of a troll. Artemis struggled out from underneath his manservant. With each movement, malignant cream horns exploded in his direction.' Really, Butler,' grumbled the teenager.' I must begin choosing my business associates more carefully. Hardly a day goes by when we aren't the victims of some plot.' Artemis was relieved to see Arno Blunt unconscious on the restaurant floor.' Another villain dispatched. Good shooting, Butler, as usual. And one more thing, I have decided to wear a bulletproof vest to all future meetings. That should make your job somewhat easier, eh?' It was at this point that Artemis noticed Butler's shirt. The sight knocked the air from his chest like an invisible mallet. Not the hole in the material, but the blood leaking from it.' Butler, you're injured. Shot. But the Kevlar?' The bodyguard didn't reply, nor did he have to. Artemis knew science better than most nuclear physicists. Truth be told, he often posted lectures on the Internet under the pseudonym Emmsey Squire. Obviously the bullet's:Previous Entities: |a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager| ::: ' I must begin choosing my business associates more carefully. ",Artemis. M ' I'll be happy to show you.',244739,244748,True,1109:Ridgewick.M,"Where's Alan Pangborn these days, Sheriff?'' Over New Hampshire,' Ridgewick said, lowering his pistol a little(a minute or two later he holstered it without even seeming to be aware he had done so).' He and Polly are doing real well. Except for her arthritis. That's nasty, I guess, but she still has her good days. A person can go along quite awhile if they get a good day every once and again, that's what I think. Mr. Noonan, I have a lot of questions for you. You know that, don't you?'' Yes.'' First off and most important, do you have the child? Kyra Devore?'' Yes.'' Where is she?'' I'll be happy to show you.' We walked down the north- wing corridor and stood just outside the bedroom doorway, looking in. The duvet was pulled up to her chin and she was sleeping deeply. The stuffed dog was curled in one hand— we could just see its muddy tail poking out of her fist at one end and its nose poking out at the other. We stood there for a long time, neither of us saying anything, watching her sleep in the light of a summer evening. In the woods the trees had stopped falling, but the wind still blew. Around the eaves of Sara Laughs it made a sound like ancient music. EPILOGUE*** It snowed for Christmas— a polite six inches of powder that made the carollers working the streets of Sanford look like they belonged in It",Ridgewick,"Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick","Where's Alan Pangborn these days, Sheriff?'' Over New Hampshire,' Ridgewick said, lowering his pistol a little(a minute or two later he holstered it without even seeming to be aware he had done so).' He and Polly are doing real well. Except for her arthritis. That's nasty, I guess, but she still has her good days. A person can go along quite awhile if they get a good day every once and again, that's what I think. Mr. Noonan, I have a lot of questions for you. You know that, don't you?'' Yes.'' First off and most important, do you have the child? Kyra Devore?'' Yes.'' Where is she?'' I'll be happy to show you.' We walked down the north- wing corridor and stood just outside the bedroom doorway, looking in. The duvet was pulled up to her chin and she was sleeping deeply. The stuffed dog was curled in one hand— we could just see its muddy tail poking out of her fist at one end and its nose poking out at the other. We stood there for a long time, neither of us saying anything, watching her sleep in the light of a summer evening. In the woods the trees had stopped falling, but the wind still blew. Around the eaves of Sara Laughs it made a sound like ancient music. EPILOGUE*** It snowed for Christmas— a polite six inches of powder that made the carollers working the streets of Sanford look like they belonged in It:Previous Entities: |Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick| ::: ' I'll be happy to show you.' ",Noonan.M "to make strong the weak,",0,93,True,226:A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.?,"“Where there are legends, there can be hope. Where there are legends, there can be dreams of knightly owls, from a kingdom called Ga’Hoole, who will rise each night into the blackness and perform noble deeds. Owls who speak no words but true ones. Owls whose only purpose is to right all wrongs, to make strong the weak, mend the broken, vanquish the proud, and make powerless those who abuse the frail. With hearts sublime, they take flight…” The Coming of Hoole GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Ten BY Kathryn Lasky New York Toronto London Auckland Sydney Mexico City New Delhi Hong Kong Table of Contents Cover Page Excerpt Title Page Kingdoms of S’yrthghar Kingdoms of N’yrthghar Prologue CHAPTER ONE The Tilt of Ice CHAPTER TWO A Shadow King CHAPTER THREE Theo’s Discovery CHAPTER FOUR The Encounter CHAPTER FIVE Yearning CHAPTER SIX A Gathering of Gadfeathers CHAPTER SEVEN A Deadly Plan CHAPTER EIGHT The Passion of Ygryk CHAPTER NINE Facts of Life CHAPTER TEN A Distressed Pygmy CHAPTER ELEVEN The Snow Rose Meets Elka CHAPTER TWELVE So Near But Yet So Far CHAPTER THIRTEEN“I Know You!” CHAPTER FOURTEEN“Mother!” CHAPTER FIFTEEN A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN A Seedling CHAPTER EIGHTEEN At Last, the Beyond CHAPTER NINETEEN What Hoole Saw CHAPTER TWENTY Two",A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN,"a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN","“Where there are legends, there can be hope. Where there are legends, there can be dreams of knightly owls, from a kingdom called Ga’Hoole, who will rise each night into the blackness and perform noble deeds. Owls who speak no words but true ones. Owls whose only purpose is to right all wrongs, to make strong the weak, mend the broken, vanquish the proud, and make powerless those who abuse the frail. With hearts sublime, they take flight…” The Coming of Hoole GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Ten BY Kathryn Lasky New York Toronto London Auckland Sydney Mexico City New Delhi Hong Kong Table of Contents Cover Page Excerpt Title Page Kingdoms of S’yrthghar Kingdoms of N’yrthghar Prologue CHAPTER ONE The Tilt of Ice CHAPTER TWO A Shadow King CHAPTER THREE Theo’s Discovery CHAPTER FOUR The Encounter CHAPTER FIVE Yearning CHAPTER SIX A Gathering of Gadfeathers CHAPTER SEVEN A Deadly Plan CHAPTER EIGHT The Passion of Ygryk CHAPTER NINE Facts of Life CHAPTER TEN A Distressed Pygmy CHAPTER ELEVEN The Snow Rose Meets Elka CHAPTER TWELVE So Near But Yet So Far CHAPTER THIRTEEN“I Know You!” CHAPTER FOURTEEN“Mother!” CHAPTER FIFTEEN A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN A Seedling CHAPTER EIGHTEEN At Last, the Beyond CHAPTER NINETEEN What Hoole Saw CHAPTER TWENTY Two:Previous Entities: |a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN| ::: to make strong the weak, ",Osgood.M "I don't know.""",166125,166131,True,4056:The officer.?,"if they had never existed. The soldiers were tugging at him, and he allowed himself to be led beneath the thumping blades and climbed up through the big door. Muldoon leaned over and shouted in Grant's ear,"" They want us out of here now. They're going to do it now!"" The soldiers pushed Grant and Ellie and Gennaro into seats, and helped them clip on the harnesses. Tim and Lex waved to him and he suddenly saw how young they were, and how exhausted. Lex was yawning, leaning against her brother's shoulder. An officer came toward Grant and shouted,"" Señor: are you in charge?"""" No,"" Grant said."" I'm not in charge."""" Who is in charge, please?"""" I don't know."" The officer went on to Gennaro, and asked the same question:"" Are you in charge?"""" No,"" Gennaro said. The officer looked at Ellie, but said nothing to her. The door was left open as the helicopter lifted away from the beach, and Grant leaned out to see if he could catch a last look at the raptors, but then the helicopter was above the palm trees, moving north over the island. Grant leaned to Muldoon, and shouted:"" What about the others?"" Muldoon shouted,"" They've already taken off Harding and some workmen. Hammond had an accident. Found him on the hill near his bungalow. Must have fallen."""" Is he all right?"" Grant said."" No. Compys got him",The officer,"The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer","if they had never existed. The soldiers were tugging at him, and he allowed himself to be led beneath the thumping blades and climbed up through the big door. Muldoon leaned over and shouted in Grant's ear,"" They want us out of here now. They're going to do it now!"" The soldiers pushed Grant and Ellie and Gennaro into seats, and helped them clip on the harnesses. Tim and Lex waved to him and he suddenly saw how young they were, and how exhausted. Lex was yawning, leaning against her brother's shoulder. An officer came toward Grant and shouted,"" Señor: are you in charge?"""" No,"" Grant said."" I'm not in charge."""" Who is in charge, please?"""" I don't know."" The officer went on to Gennaro, and asked the same question:"" Are you in charge?"""" No,"" Gennaro said. The officer looked at Ellie, but said nothing to her. The door was left open as the helicopter lifted away from the beach, and Grant leaned out to see if he could catch a last look at the raptors, but then the helicopter was above the palm trees, moving north over the island. Grant leaned to Muldoon, and shouted:"" What about the others?"" Muldoon shouted,"" They've already taken off Harding and some workmen. Hammond had an accident. Found him on the hill near his bungalow. Must have fallen."""" Is he all right?"" Grant said."" No. Compys got him:Previous Entities: |The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer| ::: I don't know."" ",Grant.M “How do you spell YEARS WARENTY?”,85204,85212,True,290:Krona.M,"in and leaned, panting, against the doorframe. Pools of water formed around his feet.“I’ve come for my camel,” he said. Krona sighed.“Last night you said you’d be back in an hour,” he said.“I’m going to have to charge you for a whole day’s livery, right? Plus I gave him a rub down and did his feet, the full service. That’ll be five ceres, OK emir?”“Ah.” Teppic patted his pocket.“Look,” he said.“I left home in a bit of a hurry, you see. I don’t seem to have any cash on me.”“Fair enough, emir.” Krona turned back to his board.“How do you spell YEARS WARENTY?”“I will definitely have the money sent to you,” said Teppic. Krona gave him the withering smile of one who has seen it all— asses with bodywork re- haired, elephants with plaster tusks, camels with false humps glued on— and knows the festering depths of the human soul when it gets down to business.“Pull the other one, rajah,” he said.“It has got bells on.” Teppic fumbled in his tunic.“I could give you this valuable knife,” he said. Krona gave it a passing glance, and sniffed.“Sorry, emir. No can do. No pay, no camel.”“I could give it to you point first,” said Teppic desperately, knowing that the mere threat would",Krona,"The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona","in and leaned, panting, against the doorframe. Pools of water formed around his feet.“I’ve come for my camel,” he said. Krona sighed.“Last night you said you’d be back in an hour,” he said.“I’m going to have to charge you for a whole day’s livery, right? Plus I gave him a rub down and did his feet, the full service. That’ll be five ceres, OK emir?”“Ah.” Teppic patted his pocket.“Look,” he said.“I left home in a bit of a hurry, you see. I don’t seem to have any cash on me.”“Fair enough, emir.” Krona turned back to his board.“How do you spell YEARS WARENTY?”“I will definitely have the money sent to you,” said Teppic. Krona gave him the withering smile of one who has seen it all— asses with bodywork re- haired, elephants with plaster tusks, camels with false humps glued on— and knows the festering depths of the human soul when it gets down to business.“Pull the other one, rajah,” he said.“It has got bells on.” Teppic fumbled in his tunic.“I could give you this valuable knife,” he said. Krona gave it a passing glance, and sniffed.“Sorry, emir. No can do. No pay, no camel.”“I could give it to you point first,” said Teppic desperately, knowing that the mere threat would:Previous Entities: |The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona| ::: “How do you spell YEARS WARENTY?” ",Krona.M "“Yeah,",76102,76117,True,2054:the computer.?,"“The whole thing. Eighty percent survival rate and he’s in the twenty percent? Bullshit. He was such a bright kid. It’s bullshit. I hate it. But it was sure a privilege to love him, huh?” I nodded into his shirt.“Gives you an idea how I feel about you,” he said. My old man. He always knew just what to say. CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE A couple days later, I got up around noon and drove over to Isaac’s house. He answered the door himself.“My mom took Graham to a movie,” he said.“We should go do something,” I said.“Can the something be play blind- guy video games while sitting on the couch?”“Yeah, that’s just the kind of something I had in mind.” So we sat there for a couple hours talking to the screen together, navigating this invisible labyrinthine cave without a single lumen of light. The most entertaining part of the game by far was trying to get the computer to engage us in humorous conversation: Me:“Touch the cave wall.” Computer:“You touch the cave wall. It is moist.” Isaac:“Lick the cave wall.” Computer:“I do not understand. Repeat?” Me:“Hump the moist cave wall.” Computer:“You attempt to jump. You hit your head.” Isaac:“Not jump. HUMP.” Computer:“I don’t understand.” Isaac:“Dude, I’ve been alone in the dark in this cave for weeks",the computer,"Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie","“The whole thing. Eighty percent survival rate and he’s in the twenty percent? Bullshit. He was such a bright kid. It’s bullshit. I hate it. But it was sure a privilege to love him, huh?” I nodded into his shirt.“Gives you an idea how I feel about you,” he said. My old man. He always knew just what to say. CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE A couple days later, I got up around noon and drove over to Isaac’s house. He answered the door himself.“My mom took Graham to a movie,” he said.“We should go do something,” I said.“Can the something be play blind- guy video games while sitting on the couch?”“Yeah, that’s just the kind of something I had in mind.” So we sat there for a couple hours talking to the screen together, navigating this invisible labyrinthine cave without a single lumen of light. The most entertaining part of the game by far was trying to get the computer to engage us in humorous conversation: Me:“Touch the cave wall.” Computer:“You touch the cave wall. It is moist.” Isaac:“Lick the cave wall.” Computer:“I do not understand. Repeat?” Me:“Hump the moist cave wall.” Computer:“You attempt to jump. You hit your head.” Isaac:“Not jump. HUMP.” Computer:“I don’t understand.” Isaac:“Dude, I’ve been alone in the dark in this cave for weeks:Previous Entities: |Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie| ::: “Yeah, ",Gus's dad.M "that’s not true,”",114573,114585,True,4547:the voice from the tape recorder.?,"would have agreed; they had come to live by the gun and knew the difference between by accident and on purpose without needing to discuss the matter) around seven in the evening. By nine that night, Brautigan was on a westbound train. Three days later he was scanning the Accountants Wanted ads in the Des Moines newspaper. He knew something about himself by then, knew how careful he would have to be. He could no longer allow himself the luxury of anger even when anger was justified. Ordinarily he was just your garden- variety telepath— could tell you what you had for lunch, could tell you which card was the queen of hearts because the streetcorner sharpie running the monte- con knew— but when angry he had access to this spear, this terrible spear…“And just by the way, that’s not true,” said the voice from the tape recorder.“The part about being just a garden- variety telepath, I mean, and I understood that even when I was a wet- behind- the- ears kid trying to get into the Army. I just didn’t know the word for what I was.” The word, it turned out, was facilitator. And he later became sure that certain folks— certain talent scouts— were watching him even then, sizing him up, knowing he was different even in the subset of telepaths but not how different. For one thing, telepaths who did not come from the Keystone Earth(it was their phrase) were rare. For another, Ted had come to realize by the mid- nineteen- thirties that what he had was",the voice from the tape recorder,"Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder","would have agreed; they had come to live by the gun and knew the difference between by accident and on purpose without needing to discuss the matter) around seven in the evening. By nine that night, Brautigan was on a westbound train. Three days later he was scanning the Accountants Wanted ads in the Des Moines newspaper. He knew something about himself by then, knew how careful he would have to be. He could no longer allow himself the luxury of anger even when anger was justified. Ordinarily he was just your garden- variety telepath— could tell you what you had for lunch, could tell you which card was the queen of hearts because the streetcorner sharpie running the monte- con knew— but when angry he had access to this spear, this terrible spear…“And just by the way, that’s not true,” said the voice from the tape recorder.“The part about being just a garden- variety telepath, I mean, and I understood that even when I was a wet- behind- the- ears kid trying to get into the Army. I just didn’t know the word for what I was.” The word, it turned out, was facilitator. And he later became sure that certain folks— certain talent scouts— were watching him even then, sizing him up, knowing he was different even in the subset of telepaths but not how different. For one thing, telepaths who did not come from the Keystone Earth(it was their phrase) were rare. For another, Ted had come to realize by the mid- nineteen- thirties that what he had was:Previous Entities: |Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder| ::: that’s not true,” ",Ted.M "“You are Sage,",23237,23289,True,58:Master Graves.M,"be keeping an open mind about whether he was in fact a member of the walking dead. At least, when I whispered this possibility to Roden, he smothered a grin and quickly told me to hush. Master Graves directed Roden and me to sit in chairs that were clearly intended for small children and faced a chalkboard. He began to write the alphabet, and then said to me,“I told you to sit down and we’ll get started.” Roden looked up. He was already seated with his knees halfway up his chest. I folded my arms resolutely.“I’m not sitting in a chair meant for a five- year- old. Get me a real chair.” Master Graves arched his head so that he could better look down on me.“You are Sage, obviously. I was warned about you. Young man, do not mistake me for one of Conner’s servants. I am a gentleman and a scholar, and I will have your respect. You will sit in the chair I have available.” Since he was clearly still around to keep me from running away, I called for Mott to come in. When he ducked his head in the room, I said,“Master Graves thinks he’s not one of Conner’s servants. But you are. I need a chair.”“You have one,” he said, nodding to the one beside Roden.“It’s too small. I can’t learn that way.”“Too bad. Sit down.”“Okay, but when Roden and I don’t learn our letters, you can explain to Conner why.” Mott sighed and left the room. He returned several minutes later with a larger chair in each hand. Master Graves was incensed and said, as punishment for my disruption, I",Master Graves,"Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves","be keeping an open mind about whether he was in fact a member of the walking dead. At least, when I whispered this possibility to Roden, he smothered a grin and quickly told me to hush. Master Graves directed Roden and me to sit in chairs that were clearly intended for small children and faced a chalkboard. He began to write the alphabet, and then said to me,“I told you to sit down and we’ll get started.” Roden looked up. He was already seated with his knees halfway up his chest. I folded my arms resolutely.“I’m not sitting in a chair meant for a five- year- old. Get me a real chair.” Master Graves arched his head so that he could better look down on me.“You are Sage, obviously. I was warned about you. Young man, do not mistake me for one of Conner’s servants. I am a gentleman and a scholar, and I will have your respect. You will sit in the chair I have available.” Since he was clearly still around to keep me from running away, I called for Mott to come in. When he ducked his head in the room, I said,“Master Graves thinks he’s not one of Conner’s servants. But you are. I need a chair.”“You have one,” he said, nodding to the one beside Roden.“It’s too small. I can’t learn that way.”“Too bad. Sit down.”“Okay, but when Roden and I don’t learn our letters, you can explain to Conner why.” Mott sighed and left the room. He returned several minutes later with a larger chair in each hand. Master Graves was incensed and said, as punishment for my disruption, I:Previous Entities: |Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves| ::: “You are Sage, ",Sage.M "“worry about yourself,",187223,187231,True,808:the Death Eaters.?,"been broken, you heard the noise,” one of his companions told the barman.“Someone was out in the street against regulations—”“If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!”“You set off the Caterwauling Charm?”“What if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my own front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven’t pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He’s not going to like being called here for me and my old cat, is he, now?”“Don’t you worry about us,” said one of the Death Eaters,“worry about yourself, breaking curfew!”“And where will you lot traffick potions and poisons when my pub’s closed down? What’ll happen to your little sidelines then?”“Are you threatening—?”“I keep my mouth shut, it’s why you come here, isn’t it?”“I still say I saw a stag Patronus!” shouted the first Death Eater.“Stag?” roared the barman.“It’s a goat, idiot!”“All right, we made a mistake,” said the second Death Eater.“Break curfew again and we won’t be so lenient!” The Death Eaters strode back toward the High Street. Hermione moaned with relief, wove out from under the Cloak, and sat down on a wobble- legged chair. Harry drew",the Death Eaters,"Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers","been broken, you heard the noise,” one of his companions told the barman.“Someone was out in the street against regulations—”“If I want to put my cat out, I will, and be damned to your curfew!”“You set off the Caterwauling Charm?”“What if I did? Going to cart me off to Azkaban? Kill me for sticking my nose out my own front door? Do it, then, if you want to! But I hope for your sakes you haven’t pressed your little Dark Marks and summoned him. He’s not going to like being called here for me and my old cat, is he, now?”“Don’t you worry about us,” said one of the Death Eaters,“worry about yourself, breaking curfew!”“And where will you lot traffick potions and poisons when my pub’s closed down? What’ll happen to your little sidelines then?”“Are you threatening—?”“I keep my mouth shut, it’s why you come here, isn’t it?”“I still say I saw a stag Patronus!” shouted the first Death Eater.“Stag?” roared the barman.“It’s a goat, idiot!”“All right, we made a mistake,” said the second Death Eater.“Break curfew again and we won’t be so lenient!” The Death Eaters strode back toward the High Street. Hermione moaned with relief, wove out from under the Cloak, and sat down on a wobble- legged chair. Harry drew:Previous Entities: |Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers| ::: “worry about yourself, ",Death Eater.M "Lots of changes coming.""",139162,139184,True,2439:the man walking up to the mediation center.M,"anymore. It's gone. I can't help you."" They heard the sound of the ferry horn. All around them, drivers were starting their engines."" But I'm not going down for this felony crap. And you're not, either. Take this."" He reached forward, and handed Sanders an envelope."" What's this?"""" Summary of some work I did for another officer of your company. Garvin. You might want to fax it to him in the morning."""" Why don't you?"""" I'm crossing the border tonight. I have a cousin in BC, I'll stay there for a while. You can leave a message on my machine if it turns out okay."""" All right."""" Stay cool, guy. The shit's really going to hit the fan tomorrow. Lots of changes coming."" Up ahead, the ramp went down with a metallic clang. The traffic officers were directing cars off the ferry."" Gary. You've been monitoring me?"""" Yeah. Sorry about that. They told me I had to."""" Then who's` Afriend'?"" Bosak laughed. He opened the door and got out."" I'm surprised at you, Tom. Don't you know who your friends are?"" The cars were beginning to pull out. Sanders saw brake lights on the car ahead of him flash red, and the car began to move."" Gary"" he said, turning. But Bosak was gone. He put the car in gear and drove off the ferry. A the top of the driveway, he stopped to pick",the man walking up to the mediation center,"Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center","anymore. It's gone. I can't help you."" They heard the sound of the ferry horn. All around them, drivers were starting their engines."" But I'm not going down for this felony crap. And you're not, either. Take this."" He reached forward, and handed Sanders an envelope."" What's this?"""" Summary of some work I did for another officer of your company. Garvin. You might want to fax it to him in the morning."""" Why don't you?"""" I'm crossing the border tonight. I have a cousin in BC, I'll stay there for a while. You can leave a message on my machine if it turns out okay."""" All right."""" Stay cool, guy. The shit's really going to hit the fan tomorrow. Lots of changes coming."" Up ahead, the ramp went down with a metallic clang. The traffic officers were directing cars off the ferry."" Gary. You've been monitoring me?"""" Yeah. Sorry about that. They told me I had to."""" Then who's` Afriend'?"" Bosak laughed. He opened the door and got out."" I'm surprised at you, Tom. Don't you know who your friends are?"" The cars were beginning to pull out. Sanders saw brake lights on the car ahead of him flash red, and the car began to move."" Gary"" he said, turning. But Bosak was gone. He put the car in gear and drove off the ferry. A the top of the driveway, he stopped to pick:Previous Entities: |Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center| ::: Lots of changes coming."" ","Sanders.M Bosak.M Garvin.? " "‘ That’s right,’",198633,198638,True,812:the other.?,"to a tea party.‘ And you’ve brought Alecto too… charming…’ The woman gave an angry little titter.‘ Think your little jokes’ll help you on your death bed, then?’ she jeered.‘ Jokes? No, no, these are manners,’ replied Dumbledore.‘ Do it,’ said the stranger standing nearest to Harry, a big, rangy man with matted grey hair and whiskers, whose black Death Eater’s robes looked uncomfortably tight. He had a voice like none that Harry had ever heard: a rasping bark of a voice. Harry could smell a powerful mixture of dirt, sweat and, unmistakeably, of blood coming from him. His filthy hands had long yellowish nails.‘ Is that you, Fenrir?’ asked Dumbledore.‘ That’s right,’ rasped the other.‘ Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?’‘ No, I can not say that I am…’ Fenrir Greyback grinned, showing pointed teeth. Blood trickled down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, obscenely.‘ But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore.’‘ Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual… you have developed a taste for human flesh that can not be satisfied once a month?’‘ That’s right,’ said Greyback.‘ Shocks you, that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?’‘ Well, I can not pretend it does not disgust me a little,’ said Dumbledore.‘ And, yes, I am",the other,"Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them","to a tea party.‘ And you’ve brought Alecto too… charming…’ The woman gave an angry little titter.‘ Think your little jokes’ll help you on your death bed, then?’ she jeered.‘ Jokes? No, no, these are manners,’ replied Dumbledore.‘ Do it,’ said the stranger standing nearest to Harry, a big, rangy man with matted grey hair and whiskers, whose black Death Eater’s robes looked uncomfortably tight. He had a voice like none that Harry had ever heard: a rasping bark of a voice. Harry could smell a powerful mixture of dirt, sweat and, unmistakeably, of blood coming from him. His filthy hands had long yellowish nails.‘ Is that you, Fenrir?’ asked Dumbledore.‘ That’s right,’ rasped the other.‘ Pleased to see me, Dumbledore?’‘ No, I can not say that I am…’ Fenrir Greyback grinned, showing pointed teeth. Blood trickled down his chin and he licked his lips slowly, obscenely.‘ But you know how much I like kids, Dumbledore.’‘ Am I to take it that you are attacking even without the full moon now? This is most unusual… you have developed a taste for human flesh that can not be satisfied once a month?’‘ That’s right,’ said Greyback.‘ Shocks you, that, does it, Dumbledore? Frightens you?’‘ Well, I can not pretend it does not disgust me a little,’ said Dumbledore.‘ And, yes, I am:Previous Entities: |Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them| ::: ‘ That’s right,’ ",Fenrir. "' Rubbish,'",34152,34155,True,271:Nyle.M,"of backstabbing, backbiting and general vindictiveness that went on in the B'wa Kell, it didn't pay to make any special friends.' What you think?' asked D'Nall, the handsome one, relatively speaking.' Maybe one of you guys should take a spin down there.' Aymon snorted.' Sure thing. We go down and get sparked by the big one. Just how dumb do you think we are?'' The big one is out of the picture. I sparked him myself. Sweet shot.'' My shot set off the avalanche,' objected Nyle, the baby of the gang.' You're always claimin' my kills.'' What kills?The only thing you ever killed was a stink worm. And that was an accident.'' Rubbish,' sulked Nyle.' I meant to kill that worm. He was buggin' me.' Aymon swooped between the two.' All right. Keep your scales on, the pair of you. All we got ta do is throw a few rounds into the survivors from up here.'' Nice plan, genius,' sneered D'Nall.' Except it won't work.'' And why not?' D'Nall pointed below with a manicured nail.' Because they're boarding that train.' Four green carriages were winding in from the north, dragged along by an ancient diesel engine. A maelstrom of snow flurries coiled in its wake. Salvation, thought Holly. Or perhaps not. For some reason, the mere sight of the clanking locomotive set her stomach bubbling with",Nyle,"Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle","of backstabbing, backbiting and general vindictiveness that went on in the B'wa Kell, it didn't pay to make any special friends.' What you think?' asked D'Nall, the handsome one, relatively speaking.' Maybe one of you guys should take a spin down there.' Aymon snorted.' Sure thing. We go down and get sparked by the big one. Just how dumb do you think we are?'' The big one is out of the picture. I sparked him myself. Sweet shot.'' My shot set off the avalanche,' objected Nyle, the baby of the gang.' You're always claimin' my kills.'' What kills?The only thing you ever killed was a stink worm. And that was an accident.'' Rubbish,' sulked Nyle.' I meant to kill that worm. He was buggin' me.' Aymon swooped between the two.' All right. Keep your scales on, the pair of you. All we got ta do is throw a few rounds into the survivors from up here.'' Nice plan, genius,' sneered D'Nall.' Except it won't work.'' And why not?' D'Nall pointed below with a manicured nail.' Because they're boarding that train.' Four green carriages were winding in from the north, dragged along by an ancient diesel engine. A maelstrom of snow flurries coiled in its wake. Salvation, thought Holly. Or perhaps not. For some reason, the mere sight of the clanking locomotive set her stomach bubbling with:Previous Entities: |Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle| ::: ' Rubbish,' ",Nyle.M "Was she aware of that?""",50085,50092,True,257:Zenner.M,"off, and putting it on, and twisting it. The whole damned time."""" Did she say why she had come down from Smith for the weekend?"""" I asked her,"" Zenner said."" And she told me."""" Told you what?"""" That she was going to have an abortion."" I sat back and lit a cigarette."" What was your reaction?"" He shook his head."" I didn't believe her."" He glanced quickly at me, then sipped the beer."" I didn't believe anything about her anymore. That was the trouble. I was just turned off, I wasn't paying attention. I couldn't let myself, because she still... had an effect on me."""" Was she aware of that?"""" She was aware of everything,"" he said."" She didn't miss anything. She was like a cat; she worked by her instincts and they were always right. She could walk into a room and just look around, and she immediately knew everything about everyone. She had this sense for emotions."""" Did you talk to her about the abortion?"""" No. Because I didn't believe her. I just let it drop. Only she came back to it, about an hour later. She said she was scared, that she wanted to be with me. She kept saying she was scared."""" Did you believe that?"""" I didn't know what to believe. No. No, I didn't believe her.""",Zenner,"A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner","off, and putting it on, and twisting it. The whole damned time."""" Did she say why she had come down from Smith for the weekend?"""" I asked her,"" Zenner said."" And she told me."""" Told you what?"""" That she was going to have an abortion."" I sat back and lit a cigarette."" What was your reaction?"" He shook his head."" I didn't believe her."" He glanced quickly at me, then sipped the beer."" I didn't believe anything about her anymore. That was the trouble. I was just turned off, I wasn't paying attention. I couldn't let myself, because she still... had an effect on me."""" Was she aware of that?"""" She was aware of everything,"" he said."" She didn't miss anything. She was like a cat; she worked by her instincts and they were always right. She could walk into a room and just look around, and she immediately knew everything about everyone. She had this sense for emotions."""" Did you talk to her about the abortion?"""" No. Because I didn't believe her. I just let it drop. Only she came back to it, about an hour later. She said she was scared, that she wanted to be with me. She kept saying she was scared."""" Did you believe that?"""" I didn't know what to believe. No. No, I didn't believe her."":Previous Entities: |A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner| ::: Was she aware of that?"" ",Zenner.M All men seek to be enlightened.,245611,245688,True,7378:The troubadours.?,"” they said.“Here is a way to make humanity aware of itself as a total creation of God.” The men of C.E.T. were likened to archeologists of ideas, inspired by God in the grandeur of rediscovery. It was said they had brought to light“the vitality of great ideals overlaid by the deposits of centuries,” that they had“sharpened the moral imperatives that come out of a religious conscience.” With the O.C. Bible, C.E.T. presented the Liturgical Manual and the Commentaries— in many respects a more remarkable work, not only because of its brevity(less than half the size of the O.C. Bible), but also because of its candor and blend of self- pity and self- righteousness. The beginning is an obvious appeal to the agnostic rulers.“Men, finding no answers to the sunnan[ the ten thousand religious questions from the Shari- ah] now apply their own reasoning. All men seek to be enlightened. Religion is but the most ancient and honorable way in which men have striven to make sense out of God’s universe. Scientists seek the lawfulness of events. It is the task of Religion to fit man into this lawfulness.” In their conclusion, though, the Commentaries set a harsh tone that very likely foretold their fate.“Much that was called religion has carried an unconscious attitude of hostility toward life. True religion must teach that life is filled with joys pleasing to the eye of God, that knowledge without action is empty. All men must see that the teaching of religion by rules and rote is largely a hoax. The proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you’ve always known.” There was an odd sense of calm as the presses and shigawire imprinters rolled and the O.C. Bible spread out through the worlds. Some interpreted this as a sign from God, an omen of unity. But even",The troubadours,"the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours","” they said.“Here is a way to make humanity aware of itself as a total creation of God.” The men of C.E.T. were likened to archeologists of ideas, inspired by God in the grandeur of rediscovery. It was said they had brought to light“the vitality of great ideals overlaid by the deposits of centuries,” that they had“sharpened the moral imperatives that come out of a religious conscience.” With the O.C. Bible, C.E.T. presented the Liturgical Manual and the Commentaries— in many respects a more remarkable work, not only because of its brevity(less than half the size of the O.C. Bible), but also because of its candor and blend of self- pity and self- righteousness. The beginning is an obvious appeal to the agnostic rulers.“Men, finding no answers to the sunnan[ the ten thousand religious questions from the Shari- ah] now apply their own reasoning. All men seek to be enlightened. Religion is but the most ancient and honorable way in which men have striven to make sense out of God’s universe. Scientists seek the lawfulness of events. It is the task of Religion to fit man into this lawfulness.” In their conclusion, though, the Commentaries set a harsh tone that very likely foretold their fate.“Much that was called religion has carried an unconscious attitude of hostility toward life. True religion must teach that life is filled with joys pleasing to the eye of God, that knowledge without action is empty. All men must see that the teaching of religion by rules and rote is largely a hoax. The proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you’ve always known.” There was an odd sense of calm as the presses and shigawire imprinters rolled and the O.C. Bible spread out through the worlds. Some interpreted this as a sign from God, an omen of unity. But even:Previous Entities: |the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours| ::: All men seek to be enlightened. ",the smuggler.M “Try not to make Aphros mad.”,88136,88144,True,469:Bythos.M,"feet long, with a rainbow- colored, V- shaped tail fin. Now Leo understood what Frank meant about fish- horse guys.“I am Bythos,” said the green man.“I will interrogate Frank Zhang.” His voice was calm and firm, leaving no room for debate.“Why did you capture us?” Leo demanded.“Where’s Hazel?” Bythos narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to say: Did this tiny creature just talk to me?“You, Leo Valdez, will go with my brother.”“Your brother?” Leo realized that a much larger figure was looming behind Bythos, with a shadow so wide, it filled the entire cave entrance.“Yes,” Bythos said with a dry smile.“Try not to make Aphros mad.” Aphros looked like his brother, except he was blue instead of green and much, much bigger. He had Arnold- as- Terminator abs and arms, and a square, brutish head. A huge Conan- approved sword was strapped across his back. Even his hair was bigger— a massive globe of blue- black frizz so thick that his lobster- claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface.“Is that why they named you Aphros?” Leo asked as they glided down the path from the cave.“Because of the Afro?” Aphros scowled.“What do you mean?”“Nothing,” Leo said quickly. At least he would never have trouble remembering which fish dude was which.“So what",Bythos,"the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos","feet long, with a rainbow- colored, V- shaped tail fin. Now Leo understood what Frank meant about fish- horse guys.“I am Bythos,” said the green man.“I will interrogate Frank Zhang.” His voice was calm and firm, leaving no room for debate.“Why did you capture us?” Leo demanded.“Where’s Hazel?” Bythos narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to say: Did this tiny creature just talk to me?“You, Leo Valdez, will go with my brother.”“Your brother?” Leo realized that a much larger figure was looming behind Bythos, with a shadow so wide, it filled the entire cave entrance.“Yes,” Bythos said with a dry smile.“Try not to make Aphros mad.” Aphros looked like his brother, except he was blue instead of green and much, much bigger. He had Arnold- as- Terminator abs and arms, and a square, brutish head. A huge Conan- approved sword was strapped across his back. Even his hair was bigger— a massive globe of blue- black frizz so thick that his lobster- claw horns appeared to be drowning as they tried to swim their way to the surface.“Is that why they named you Aphros?” Leo asked as they glided down the path from the cave.“Because of the Afro?” Aphros scowled.“What do you mean?”“Nothing,” Leo said quickly. At least he would never have trouble remembering which fish dude was which.“So what:Previous Entities: |the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos| ::: “Try not to make Aphros mad.” ",Bythos.M although that dented place in his forehead that hole”,53063,53095,True,297:Nancy Moldow.F,"He opened his notebook. The stockboy’s adam’s apple went up and down like a monkey on a stick.“Brant Romano. Sir. That guy was driving a Ford.” He named the year with what Sterling deemed to be a high degree of confidence.“Only it wasn’t blue, like it says in the paper. It was green.” Sterling turned to Moldow.“What did this man buy, ma’am?” She actually laughed a little.“My laws, what didn’t he. All baby things, of course, that’s what we sell here. A crib, a cradle, a changing table, clothes the works. He even bought a single place serving.”“Do you have a complete list?” Granger asked.“Of course. I never suspected he was up to something awful. He actually seemed like a nice enough man, although that dented place in his forehead that hole” Granger nodded sympathetically.“And he didn’t seem terribly bright. But bright enough to fool me, I guess. He said he was buying things for a little nephew, and silly Nan believed him.”“And he was big.”“My laws, a giant! It was like being with a a” She trilled nervous laughter.“A bull in a baby shop!”“How big?” She shrugged.“I’m five- feet- four, and I only came up to his ribs. That would make him-”“You probably won’t believe this,” said Brant the stockboy,“but I thought he had to be, like, six- seven. Maybe even six- eight.” Sterling prepared to ask a",Nancy Moldow,"The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger","He opened his notebook. The stockboy’s adam’s apple went up and down like a monkey on a stick.“Brant Romano. Sir. That guy was driving a Ford.” He named the year with what Sterling deemed to be a high degree of confidence.“Only it wasn’t blue, like it says in the paper. It was green.” Sterling turned to Moldow.“What did this man buy, ma’am?” She actually laughed a little.“My laws, what didn’t he. All baby things, of course, that’s what we sell here. A crib, a cradle, a changing table, clothes the works. He even bought a single place serving.”“Do you have a complete list?” Granger asked.“Of course. I never suspected he was up to something awful. He actually seemed like a nice enough man, although that dented place in his forehead that hole” Granger nodded sympathetically.“And he didn’t seem terribly bright. But bright enough to fool me, I guess. He said he was buying things for a little nephew, and silly Nan believed him.”“And he was big.”“My laws, a giant! It was like being with a a” She trilled nervous laughter.“A bull in a baby shop!”“How big?” She shrugged.“I’m five- feet- four, and I only came up to his ribs. That would make him-”“You probably won’t believe this,” said Brant the stockboy,“but I thought he had to be, like, six- seven. Maybe even six- eight.” Sterling prepared to ask a:Previous Entities: |The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger| ::: although that dented place in his forehead that hole” ",Nancy Moldow.F Older’s something your son never got a chance to get.,51092,51186,True,1400:a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose.?,"haul. But the guard was younger and more enthusiastic about his responsibilities, which was not so fine. The thief had to shoot him in the thigh in order to effect his escape, and although Charles Griner lived, an infection set in(I could sympathize), and he lost the leg. When I met with him at his parents’ house in the spring of 1925, Griner was philosophical about it.“I’m lucky to be alive at all,” he said.“By the time they got a tourniquet on my leg, I was lying in a pool of blood damn near an inch deep. I bet it took a whole box of Dreft to get that mess up.” When I tried to apologize for my son, he waved it away.“I never should have approached him. The cap was pulled low and the bandanna was yanked high, but I could see his eyes all right. I should have known he wasn’t going to stop unless he was shot down, and I never had a chance to pull my gun. It was in his eyes, see. But I was young myself. I’m older now. Older’s something your son never got a chance to get. I’m sorry for your loss.”*** After that job, Henry had more than enough money to buy a car— a nice one, a tourer— but he knew better.(Writing that, I again feel that sense of pride: low but undeniable.) A kid who looked like he only started shaving a week or two before, waving around enough wampum to buy an almost- new Olds? That would have brought John Law down on him for sure. So instead of buying a car, he stole one. Not a touring car, either; he plumped for a nice, nondescript Ford coupe. That was the car he parked behind St. Eusebia’s, and that was the one Shannon climbed into, after sneaking out of her room, creeping downstairs with her traveling bag in her hand",a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose,"Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose","haul. But the guard was younger and more enthusiastic about his responsibilities, which was not so fine. The thief had to shoot him in the thigh in order to effect his escape, and although Charles Griner lived, an infection set in(I could sympathize), and he lost the leg. When I met with him at his parents’ house in the spring of 1925, Griner was philosophical about it.“I’m lucky to be alive at all,” he said.“By the time they got a tourniquet on my leg, I was lying in a pool of blood damn near an inch deep. I bet it took a whole box of Dreft to get that mess up.” When I tried to apologize for my son, he waved it away.“I never should have approached him. The cap was pulled low and the bandanna was yanked high, but I could see his eyes all right. I should have known he wasn’t going to stop unless he was shot down, and I never had a chance to pull my gun. It was in his eyes, see. But I was young myself. I’m older now. Older’s something your son never got a chance to get. I’m sorry for your loss.”*** After that job, Henry had more than enough money to buy a car— a nice one, a tourer— but he knew better.(Writing that, I again feel that sense of pride: low but undeniable.) A kid who looked like he only started shaving a week or two before, waving around enough wampum to buy an almost- new Olds? That would have brought John Law down on him for sure. So instead of buying a car, he stole one. Not a touring car, either; he plumped for a nice, nondescript Ford coupe. That was the car he parked behind St. Eusebia’s, and that was the one Shannon climbed into, after sneaking out of her room, creeping downstairs with her traveling bag in her hand:Previous Entities: |Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose| ::: Older’s something your son never got a chance to get. ",Charles Griner.M "Otherwise,",117422,117500,True,191:Cresseida.F,"current standing, however, is none of your concern. Or anyone else’s. But I do know Tamlin, and I know that there will be no internal war between courts— at least not over me, or my decisions.”“What a relief, then,” Cresseida said, sipping from her white wine before cracking a large crab claw, pink and white and orange.“To know we are not harboring a stolen bride— and that we need not bother returning her to her master, as the law demands. And as any wise person might do, to keep trouble from their doorstep.” Amren had gone utterly still.“I left of my own free will,” I said.“And no one is my master.” Cresseida shrugged.“Think that all you want, lady, but the law is the law. You are— were his bride. Swearing fealty to another High Lord does not change that. So it is a very good thing that he respects your decisions. Otherwise, all it would take would be one letter from him to Tarquin, requesting your return, and we would have to obey. Or risk war ourselves.” Rhysand sighed.“You are always a joy, Cresseida.” Varian said,“Careful, High Lord. My sister speaks the truth.” Tarquin laid a hand on the pale table.“Rhysand is our guest— his courtiers are our guests. And we will treat them as such. We will treat them, Cresseida, as we treat people who saved our necks when all it would have taken was one word from them for us to be very, very dead.” Tarquin studied me and Rhysand— whose face was gloriously disinterested. The High Lord of Summer shook his head and said to Rhys,“We have more to discuss later, you and I. Tonight, I’m throwing a party for you all on my pleasure barge in the bay. After that",Cresseida,"1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian","current standing, however, is none of your concern. Or anyone else’s. But I do know Tamlin, and I know that there will be no internal war between courts— at least not over me, or my decisions.”“What a relief, then,” Cresseida said, sipping from her white wine before cracking a large crab claw, pink and white and orange.“To know we are not harboring a stolen bride— and that we need not bother returning her to her master, as the law demands. And as any wise person might do, to keep trouble from their doorstep.” Amren had gone utterly still.“I left of my own free will,” I said.“And no one is my master.” Cresseida shrugged.“Think that all you want, lady, but the law is the law. You are— were his bride. Swearing fealty to another High Lord does not change that. So it is a very good thing that he respects your decisions. Otherwise, all it would take would be one letter from him to Tarquin, requesting your return, and we would have to obey. Or risk war ourselves.” Rhysand sighed.“You are always a joy, Cresseida.” Varian said,“Careful, High Lord. My sister speaks the truth.” Tarquin laid a hand on the pale table.“Rhysand is our guest— his courtiers are our guests. And we will treat them as such. We will treat them, Cresseida, as we treat people who saved our necks when all it would have taken was one word from them for us to be very, very dead.” Tarquin studied me and Rhysand— whose face was gloriously disinterested. The High Lord of Summer shook his head and said to Rhys,“We have more to discuss later, you and I. Tonight, I’m throwing a party for you all on my pleasure barge in the bay. After that:Previous Entities: |1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian| ::: Otherwise, ","Rhysand.M Cresseida.F Varian.M Tarquin.M" ” I say.“,90729,90733,True,162:Reggie.M,"have been the only one who knew about them.”“You want me to get in with the guy who set off the explosives that put Uriah in a coma?” Christina says.“You don’t have be friends,” Tris says,“you just need to talk to him about what he knows. Tobias can help you.”“I don’t need Four; I can do it myself,” Christina says. She shifts on the exam table, tearing the paper beneath her with her thigh, and gives me another sour look. I know it must be Uriah’s blank face she sees when she looks at me. I feel like there is something stuck in my throat.“You do need me, actually, because he already trusts me,” I say.“And those people are very secretive, which means this will require subtlety.”“I can be subtle,” Christina says.“No, you can’t.”“He’s got a point...” Tris sings with a smile. Christina smacks her arm, and Tris smacks her back.“It’s all settled, then,” Matthew says.“I think we should meet again after Tris has been to the council meeting, which is on Friday. Come here at five.” He approaches Cara and Caleb and says something about chemical compounds I don’t quite understand. Christina walks out, bumping me with her shoulder as she leaves. Tris lifts her eyes to mine.“We should talk,” I say.“Fine,” she",Reggie,"Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly","have been the only one who knew about them.”“You want me to get in with the guy who set off the explosives that put Uriah in a coma?” Christina says.“You don’t have be friends,” Tris says,“you just need to talk to him about what he knows. Tobias can help you.”“I don’t need Four; I can do it myself,” Christina says. She shifts on the exam table, tearing the paper beneath her with her thigh, and gives me another sour look. I know it must be Uriah’s blank face she sees when she looks at me. I feel like there is something stuck in my throat.“You do need me, actually, because he already trusts me,” I say.“And those people are very secretive, which means this will require subtlety.”“I can be subtle,” Christina says.“No, you can’t.”“He’s got a point...” Tris sings with a smile. Christina smacks her arm, and Tris smacks her back.“It’s all settled, then,” Matthew says.“I think we should meet again after Tris has been to the council meeting, which is on Friday. Come here at five.” He approaches Cara and Caleb and says something about chemical compounds I don’t quite understand. Christina walks out, bumping me with her shoulder as she leaves. Tris lifts her eyes to mine.“We should talk,” I say.“Fine,” she:Previous Entities: |Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: ” I say.“ ",“I say.“ Tris.F "we want to eat,",32042,32083,True,947:the animal.?,"and tender by now, I've been force- feeding myself for months."""" A green salad,"" said Arthur emphatically."" A green salad?"" said the animal, rolling his eyes disapprovingly at Arthur."" Are you going to tell me,"" said Arthur,"" that I shouldn't have green salad?"""" Well,"" said the animal,"" I know many vegetables that are very clear on that point. Which is why it was eventually decided to cut through the whole tangled problem and breed an animal that actually wanted to be eaten and was capable of saying so clearly and distinctly. And here I am."" It managed a very slight bow."" Glass of water please,"" said Arthur."" Look,"" said Zaphod,"" we want to eat, we don't want to make a meal of the issues. Four rare steaks please, and hurry. We haven't eaten in five hundred and seventy- six thousand million years."" The animal staggered to its feet. It gave a mellow gurgle."" A very wise choice, sir, if I may say so. Very good,"" it said,"" I'll just nip off and shoot myself."" He turned and gave a friendly wink to Arthur."" Don't worry, sir,"" he said,"" I'll be very humane."" It waddled unhurriedly off into the kitchen. A matter of minutes later the waiter arrived with four huge steaming steaks. Zaphod and Ford wolfed straight into them without a second's hesitation. Trillian paused, then shrugged and started into hers. Arthur stared at his feeling slightly ill."" Hey, Earthman,"" said Zaphod with a malicious grin on the face that wasn't stuffing itself,"" what",the animal,"Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal","and tender by now, I've been force- feeding myself for months."""" A green salad,"" said Arthur emphatically."" A green salad?"" said the animal, rolling his eyes disapprovingly at Arthur."" Are you going to tell me,"" said Arthur,"" that I shouldn't have green salad?"""" Well,"" said the animal,"" I know many vegetables that are very clear on that point. Which is why it was eventually decided to cut through the whole tangled problem and breed an animal that actually wanted to be eaten and was capable of saying so clearly and distinctly. And here I am."" It managed a very slight bow."" Glass of water please,"" said Arthur."" Look,"" said Zaphod,"" we want to eat, we don't want to make a meal of the issues. Four rare steaks please, and hurry. We haven't eaten in five hundred and seventy- six thousand million years."" The animal staggered to its feet. It gave a mellow gurgle."" A very wise choice, sir, if I may say so. Very good,"" it said,"" I'll just nip off and shoot myself."" He turned and gave a friendly wink to Arthur."" Don't worry, sir,"" he said,"" I'll be very humane."" It waddled unhurriedly off into the kitchen. A matter of minutes later the waiter arrived with four huge steaming steaks. Zaphod and Ford wolfed straight into them without a second's hesitation. Trillian paused, then shrugged and started into hers. Arthur stared at his feeling slightly ill."" Hey, Earthman,"" said Zaphod with a malicious grin on the face that wasn't stuffing itself,"" what:Previous Entities: |Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal| ::: we want to eat, ",Zaphod. “Say hello to Melissa.”,32341,32347,True,109:Gary.M,". In any case, I figured there was no point in calling a lawyer today. I had too much to do. The dry cleaning had to be picked up, so I did that. There was a Starbucks across the street, and I went over to get a latte to take with me. And there was Gary Marder, my attorney, with a very young blonde in low- cut jeans and crop top that left her belly exposed. They were nuzzling each other in the checkout line. She didn’t look much older than a college student. I was embarrassed and was turning to leave when Gary saw me, and waved.“Hey, Jack.”“Hi, Gary.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. He said,“Say hello to Melissa.” I said,“Hi, Melissa.”“Oh hi.” She seemed vaguely annoyed at this interruption, although I couldn’t be sure. She had that vacant look some young girls get around men. It occurred to me that she couldn’t be more than six years older than Nicole. What was she doing with a guy like Gary?“So. How’s it going, Jack?” Gary said, slipping his arm around Melissa’s bare waist.“Okay,” I said.“Pretty good.”“Yeah? That’s good.” But he was frowning at me.“Well, uh, yeah...” I stood there, hesitating, feeling foolish in front of the girl. She clearly wanted me to leave. But I was",Gary,"the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician",". In any case, I figured there was no point in calling a lawyer today. I had too much to do. The dry cleaning had to be picked up, so I did that. There was a Starbucks across the street, and I went over to get a latte to take with me. And there was Gary Marder, my attorney, with a very young blonde in low- cut jeans and crop top that left her belly exposed. They were nuzzling each other in the checkout line. She didn’t look much older than a college student. I was embarrassed and was turning to leave when Gary saw me, and waved.“Hey, Jack.”“Hi, Gary.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. He said,“Say hello to Melissa.” I said,“Hi, Melissa.”“Oh hi.” She seemed vaguely annoyed at this interruption, although I couldn’t be sure. She had that vacant look some young girls get around men. It occurred to me that she couldn’t be more than six years older than Nicole. What was she doing with a guy like Gary?“So. How’s it going, Jack?” Gary said, slipping his arm around Melissa’s bare waist.“Okay,” I said.“Pretty good.”“Yeah? That’s good.” But he was frowning at me.“Well, uh, yeah...” I stood there, hesitating, feeling foolish in front of the girl. She clearly wanted me to leave. But I was:Previous Entities: |the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician| ::: “Say hello to Melissa.” ",Gary.M I truly did.”,71060,71101,True,3445:the newcomer.?,"little beast’s mother), the newcomer dropped to one knee.“Hile, Mordred Deschain, son of Roland of Gilead that was and of the Crimson King whose name was once spoken from End- World to Out- World; hile you son of two fathers, both of them descended from Arthur Eld, first king to rise after the Prim receded, and Guardian of the Dark Tower.” For a moment nothing happened. In the Control Center there was only silence and the lingering smell of Nigel’s fried circuits. Then the baby lifted its chubby fists, opened them, and raised his hands: Rise, bondsman, and come to me. Two“It’s best you not‘ think strong,’ in any case,” the newcomer said, stepping closer.“They knew you were here, and Roland is almighty Christing clever; trig- delah is he. He caught up with me once, you know, and I thought I was done. I truly did.” From his gunna the man who sometimes called himself Flagg(on another level of the Tower, he had brought an entire world to ruin under that name) had taken peanut butter and crackers. He’d asked permission of his new dinh, and the baby(although bitterly hungry himself) had nodded regally. Now Walter sat cross- legged on the floor, eating rapidly, secure in his thinking- cap, unaware there was an intruder inside and all that he knew was being ransacked. He was safe until that ransacking was done, but afterward— Mordred raised one chubby baby- hand in the air and swooped it gracefully down in the shape of a question mark.“How did I escape?” Walter asked.“Why, I did what any true cozener would do",the newcomer,"The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer","little beast’s mother), the newcomer dropped to one knee.“Hile, Mordred Deschain, son of Roland of Gilead that was and of the Crimson King whose name was once spoken from End- World to Out- World; hile you son of two fathers, both of them descended from Arthur Eld, first king to rise after the Prim receded, and Guardian of the Dark Tower.” For a moment nothing happened. In the Control Center there was only silence and the lingering smell of Nigel’s fried circuits. Then the baby lifted its chubby fists, opened them, and raised his hands: Rise, bondsman, and come to me. Two“It’s best you not‘ think strong,’ in any case,” the newcomer said, stepping closer.“They knew you were here, and Roland is almighty Christing clever; trig- delah is he. He caught up with me once, you know, and I thought I was done. I truly did.” From his gunna the man who sometimes called himself Flagg(on another level of the Tower, he had brought an entire world to ruin under that name) had taken peanut butter and crackers. He’d asked permission of his new dinh, and the baby(although bitterly hungry himself) had nodded regally. Now Walter sat cross- legged on the floor, eating rapidly, secure in his thinking- cap, unaware there was an intruder inside and all that he knew was being ransacked. He was safe until that ransacking was done, but afterward— Mordred raised one chubby baby- hand in the air and swooped it gracefully down in the shape of a question mark.“How did I escape?” Walter asked.“Why, I did what any true cozener would do:Previous Entities: |The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer| ::: I truly did.” ",Walter.M Kellahar said he could not comment at this time.,43830,43966,True,1762:the announcer.?,"had been Hope- man, Hoppman, something like that.“George? George, don’t you hurt‘ i m while I’m gone.” No answer. He heard the first item on the news, while he was making his breakfast. Joe was on the floor, on a blanket Blaze had spread for him. He was playing with one of George’s newspapers. He had pulled a tent of it over his head and was kicking with excitement. The announcer had just finished telling about a Republican Senator who had taken a bribe. Blaze was hoping George heard it. George liked stuff like that.” Topping area news is an apparent kidnapping in Ocoma Heights,” the announcer said. Blaze stopped stirring his potatoes around in the frying pan and listened carefully.“Joseph Gerard IV, infant heir to the Gerard shipping fortune, was taken from the Gerards’ Ocoma Heights estate either late last night or early this morning. A sister of Joseph Gerard, the boy’s great- grandfather- once known as‘the boy wonder of American shipping’- was found unconscious on the kitchen floor by the family cook early this morning. Norma Gerard, said to be in her mid- seventies, was taken to the Maine Medical Center, where her condition is listed as critical. When asked if he had called for FBI assistance, Castle County Sheriff John D. Kellahar said he could not comment at this time. He would also not comment on the possibility of a ransom note-” Oh yeah, Blaze thought. I got to send one of those.”- but he did say police have a number of leads which are being actively investigated.” Like what? Blaze wondered, and smiled a little. They always said stuff like that. What leads could they have, if the old lady was el zonko? He had even taken the ladder with him. They said stuff like that, that was all. He ate his breakfast on the floor and played with the baby. When he got ready to go out that afternoon, the kid had been fed and freshly changed and lay sleeping in the cradle. Blaze had tinkered with the formula a little more, and this time had burped him halfway through. It worked real good. It worked like a",the announcer,"Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer","had been Hope- man, Hoppman, something like that.“George? George, don’t you hurt‘ i m while I’m gone.” No answer. He heard the first item on the news, while he was making his breakfast. Joe was on the floor, on a blanket Blaze had spread for him. He was playing with one of George’s newspapers. He had pulled a tent of it over his head and was kicking with excitement. The announcer had just finished telling about a Republican Senator who had taken a bribe. Blaze was hoping George heard it. George liked stuff like that.” Topping area news is an apparent kidnapping in Ocoma Heights,” the announcer said. Blaze stopped stirring his potatoes around in the frying pan and listened carefully.“Joseph Gerard IV, infant heir to the Gerard shipping fortune, was taken from the Gerards’ Ocoma Heights estate either late last night or early this morning. A sister of Joseph Gerard, the boy’s great- grandfather- once known as‘the boy wonder of American shipping’- was found unconscious on the kitchen floor by the family cook early this morning. Norma Gerard, said to be in her mid- seventies, was taken to the Maine Medical Center, where her condition is listed as critical. When asked if he had called for FBI assistance, Castle County Sheriff John D. Kellahar said he could not comment at this time. He would also not comment on the possibility of a ransom note-” Oh yeah, Blaze thought. I got to send one of those.”- but he did say police have a number of leads which are being actively investigated.” Like what? Blaze wondered, and smiled a little. They always said stuff like that. What leads could they have, if the old lady was el zonko? He had even taken the ladder with him. They said stuff like that, that was all. He ate his breakfast on the floor and played with the baby. When he got ready to go out that afternoon, the kid had been fed and freshly changed and lay sleeping in the cradle. Blaze had tinkered with the formula a little more, and this time had burped him halfway through. It worked real good. It worked like a:Previous Entities: |Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer| ::: Kellahar said he could not comment at this time. ",Kellahar.M It’s flying or nothing.”,43978,43994,True,248:K!sdra.M,"If you kill me nothing will prevent Psepha killing you!” shouted the prone dragonrider.“So what I’ll do is, I’ll chop bits off,” agreed the wizard. He tried the effect of the grin again.“Oh, all right,” said K!sdra sulkily.“Do you think I’ve got no imagination?” He wriggled out from under the sword and waved at the dragon, which took wing again and glided in toward them. Rincewind swallowed.“You mean we’ve got to go on that?” he said. K!sdra looked at him scornfully, the point of Kring still aimed at his neck.“How else would anyone get to the Wyrmberg?”“I don’t know,” said Rincewind.“How else?”“I mean, there is no other way. It’s flying or nothing.” Rincewind looked again at the dragon before him. He could quite clearly see through it to the crushed grass on which it lay but, when he gingerly touched a scale that was a mere golden sheen on thin air, it felt solid enough. Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half- existing was worse than the extremes.“I didn’t know dragons could be seen through,” he said. K!sdra shrugged.“Didn’t you?” he said. He swung himself astride the dragon awkwardly, because Rincewind was hanging on to his belt. Once uncomfortably aboard the wizard moved his white- knuckle grip to a convenient piece of harness and prodded K!sdra lightly with the sword.“Have you ever flown before?",K!sdra,"Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra","If you kill me nothing will prevent Psepha killing you!” shouted the prone dragonrider.“So what I’ll do is, I’ll chop bits off,” agreed the wizard. He tried the effect of the grin again.“Oh, all right,” said K!sdra sulkily.“Do you think I’ve got no imagination?” He wriggled out from under the sword and waved at the dragon, which took wing again and glided in toward them. Rincewind swallowed.“You mean we’ve got to go on that?” he said. K!sdra looked at him scornfully, the point of Kring still aimed at his neck.“How else would anyone get to the Wyrmberg?”“I don’t know,” said Rincewind.“How else?”“I mean, there is no other way. It’s flying or nothing.” Rincewind looked again at the dragon before him. He could quite clearly see through it to the crushed grass on which it lay but, when he gingerly touched a scale that was a mere golden sheen on thin air, it felt solid enough. Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half- existing was worse than the extremes.“I didn’t know dragons could be seen through,” he said. K!sdra shrugged.“Didn’t you?” he said. He swung himself astride the dragon awkwardly, because Rincewind was hanging on to his belt. Once uncomfortably aboard the wizard moved his white- knuckle grip to a convenient piece of harness and prodded K!sdra lightly with the sword.“Have you ever flown before?:Previous Entities: |Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra| ::: It’s flying or nothing.” ",Rincewind.M You and that boy who sat at my table and ate the food my wife cooked for him.”,34603,34638,True,1028:Some devil.?,". But I held quiet. Quiet never came naturally to me, but living with Arlette had given me plenty of practice.“Only I can’t blame you, either, because your wife went and run off this spring, and it’s natural your attention would lapse at a time like that. So I went out back and chopped damn near half a cord of wood before I came over here, trying to get some of that mad out, and it must have worked. I shook your hand, didn’t I?” The self- congratulation I heard in his voice made me itch to say, Unless it was rape, I think it still takes two to tango. But I just said,“Yes, you did,” and left it at that.“Well, that brings us to what you’re going to do about it. You and that boy who sat at my table and ate the food my wife cooked for him.” Some devil— the creature that comes into a fellow, I suppose, when the Conniving Man leaves— made me say,“Henry wants to marry her and give the baby a name.”“That’s so God damned ridiculous I don’t want to hear it. I won’t say Henry doesn’t have a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out of— I know you’ve done right, Wilf, or as right as you can, but that’s the best I can say. These have been fat years, and you’re still only one step ahead of the bank. Where are you going to be when the years get lean again? And they always do. If you had the cash from that back hundred, then it might be",Some devil,"Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil",". But I held quiet. Quiet never came naturally to me, but living with Arlette had given me plenty of practice.“Only I can’t blame you, either, because your wife went and run off this spring, and it’s natural your attention would lapse at a time like that. So I went out back and chopped damn near half a cord of wood before I came over here, trying to get some of that mad out, and it must have worked. I shook your hand, didn’t I?” The self- congratulation I heard in his voice made me itch to say, Unless it was rape, I think it still takes two to tango. But I just said,“Yes, you did,” and left it at that.“Well, that brings us to what you’re going to do about it. You and that boy who sat at my table and ate the food my wife cooked for him.” Some devil— the creature that comes into a fellow, I suppose, when the Conniving Man leaves— made me say,“Henry wants to marry her and give the baby a name.”“That’s so God damned ridiculous I don’t want to hear it. I won’t say Henry doesn’t have a pot to piss in nor a window to throw it out of— I know you’ve done right, Wilf, or as right as you can, but that’s the best I can say. These have been fat years, and you’re still only one step ahead of the bank. Where are you going to be when the years get lean again? And they always do. If you had the cash from that back hundred, then it might be:Previous Entities: |Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil| ::: You and that boy who sat at my table and ate the food my wife cooked for him.” ",Arlette.F “Eris is a piece of shit.”,162162,162170,True,268:Viviane.F,"attack Rhys or me during the debating, though his refusal to even acknowledge us did not go unnoticed. And as he left, back stiff and steps clipped, he did not say a word. Good. Then Tarquin was led out, then Helion. Until only Kallias’s party and our own waited. Rhys rose from his seat and dragged a hand through his hair.“That went well. It would seem none of us won our bet about who’d fight first.” Azriel stared at the floor, stone- faced.“Sorry.” The word was emotionless— distant. He had not spoken, had barely moved, since his savage attack. It had taken Mor thirty minutes after it to stop shaking.“He had it coming,” Viviane said.“Eris is a piece of shit.” Kallias turned to his mate with high brows.“What?” She put a hand on her chest.“He is.”“Be that as it may,” Kallias said with cool humor,“the question remains about whether Beron will fight with us.”“If all the others are allying,” Mor said hoarsely, her first words in hours,“Beron will join. He’s too smart to risk siding with Hybern and losing. And I’m sure if things go badly, he’ll easily switch over.” Rhys nodded, but faced Kallias.“How many troops do you have?”“Not enough. Amarantha did her job well.” Again, that ripple of guilt that pulsed down the bond.“We’ve got the army",Viviane,"the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan","attack Rhys or me during the debating, though his refusal to even acknowledge us did not go unnoticed. And as he left, back stiff and steps clipped, he did not say a word. Good. Then Tarquin was led out, then Helion. Until only Kallias’s party and our own waited. Rhys rose from his seat and dragged a hand through his hair.“That went well. It would seem none of us won our bet about who’d fight first.” Azriel stared at the floor, stone- faced.“Sorry.” The word was emotionless— distant. He had not spoken, had barely moved, since his savage attack. It had taken Mor thirty minutes after it to stop shaking.“He had it coming,” Viviane said.“Eris is a piece of shit.” Kallias turned to his mate with high brows.“What?” She put a hand on her chest.“He is.”“Be that as it may,” Kallias said with cool humor,“the question remains about whether Beron will fight with us.”“If all the others are allying,” Mor said hoarsely, her first words in hours,“Beron will join. He’s too smart to risk siding with Hybern and losing. And I’m sure if things go badly, he’ll easily switch over.” Rhys nodded, but faced Kallias.“How many troops do you have?”“Not enough. Amarantha did her job well.” Again, that ripple of guilt that pulsed down the bond.“We’ve got the army:Previous Entities: |the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan| ::: “Eris is a piece of shit.” ",Viviane.F "Sorry,""",34710,34713,True,1285:The knight.M,"of people on the other side. Grandpa Smedry walked over to open the door, but one of the knights raised his hand."" You are too late, Lord Smedry,"" the man said."" The judgment has begun."""" What?"" Grandpa Smedry declared."" I was told it wouldn't happen for an hour yet!"""" It is happening now,"" the knight said. As much as I like the knights, they can be... well, blunt. And stubborn. And really bad at taking jokes.(Which is why I feel I need to mention page 40 again, just to annoy them.)"" Surely you can let us in,"" Grandpa Smedry said."" We're important witnesses in the case!"""" Sorry,"" the knight said."" We are also close personal friends of the knight involved.""“Sorry.”"" We also have very good teeth,"" Grandpa Smedry said, then smiled. This seemed to confuse the knight.(Grandpa Smedry has that effect on people.) However, once again, the knight simply shook his head and said,"" Sorry."" Grandpa Smedry stepped back, annoyed, and I felt a twist of despair. I'd failed to help Bastille after all she'd gone through for me. She should have known that she shouldn't rely on me."" How are you feeling, lad?"" Grandpa Smedry asked. I shrugged.“Annoyed?"" he prompted."" Yeah."""" Frustrated?"""" A bit.""",The knight,"this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight","of people on the other side. Grandpa Smedry walked over to open the door, but one of the knights raised his hand."" You are too late, Lord Smedry,"" the man said."" The judgment has begun."""" What?"" Grandpa Smedry declared."" I was told it wouldn't happen for an hour yet!"""" It is happening now,"" the knight said. As much as I like the knights, they can be... well, blunt. And stubborn. And really bad at taking jokes.(Which is why I feel I need to mention page 40 again, just to annoy them.)"" Surely you can let us in,"" Grandpa Smedry said."" We're important witnesses in the case!"""" Sorry,"" the knight said."" We are also close personal friends of the knight involved.""“Sorry.”"" We also have very good teeth,"" Grandpa Smedry said, then smiled. This seemed to confuse the knight.(Grandpa Smedry has that effect on people.) However, once again, the knight simply shook his head and said,"" Sorry."" Grandpa Smedry stepped back, annoyed, and I felt a twist of despair. I'd failed to help Bastille after all she'd gone through for me. She should have known that she shouldn't rely on me."" How are you feeling, lad?"" Grandpa Smedry asked. I shrugged.“Annoyed?"" he prompted."" Yeah."""" Frustrated?"""" A bit."":Previous Entities: |this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight| ::: Sorry,"" ",The knight.M That’s why those cells are worth so much money.,21915,22029,True,1711:A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses.M,"father and then followed the other attorneys outside. Through the glass, Frank Burnet watched as they talked further.“Those fuckers,” he said.“What kind of world do we live in?”“My sentiments exactly,” said a voice from behind him. Burnet turned. A young man wearing horn- rimmed glasses was sitting in the far corner of the conference room. Burnet remembered him; he had come in during the meeting, bringing coffee and mugs, which he had put on the sideboard. Then he had sat down in the corner for the rest of the meeting. Burnet had assumed he was a junior member of the firm, but now the young man was speaking with confidence.“Let’s face it, Mr. Burnet,” he said,“you’ve been screwed. It turns out your cells are very rare and valuable. They’re efficient manufacturers of cytokines, chemicals that fight cancer. That’s the real reason you survived your disease. As a matter of fact, your cells churn out cytokines more efficiently than any commercial process. That’s why those cells are worth so much money. The UCLA doctors didn’t create anything or invent anything. They didn’t genetically modify anything. They just took your cells, grew them in a dish, and sold the dish to BioGen. And you, my friend, were screwed.”“Who are you?” Burnet said.“And you have no hope of justice,” the young man continued,“because the courts are totally incompetent. The courts don’t realize how fast things are changing. They don’t understand we are already in a new world. They don’t get the new issues. And because they are technically illiterate, they don’t understand what procedures are done— or in this case, not done. Your cells were stolen and sold. Plain and simple. And the court decided that was just fine.” Burnet gave a long sigh.“But,” the man continued,“thieves can still get their comeuppance.”“How’s that?”“Because UCLA did nothing to change your cells, another company could",A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses,"the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses","father and then followed the other attorneys outside. Through the glass, Frank Burnet watched as they talked further.“Those fuckers,” he said.“What kind of world do we live in?”“My sentiments exactly,” said a voice from behind him. Burnet turned. A young man wearing horn- rimmed glasses was sitting in the far corner of the conference room. Burnet remembered him; he had come in during the meeting, bringing coffee and mugs, which he had put on the sideboard. Then he had sat down in the corner for the rest of the meeting. Burnet had assumed he was a junior member of the firm, but now the young man was speaking with confidence.“Let’s face it, Mr. Burnet,” he said,“you’ve been screwed. It turns out your cells are very rare and valuable. They’re efficient manufacturers of cytokines, chemicals that fight cancer. That’s the real reason you survived your disease. As a matter of fact, your cells churn out cytokines more efficiently than any commercial process. That’s why those cells are worth so much money. The UCLA doctors didn’t create anything or invent anything. They didn’t genetically modify anything. They just took your cells, grew them in a dish, and sold the dish to BioGen. And you, my friend, were screwed.”“Who are you?” Burnet said.“And you have no hope of justice,” the young man continued,“because the courts are totally incompetent. The courts don’t realize how fast things are changing. They don’t understand we are already in a new world. They don’t get the new issues. And because they are technically illiterate, they don’t understand what procedures are done— or in this case, not done. Your cells were stolen and sold. Plain and simple. And the court decided that was just fine.” Burnet gave a long sigh.“But,” the man continued,“thieves can still get their comeuppance.”“How’s that?”“Because UCLA did nothing to change your cells, another company could:Previous Entities: |the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses| ::: That’s why those cells are worth so much money. ",A young man wearing horn-rimmed glasses.M "son of Esmar Tuek,”",124419,124430,True,9741:the smuggler.M,"mind— we could see the actuality all around us. And the price we paid was the price men have always paid for achieving a paradise in this life— we went soft, we lost our edge.— from“Muad’Dib: Conversations” by the Princess Irulan“SO YOU’RE the great Gurney Halleck,” the man said. Halleck stood staring across the round cavern office at the smuggler seated behind a metal desk. The man wore Fremen robes and had the half- tint blue eyes that told of off- planet foods in his diet. The office duplicated a space frigate’s master control center— communications and viewscreens along a thirty- degree arc of wall, remote arming and firing banks adjoining, and the desk formed as a wall projection— part of the remaining curve.“I am Staban Tuek, son of Esmar Tuek,” the smuggler said.“Then you’re the one I owe thanks for the help we’ve received,” Halleck said.“Ah- h- h, gratitude,” the smuggler said.“Sit down.” A ship- type bucket seat emerged from the wall beside the screens and Halleck sank onto it with a sigh, feeling his weariness. He could see his own reflection now in a dark surface beside the smuggler and scowled at the lines of fatigue in his lumpy face. The inkvine scar along his jaw writhed with the scowl. Halleck turned from his reflection, stared at Tuek. He saw the family resemblance in the smuggler now— the father’s heavy, overhanging eyebrows and rock planes of cheeks and nose.“Your men tell me your father is dead",the smuggler,"the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar","mind— we could see the actuality all around us. And the price we paid was the price men have always paid for achieving a paradise in this life— we went soft, we lost our edge.— from“Muad’Dib: Conversations” by the Princess Irulan“SO YOU’RE the great Gurney Halleck,” the man said. Halleck stood staring across the round cavern office at the smuggler seated behind a metal desk. The man wore Fremen robes and had the half- tint blue eyes that told of off- planet foods in his diet. The office duplicated a space frigate’s master control center— communications and viewscreens along a thirty- degree arc of wall, remote arming and firing banks adjoining, and the desk formed as a wall projection— part of the remaining curve.“I am Staban Tuek, son of Esmar Tuek,” the smuggler said.“Then you’re the one I owe thanks for the help we’ve received,” Halleck said.“Ah- h- h, gratitude,” the smuggler said.“Sit down.” A ship- type bucket seat emerged from the wall beside the screens and Halleck sank onto it with a sigh, feeling his weariness. He could see his own reflection now in a dark surface beside the smuggler and scowled at the lines of fatigue in his lumpy face. The inkvine scar along his jaw writhed with the scowl. Halleck turned from his reflection, stared at Tuek. He saw the family resemblance in the smuggler now— the father’s heavy, overhanging eyebrows and rock planes of cheeks and nose.“Your men tell me your father is dead:Previous Entities: |the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar| ::: son of Esmar Tuek,” ","Staban Tuek.M Esmar Tuek.M Gurney Halleck.M" “before the deadline we have issued to the Phalanx Nations.,50104,50165,True,210:the president.M,"rearranging furniture and hauling boxes of stuff down to the local thrift shop.“You mean like a good or bad book?” she said.“A good or bad movie?”“No,” Nickie said,“I mean like something you do. How do you know if it’s a good thing to do or not?” On the radio, the news announcer broke off in the middle of a sentence, and there was a sudden silence. Then he said,“We have a bulletin from the president. One moment.” The president’s voice came on, not quite as smooth as usual. Instead of answering Nickie’s question, Crystal held up one finger and said,“Listen.”“One day remains,” the president said,“before the deadline we have issued to the Phalanx Nations. I regret to say no progress has been made. Our resolve is firm: we will not back down in the face of threats from godless evildoers. Citizens should prepare for possible large- scale conflict. Please refer to the Homeland Security website at www…” Crystal turned down the radio. She frowned and broke a few soda crackers into her soup.“It sounds bad,” she said.“We ought to be all right here, but I’m worried about your mother in the city.”“Let’s call her, then,” said Nickie,“and tell her to come.”“No, I wouldn’t want her traveling right now. I’m not really sure what to do.” She turned up the radio again, but the president was finished, and the newsman was reporting on a terrorist group that had taken a hundred hostages and was refusing to release them until they swore to follow the one true faith.“Could you answer my question now?” said Nickie.“About how you",the president,"The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len","rearranging furniture and hauling boxes of stuff down to the local thrift shop.“You mean like a good or bad book?” she said.“A good or bad movie?”“No,” Nickie said,“I mean like something you do. How do you know if it’s a good thing to do or not?” On the radio, the news announcer broke off in the middle of a sentence, and there was a sudden silence. Then he said,“We have a bulletin from the president. One moment.” The president’s voice came on, not quite as smooth as usual. Instead of answering Nickie’s question, Crystal held up one finger and said,“Listen.”“One day remains,” the president said,“before the deadline we have issued to the Phalanx Nations. I regret to say no progress has been made. Our resolve is firm: we will not back down in the face of threats from godless evildoers. Citizens should prepare for possible large- scale conflict. Please refer to the Homeland Security website at www…” Crystal turned down the radio. She frowned and broke a few soda crackers into her soup.“It sounds bad,” she said.“We ought to be all right here, but I’m worried about your mother in the city.”“Let’s call her, then,” said Nickie,“and tell her to come.”“No, I wouldn’t want her traveling right now. I’m not really sure what to do.” She turned up the radio again, but the president was finished, and the newsman was reporting on a terrorist group that had taken a hundred hostages and was refusing to release them until they swore to follow the one true faith.“Could you answer my question now?” said Nickie.“About how you:Previous Entities: |The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len| ::: “before the deadline we have issued to the Phalanx Nations. ",the president.M "“He’ll go for the jewels,”",30184,30192,True,176:Duncan MacDuncan.M,". We are most grateful.” That had been Lord Duncan’s plan. He was coming to ask for permission to pass through the territory because it was the most direct route to the Sacred Volcanoes, and he had brought presents, for which the MacHeaths would be grateful. But news of a foaming- mouth wolf was even more valuable. Duncan MacDuncan wanted this wily and cantankerous old chieftain in double debt to him.“And now for the presents. Bring them forth, Sir Donalbain.” An immense wolf with a gray coat brought forward a skin bag that he clutched in his mouth. When he dropped it in front of the chieftain’s paws, several sparkling jewels spilled out as well as some finely crafted gnaw- bones from a famous MacDuncan gnaw wolf of old.“He’ll go for the jewels,” Duncan had said before.“The old coot doesn’t know a finely crafted gnaw- bone from a stick of wood.” He was right, for Lord Dunleavey MacHeath immediately started pawing the jewels.“Aaah, emeralds from the Emerald River. How interesting.” He turned to one of his own nobles.“Sir Crathmore, will you fetch the gift our most recent visitor brought to us.”“Certainly, my lord.” The wolf returned in no time and set down a bundle of what looked like scraps of leather. The wolves of the MacDuncan clan crowded closer to have a look.“What is it?… Never seen anything like it.” The MacDuncan wolves were puzzled.“Art, they call it. Paintings. They are eyes of the",Duncan MacDuncan,"the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain",". We are most grateful.” That had been Lord Duncan’s plan. He was coming to ask for permission to pass through the territory because it was the most direct route to the Sacred Volcanoes, and he had brought presents, for which the MacHeaths would be grateful. But news of a foaming- mouth wolf was even more valuable. Duncan MacDuncan wanted this wily and cantankerous old chieftain in double debt to him.“And now for the presents. Bring them forth, Sir Donalbain.” An immense wolf with a gray coat brought forward a skin bag that he clutched in his mouth. When he dropped it in front of the chieftain’s paws, several sparkling jewels spilled out as well as some finely crafted gnaw- bones from a famous MacDuncan gnaw wolf of old.“He’ll go for the jewels,” Duncan had said before.“The old coot doesn’t know a finely crafted gnaw- bone from a stick of wood.” He was right, for Lord Dunleavey MacHeath immediately started pawing the jewels.“Aaah, emeralds from the Emerald River. How interesting.” He turned to one of his own nobles.“Sir Crathmore, will you fetch the gift our most recent visitor brought to us.”“Certainly, my lord.” The wolf returned in no time and set down a bundle of what looked like scraps of leather. The wolves of the MacDuncan clan crowded closer to have a look.“What is it?… Never seen anything like it.” The MacDuncan wolves were puzzled.“Art, they call it. Paintings. They are eyes of the:Previous Entities: |the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain| ::: “He’ll go for the jewels,” ",Duncan MacDuncan.M I didn't say it couldn't happen.,17688,17724,True,1059:The flight attendant.F,"He is a very good captain."" The girl's eyes flickered nervously. She twisted her hands in her lap. Casey decided to wait for a moment. It was an old interrogator's trick: let the subject break the silence."" Captain Chang comes from a distinguished family of pilots,"" Kay Liang said, swallowing."" His father was a pilot during the war, and his son is a pilot as well."""" I see..."" The flight attendant lapsed into silence again. There was a pause. She looked down at her hands, then back up."" So. Is there anything else I can tell you?"" Outside the cubicle, Richman said,"" Isn't this the thing you said couldn't happen? Uncommanded slats deployment?"""" I didn't say it couldn't happen. I said I didn't believe it was possible on this aircraft. And if it did, it raises more questions than it answers."""" And what about the autopilot—""' Too early to tell,"" she said, and went into the next cubicle."" It must have been around six o'clock,"" Emily Jansen said, shaking her head. She was a slender woman of thirty, with a purple bruise on her cheek. An infant slept on her lap. Her husband lay in the bed behind her; a metal brace ran from his shoulders to his chin. She said his jaw was broken."" I had just fed the baby. I was talking to my husband. And then I heard a sound."""" What sort of a sound?"""" A rumbling or a grinding sound. I thought it came from the wing."" Not good, Casey thought."" So I",The flight attendant,"The stewardess, The flight attendant","He is a very good captain."" The girl's eyes flickered nervously. She twisted her hands in her lap. Casey decided to wait for a moment. It was an old interrogator's trick: let the subject break the silence."" Captain Chang comes from a distinguished family of pilots,"" Kay Liang said, swallowing."" His father was a pilot during the war, and his son is a pilot as well."""" I see..."" The flight attendant lapsed into silence again. There was a pause. She looked down at her hands, then back up."" So. Is there anything else I can tell you?"" Outside the cubicle, Richman said,"" Isn't this the thing you said couldn't happen? Uncommanded slats deployment?"""" I didn't say it couldn't happen. I said I didn't believe it was possible on this aircraft. And if it did, it raises more questions than it answers."""" And what about the autopilot—""' Too early to tell,"" she said, and went into the next cubicle."" It must have been around six o'clock,"" Emily Jansen said, shaking her head. She was a slender woman of thirty, with a purple bruise on her cheek. An infant slept on her lap. Her husband lay in the bed behind her; a metal brace ran from his shoulders to his chin. She said his jaw was broken."" I had just fed the baby. I was talking to my husband. And then I heard a sound."""" What sort of a sound?"""" A rumbling or a grinding sound. I thought it came from the wing."" Not good, Casey thought."" So I:Previous Entities: |The stewardess, The flight attendant| ::: I didn't say it couldn't happen. ",Casey.F "“Of course,",46536,46548,True,125:Jed.M,"them to the rail and helped them lift Jed’s body.“On three,” Katrina said. She counted down, and on three, they eased him over the side. All four of them looked down to watch the ocean swallow the body. Bubbles gurgled to the top as the white spot below the surface dimmed and then disappeared.“Bye, Jed,” Sandy said. Katrina put a hand on her shoulder again and guided her away from the railing and back into the protection of the cargo bay. Eevi hit the button to close the hatch, and all the other divers but Trey walked with Sandy to the ladder for the upper decks. He waited for Katrina as the door clanked shut.“Captain, may I talk to you?” he said.“Of course, Trey. What’s on your mind?” He turned to make sure everyone was gone. When the last footfalls faded away, he said,“I’m sorry for letting you down, Captain. Jed’s death is on me, not the Cazadores. That’s why I want permission to take a Zodiac and scout out the Metal Islands before we meet the airships there. We have two days before—”“No,” Katrina said, cutting him off.“It’s too dangerous, and your old man would kill me.” Trey stiffened. He stood a good foot taller than she.“Captain, I was actually hoping you would come with me on this recon mission.” She backed up slightly so she could meet his gaze and confirm that he was serious.“It would be a great",Jed,"a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram","them to the rail and helped them lift Jed’s body.“On three,” Katrina said. She counted down, and on three, they eased him over the side. All four of them looked down to watch the ocean swallow the body. Bubbles gurgled to the top as the white spot below the surface dimmed and then disappeared.“Bye, Jed,” Sandy said. Katrina put a hand on her shoulder again and guided her away from the railing and back into the protection of the cargo bay. Eevi hit the button to close the hatch, and all the other divers but Trey walked with Sandy to the ladder for the upper decks. He waited for Katrina as the door clanked shut.“Captain, may I talk to you?” he said.“Of course, Trey. What’s on your mind?” He turned to make sure everyone was gone. When the last footfalls faded away, he said,“I’m sorry for letting you down, Captain. Jed’s death is on me, not the Cazadores. That’s why I want permission to take a Zodiac and scout out the Metal Islands before we meet the airships there. We have two days before—”“No,” Katrina said, cutting him off.“It’s too dangerous, and your old man would kill me.” Trey stiffened. He stood a good foot taller than she.“Captain, I was actually hoping you would come with me on this recon mission.” She backed up slightly so she could meet his gaze and confirm that he was serious.“It would be a great:Previous Entities: |a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram| ::: “Of course, ","Trey.M Katrina.F" “In the Great Ga’Hoole Tree we get to sleep when we want to.”,22621,22636,True,167:The Sooty Owl.M,"she gone back? She was not sure how long she had been in the hollow, but at least they had let her out of the bag. A Sooty Owl, a species related to Barn Owls but more gray than buff- colored, stuck his head in.“I have orders for you to go to sleep. Settle down in that nest, now. You’ll never sleep on any finer moss. And she plucked down from her own breast for you and arranged it herself.” How kind! thought Primrose.“What if I don’t want to sleep?” The Sooty Owl blinked and then made a series of clicking sounds that Primrose supposed was to intimidate her.“It’s not a question of what you want. It’s an order.”“In the Great Ga’Hoole Tree we get to sleep when we want to.”“Well, guess what, Sweet Tuft? You ain’t in Ga’Hoole anymore.”“I take it I am among the Pure Ones,” Primrose replied.“You take what you want. Now get to sleep,” the Sooty snarled. Primrose flew up to an interior perch and lighted down.“Not there. Down here in the nice fluffy bed.”“I sleep better on a perch.”“Down in the nest! And that’s an order.” Primrose never heard of anything so ridiculous. Why was it so important where she slept in this hollow? She was a prisoner no matter what. So she settled into the nest, which indeed did have the softest, fluffiest moss she had ever experienced. But despite the luxurious trimming of",The Sooty Owl,"Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl","she gone back? She was not sure how long she had been in the hollow, but at least they had let her out of the bag. A Sooty Owl, a species related to Barn Owls but more gray than buff- colored, stuck his head in.“I have orders for you to go to sleep. Settle down in that nest, now. You’ll never sleep on any finer moss. And she plucked down from her own breast for you and arranged it herself.” How kind! thought Primrose.“What if I don’t want to sleep?” The Sooty Owl blinked and then made a series of clicking sounds that Primrose supposed was to intimidate her.“It’s not a question of what you want. It’s an order.”“In the Great Ga’Hoole Tree we get to sleep when we want to.”“Well, guess what, Sweet Tuft? You ain’t in Ga’Hoole anymore.”“I take it I am among the Pure Ones,” Primrose replied.“You take what you want. Now get to sleep,” the Sooty snarled. Primrose flew up to an interior perch and lighted down.“Not there. Down here in the nice fluffy bed.”“I sleep better on a perch.”“Down in the nest! And that’s an order.” Primrose never heard of anything so ridiculous. Why was it so important where she slept in this hollow? She was a prisoner no matter what. So she settled into the nest, which indeed did have the softest, fluffiest moss she had ever experienced. But despite the luxurious trimming of:Previous Entities: |Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl| ::: “In the Great Ga’Hoole Tree we get to sleep when we want to.” ",The Sooty Owl.F "' I know what this is all about,",42707,42718,True,1496:The pixie.F,"father. It was a legend in the corporate world.' Very well, thanks. Cumulus House is a lovely asylum.' Foaly decided he would try sincerity. It was a tool he didn't use very often. But he would give it a go.' Opal. Think about what you're doing. Cudgeon is insane, for pity's sake. Once he has what he wants, he will dispose of you in a heartbeat!' The pixie shook a perfectly manicured finger.' No, Foaly, you're wrong. Briar needs me. He really does. He'd be nothing without me and my gold.' The centaur looked deep into Opal's eyes. The pixie actually believed what she was saying. How could someone so brilliant be so deluded?' I know what this is all about, Opal.'' Oh, you do?'' Yes. You're still sore because I won the science medal back in university.' For a second, Koboi's composure slipped, and her features didn't seem quite so perfect.' That medal was mine, you stupid centaur. My wing design was far superior to your ridiculous iris- cam. You won because you were a male. And that's the only reason.' Foaly grinned, satisfied. Even with the odds so hugely against him, he hadn't lost the ability to be the most annoying creature under the world when he wanted to be.' So what do you want, Opal? Or did you just call to chat about our schooldays?' Opal took a long drink from a crystal glass.'",The pixie,"The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie","father. It was a legend in the corporate world.' Very well, thanks. Cumulus House is a lovely asylum.' Foaly decided he would try sincerity. It was a tool he didn't use very often. But he would give it a go.' Opal. Think about what you're doing. Cudgeon is insane, for pity's sake. Once he has what he wants, he will dispose of you in a heartbeat!' The pixie shook a perfectly manicured finger.' No, Foaly, you're wrong. Briar needs me. He really does. He'd be nothing without me and my gold.' The centaur looked deep into Opal's eyes. The pixie actually believed what she was saying. How could someone so brilliant be so deluded?' I know what this is all about, Opal.'' Oh, you do?'' Yes. You're still sore because I won the science medal back in university.' For a second, Koboi's composure slipped, and her features didn't seem quite so perfect.' That medal was mine, you stupid centaur. My wing design was far superior to your ridiculous iris- cam. You won because you were a male. And that's the only reason.' Foaly grinned, satisfied. Even with the odds so hugely against him, he hadn't lost the ability to be the most annoying creature under the world when he wanted to be.' So what do you want, Opal? Or did you just call to chat about our schooldays?' Opal took a long drink from a crystal glass.':Previous Entities: |The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie| ::: ' I know what this is all about, ",Foaly.M Eglantine.,26195,26232,True,751:My real mum.?,"— hypnotized, Mrs. P. had said. It was a dangerous place. And now, thought Eglantine, it was a dangerous place with dangerous owls. Once more, she felt a jolt run through her gizzard. Dangerous? My mum dangerous? How strange. She was now approaching the fir tree. She knew she had to appear normal— but what was normal? How long had it been since she had been normal? A fog was beginning to lift in Eglantine’s brain, but it took enormous energy not to sink back into it.“Darling!” her mum called out.“Oh, I’m so pleased. And in this bad weather. Oh, how lovely that you came.” My real mum would scold me for flying in this bad weather.“Come in. I have your favorite snack waiting for you— centipedes. But darling, Eglantine. No papers for me? You know how much I enjoy the papers you bring me.”“Uh… it was raining, you know. I thought they might get wet.”“Oh, yes, of course, silly me. Your da is always saying I’m such a silly old thing.”“He does?” Eglantine said blankly.“Are you sure?” Suddenly, the big white- faced owl blinked at her as if watching her more closely. Uh- oh! Be careful. Eglantine’s gizzard quivered with fear. But the quivers felt almost good, because each time her gizzard stirred, she began to feel more like her old self.“I have a wonderful surprise for you.”“A surprise? Da? Soren?” Eglantine blinked and looked closely. Is she my mum? Really? How can I tell",My real mum,"Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum","— hypnotized, Mrs. P. had said. It was a dangerous place. And now, thought Eglantine, it was a dangerous place with dangerous owls. Once more, she felt a jolt run through her gizzard. Dangerous? My mum dangerous? How strange. She was now approaching the fir tree. She knew she had to appear normal— but what was normal? How long had it been since she had been normal? A fog was beginning to lift in Eglantine’s brain, but it took enormous energy not to sink back into it.“Darling!” her mum called out.“Oh, I’m so pleased. And in this bad weather. Oh, how lovely that you came.” My real mum would scold me for flying in this bad weather.“Come in. I have your favorite snack waiting for you— centipedes. But darling, Eglantine. No papers for me? You know how much I enjoy the papers you bring me.”“Uh… it was raining, you know. I thought they might get wet.”“Oh, yes, of course, silly me. Your da is always saying I’m such a silly old thing.”“He does?” Eglantine said blankly.“Are you sure?” Suddenly, the big white- faced owl blinked at her as if watching her more closely. Uh- oh! Be careful. Eglantine’s gizzard quivered with fear. But the quivers felt almost good, because each time her gizzard stirred, she began to feel more like her old self.“I have a wonderful surprise for you.”“A surprise? Da? Soren?” Eglantine blinked and looked closely. Is she my mum? Really? How can I tell:Previous Entities: |Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum| ::: Eglantine. ",Eglantine.F “Eat.”,19370,19373,True,792:This beast.M,"door, my heart beating so fast I thought I’d vomit. The cool metal of the door’s hinges bit into my fingers. If I moved fast, I could be out of the house and sprinting for the gate within seconds. He was undoubtedly faster— but chucking some of those pretty pieces of hallway furniture in his path might slow him down. Though his Fae ears— with their delicate, pointed arches— would pick up any whisper of movement from me.“Who are you?” I managed to say. His light golden hair was so similar to the color of his beast form’s pelt. Those giant claws undoubtedly still lurked just below the surface of his skin.“Sit,” he said gruffly, waving a broad hand to encompass the table.“Eat.” I ran through the chants in my head, again and again. Not worth it— easing my ravenous hunger was definitely not worth the risk of being enslaved to him in mind and soul. He let out a low growl.“Unless you’d rather faint?”“It’s not safe for humans,” I managed to say, offense be damned. He huffed a laugh— more feral than anything.“The food is fine for you to eat, human.” Those strange green eyes pinned me to the spot, as if he could detect every muscle in my body that was priming to bolt.“Leave, if you want,” he added with a flash of teeth.“I’m not your jailer. The gates are open— you can live",This beast,"The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast","door, my heart beating so fast I thought I’d vomit. The cool metal of the door’s hinges bit into my fingers. If I moved fast, I could be out of the house and sprinting for the gate within seconds. He was undoubtedly faster— but chucking some of those pretty pieces of hallway furniture in his path might slow him down. Though his Fae ears— with their delicate, pointed arches— would pick up any whisper of movement from me.“Who are you?” I managed to say. His light golden hair was so similar to the color of his beast form’s pelt. Those giant claws undoubtedly still lurked just below the surface of his skin.“Sit,” he said gruffly, waving a broad hand to encompass the table.“Eat.” I ran through the chants in my head, again and again. Not worth it— easing my ravenous hunger was definitely not worth the risk of being enslaved to him in mind and soul. He let out a low growl.“Unless you’d rather faint?”“It’s not safe for humans,” I managed to say, offense be damned. He huffed a laugh— more feral than anything.“The food is fine for you to eat, human.” Those strange green eyes pinned me to the spot, as if he could detect every muscle in my body that was priming to bolt.“Leave, if you want,” he added with a flash of teeth.“I’m not your jailer. The gates are open— you can live:Previous Entities: |The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast| ::: “Eat.” ",Beast.M our vice- president for publicity.,87736,87750,True,2308:The receptionist.?,"think. Dark, like the carpet at the Nakamoto conference room. Have to check with the lab to be sure. Meanwhile, we have another problem to solve. Start the car.”“Where are we going?”“Darley- Higgins. The company that owns Micro Con In the lobby beside the receptionist, a workman was mounting large gold letters on the wall: DARLEY- HIGGINS INC. Beneath that it read EXCELLENCE IN MANAGEMENT. More workmen were laying carpet in the hallway. We showed our badges and asked to see the head of Darley- Higgins, Arthur Greirnan. The receptionist had a Southern accent and an upturned nose.“Mr. Greiman is in meetings all day. Is he expecting you?”“We’re here about the Micro Con sale.”“Then you want Mr. Enders, our vice- president for publicity. He speaks to people about Micro Con“All right,” Connor said. We sat down on a couch in the reception area. On a couch across the room sat a pretty woman in a tight skirt. She had a roll of blueprints under her arm. The workmen continued to hammer. I said,“I thought the company was in financial trouble. Why’re they redecorating?” Connor shrugged. The secretary answered the phone, routing The calls.“Darley- Higgins, one moment, please. Darley- Higgins... Oh, please hold, Senator... Darley- Higgins, yes, thank you.. I picked up a brochure from the coffee table. It was the annual report of Darley- Higgins Management Group, with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle,",The receptionist,"a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman","think. Dark, like the carpet at the Nakamoto conference room. Have to check with the lab to be sure. Meanwhile, we have another problem to solve. Start the car.”“Where are we going?”“Darley- Higgins. The company that owns Micro Con In the lobby beside the receptionist, a workman was mounting large gold letters on the wall: DARLEY- HIGGINS INC. Beneath that it read EXCELLENCE IN MANAGEMENT. More workmen were laying carpet in the hallway. We showed our badges and asked to see the head of Darley- Higgins, Arthur Greirnan. The receptionist had a Southern accent and an upturned nose.“Mr. Greiman is in meetings all day. Is he expecting you?”“We’re here about the Micro Con sale.”“Then you want Mr. Enders, our vice- president for publicity. He speaks to people about Micro Con“All right,” Connor said. We sat down on a couch in the reception area. On a couch across the room sat a pretty woman in a tight skirt. She had a roll of blueprints under her arm. The workmen continued to hammer. I said,“I thought the company was in financial trouble. Why’re they redecorating?” Connor shrugged. The secretary answered the phone, routing The calls.“Darley- Higgins, one moment, please. Darley- Higgins... Oh, please hold, Senator... Darley- Higgins, yes, thank you.. I picked up a brochure from the coffee table. It was the annual report of Darley- Higgins Management Group, with offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Seattle,:Previous Entities: |a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman| ::: our vice- president for publicity. ",Connor.M I saw it.,60341,60354,True,367:Cania.F,"long length of shigawire. In his younger days, Tuek had played batball. He caught Sheeana instinctively, hesitated for an instant and then recognized the danger. Whirling with the squirming, protesting girl in his arms, Tuek dashed through the open door of the stair tower. He heard the door slam behind him and Cania’s rapid footsteps close on his heels.“What is it? What is it?” Sheeana pounded her fists against Tuek’s chest as she shouted.“Hush, Sheeana! Hush!” Tuek paused on the first landing. Both a chute and suspensor- drop led from this landing into the building’s core. Cania stopped beside Tuek, her panting loud in the narrow space.“It killed Kipuna and two of your guards,” Cania gasped.“Cut them up! I saw it. God preserve us!” Tuek’s mind was a maelstrom. Both the chute and the suspensor- drop system were enclosed wormholes through the tower. They could be sabotaged. The attack on the roof might be only one element in a far more complex plot.“Put me down!” Sheeana insisted.“What’s happening?” Tuek eased her to the floor but kept one of her hands clutched in his hand. He bent over her,“Sheeana, dear, someone is trying to harm us.” Sheeana’s mouth formed a silent“O,” then:“They hurt Kipuna?” Tuek looked up at the roof door. Was that an ornithopter he heard up there? Stiros! Conspirators could take three vulnerable people into the desert so easily! Cania had regained her breath.",Cania,"Dromind, Kipuna","long length of shigawire. In his younger days, Tuek had played batball. He caught Sheeana instinctively, hesitated for an instant and then recognized the danger. Whirling with the squirming, protesting girl in his arms, Tuek dashed through the open door of the stair tower. He heard the door slam behind him and Cania’s rapid footsteps close on his heels.“What is it? What is it?” Sheeana pounded her fists against Tuek’s chest as she shouted.“Hush, Sheeana! Hush!” Tuek paused on the first landing. Both a chute and suspensor- drop led from this landing into the building’s core. Cania stopped beside Tuek, her panting loud in the narrow space.“It killed Kipuna and two of your guards,” Cania gasped.“Cut them up! I saw it. God preserve us!” Tuek’s mind was a maelstrom. Both the chute and the suspensor- drop system were enclosed wormholes through the tower. They could be sabotaged. The attack on the roof might be only one element in a far more complex plot.“Put me down!” Sheeana insisted.“What’s happening?” Tuek eased her to the floor but kept one of her hands clutched in his hand. He bent over her,“Sheeana, dear, someone is trying to harm us.” Sheeana’s mouth formed a silent“O,” then:“They hurt Kipuna?” Tuek looked up at the roof door. Was that an ornithopter he heard up there? Stiros! Conspirators could take three vulnerable people into the desert so easily! Cania had regained her breath.:Previous Entities: |Dromind, Kipuna| ::: I saw it. ",Cania.F "“Let her,”",80618,80622,True,2935:the other guard.?,". Most of the other injured have been cared for.” The sour taste in my mouth grows stronger. David can’t walk. And what they’ve been doing all this time is caring for the injured. All this destruction, and for what? I don’t even know. I don’t know the truth. What did I do?“Do they have a casualty count?” Shelly asks.“Not yet,” Tris replies.“Thanks for letting us know.”“Listen.” She shifts her weight to one foot.“I need to talk to him.” She jerks her head toward me.“We can’t really—” Shelly starts.“Just for a second, I promise,” Tris says.“Please.”“Let her,” the other guard says.“What could it hurt?”“Fine,” Shelly says.“I’ll give you two minutes.” She nods to me, and I use the wall to push myself to my feet, my hands still bound in front of me. Tris comes closer, but not that close— the space, and her folded arms, form a barrier between us that may as well be a wall. She looks somewhere south of my eyes.“Tris, I—”“Want to know what your friends did?” she says. Her voice shakes, and I do not make the mistake of thinking it’s from tears. It’s from anger.“They weren’t after the memory serum. They were after poison— death serum",the other guard,"Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly",". Most of the other injured have been cared for.” The sour taste in my mouth grows stronger. David can’t walk. And what they’ve been doing all this time is caring for the injured. All this destruction, and for what? I don’t even know. I don’t know the truth. What did I do?“Do they have a casualty count?” Shelly asks.“Not yet,” Tris replies.“Thanks for letting us know.”“Listen.” She shifts her weight to one foot.“I need to talk to him.” She jerks her head toward me.“We can’t really—” Shelly starts.“Just for a second, I promise,” Tris says.“Please.”“Let her,” the other guard says.“What could it hurt?”“Fine,” Shelly says.“I’ll give you two minutes.” She nods to me, and I use the wall to push myself to my feet, my hands still bound in front of me. Tris comes closer, but not that close— the space, and her folded arms, form a barrier between us that may as well be a wall. She looks somewhere south of my eyes.“Tris, I—”“Want to know what your friends did?” she says. Her voice shakes, and I do not make the mistake of thinking it’s from tears. It’s from anger.“They weren’t after the memory serum. They were after poison— death serum:Previous Entities: |Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: “Let her,” ","Tris.F Shelly.F" “Say that again?”,77513,77518,True,2913:the aide to Senator Wilson.M,"you’re taller than your friend, it’s probably because your parents are taller. But for populations, height is a function of environment. In the last fifty years, Europeans have grown an inch every decade. So have the Japanese. That’s too fast for a genetic change. It’s entirely an effect of environment— better prenatal care, nutrition, health care, and so on. Americans, by the way, haven’t grown at all in this period. They’ve shrunk slightly, possibly because of poor prenatal care and junk food diets. The point is that the actual relationship of genes and environment is very complicated. Scientists don’t yet have a good understanding of how genes work. In fact, there’s no general agreement about what a gene is.”“Say that again?”“Among scientists,” Garfield said,“there is no single agreed- upon definition of what a gene is. There are four or five different definitions.”“I thought a gene was a section of the genome,” someone said.“A sequence of base pairs, ATGC, that codes for a protein.”“That’s one definition,” Garfield said.“But it’s inadequate. Because a single ATGC sequence can code for multiple proteins. Some sections of code are basically switches that turn other sections on and off. Some sections lie silent unless activated by specific environmental stimuli. Some sections are active only during a period of development, and never again. Others turn on and off constantly throughout an individual’s life. As I said, it’s",the aide to Senator Wilson,"Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson","you’re taller than your friend, it’s probably because your parents are taller. But for populations, height is a function of environment. In the last fifty years, Europeans have grown an inch every decade. So have the Japanese. That’s too fast for a genetic change. It’s entirely an effect of environment— better prenatal care, nutrition, health care, and so on. Americans, by the way, haven’t grown at all in this period. They’ve shrunk slightly, possibly because of poor prenatal care and junk food diets. The point is that the actual relationship of genes and environment is very complicated. Scientists don’t yet have a good understanding of how genes work. In fact, there’s no general agreement about what a gene is.”“Say that again?”“Among scientists,” Garfield said,“there is no single agreed- upon definition of what a gene is. There are four or five different definitions.”“I thought a gene was a section of the genome,” someone said.“A sequence of base pairs, ATGC, that codes for a protein.”“That’s one definition,” Garfield said.“But it’s inadequate. Because a single ATGC sequence can code for multiple proteins. Some sections of code are basically switches that turn other sections on and off. Some sections lie silent unless activated by specific environmental stimuli. Some sections are active only during a period of development, and never again. Others turn on and off constantly throughout an individual’s life. As I said, it’s:Previous Entities: |Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson| ::: “Say that again?” ",Sanger. M "“It was planned,”",165722,165727,True,392:Fenring.M,"Yes,” the Baron said.“The fete.” He turned, was enveloped by guards as he stepped into the private exit from the box. A guard captain bowed to Count Fenring.“Your orders, my Lord?”“We will ah- h- h wait for the worst mm- m- m crush to um- m- m pass,” the Count said.“Yes, m’Lord.” The man bowed himself back three paces. Count Fenring faced his lady, spoke again in their personal humming- code tongue:“You saw it, of course?” In the same humming tongue, she said:“The lad knew the gladiator wouldn’t be drugged. There was a moment of fear, yes, but no surprise.”“It was planned,” he said.“The entire performance.”“Without a doubt.”“It stinks of Hawat.”“Indeed,” she said.“I demanded earlier that the Baron eliminate Hawat.”“That was an error, my dear.”“I see that now.”“The Harkonnens may have a new Baron ere long.”“If that’s Hawat’s plan.”“That will bear examination, true,” she said.“The young one will be more amenable to control.”“For us... after tonight,” she said.“You don’t anticipate difficulty seducing him, my little brood- mother?”“No, my love. You saw how he looked at me.”“Yes, and I can",Fenring,"The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring","Yes,” the Baron said.“The fete.” He turned, was enveloped by guards as he stepped into the private exit from the box. A guard captain bowed to Count Fenring.“Your orders, my Lord?”“We will ah- h- h wait for the worst mm- m- m crush to um- m- m pass,” the Count said.“Yes, m’Lord.” The man bowed himself back three paces. Count Fenring faced his lady, spoke again in their personal humming- code tongue:“You saw it, of course?” In the same humming tongue, she said:“The lad knew the gladiator wouldn’t be drugged. There was a moment of fear, yes, but no surprise.”“It was planned,” he said.“The entire performance.”“Without a doubt.”“It stinks of Hawat.”“Indeed,” she said.“I demanded earlier that the Baron eliminate Hawat.”“That was an error, my dear.”“I see that now.”“The Harkonnens may have a new Baron ere long.”“If that’s Hawat’s plan.”“That will bear examination, true,” she said.“The young one will be more amenable to control.”“For us... after tonight,” she said.“You don’t anticipate difficulty seducing him, my little brood- mother?”“No, my love. You saw how he looked at me.”“Yes, and I can:Previous Entities: |The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring| ::: “It was planned,” ",Fenring.M of course.,192904,192925,True,2384:his grandmother.?,", and before Harry could stop him had called out,“Neville!” Neville jumped and cowered as though a bullet had narrowly missed him.“It’s us, Neville!” said Ron brightly, getting to h i s feet.“Have you seen-? Lockhart’s here! Who’ve you been visiting?”“Friends of yours, Neville, dear?” said Neville’s grandmother graciously, bearing down upon them all. Neville looked as though he would rather be anywhere in the world but here. A dull purple flush was creeping up his plump face and he was not making eye contact with any of them.“Ah, yes,” said his grandmother, looking closely at Harry and sticking out a shrivelled, clawlike hand for him to shake.“Yes, yes, I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you.”“Er- thanks,” said Harry, shaking hands. Neville did not look at him, but surveyed his own feet, the color deepening in his face all the while.“And you two are clearly Weasleys,” Mrs. Longbottom continued, proffering her hand regally to Ron and Ginny in turn.“Yes, I know your parents— not well, of course— but fine people, fine people… and you must be Hermione Granger?” Hermione looked rather startled that Mrs. Longbottom knew her name, but shook hands all the same.“Yes, Neville’s told me all about you. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven’t you? He’s a good boy,” she said, casting a sternly appraising look down her rather bony nose",his grandmother,"Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair",", and before Harry could stop him had called out,“Neville!” Neville jumped and cowered as though a bullet had narrowly missed him.“It’s us, Neville!” said Ron brightly, getting to h i s feet.“Have you seen-? Lockhart’s here! Who’ve you been visiting?”“Friends of yours, Neville, dear?” said Neville’s grandmother graciously, bearing down upon them all. Neville looked as though he would rather be anywhere in the world but here. A dull purple flush was creeping up his plump face and he was not making eye contact with any of them.“Ah, yes,” said his grandmother, looking closely at Harry and sticking out a shrivelled, clawlike hand for him to shake.“Yes, yes, I know who you are, of course. Neville speaks most highly of you.”“Er- thanks,” said Harry, shaking hands. Neville did not look at him, but surveyed his own feet, the color deepening in his face all the while.“And you two are clearly Weasleys,” Mrs. Longbottom continued, proffering her hand regally to Ron and Ginny in turn.“Yes, I know your parents— not well, of course— but fine people, fine people… and you must be Hermione Granger?” Hermione looked rather startled that Mrs. Longbottom knew her name, but shook hands all the same.“Yes, Neville’s told me all about you. Helped him out of a few sticky spots, haven’t you? He’s a good boy,” she said, casting a sternly appraising look down her rather bony nose:Previous Entities: |Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair| ::: of course. ",Mrs. Longbottom.F "“Like Peter Pan,",120289,120301,True,812:Hensley.F,"they believe dog owners really want: permanent puppies.“Kumnick’s Perma- Puppies will never grow up,” according to spokesperson Lyn Kumnick.“When you buy a PermaPuppy, it stays a puppy forever.” The firm is working to eliminate unwanted puppy behavior, such as chewing shoes, which gets on dog owners’ nerves.“Once the teeth are in, this behavior stops,” Kumnick said.“Unfortunately, at this point our genetic interventions have prevented the growth of teeth altogether, but we’ll solve that.” She said that rumors they were going to market a toothless animal called a GummyDog were untrue. Kumnick observes that since adulthood in human beings is being replaced by permanent adolescence, people naturally wish to be accompanied through life by similarly youthful dogs.“Like Peter Pan, we never want to grow up,” she says.“Genetics makes it possible!”*** CH075 S till lost, now driving through very hilly terrain, Stan Milgram squinted at the road sign emerging from the darkness ahead. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN 37 MILES. Where the hell was that? He had never realized California was so big. He had passed through a couple of towns a ways back, but at three in the morning everything was closed, including gas stations. And then he was once more in dark, empty countryside. He should have brought a map. Stan was exhausted, irritable, and he needed to pull over and sleep. But the damn bird would start shrieking as soon as he stopped the car. Gerard had been silent for the last hour, but now, inexplicably, he began to",Hensley,"Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley","they believe dog owners really want: permanent puppies.“Kumnick’s Perma- Puppies will never grow up,” according to spokesperson Lyn Kumnick.“When you buy a PermaPuppy, it stays a puppy forever.” The firm is working to eliminate unwanted puppy behavior, such as chewing shoes, which gets on dog owners’ nerves.“Once the teeth are in, this behavior stops,” Kumnick said.“Unfortunately, at this point our genetic interventions have prevented the growth of teeth altogether, but we’ll solve that.” She said that rumors they were going to market a toothless animal called a GummyDog were untrue. Kumnick observes that since adulthood in human beings is being replaced by permanent adolescence, people naturally wish to be accompanied through life by similarly youthful dogs.“Like Peter Pan, we never want to grow up,” she says.“Genetics makes it possible!”*** CH075 S till lost, now driving through very hilly terrain, Stan Milgram squinted at the road sign emerging from the darkness ahead. PALOMAR MOUNTAIN 37 MILES. Where the hell was that? He had never realized California was so big. He had passed through a couple of towns a ways back, but at three in the morning everything was closed, including gas stations. And then he was once more in dark, empty countryside. He should have brought a map. Stan was exhausted, irritable, and he needed to pull over and sleep. But the damn bird would start shrieking as soon as he stopped the car. Gerard had been silent for the last hour, but now, inexplicably, he began to:Previous Entities: |Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley| ::: “Like Peter Pan, ",Lyn Kumnick.F this is going to be—”,7594,7610,True,131:Vish.?,"gonna rain missiles on him.” Katrina glanced at Edgar Cervantes, who picked at his food quietly. He looked up but didn’t add his thoughts. He hadn’t said much since losing his cousin, Ramon.“How are you feeling?” she asked him.“I’m ready to fight, Captain, but I hope we can get the Cazadores to surrender without damaging the oil rigs. Our people will need a place to go.”“I still can’t believe this is real,” Sandy said with a wide smile that showed off her crooked teeth.“I’ve always dreamed what the sun would look like.”“And the ocean,” Jaideep said.“I can’t wait to learn how to swim.” Vish said,“I’m going fishing and boating. Man, this is going to be—” Katrina stood up and looked around her at all the youthful gazes full of fear and hope. But she couldn’t lie to them— having grand illusions about what they would find was dangerous.“This is going to be hell,” she said.“Don’t forget, these people are our enemy, and they have our friends. We will have to fight, one way or another.” She moved over to the portholes. The billowing mass of clouds flashed from within, and tendrils of lightning licked the water on the horizon. She watched the raging storm like a soldier looking for a weakness in the enemy’s defenses. Right now, the storm was a bigger threat than all the cannibals in the Metal Islands. But it was time to stop wishing the storm",Vish,"Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar","gonna rain missiles on him.” Katrina glanced at Edgar Cervantes, who picked at his food quietly. He looked up but didn’t add his thoughts. He hadn’t said much since losing his cousin, Ramon.“How are you feeling?” she asked him.“I’m ready to fight, Captain, but I hope we can get the Cazadores to surrender without damaging the oil rigs. Our people will need a place to go.”“I still can’t believe this is real,” Sandy said with a wide smile that showed off her crooked teeth.“I’ve always dreamed what the sun would look like.”“And the ocean,” Jaideep said.“I can’t wait to learn how to swim.” Vish said,“I’m going fishing and boating. Man, this is going to be—” Katrina stood up and looked around her at all the youthful gazes full of fear and hope. But she couldn’t lie to them— having grand illusions about what they would find was dangerous.“This is going to be hell,” she said.“Don’t forget, these people are our enemy, and they have our friends. We will have to fight, one way or another.” She moved over to the portholes. The billowing mass of clouds flashed from within, and tendrils of lightning licked the water on the horizon. She watched the raging storm like a soldier looking for a weakness in the enemy’s defenses. Right now, the storm was a bigger threat than all the cannibals in the Metal Islands. But it was time to stop wishing the storm:Previous Entities: |Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar| ::: this is going to be—” ",Vish.M "One day Great A’Tuin may encounter another member of the species chelys galactica,",73197,73261,True,386:the Lady.F,"I come from,” said Two flower.“You do, you know,” said the Lady.“Everyone has gods. You just don’t think they’re gods.” Rincewind shook himself mentally.“Look,” he said.“I don’t want to sound impatient, but in a few minutes some people are going to come through that door and take us away and kill us.”“Yes,” said the Lady.“I suppose you wouldn’t tell us why?” said Twoflower.“Yes,” said the Lady.“The Krullians intend to launch a bronze vessel over the edge of the Disc. Their prime purpose is to learn the sex of A’Tuin the World Turtle.”“Seems rather pointless,” said Rincewind.“No. Consider. One day Great A’Tuin may encounter another member of the species chelys galactica, somewhere in the vast night in which we move. Will they fight? Will they mate? A little imagination will show you that the sex of Great A’Tuin could be very important to us. At least, so the Krullians say.” Rincewind tried not to think of World Turtles mating. It wasn’t completely easy.“So,” continued the goddess,“they intend to launch this ship of space, with two voyagers aboard. It will be the culmination of decades of research. It will also be very dangerous for the travelers. And so, in an attempt to reduce the risks, the Arch- astronomer of Krull has bargained with Fate to sacrifice two men at the moment of launch. Fate, in His turn, has agreed to smile on the space ship. A neat barter, is it not?”“And we’re the sacrifices,” said Rincewind.“Yes.”“I thought Fate didn’t go in for that sort of bargaining. I thought Fate was implaccable,”",the Lady,"the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster","I come from,” said Two flower.“You do, you know,” said the Lady.“Everyone has gods. You just don’t think they’re gods.” Rincewind shook himself mentally.“Look,” he said.“I don’t want to sound impatient, but in a few minutes some people are going to come through that door and take us away and kill us.”“Yes,” said the Lady.“I suppose you wouldn’t tell us why?” said Twoflower.“Yes,” said the Lady.“The Krullians intend to launch a bronze vessel over the edge of the Disc. Their prime purpose is to learn the sex of A’Tuin the World Turtle.”“Seems rather pointless,” said Rincewind.“No. Consider. One day Great A’Tuin may encounter another member of the species chelys galactica, somewhere in the vast night in which we move. Will they fight? Will they mate? A little imagination will show you that the sex of Great A’Tuin could be very important to us. At least, so the Krullians say.” Rincewind tried not to think of World Turtles mating. It wasn’t completely easy.“So,” continued the goddess,“they intend to launch this ship of space, with two voyagers aboard. It will be the culmination of decades of research. It will also be very dangerous for the travelers. And so, in an attempt to reduce the risks, the Arch- astronomer of Krull has bargained with Fate to sacrifice two men at the moment of launch. Fate, in His turn, has agreed to smile on the space ship. A neat barter, is it not?”“And we’re the sacrifices,” said Rincewind.“Yes.”“I thought Fate didn’t go in for that sort of bargaining. I thought Fate was implaccable,”:Previous Entities: |the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster| ::: One day Great A’Tuin may encounter another member of the species chelys galactica, ","Rincewind.M Twoflower.M The Lady.F" “unconscious”,195450,195452,True,1142:Edwards.?,"and its implications, and all the more interesting for that. Drake, Frances. Global Warming: The Science of Climate Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. This well- written overview for college students can be read by any interested reader. Drucker, Peter. Post- Capitalist Society. New York: Harper Business, 1993. Eagleton, Terry. Ideology: An Introduction. New York: Verso, 1991. Edgerton, Robert B. Sick Societies: Challenging the Myth of Primitive Harmony. New York: Free Press, 1992. An excellent summary of the evidence disputing the notion of the noble savage that goes on to consider whether cultures adopt maladaptive beliefs and practices. The author concludes that all cultures do so. The text also attacks the currently trendy academic notion of“unconscious” problem- solving, in which primitive cultures are assumed to be acting in an ecologically sound fashion, even when they appear wasteful and destructive. Edgerton argues they aren’t doing anything of the sort— they are wasteful and destructive. Edwards, Paul. N., and Stephen Schneider.“The 1995 IPCC Report: Broad Consensus or‘ Scientific Cleansing’?” EcoFable/ Ecoscience 1, no. 1(1997): 3–9. A spirited argument in defense of changes to the 1995 IPCC report by Ben Santer. However, the article focuses on the controversy that resulted and does not review in detail the changes to the text that were made. Thus the paper talks about the controversy without examining its substance. Einarsson, Porleifur. Geology of Iceland. Trans. Georg Douglas. Reykjavík:",Edwards,"a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid","and its implications, and all the more interesting for that. Drake, Frances. Global Warming: The Science of Climate Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. This well- written overview for college students can be read by any interested reader. Drucker, Peter. Post- Capitalist Society. New York: Harper Business, 1993. Eagleton, Terry. Ideology: An Introduction. New York: Verso, 1991. Edgerton, Robert B. Sick Societies: Challenging the Myth of Primitive Harmony. New York: Free Press, 1992. An excellent summary of the evidence disputing the notion of the noble savage that goes on to consider whether cultures adopt maladaptive beliefs and practices. The author concludes that all cultures do so. The text also attacks the currently trendy academic notion of“unconscious” problem- solving, in which primitive cultures are assumed to be acting in an ecologically sound fashion, even when they appear wasteful and destructive. Edgerton argues they aren’t doing anything of the sort— they are wasteful and destructive. Edwards, Paul. N., and Stephen Schneider.“The 1995 IPCC Report: Broad Consensus or‘ Scientific Cleansing’?” EcoFable/ Ecoscience 1, no. 1(1997): 3–9. A spirited argument in defense of changes to the 1995 IPCC report by Ben Santer. However, the article focuses on the controversy that resulted and does not review in detail the changes to the text that were made. Thus the paper talks about the controversy without examining its substance. Einarsson, Porleifur. Geology of Iceland. Trans. Georg Douglas. Reykjavík::Previous Entities: |a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid| ::: “unconscious” ",Emerson.M “No!,29151,29160,True,573:Whitey.M,"Or maybe Whitey was troubled by the fact that Sindler was attending the depo at all. Because ordinarily Barry Sindler didn’t conduct spousal depos. He left those to the jerkoff peons in his office, while he spent his days downtown, racking up expensive courtroom hours. Finally, the woman stopped to catch her breath. Sindler moved in.“Mrs. Diehl, I would like to hold this line of questioning and go on to another issue. We are formally requesting that you undergo a full battery of genetic tests at a reputable facility, preferably UCLA, and—” The woman sat bolt upright. Her face colored swiftly.“No!”“Let’s not be hasty,” Whitey said, putting his hand on his client’s arm. She angrily pushed him away.“No! Absolutely not! I refuse!” How wonderful. How unexpected and wonderful.“In anticipation of your possible refusal,” Sindler continued,“we have drafted a request that the court order these tests”—he passed a document to Whitey—“and we fully expect the judge to agree.”“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Whitey said, thumbing through the pages.“Genetic testing in a custody case…” By now Mrs. Diehl was full- bore hysterical.“No! No! I will not! It’s his idea, isn’t it? That prick! How dare he! That sneaking son of a bitch!” Whitey was looking at his client with a puzzled expression.“Mrs. Diehl,” he said,“I think it’s best if we discuss this in private—”",Whitey,"Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey","Or maybe Whitey was troubled by the fact that Sindler was attending the depo at all. Because ordinarily Barry Sindler didn’t conduct spousal depos. He left those to the jerkoff peons in his office, while he spent his days downtown, racking up expensive courtroom hours. Finally, the woman stopped to catch her breath. Sindler moved in.“Mrs. Diehl, I would like to hold this line of questioning and go on to another issue. We are formally requesting that you undergo a full battery of genetic tests at a reputable facility, preferably UCLA, and—” The woman sat bolt upright. Her face colored swiftly.“No!”“Let’s not be hasty,” Whitey said, putting his hand on his client’s arm. She angrily pushed him away.“No! Absolutely not! I refuse!” How wonderful. How unexpected and wonderful.“In anticipation of your possible refusal,” Sindler continued,“we have drafted a request that the court order these tests”—he passed a document to Whitey—“and we fully expect the judge to agree.”“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Whitey said, thumbing through the pages.“Genetic testing in a custody case…” By now Mrs. Diehl was full- bore hysterical.“No! No! I will not! It’s his idea, isn’t it? That prick! How dare he! That sneaking son of a bitch!” Whitey was looking at his client with a puzzled expression.“Mrs. Diehl,” he said,“I think it’s best if we discuss this in private—”:Previous Entities: |Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey| ::: “No! ",Mrs. Diehl.F Then why are you heading up toward High Hand Pass?,38924,38943,True,1203:the satellite.?,"of silence followed by some terse instructions."" If you are who and what you say you are, then I suggest that you launch a program called Sphinx 9.7. Run it now."" Doon was, and did."" There,"" the satellite said."" Nobody can crack 9.7, not even you."""" Not even me,"" the android agreed."" Good,"" Michael replied."" You can't imagine how I have longed to speak with one of my own kind. You must be careful, though, very careful, since the Zid would like nothing better than to capture you."""" I plan to be,"" Doon said, bouncing as the right- hand track lurched onto a rock."" Really?"" the satellite inquired."" Then why are you heading up toward High Hand Pass? It's safer in the HZ."" The synthetic was startled. He looked up through the windshield, realized how stupid that was, and brought his pickups down."" You know where I am?"""" Of course,"" Michael said matter- of- factly."" You're in a crawler that has the name Bullet Eater painted across the blade. What appears to be a teenage male is sitting in front of the' E.' My sensors are quite good."""" They sure as hell are,"" Doon said sourly."" Please keep that information to yourself."""" No need to worry about that,"" the other machine replied blithely."" Why not?"""" Because you need an angel... and I'm on duty."" Salls heard the gigantic machines long before she actually saw",the satellite,"The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev","of silence followed by some terse instructions."" If you are who and what you say you are, then I suggest that you launch a program called Sphinx 9.7. Run it now."" Doon was, and did."" There,"" the satellite said."" Nobody can crack 9.7, not even you."""" Not even me,"" the android agreed."" Good,"" Michael replied."" You can't imagine how I have longed to speak with one of my own kind. You must be careful, though, very careful, since the Zid would like nothing better than to capture you."""" I plan to be,"" Doon said, bouncing as the right- hand track lurched onto a rock."" Really?"" the satellite inquired."" Then why are you heading up toward High Hand Pass? It's safer in the HZ."" The synthetic was startled. He looked up through the windshield, realized how stupid that was, and brought his pickups down."" You know where I am?"""" Of course,"" Michael said matter- of- factly."" You're in a crawler that has the name Bullet Eater painted across the blade. What appears to be a teenage male is sitting in front of the' E.' My sensors are quite good."""" They sure as hell are,"" Doon said sourly."" Please keep that information to yourself."""" No need to worry about that,"" the other machine replied blithely."" Why not?"""" Because you need an angel... and I'm on duty."" Salls heard the gigantic machines long before she actually saw:Previous Entities: |The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev| ::: Then why are you heading up toward High Hand Pass? ",Michael.M "“Are you sure,",40889,40896,True,207:the Chubster.M,"and listen, I will tell you a very big secret.”“What’s that? What’s that?” They pressed close to him, looking eager and alert.“The secret is that I have been to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree.”“Oooh,” they all sighed.“I have spoken to their king.” There were more oohs.“I have spoken to the king’s counselors.”“What’s a counselor?” someone whispered.“An ornament,” another said. Dumpy forged ahead.“And the secret that I have to tell you is that we are not nearly so dumb as we have always thought. Indeed, we each have a brain.”“We do?” It was the Chubster who spoke now.“Are you sure, Dumpy?”“Yes, I am sure. And if you use it, it gets better and better, and you get smarter and smarter. And I am going to show you how to use it. Now what do we know best in all the world?”“Fish,” said a tiny little female named Popo.“Right you are. See, Popo used her brain. And what do we do most?’”“Fish,” said another puffin.“And what happens when we leave a fish out for a long time without our eating it?” Dumpy asked.“It freezes stiff and you can almost break your beak on it.”“Mummy says no playing with frozen fish. They’re dangerous,” Popo piped up.“Exactly,",the Chubster,the Snowy Owl,"and listen, I will tell you a very big secret.”“What’s that? What’s that?” They pressed close to him, looking eager and alert.“The secret is that I have been to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree.”“Oooh,” they all sighed.“I have spoken to their king.” There were more oohs.“I have spoken to the king’s counselors.”“What’s a counselor?” someone whispered.“An ornament,” another said. Dumpy forged ahead.“And the secret that I have to tell you is that we are not nearly so dumb as we have always thought. Indeed, we each have a brain.”“We do?” It was the Chubster who spoke now.“Are you sure, Dumpy?”“Yes, I am sure. And if you use it, it gets better and better, and you get smarter and smarter. And I am going to show you how to use it. Now what do we know best in all the world?”“Fish,” said a tiny little female named Popo.“Right you are. See, Popo used her brain. And what do we do most?’”“Fish,” said another puffin.“And what happens when we leave a fish out for a long time without our eating it?” Dumpy asked.“It freezes stiff and you can almost break your beak on it.”“Mummy says no playing with frozen fish. They’re dangerous,” Popo piped up.“Exactly,:Previous Entities: |the Snowy Owl| ::: “Are you sure, ",Dumpy.M "Thank you so much for calling.""",9862,9884,True,438:the insect.?,"something somewhere in the book about the importance of hanging round dirty spaceports. Unfortunately most of them seemed to come and hang around in this nice clean shiny foyer after hanging around in extremely dirty spaceports. And all they ever did was complain. It shivered its wings."" What?"" it said into the phone."" Yes, I passed on your message to Mr Zarniwoop, but I'm afraid he's too cool to see you right now. He's on an intergalactic cruise."" It waved a petulant tentacle at one of the grubby people who was angrily trying to engage its attention. The petulant tentacle directed the angry person to look at the notice on the wall to its left and not to interrupt an important phone call."" Yes,"" said the insect,"" he is in his office, but he's on an intergalactic cruise. Thank you so much for calling."" It slammed down the phone."" Read the notice,"" it said to the angry man who was trying to complain about one of the more ludicrous and dangerous pieces of misinformation contained in the book. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an indispensable companion to all those who are keen to make sense of life in an infinitely complex and confusing Universe, for though it can not hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does at least make the reassuring claim, that where it is inaccurate it is at least definitely inaccurate. In cases of major discrepancy it's always reality that's got it wrong. This was the gist of the notice. It said"" The Guide is def initive. Reality is frequently inaccurate."" This has led to some interesting",the insect,"his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect","something somewhere in the book about the importance of hanging round dirty spaceports. Unfortunately most of them seemed to come and hang around in this nice clean shiny foyer after hanging around in extremely dirty spaceports. And all they ever did was complain. It shivered its wings."" What?"" it said into the phone."" Yes, I passed on your message to Mr Zarniwoop, but I'm afraid he's too cool to see you right now. He's on an intergalactic cruise."" It waved a petulant tentacle at one of the grubby people who was angrily trying to engage its attention. The petulant tentacle directed the angry person to look at the notice on the wall to its left and not to interrupt an important phone call."" Yes,"" said the insect,"" he is in his office, but he's on an intergalactic cruise. Thank you so much for calling."" It slammed down the phone."" Read the notice,"" it said to the angry man who was trying to complain about one of the more ludicrous and dangerous pieces of misinformation contained in the book. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an indispensable companion to all those who are keen to make sense of life in an infinitely complex and confusing Universe, for though it can not hope to be useful or informative on all matters, it does at least make the reassuring claim, that where it is inaccurate it is at least definitely inaccurate. In cases of major discrepancy it's always reality that's got it wrong. This was the gist of the notice. It said"" The Guide is def initive. Reality is frequently inaccurate."" This has led to some interesting:Previous Entities: |his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect| ::: Thank you so much for calling."" ","the insect.? the angry man.?" "kid,”",78877,78883,True,128:Eli.?,"Tin felt like a bean being shaken in a can. But that was not the reason his heart was thumping out of control.“Wha… what’s that popping sound?” Tin stammered, although he thought knew the answer. He had never heard gunshots before, but the sharp Pop! Pop! reminded him of a video that Professor Lana had shown their class a few months ago. Eli looked just as unsure. They both stared at the small window over the hatch. Red light filled the hallway outside, but Tin didn’t see anything in the glow. He tightened his grip on the belts crossing his chest, when the popping sounded again. This time it was closer, and he could hear it clearly over the emergency alarms and groaning metal bulkheads around him.“Stay put, kid,” Eli said.“I need to check this out.” He unbuckled his harness and went to check the window.“What in the hell…?” Tin wanted to tell him not to leave, but Eli opened the hatch and stepped into the hallway.“Hey! What are you doing!” Eli shouted at someone Tin couldn’t see. The ship rumbled, knocking Eli to his knees. Before he could move, something exploded out of his back and punched the bulkhead behind Tin. Screaming, Tin unbuckled the belts and dropped onto all fours. He crawled across the floor, keeping as low as possible. He could feel his fingers sliding through warm liquid. He glanced up, straining to see in the dim red light. At the end of the hallway",Eli,"Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli","Tin felt like a bean being shaken in a can. But that was not the reason his heart was thumping out of control.“Wha… what’s that popping sound?” Tin stammered, although he thought knew the answer. He had never heard gunshots before, but the sharp Pop! Pop! reminded him of a video that Professor Lana had shown their class a few months ago. Eli looked just as unsure. They both stared at the small window over the hatch. Red light filled the hallway outside, but Tin didn’t see anything in the glow. He tightened his grip on the belts crossing his chest, when the popping sounded again. This time it was closer, and he could hear it clearly over the emergency alarms and groaning metal bulkheads around him.“Stay put, kid,” Eli said.“I need to check this out.” He unbuckled his harness and went to check the window.“What in the hell…?” Tin wanted to tell him not to leave, but Eli opened the hatch and stepped into the hallway.“Hey! What are you doing!” Eli shouted at someone Tin couldn’t see. The ship rumbled, knocking Eli to his knees. Before he could move, something exploded out of his back and punched the bulkhead behind Tin. Screaming, Tin unbuckled the belts and dropped onto all fours. He crawled across the floor, keeping as low as possible. He could feel his fingers sliding through warm liquid. He glanced up, straining to see in the dim red light. At the end of the hallway:Previous Entities: |Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli| ::: kid,” ",Eli.M "all right,”",10994,11001,True,268:Vernon Dursley.M,"and derailments and whatever else has happened since we last watched the news. People are disappearing and dying and he’s behind it— Voldemort. I’ve told you this over and over again, he kills Muggles for fun. Even the fogs— they’re caused by dementors, and if you can’t remember what they are, ask your son!” Dudley’s hands jerked upward to cover his mouth. With his parents’ and Harry’s eyes upon him, he slowly lowered them again and asked,“There are… more of them?”“More?” laughed Harry.“More than the two that attacked us, you mean? Of course there are, there are hundreds, maybe thousands by this time, seeing as they feed off fear and despair—”“All right, all right,” blustered Vernon Dursley.“You’ve made your point—”“I hope so,” said Harry,“because once I’m seventeen, all of them— Death Eaters, dementors, maybe even Inferi— which means dead bodies enchanted by a Dark wizard— will be able to find you and will certainly attack you. And if you remember the last time you tried to outrun wizards, I think you’ll agree you need help.” There was a brief silence in which the distant echo of Hagrid smashing down a wooden front door seemed to reverberate through the intervening years. Aunt Petunia was looking at Uncle Vernon; Dudley was staring at Harry. Finally Uncle Vernon blurted out,“But what about my work? What about Dudley’s school? I don’t suppose those",Vernon Dursley,"Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia","and derailments and whatever else has happened since we last watched the news. People are disappearing and dying and he’s behind it— Voldemort. I’ve told you this over and over again, he kills Muggles for fun. Even the fogs— they’re caused by dementors, and if you can’t remember what they are, ask your son!” Dudley’s hands jerked upward to cover his mouth. With his parents’ and Harry’s eyes upon him, he slowly lowered them again and asked,“There are… more of them?”“More?” laughed Harry.“More than the two that attacked us, you mean? Of course there are, there are hundreds, maybe thousands by this time, seeing as they feed off fear and despair—”“All right, all right,” blustered Vernon Dursley.“You’ve made your point—”“I hope so,” said Harry,“because once I’m seventeen, all of them— Death Eaters, dementors, maybe even Inferi— which means dead bodies enchanted by a Dark wizard— will be able to find you and will certainly attack you. And if you remember the last time you tried to outrun wizards, I think you’ll agree you need help.” There was a brief silence in which the distant echo of Hagrid smashing down a wooden front door seemed to reverberate through the intervening years. Aunt Petunia was looking at Uncle Vernon; Dudley was staring at Harry. Finally Uncle Vernon blurted out,“But what about my work? What about Dudley’s school? I don’t suppose those:Previous Entities: |Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia| ::: all right,” ","Vernon Dursley.M Petunia.F Dudley.M Harry.M" “and Mr. Morikawa is probably no fool.,18067,18129,True,403:David Bergman.M,"to build the car.) But they concluded that a vision of“industrialized apes” was wildly fanciful. An ape like Amy was not a cheap and stupid version of a human worker. Quite the opposite: Amy was a highly intelligent and complex creature out of her element in the modern industrial world. She demanded a great deal of supervision; she was whimsical and unreliable; and her health was always at risk. It simply didn’t make sense to use her in industry. If Morikawa had visions of apes wielding soldering irons on a microelectronic assembly line, building TVs and hi- fl sets, he was sorely misinformed. The only note of caution came from Bergman, the child psychologist.“A quarter of a million is a lot of money,” he said,“and Mr. Morikawa is probably no fool. He must have learned about Amy through her drawings, which imply she is neurotic and difficult. If he’s interested in her, I’d bet it’s because of her drawings. But I can’t imagine why those drawings should be worth a quarter of a million dollars.” Neither could anyone else, and the discussion turned to the drawings themselves, and the newly translated texts. Sarah Johnson, in charge of research, started out with the flat comment“I have bad news about the Congo.”* For most of recorded history, she explained, nothing was* Johnson's principal reference was the definitive work by A. J. Parkinson. The Congo Delta in Myth and History(London; Peters. 1904). known about the Congo. The ancient Egyptians on the upper Nile knew only that their river originated far to the south, in a region they called the Land of Trees. This was a mysterious place with forests so dense they were as dark as night in the middle of the day. Strange creatures inhabited this perpetual gloom, including little men",David Bergman,"the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman","to build the car.) But they concluded that a vision of“industrialized apes” was wildly fanciful. An ape like Amy was not a cheap and stupid version of a human worker. Quite the opposite: Amy was a highly intelligent and complex creature out of her element in the modern industrial world. She demanded a great deal of supervision; she was whimsical and unreliable; and her health was always at risk. It simply didn’t make sense to use her in industry. If Morikawa had visions of apes wielding soldering irons on a microelectronic assembly line, building TVs and hi- fl sets, he was sorely misinformed. The only note of caution came from Bergman, the child psychologist.“A quarter of a million is a lot of money,” he said,“and Mr. Morikawa is probably no fool. He must have learned about Amy through her drawings, which imply she is neurotic and difficult. If he’s interested in her, I’d bet it’s because of her drawings. But I can’t imagine why those drawings should be worth a quarter of a million dollars.” Neither could anyone else, and the discussion turned to the drawings themselves, and the newly translated texts. Sarah Johnson, in charge of research, started out with the flat comment“I have bad news about the Congo.”* For most of recorded history, she explained, nothing was* Johnson's principal reference was the definitive work by A. J. Parkinson. The Congo Delta in Myth and History(London; Peters. 1904). known about the Congo. The ancient Egyptians on the upper Nile knew only that their river originated far to the south, in a region they called the Land of Trees. This was a mysterious place with forests so dense they were as dark as night in the middle of the day. Strange creatures inhabited this perpetual gloom, including little men:Previous Entities: |the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman| ::: “and Mr. Morikawa is probably no fool. ",David Bergman.M "“We can not,""",44522,44527,True,985:The Curator.?,"even more amazed than they had before."" What's happening?"" Bastille whispered."" I'll tell you in a minute."" Based on the Curators' own rules, there was one way to discover if my father really had come to the Library of Alexandria and given up his soul."" I am the son of Attica Smedry,"" I said to the group of creatures."" I've come here for his personal effects. Your own laws say you must provide them to me."" There was a moment of silence.“We can not,"" one of the Curators finally said. I sighed in relief. If my father had come to the Library, then he hadn't given up his soul. The Curators didn't have his personal items.“We can not,"" the Curator continued, skull teeth beginning to twist upward in an evil smile."" Because we have already given them away!' I felt a stab of shock. No. It can't be!“I don't believe you,"" I whispered."" We can not lie,"" another said."" Your father came to us, and he sold his soul to us. He only wanted three minutes to read the book, and then he was taken to become one of us. His personal items have already been claimed– someone did so this very day.”"" Who?"" I demanded.“Who claimed them? My grandfather?"""" No,"" the Curator said, smile deepening."" They were claimed by Shasta Smedry. Your mother.",The Curator,"Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me","even more amazed than they had before."" What's happening?"" Bastille whispered."" I'll tell you in a minute."" Based on the Curators' own rules, there was one way to discover if my father really had come to the Library of Alexandria and given up his soul."" I am the son of Attica Smedry,"" I said to the group of creatures."" I've come here for his personal effects. Your own laws say you must provide them to me."" There was a moment of silence.“We can not,"" one of the Curators finally said. I sighed in relief. If my father had come to the Library, then he hadn't given up his soul. The Curators didn't have his personal items.“We can not,"" the Curator continued, skull teeth beginning to twist upward in an evil smile."" Because we have already given them away!' I felt a stab of shock. No. It can't be!“I don't believe you,"" I whispered."" We can not lie,"" another said."" Your father came to us, and he sold his soul to us. He only wanted three minutes to read the book, and then he was taken to become one of us. His personal items have already been claimed– someone did so this very day.”"" Who?"" I demanded.“Who claimed them? My grandfather?"""" No,"" the Curator said, smile deepening."" They were claimed by Shasta Smedry. Your mother.:Previous Entities: |Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me| ::: “We can not,"" ",The Curator.M Or so my parents told me.”,11346,11361,True,108:the little Elf Owl.F,".“Hort! Horty!” He tried, but the little Spotted Owl was lost in some dreamless sleep. Finally, Soren was back under the arch and quickly moved over to the other side, which connected to the neighboring glaucidium. The sleep monitors had just barked out the command,“Now, sleep!” Suddenly, Gylfie was there. The tiny Elf Owl swung her head toward Soren.“They’re moon blinking us,” she whispered. CHAPTER FIVE Moon Blinking What?” It felt so good to say a whh sound that Soren almost missed the answer.“Didn’t your parents tell you about the dangers of sleeping under the full shine?”“What is‘ full shine’?” Soren asked.“When did you hatch out?”“Three weeks ago, I think. Or so my parents told me.” But again, Soren was not really sure what a week was.“Ah, that explains it. And in Tyto there are great trees, right?” Gylfie asked.“Oh, yes. Many, and thick with beautiful fir needles and spruce cones and leaves that turn golden and red.” Again, Soren wasn’t sure about leaves turning for he had never seen them anything but golden and red. But his parents had told him that once they were green in a time called summer. Kludd had hatched out near the end of the green time.“Well, you see, I hatched out more than three weeks ago.” They spoke softly, so softly, and managed to maintain the sleep position, but neither one of them was the least bit sleepy",the little Elf Owl,"Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton",".“Hort! Horty!” He tried, but the little Spotted Owl was lost in some dreamless sleep. Finally, Soren was back under the arch and quickly moved over to the other side, which connected to the neighboring glaucidium. The sleep monitors had just barked out the command,“Now, sleep!” Suddenly, Gylfie was there. The tiny Elf Owl swung her head toward Soren.“They’re moon blinking us,” she whispered. CHAPTER FIVE Moon Blinking What?” It felt so good to say a whh sound that Soren almost missed the answer.“Didn’t your parents tell you about the dangers of sleeping under the full shine?”“What is‘ full shine’?” Soren asked.“When did you hatch out?”“Three weeks ago, I think. Or so my parents told me.” But again, Soren was not really sure what a week was.“Ah, that explains it. And in Tyto there are great trees, right?” Gylfie asked.“Oh, yes. Many, and thick with beautiful fir needles and spruce cones and leaves that turn golden and red.” Again, Soren wasn’t sure about leaves turning for he had never seen them anything but golden and red. But his parents had told him that once they were green in a time called summer. Kludd had hatched out near the end of the green time.“Well, you see, I hatched out more than three weeks ago.” They spoke softly, so softly, and managed to maintain the sleep position, but neither one of them was the least bit sleepy:Previous Entities: |Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: Or so my parents told me.” ",Soren.M "“Ready,",79465,79470,True,105:Del Toro.M,"first Siren wrapped around Ty’s body, engulfing him in its membranous wings. A second grabbed his legs, and a third slashed the deflating balloon. Thunder boomed, drowning out Erin’s anguished cry as she lost the second member of her team that day. The green hue of Les’ optics flashed off as he broke through the floor of the cloud cover. The comms crackled offline, but the surviving members of Team Phoenix were forced to listen to Ty’s screams as the Sirens ripped his falling body apart. NINETEEN Jordan splashed cold water on his face and slicked his dark hair back against his scalp. Wearing a freshly pressed uniform, polished boots, and his sword, he stepped into the hallway. An entourage of heavily armed militia waited, led by Ensign Del Toro.“Ready, sir?” Jordan answered by setting off down the dimly lit passage. Passengers were already flooding the corridors, the curfew having been lifted hours earlier. The crowds didn’t concern him. He had soldiers with crossbows posted at every intersection, and the most experienced men carried pistols, with orders to use extreme prejudice to keep violence from breaking out. In the past, Jordan would have worried about a stray bullet puncturing a gas bladder, but right now he was more worried about a mutiny. So far, the show of force seemed to be working. Everywhere he walked, people fell silent and parted to make way. Lower- deckers in their tattered clothing retreated, pressing their backs against the bulkheads. Jordan could smell them as he passed: body odor, shine, and piss. The",Del Toro,"Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan","first Siren wrapped around Ty’s body, engulfing him in its membranous wings. A second grabbed his legs, and a third slashed the deflating balloon. Thunder boomed, drowning out Erin’s anguished cry as she lost the second member of her team that day. The green hue of Les’ optics flashed off as he broke through the floor of the cloud cover. The comms crackled offline, but the surviving members of Team Phoenix were forced to listen to Ty’s screams as the Sirens ripped his falling body apart. NINETEEN Jordan splashed cold water on his face and slicked his dark hair back against his scalp. Wearing a freshly pressed uniform, polished boots, and his sword, he stepped into the hallway. An entourage of heavily armed militia waited, led by Ensign Del Toro.“Ready, sir?” Jordan answered by setting off down the dimly lit passage. Passengers were already flooding the corridors, the curfew having been lifted hours earlier. The crowds didn’t concern him. He had soldiers with crossbows posted at every intersection, and the most experienced men carried pistols, with orders to use extreme prejudice to keep violence from breaking out. In the past, Jordan would have worried about a stray bullet puncturing a gas bladder, but right now he was more worried about a mutiny. So far, the show of force seemed to be working. Everywhere he walked, people fell silent and parted to make way. Lower- deckers in their tattered clothing retreated, pressing their backs against the bulkheads. Jordan could smell them as he passed: body odor, shine, and piss. The:Previous Entities: |Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan| ::: “Ready, ",Del Toro.M Not a new man.,22231,22270,True,144:Mother.F,"abduction, it's that I have reassessed my priorities. I want a new life for us all.' I could not believe what I was hearing. One of my most persistent memories was of Father repeatedly quoting the family motto,' aurum potestas est'--' Gold is power'. And now, here he was, turning his back on Fowl principles. What had the magic done to him?' Gold isn't all- important, Arty,' he continued.' Neither is power. We have everything we need right here. The three of us! I was utterly surprised. But not unpleasantly so.' But, Father. You have always said... This isn't you. You're a new man!' Mother joined the conversation.' No, Arty. Not a new man. An old one. The one I fell in love with and married, before the Fowl empire took over. And now I have him back; we're a family again.' I looked at my parents-- how happy they were together. A family? Was it possible that the Fowls could be a normal family? Artemis was yanked back to the present by a commotion from inside the Ice Ape mobile unit. The vehicle began to rock on its axles, blue light crackling from beneath the door. Artemis did not panic. He had seen healings before. Last year, when Holly reattached her index finger, the magical fallout had shattered half a ton of ice-- and that was for one little finger. Imagine the damage Butler's system could do repairing a critical injury. The pandemonium continued for several minutes, popping two of the van's tyres, and completely wrecking the suspension. Luckily the institute was locked up for the night",Mother,"this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf","abduction, it's that I have reassessed my priorities. I want a new life for us all.' I could not believe what I was hearing. One of my most persistent memories was of Father repeatedly quoting the family motto,' aurum potestas est'--' Gold is power'. And now, here he was, turning his back on Fowl principles. What had the magic done to him?' Gold isn't all- important, Arty,' he continued.' Neither is power. We have everything we need right here. The three of us! I was utterly surprised. But not unpleasantly so.' But, Father. You have always said... This isn't you. You're a new man!' Mother joined the conversation.' No, Arty. Not a new man. An old one. The one I fell in love with and married, before the Fowl empire took over. And now I have him back; we're a family again.' I looked at my parents-- how happy they were together. A family? Was it possible that the Fowls could be a normal family? Artemis was yanked back to the present by a commotion from inside the Ice Ape mobile unit. The vehicle began to rock on its axles, blue light crackling from beneath the door. Artemis did not panic. He had seen healings before. Last year, when Holly reattached her index finger, the magical fallout had shattered half a ton of ice-- and that was for one little finger. Imagine the damage Butler's system could do repairing a critical injury. The pandemonium continued for several minutes, popping two of the van's tyres, and completely wrecking the suspension. Luckily the institute was locked up for the night:Previous Entities: |this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf| ::: Not a new man. ",Mother.F “We didn’t know what happened.”,37941,37949,True,303:Cletus.?,"brother.”“Don’t tell me you’re from the orphan school of tough learning?” The one called Tavis shook his head.“No… no, not really. We were pretty well raised until…” His voice dwindled off.“Until when?”“Until the night Cletus and I went out hunting for our mum. You see, she was sitting an egg. It was supposed to hatch soon. Our da had already died. Killed by one of the earliest leaders of the Pure Ones.”“Long before Metal Beak,” Cletus added.“You’ve heard of Metal Beak?” Soren nodded.“Well,” Tavis continued,“when we came back she was gone. It looked as if the egg had hatched.”“We didn’t know what happened.” Cletus now picked up the story.“Then a few nights later we found her body. But no signs of a chick. Just gone. Probably killed.” Tavis stepped forward and spoke now.“The times were really bad. There were St. Aggie’s raids going on all over the place. We were young so we just decided to go underground.”“Literally!” Cletus interjected.“Yeah, we went to the Desert of Kuneer and lived for a long time in abandoned burrows.”“That’s why we could fight these suckers so well. We know the ways of Burrowing Owls. And yeah, we’ve heard of this Tarn. Bad- butt owl!”“But we always wondered what happened to the chick, our brother or sister",Cletus,"Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis","brother.”“Don’t tell me you’re from the orphan school of tough learning?” The one called Tavis shook his head.“No… no, not really. We were pretty well raised until…” His voice dwindled off.“Until when?”“Until the night Cletus and I went out hunting for our mum. You see, she was sitting an egg. It was supposed to hatch soon. Our da had already died. Killed by one of the earliest leaders of the Pure Ones.”“Long before Metal Beak,” Cletus added.“You’ve heard of Metal Beak?” Soren nodded.“Well,” Tavis continued,“when we came back she was gone. It looked as if the egg had hatched.”“We didn’t know what happened.” Cletus now picked up the story.“Then a few nights later we found her body. But no signs of a chick. Just gone. Probably killed.” Tavis stepped forward and spoke now.“The times were really bad. There were St. Aggie’s raids going on all over the place. We were young so we just decided to go underground.”“Literally!” Cletus interjected.“Yeah, we went to the Desert of Kuneer and lived for a long time in abandoned burrows.”“That’s why we could fight these suckers so well. We know the ways of Burrowing Owls. And yeah, we’ve heard of this Tarn. Bad- butt owl!”“But we always wondered what happened to the chick, our brother or sister:Previous Entities: |Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis| ::: “We didn’t know what happened.” ",Cletus.M enough to last him a year at least.”,149828,149844,True,488:Yar.M,"escape it. Agony shivered through his entire body, threatening to blank out his consciousness. Could shere shield him from this? The pain diminished gradually and went away, leaving only quivering memories. Again! He thought suddenly that the spice agony must be like this for a Reverend Mother. Surely, there could be no greater pain. He fought to remain silent but heard himself grunting, moaning. Every ability he had ever learned, Mentat and Bene Gesserit, was called into play, keeping him from forming words, from begging for surcease, from promising to tell them anything if they would only stop. Once more the agony receded and then surged back.“Enough!” That was the woman. Teg groped for her name. Materly? Yar spoke in a sullen voice:“He’s loaded with shere, enough to last him a year at least.” He gestured at his console.“Blank.” Teg breathed in shallow gasps. The agony! It continued to increase despite Materly’s demand.“I said enough!” Materly snapped. Such sincerity, Teg thought. He felt the pain recede, withdrawing as though every nerve were being removed from his body, pulled out like threads of the remembered agony.“It is wrong what we’re doing,” Materly said.“This man is—”“He is like any other man,” Yar said.“Shall I attach the special contact to his penis?”“Not while I’m here!” Materly said. Teg felt himself almost taken in by her sincerity. The last of the agony threads left his flesh and he lay there with a feeling",Yar,"Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar","escape it. Agony shivered through his entire body, threatening to blank out his consciousness. Could shere shield him from this? The pain diminished gradually and went away, leaving only quivering memories. Again! He thought suddenly that the spice agony must be like this for a Reverend Mother. Surely, there could be no greater pain. He fought to remain silent but heard himself grunting, moaning. Every ability he had ever learned, Mentat and Bene Gesserit, was called into play, keeping him from forming words, from begging for surcease, from promising to tell them anything if they would only stop. Once more the agony receded and then surged back.“Enough!” That was the woman. Teg groped for her name. Materly? Yar spoke in a sullen voice:“He’s loaded with shere, enough to last him a year at least.” He gestured at his console.“Blank.” Teg breathed in shallow gasps. The agony! It continued to increase despite Materly’s demand.“I said enough!” Materly snapped. Such sincerity, Teg thought. He felt the pain recede, withdrawing as though every nerve were being removed from his body, pulled out like threads of the remembered agony.“It is wrong what we’re doing,” Materly said.“This man is—”“He is like any other man,” Yar said.“Shall I attach the special contact to his penis?”“Not while I’m here!” Materly said. Teg felt himself almost taken in by her sincerity. The last of the agony threads left his flesh and he lay there with a feeling:Previous Entities: |Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar| ::: enough to last him a year at least.” ","Teg.M Materly.F Yar.M" “Probably.,29308,29327,True,140:Dagdan.M,"care of Prythian before uniting with the others. Our commanders are preparing for it as we speak.”“You must think you stand a shot at losing if you’re bothering to use the Cauldron to help you win.”“The Cauldron is victory. It will wipe this world clean again.” I lifted my brows in irreverent cynicism.“And you need this exact spot to unleash it?”“This exact spot,” Dagdan said, a hand on the hilt of his sword,“exists because a person or object of mighty power passed through it. The Cauldron will study the work they’ve already done— and magnify it until the wall collapses entirely. It is a careful, complex process, and one I doubt your mortal mind can grasp.”“Probably. Though this mortal mind did manage to solve Amarantha’s riddle— and destroy her.” Brannagh merely turned back to the wall.“Why do you think Hybern let her live for so long in these lands? Better to have someone else do his dirty work.” I had what I needed. Tamlin and Jurian were still off hunting, the royals were preoccupied, and I’d sent the sentries to fetch me more water, claiming that some of my bruises still ached and I wanted to make a poultice for them. They’d looked positively murderous at that. Not at me— but at who had given me those bruises. Who had picked Ianthe over them— and Hybern over their honor and people. I’d brought three packs, but I’d only need one. The one I’d carefully repacked with Alis’s new supplies, now tucked beside everything I",Dagdan,"the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan","care of Prythian before uniting with the others. Our commanders are preparing for it as we speak.”“You must think you stand a shot at losing if you’re bothering to use the Cauldron to help you win.”“The Cauldron is victory. It will wipe this world clean again.” I lifted my brows in irreverent cynicism.“And you need this exact spot to unleash it?”“This exact spot,” Dagdan said, a hand on the hilt of his sword,“exists because a person or object of mighty power passed through it. The Cauldron will study the work they’ve already done— and magnify it until the wall collapses entirely. It is a careful, complex process, and one I doubt your mortal mind can grasp.”“Probably. Though this mortal mind did manage to solve Amarantha’s riddle— and destroy her.” Brannagh merely turned back to the wall.“Why do you think Hybern let her live for so long in these lands? Better to have someone else do his dirty work.” I had what I needed. Tamlin and Jurian were still off hunting, the royals were preoccupied, and I’d sent the sentries to fetch me more water, claiming that some of my bruises still ached and I wanted to make a poultice for them. They’d looked positively murderous at that. Not at me— but at who had given me those bruises. Who had picked Ianthe over them— and Hybern over their honor and people. I’d brought three packs, but I’d only need one. The one I’d carefully repacked with Alis’s new supplies, now tucked beside everything I:Previous Entities: |the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan| ::: “Probably. ",Feyre.F Somebody tore the phone out of the wall?,143544,143598,True,848:Janis.?,"’ll hate me for this, but I don’t know what you took that makes you this way, so I’m going to call 911 and get an ambulance. I’m really sorry and I don’t want to get you into trouble, but this is freaking me out, Peter.” She went out of his field of view but he heard her picking up the phone on the table next to his chair. He thought, Good. Hurry. She said,“Something is wrong with your phone.” Oh Jesus. She stepped back into his field of view.“Your phone is not working, did you know that?” Use your cell phone.“Do you have your cell phone? I left mine in the car.” Go get it.“Maybe one of the other phones in your apartment is working. You need to call your service provider, Peter. It’s not safe to be without phones— what’s this? Somebody tore the phone out of the wall? Have we been having a fit of pique?” Knocking on the door. It sounded like the front door.“Hell- lo? Anybody here? Hello? Peter?” A woman’s voice. He couldn’t see who it was. He heard Janis say,“Who are you?”“Who are you?”“I’m Janis. I’m Peter’s friend.”“I’m Sarah. I work with Peter.”“You’re tall.”“Where is Peter?” Sarah said.“He’s over there,” Janis said.“Something’s wrong with him.” Evans could see none of this, because he could not move his eyes. And now he saw the first gray spots that signaled the impending loss of consciousness. It took every ounce of energy he possessed",Janis,"Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid","’ll hate me for this, but I don’t know what you took that makes you this way, so I’m going to call 911 and get an ambulance. I’m really sorry and I don’t want to get you into trouble, but this is freaking me out, Peter.” She went out of his field of view but he heard her picking up the phone on the table next to his chair. He thought, Good. Hurry. She said,“Something is wrong with your phone.” Oh Jesus. She stepped back into his field of view.“Your phone is not working, did you know that?” Use your cell phone.“Do you have your cell phone? I left mine in the car.” Go get it.“Maybe one of the other phones in your apartment is working. You need to call your service provider, Peter. It’s not safe to be without phones— what’s this? Somebody tore the phone out of the wall? Have we been having a fit of pique?” Knocking on the door. It sounded like the front door.“Hell- lo? Anybody here? Hello? Peter?” A woman’s voice. He couldn’t see who it was. He heard Janis say,“Who are you?”“Who are you?”“I’m Janis. I’m Peter’s friend.”“I’m Sarah. I work with Peter.”“You’re tall.”“Where is Peter?” Sarah said.“He’s over there,” Janis said.“Something’s wrong with him.” Evans could see none of this, because he could not move his eyes. And now he saw the first gray spots that signaled the impending loss of consciousness. It took every ounce of energy he possessed:Previous Entities: |Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid| ::: Somebody tore the phone out of the wall? ",Janis.F "“We should keep moving,”",83394,83400,True,79:Tony.M,"“Let’s go,” X said. He led the team along the edge of the bluff and down a slick, icy hillside to the highway. With his blaster leveled over the street, he ran toward the armored trucks, or whatever they were. He slowed as he drew near the massive machines. Icy pieces of the armored shell were scattered around the vehicles. The one good thing about this place, he reflected, was that the freezing temperatures had preserved much of the Old World. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what lay beneath the mounds of snow burying the rest of the city. A quick scan of the road showed no immediate threats. X lowered his blaster and brushed the snow off the back of the closest vehicle. The comm flared to life.“We should keep moving,” Tony said.“Hold up,” X replied.“I just need a second.” Squinting, he read the lettering aloud.“M- three Abrams… built in 2029, in Lima, Ohio.” He brushed away more snow.“United States Army.” X took a step back, remembering the bulkhead on the Hive’s bridge. The same name was engraved in a plaque above the entrance to the room. Like the M3, the Hive had been commissioned for war. He had known it before, but seeing the armored vehicles, and the monster crater a few days before, reminded him that people had done this. Humans had destroyed this world.“You good, X?” A hand shook his shoulder gently. It was Katrina,",Tony,Eli,"“Let’s go,” X said. He led the team along the edge of the bluff and down a slick, icy hillside to the highway. With his blaster leveled over the street, he ran toward the armored trucks, or whatever they were. He slowed as he drew near the massive machines. Icy pieces of the armored shell were scattered around the vehicles. The one good thing about this place, he reflected, was that the freezing temperatures had preserved much of the Old World. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what lay beneath the mounds of snow burying the rest of the city. A quick scan of the road showed no immediate threats. X lowered his blaster and brushed the snow off the back of the closest vehicle. The comm flared to life.“We should keep moving,” Tony said.“Hold up,” X replied.“I just need a second.” Squinting, he read the lettering aloud.“M- three Abrams… built in 2029, in Lima, Ohio.” He brushed away more snow.“United States Army.” X took a step back, remembering the bulkhead on the Hive’s bridge. The same name was engraved in a plaque above the entrance to the room. Like the M3, the Hive had been commissioned for war. He had known it before, but seeing the armored vehicles, and the monster crater a few days before, reminded him that people had done this. Humans had destroyed this world.“You good, X?” A hand shook his shoulder gently. It was Katrina,:Previous Entities: |Eli| ::: “We should keep moving,” ",Tony.M "It’s been studied to death— our most famous artifact,",6255,6285,True,4116:the curator.M,"years I’ve come to expect it. The curator regained his smile.“Yes, yes, of course. Right this way, Dr. Kane. We’re very honored!” The security guards locked the doors behind us. They took our luggage, then one of them reached for Dad’s workbag.“Ah, no,” Dad said with a tight smile.“I’ll keep this one.” The guards stayed in the foyer as we followed the curator into the Great Court. It was ominous at night. Dim light from the glass- domed ceiling cast crosshatched shadows across the walls like a giant spiderweb. Our footsteps clicked on the white marble floor.“So,” Dad said,“the stone.”“Yes!” the curator said.“Though I can’t imagine what new information you could glean from it. It’s been studied to death— our most famous artifact, of course.”“Of course,” Dad said.“But you may be surprised.”“What’s he on about now?” Sadie whispered to me. I didn’t answer. I had a sneaking suspicion what stone they were talking about, but I couldn’t figure out why Dad would drag us out on Christmas Eve to see it. I wondered what he’d been about to tell us at Cleopatra’s Needle— something about our mother and the night she died. And why did he keep glancing around as if he expected those strange people we’d seen at the Needle to pop up again? We were locked in a museum surrounded by guards and high- tech security. Nobody could bother us in here— I hoped. We turned left into the Egyptian wing. The",the curator,the curator,"years I’ve come to expect it. The curator regained his smile.“Yes, yes, of course. Right this way, Dr. Kane. We’re very honored!” The security guards locked the doors behind us. They took our luggage, then one of them reached for Dad’s workbag.“Ah, no,” Dad said with a tight smile.“I’ll keep this one.” The guards stayed in the foyer as we followed the curator into the Great Court. It was ominous at night. Dim light from the glass- domed ceiling cast crosshatched shadows across the walls like a giant spiderweb. Our footsteps clicked on the white marble floor.“So,” Dad said,“the stone.”“Yes!” the curator said.“Though I can’t imagine what new information you could glean from it. It’s been studied to death— our most famous artifact, of course.”“Of course,” Dad said.“But you may be surprised.”“What’s he on about now?” Sadie whispered to me. I didn’t answer. I had a sneaking suspicion what stone they were talking about, but I couldn’t figure out why Dad would drag us out on Christmas Eve to see it. I wondered what he’d been about to tell us at Cleopatra’s Needle— something about our mother and the night she died. And why did he keep glancing around as if he expected those strange people we’d seen at the Needle to pop up again? We were locked in a museum surrounded by guards and high- tech security. Nobody could bother us in here— I hoped. We turned left into the Egyptian wing. The:Previous Entities: |the curator| ::: It’s been studied to death— our most famous artifact, ",the curator. We'll say he fell down the stairs.',97554,97585,True,237:Wimsloe.M,"their mouths so tightly that an attempt not to say them would result in a broken jaw.' Do you fear him now?' said Gumridge.' And he so mazed with drink? Take his dagger, husband– you are a blade's width from the kingdom.'' I dare not,' Wimsloe said, trying to look in astonishment at his own lips.' Who will know?' Gumridge waved a hand towards the audience. He'd never act so well again.' See, there is only eyeless night. Take the dagger now, take the kingdom tomorrow. Have a stab at it, man.' Wimsloe's hand shook.' I have it, wife,' he said.' Is this a dagger I see before me?'' Of course it's a bloody dagger. Come on, do it now. The weak deserve no mercy. We'll say he fell down the stairs.'' But people will suspect!'' Are there no dungeons? Are there no pilliwinks? Possession is nine parts of the law, husband, when what you possess is a knife.' Wimsloe drew his arm back.' I can not! He has been kindness itself to me!'' And you can be Death itself to him...' Dafe could hear the voices a long way off. He adjusted his mask, checked the deathliness of his appearance in the mirror, and peered at the script in the empty backstage gloom.' Cower Now, Brief Mortals,' he said.' I Am Death,' Gainst Who–' Gainst Who—' WHOM.' Oh, thanks,' said the boy distractedly.'' Gainst Whom No Lock",Wimsloe,"David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge","their mouths so tightly that an attempt not to say them would result in a broken jaw.' Do you fear him now?' said Gumridge.' And he so mazed with drink? Take his dagger, husband– you are a blade's width from the kingdom.'' I dare not,' Wimsloe said, trying to look in astonishment at his own lips.' Who will know?' Gumridge waved a hand towards the audience. He'd never act so well again.' See, there is only eyeless night. Take the dagger now, take the kingdom tomorrow. Have a stab at it, man.' Wimsloe's hand shook.' I have it, wife,' he said.' Is this a dagger I see before me?'' Of course it's a bloody dagger. Come on, do it now. The weak deserve no mercy. We'll say he fell down the stairs.'' But people will suspect!'' Are there no dungeons? Are there no pilliwinks? Possession is nine parts of the law, husband, when what you possess is a knife.' Wimsloe drew his arm back.' I can not! He has been kindness itself to me!'' And you can be Death itself to him...' Dafe could hear the voices a long way off. He adjusted his mask, checked the deathliness of his appearance in the mirror, and peered at the script in the empty backstage gloom.' Cower Now, Brief Mortals,' he said.' I Am Death,' Gainst Who–' Gainst Who—' WHOM.' Oh, thanks,' said the boy distractedly.'' Gainst Whom No Lock:Previous Entities: |David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge| ::: We'll say he fell down the stairs.' ","Wimsloe.M Gumridge.F" Lord.,104388,104414,True,370:Nyshae.F,"the brightness around Leto’s face, looking away only to seek along his shadowy length for signs of injury. He knew that no such sign was visible, but there were still aches and interior tremblings. His eyes detected a slight limp, Hwi favoring her right leg, but a long gown of jade green concealed the injury. She stopped at the edge of the declivity which held his cart, looking directly into his eyes.“They said you were wounded, Hwi. Are you in pain?”“A cut on my leg below the knee, Lord. A small piece of masonry from the explosion. Your Fish Speakers treated it with a salve which removed the pain. Lord, I feared for you.”“And I feared for you, gentle Hwi.”“Except for that first explosion, I was not in danger, Lord. They rushed me into a room deep beneath the Embassy.” So she did not see my performance, he thought. I can be thankful for that.“I sent for you to ask your forgiveness,” he said. She sank onto a golden cushion.“What is there to forgive, Lord? You are not the reason for…”“I am being tested, Hwi.”“You?”“There are those who wish to know the depths of my concern for the safety of Hwi Noree.” She pointed upward.“That… was because of me?”“Because of us.”“Oh. But who…”“You have agreed to we d me, Hwi, and I…” He raised a hand to silence her as she started to speak.“Anteac has told us what",Nyshae,"a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae","the brightness around Leto’s face, looking away only to seek along his shadowy length for signs of injury. He knew that no such sign was visible, but there were still aches and interior tremblings. His eyes detected a slight limp, Hwi favoring her right leg, but a long gown of jade green concealed the injury. She stopped at the edge of the declivity which held his cart, looking directly into his eyes.“They said you were wounded, Hwi. Are you in pain?”“A cut on my leg below the knee, Lord. A small piece of masonry from the explosion. Your Fish Speakers treated it with a salve which removed the pain. Lord, I feared for you.”“And I feared for you, gentle Hwi.”“Except for that first explosion, I was not in danger, Lord. They rushed me into a room deep beneath the Embassy.” So she did not see my performance, he thought. I can be thankful for that.“I sent for you to ask your forgiveness,” he said. She sank onto a golden cushion.“What is there to forgive, Lord? You are not the reason for…”“I am being tested, Hwi.”“You?”“There are those who wish to know the depths of my concern for the safety of Hwi Noree.” She pointed upward.“That… was because of me?”“Because of us.”“Oh. But who…”“You have agreed to we d me, Hwi, and I…” He raised a hand to silence her as she started to speak.“Anteac has told us what:Previous Entities: |a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae| ::: Lord. ","Leto.M Hwi.F" received what all those fools no doubt begged for.,205257,205323,True,3067:the golden one.F,"held her stare as Rhys and I both sat in our chairs, Mor sliding into one beside him.“I do not think,” I said,“that it was mere coincidence that the Cauldron let us find each other on the eve of war returning between our two peoples.”“The Cauldron? And two peoples?” The golden one toyed with a ruby ring on her finger.“Our people do not invoke a Cauldron; our people do not have magic. The way I see it, there is your people— and ours. You are little better than those Children of the Blessed.” She lifted a groomed brow.“What does happen to them when they cross the wall?” She angled her head at Rhys, at Cassian and Azriel.“Are they prey? Or are they used and discarded, and left to grow old and infirm while you remain young forever? Such a pity… so unfair that you, Cursebreaker, received what all those fools no doubt begged for. Immortality, eternal youth… What would Lord Rhysand have done if you had aged while he did not?” Rhys said evenly,“Is there a point to your questions, other than to hear yourself talk?” A low chuckle, and she turned to the ancient queen, her yellow dress rustling with the movement. The old woman simply extended a wrinkled hand to the box in Mor’s slender fingers.“Is that the proof we asked for?” Don’t do it, my heart began bleating. Don’t show them. Before Mor could so much as nod, I said,“Is my love for the High Lord not proof enough of our good intentions? Does my sisters’ presence here not speak to you? There is an iron engagement ring upon my sister’s finger— and yet she stands with us.” Elain seemed to be fighting the urge to tuck",the golden one,"Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman","held her stare as Rhys and I both sat in our chairs, Mor sliding into one beside him.“I do not think,” I said,“that it was mere coincidence that the Cauldron let us find each other on the eve of war returning between our two peoples.”“The Cauldron? And two peoples?” The golden one toyed with a ruby ring on her finger.“Our people do not invoke a Cauldron; our people do not have magic. The way I see it, there is your people— and ours. You are little better than those Children of the Blessed.” She lifted a groomed brow.“What does happen to them when they cross the wall?” She angled her head at Rhys, at Cassian and Azriel.“Are they prey? Or are they used and discarded, and left to grow old and infirm while you remain young forever? Such a pity… so unfair that you, Cursebreaker, received what all those fools no doubt begged for. Immortality, eternal youth… What would Lord Rhysand have done if you had aged while he did not?” Rhys said evenly,“Is there a point to your questions, other than to hear yourself talk?” A low chuckle, and she turned to the ancient queen, her yellow dress rustling with the movement. The old woman simply extended a wrinkled hand to the box in Mor’s slender fingers.“Is that the proof we asked for?” Don’t do it, my heart began bleating. Don’t show them. Before Mor could so much as nod, I said,“Is my love for the High Lord not proof enough of our good intentions? Does my sisters’ presence here not speak to you? There is an iron engagement ring upon my sister’s finger— and yet she stands with us.” Elain seemed to be fighting the urge to tuck:Previous Entities: |Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman| ::: received what all those fools no doubt begged for. ",The golden one.F “Evidently.”,81539,81542,True,3032:the security temp.?,"authorization. Secure e- transmission of codes.”“Who authorized it?”“You did. It came from your secure account.”“Oh Christ.” He spun.“How did that happen?”“We’re working on it.”“But the cell line,” Rick said,“we have other sites—”“Unfortunately, it seems…”“Well, then we have customers who have leased—”“I’m afraid we don’t.”“What are you saying?” Rick said. He was starting to scream.“Are you saying every fucking Burnet culture is gone? In the entire fucking world? Gone?”“As far as we know. Yes.”“This is a goddamn disaster.”“Evidently.”“This could be the end of my company! That was our safety net, those cells. We paid a fortune to UCLA for them. You’re saying they’re gone?” Rick frowned angrily, as the reality hit him.“This is an organized, coordinated attack on my company. They had people in London and Singapore; they had everything arranged.”“Yes. We believe so.”“To destroy my company.”“Possibly.”“I need to get those cell lines back. Now.”“No one has them. Except, of course, Frank Burnet.”“Then let’s get Burnet.”“Unfortunately, Mr. Burnet seems to have vanished, too. We can’t seem to locate him.”“Great",the security temp,"the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp","authorization. Secure e- transmission of codes.”“Who authorized it?”“You did. It came from your secure account.”“Oh Christ.” He spun.“How did that happen?”“We’re working on it.”“But the cell line,” Rick said,“we have other sites—”“Unfortunately, it seems…”“Well, then we have customers who have leased—”“I’m afraid we don’t.”“What are you saying?” Rick said. He was starting to scream.“Are you saying every fucking Burnet culture is gone? In the entire fucking world? Gone?”“As far as we know. Yes.”“This is a goddamn disaster.”“Evidently.”“This could be the end of my company! That was our safety net, those cells. We paid a fortune to UCLA for them. You’re saying they’re gone?” Rick frowned angrily, as the reality hit him.“This is an organized, coordinated attack on my company. They had people in London and Singapore; they had everything arranged.”“Yes. We believe so.”“To destroy my company.”“Possibly.”“I need to get those cell lines back. Now.”“No one has them. Except, of course, Frank Burnet.”“Then let’s get Burnet.”“Unfortunately, Mr. Burnet seems to have vanished, too. We can’t seem to locate him.”“Great:Previous Entities: |the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp| ::: “Evidently.” ",Sanger.M "if possible,",112195,112253,True,3276:The golden warrior.M,"Percy grit his teeth.“The boy is no use to me,” Chrysaor said.“But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women— either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Annabeth.” Annabeth recoiled.“You are not taking me anywhere.” Percy’s hand crept to his pocket. His pen had appeared back in his jeans. He only needed a moment’s distraction to draw his sword. Maybe if he could take down Chrysaor quickly, his crew would panic. He wished he knew something about Chrysaor’s weaknesses. Usually Annabeth provided him with information like that, but apparently Chrysaor didn’t have any legends, so they were both in the dark. The golden warrior tutted.“Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture— alive, if possible, though she didn’t say you had to be unharmed.” At that moment, Piper caused the disturbance they needed. She wailed so loudly it could be heard through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel got the idea and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit. Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone straight through Chrysaor’s neck, but the golden warrior was unbelievably fast. He dodged and parried as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while giving their captain room to battle. They chattered and squeaked, egging him on, and Percy got the sinking suspicion the crew was used to this sort of entertainment. They didn’t feel their leader was in any sort of danger. Percy hadn’t crossed swords with",The golden warrior,"Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior","Percy grit his teeth.“The boy is no use to me,” Chrysaor said.“But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women— either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Annabeth.” Annabeth recoiled.“You are not taking me anywhere.” Percy’s hand crept to his pocket. His pen had appeared back in his jeans. He only needed a moment’s distraction to draw his sword. Maybe if he could take down Chrysaor quickly, his crew would panic. He wished he knew something about Chrysaor’s weaknesses. Usually Annabeth provided him with information like that, but apparently Chrysaor didn’t have any legends, so they were both in the dark. The golden warrior tutted.“Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and your friend Percy are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture— alive, if possible, though she didn’t say you had to be unharmed.” At that moment, Piper caused the disturbance they needed. She wailed so loudly it could be heard through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel got the idea and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit. Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone straight through Chrysaor’s neck, but the golden warrior was unbelievably fast. He dodged and parried as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while giving their captain room to battle. They chattered and squeaked, egging him on, and Percy got the sinking suspicion the crew was used to this sort of entertainment. They didn’t feel their leader was in any sort of danger. Percy hadn’t crossed swords with:Previous Entities: |Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior| ::: if possible, ",Chrysaor.M “Hands up!,42357,42364,True,101:Officer Gurney.M,"McCoy! Come out with your hands up! We have you surrounded!” Actually, they didn’t have him surrounded. They were all in front of the house. But when Gurney said that, a couple of police scurried around to the back. Mrs. Beeson, in her red baseball cap, stood behind the other two. Her fists were clenched at her sides, her nose slightly wrinkled, as if she were sniffing the air, and her eyes fixed like searchlight beams on the front door of the house. In a moment, the door opened. The tall, stooped figure of Hoyt McCoy appeared. He had on a baggy olive green sweater and black pants, and his shaggy hair stuck together in bunches, as if he hadn’t combed it for several weeks.“Hands up! Hands up!” yelled Officer Gurney, who must have learned his lines, Grover thought, from watching cop shows on TV. But Hoyt did not put his hands up. He came out onto his front step and stared at the crowd in his driveway as if he thought he must be having a nightmare. Then he raised one hand, but not in surrender. He pointed a finger straight at Officer Gurney.“Off… my… property!” he shouted.“All of you. Out! What do you think you’re doing here?”“You’re under arrest!” yelled Officer Gurney, though he didn’t take a step closer to Hoyt.“Attempted murder!” At this, Hoyt lowered his arm and smiled. Smiled? Grover crept a little closer to make",Officer Gurney,"mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames","McCoy! Come out with your hands up! We have you surrounded!” Actually, they didn’t have him surrounded. They were all in front of the house. But when Gurney said that, a couple of police scurried around to the back. Mrs. Beeson, in her red baseball cap, stood behind the other two. Her fists were clenched at her sides, her nose slightly wrinkled, as if she were sniffing the air, and her eyes fixed like searchlight beams on the front door of the house. In a moment, the door opened. The tall, stooped figure of Hoyt McCoy appeared. He had on a baggy olive green sweater and black pants, and his shaggy hair stuck together in bunches, as if he hadn’t combed it for several weeks.“Hands up! Hands up!” yelled Officer Gurney, who must have learned his lines, Grover thought, from watching cop shows on TV. But Hoyt did not put his hands up. He came out onto his front step and stared at the crowd in his driveway as if he thought he must be having a nightmare. Then he raised one hand, but not in surrender. He pointed a finger straight at Officer Gurney.“Off… my… property!” he shouted.“All of you. Out! What do you think you’re doing here?”“You’re under arrest!” yelled Officer Gurney, though he didn’t take a step closer to Hoyt.“Attempted murder!” At this, Hoyt lowered his arm and smiled. Smiled? Grover crept a little closer to make:Previous Entities: |mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames| ::: “Hands up! ",Officer Gurney.M will you?,75102,75131,True,2049:the sneaky thieves.?,"hello, Mr Weavall,’ Tiffany quavered, but perhaps not quite loud enough.‘ Just, er, here to see that you, that everything is… is all right…’ There was a snort nonetheless, and he woke, smacking his lips to get the sleep out of his mouth.‘ Oh,‘ tis you,’ he said.‘ Good afternoon to ye.’ He eased himself more upright and started to stare out of the doorway, ignoring her. Maybe he won’t ask, she thought as she washed up and dusted and plumped the cushions and, not to put too fine a point on it, emptied the commode. But she nearly yelped when the arm shot out and grabbed her wrist and the old man gave her his pleading look.‘ Just check the box, Mary, will you? Before you go? Only I heard clinking noises last night, see. Could be one o’ the sneaky thieves got in.’‘ Yes, Mr Weavall,’ said Tiffany, while she thought: Idon’twanttobehereIdon’twanttobehere! She pulled out the box. There was no choice. It felt heavy. She stood up and lifted the lid. After the creak of the hinges, there was silence.‘ Are you all right, gel?’ said Mr Weavall.‘ Um…’ said Tiffany.‘ It’s all there, ain’t it?’ said the old man anxiously. Tiffany’s mind was a puddle of goo.‘ Um… it’s all here,’ she managed.‘ Um… and now it’s all gold, Mr Weavall.’‘ Gold? Hah! Don’t you pull my leg, gel. No gold ever came my way!",the sneaky thieves,"Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man","hello, Mr Weavall,’ Tiffany quavered, but perhaps not quite loud enough.‘ Just, er, here to see that you, that everything is… is all right…’ There was a snort nonetheless, and he woke, smacking his lips to get the sleep out of his mouth.‘ Oh,‘ tis you,’ he said.‘ Good afternoon to ye.’ He eased himself more upright and started to stare out of the doorway, ignoring her. Maybe he won’t ask, she thought as she washed up and dusted and plumped the cushions and, not to put too fine a point on it, emptied the commode. But she nearly yelped when the arm shot out and grabbed her wrist and the old man gave her his pleading look.‘ Just check the box, Mary, will you? Before you go? Only I heard clinking noises last night, see. Could be one o’ the sneaky thieves got in.’‘ Yes, Mr Weavall,’ said Tiffany, while she thought: Idon’twanttobehereIdon’twanttobehere! She pulled out the box. There was no choice. It felt heavy. She stood up and lifted the lid. After the creak of the hinges, there was silence.‘ Are you all right, gel?’ said Mr Weavall.‘ Um…’ said Tiffany.‘ It’s all there, ain’t it?’ said the old man anxiously. Tiffany’s mind was a puddle of goo.‘ Um… it’s all here,’ she managed.‘ Um… and now it’s all gold, Mr Weavall.’‘ Gold? Hah! Don’t you pull my leg, gel. No gold ever came my way!:Previous Entities: |Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man| ::: will you? ",Tiffany.F I don’t even know why the Dark Lord’s bothering to kill yeh!,199104,199145,True,3517:the Death Eater.?,"’ Malfoy was showing less resolution than ever. He looked terrified as he stared into Dumbledore’s face, which was even paler, and rather lower than usual, as he had slid so far down the rampart wall.‘ He’s not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!’ said the lopsided man, to the accompaniment of his sister’s wheezing giggles.‘ Look at him– what’s happened to you, then, Dumby?’‘ Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus,’ said Dumbledore.‘ Old age, in short… one day, perhaps, it will happen to you… if you are lucky…’‘ What’s that mean, then, what’s that mean?’ yelled the Death Eater, suddenly violent.‘ Always the same, weren’t yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I don’t even know why the Dark Lord’s bothering to kill yeh! Come on, Draco, do it!’ But at that moment, there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted,‘ They’ve blocked the stairs– Reducto! REDUCTO!’ Harry’s heart leapt: so these four had not eliminated all opposition, but merely broken through the fight to the top of the Tower, and, by the sound of it, created a barrier behind them–‘ Now, Draco, quickly!’ said the brutal- faced man angrily. But Malfoy’s hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim.‘ I’ll do it,’ snarled Greyback, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.‘ I said no!’ shouted the brutal- faced man; there was a flash of light and the werewolf was blasted out of the",the Death Eater,"Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them","’ Malfoy was showing less resolution than ever. He looked terrified as he stared into Dumbledore’s face, which was even paler, and rather lower than usual, as he had slid so far down the rampart wall.‘ He’s not long for this world anyway, if you ask me!’ said the lopsided man, to the accompaniment of his sister’s wheezing giggles.‘ Look at him– what’s happened to you, then, Dumby?’‘ Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus,’ said Dumbledore.‘ Old age, in short… one day, perhaps, it will happen to you… if you are lucky…’‘ What’s that mean, then, what’s that mean?’ yelled the Death Eater, suddenly violent.‘ Always the same, weren’t yeh, Dumby, talking and doing nothing, nothing, I don’t even know why the Dark Lord’s bothering to kill yeh! Come on, Draco, do it!’ But at that moment, there were renewed sounds of scuffling from below and a voice shouted,‘ They’ve blocked the stairs– Reducto! REDUCTO!’ Harry’s heart leapt: so these four had not eliminated all opposition, but merely broken through the fight to the top of the Tower, and, by the sound of it, created a barrier behind them–‘ Now, Draco, quickly!’ said the brutal- faced man angrily. But Malfoy’s hand was shaking so badly that he could barely aim.‘ I’ll do it,’ snarled Greyback, moving towards Dumbledore with his hands outstretched, his teeth bared.‘ I said no!’ shouted the brutal- faced man; there was a flash of light and the werewolf was blasted out of the:Previous Entities: |Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them| ::: I don’t even know why the Dark Lord’s bothering to kill yeh! ",Amycus. "chicken legs,",101670,101716,True,2849:The leading rat.?,"days making big ships in little bottles. Then he thought of the Patrician, robbed of his city, sitting cross- legged on the gray floor in the dim dungeon and recreating it around him, encouraging in miniature all the little rivalries, power struggles and factions. He thought of him as a somber, brooding statue amid paving stones alive with slinking shadows and sudden, political death. It had probably been easier than ruling Ankh, which had larger vermin who didn’t have to use both hands to carry a knife. There was a clink over by the drain. Half a dozen rats appeared, dragging something wrapped in a cloth. They rathandled it past the grille and, with great effort, hauled it to the Patrician’s feet. He leaned down and undid the knot.“We seem to have cheese, chicken legs, celery, a piece of rather stale bread and a nice bottle, oh, a nice bottle apparently of Merckle and Stingbat’s Very Famous Brown Sauce. Beer, I said, Skrp.” The leading rat twitched its nose at him.“Sorry about this, Vimes. They can’t read, you see. They don’t seem to get the hang of the concept. But they’re very good at listening. They bring me all the news.”“I see you’re very comfortable here,” said Vimes weakly.“Never build a dungeon you wouldn’t be happy to spend the night in yourself,” said the Patrician, laying out the food on the cloth.“The world would be a happier place if more people remembered that.”“We all thought you had built secret tunnels and such- like,” said Vimes.“Can’t imagine why,” said the Patrician.“One would have to keep on running. So",The leading rat,"the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat","days making big ships in little bottles. Then he thought of the Patrician, robbed of his city, sitting cross- legged on the gray floor in the dim dungeon and recreating it around him, encouraging in miniature all the little rivalries, power struggles and factions. He thought of him as a somber, brooding statue amid paving stones alive with slinking shadows and sudden, political death. It had probably been easier than ruling Ankh, which had larger vermin who didn’t have to use both hands to carry a knife. There was a clink over by the drain. Half a dozen rats appeared, dragging something wrapped in a cloth. They rathandled it past the grille and, with great effort, hauled it to the Patrician’s feet. He leaned down and undid the knot.“We seem to have cheese, chicken legs, celery, a piece of rather stale bread and a nice bottle, oh, a nice bottle apparently of Merckle and Stingbat’s Very Famous Brown Sauce. Beer, I said, Skrp.” The leading rat twitched its nose at him.“Sorry about this, Vimes. They can’t read, you see. They don’t seem to get the hang of the concept. But they’re very good at listening. They bring me all the news.”“I see you’re very comfortable here,” said Vimes weakly.“Never build a dungeon you wouldn’t be happy to spend the night in yourself,” said the Patrician, laying out the food on the cloth.“The world would be a happier place if more people remembered that.”“We all thought you had built secret tunnels and such- like,” said Vimes.“Can’t imagine why,” said the Patrician.“One would have to keep on running. So:Previous Entities: |the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat| ::: chicken legs, ","The leading rat.? " "Let's get out of here!""",94646,94673,True,88:Sojo.M,"of three hours to return to the hotel, retrieve the coffin, and haul it to the lab. Flathead, who had enjoyed the time off, complained incessantly as Doon led him through the streets. There were people, lots of them, all on the move. They wore packs stuffed with supplies, pulled carts loaded with belongings, and rode sturdy- looking mutimals. Some wanted Flathead, and offered a lot of money for him; others swore when the animal got in their way. The word was out: The Reapers were coming, though no one knew when. Was it rumor, with no basis in truth? Or fact, based on actual sightings? There was no way to be sure, but Sojo felt a sense of urgency, and never stopped nagging."" What the hell are you doing? Deal with what's her name later when it's safe. Let's get out of here!"" Doon grew tired of the rider, shoved him down out of the way, and continued as before. Mary, still depressed by her failure to find any trace of her family, felt numb. It took a great deal of discipline to follow Doon into the lab, connect the various leads, and run the diagnostics. Why should she be the one to bring Reno back? Especially when it meant she'd be replaced? It didn't seem fair. The roboticist pushed the correct buttons, watched readouts flicker to life, and felt temptation nibble at the edges of her mind. What if she lied? Told Doon it was hopeless? He at least would be hers. But one glance at his face, at the way he looked down into the coffin, and Mary knew",Sojo,"Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry","of three hours to return to the hotel, retrieve the coffin, and haul it to the lab. Flathead, who had enjoyed the time off, complained incessantly as Doon led him through the streets. There were people, lots of them, all on the move. They wore packs stuffed with supplies, pulled carts loaded with belongings, and rode sturdy- looking mutimals. Some wanted Flathead, and offered a lot of money for him; others swore when the animal got in their way. The word was out: The Reapers were coming, though no one knew when. Was it rumor, with no basis in truth? Or fact, based on actual sightings? There was no way to be sure, but Sojo felt a sense of urgency, and never stopped nagging."" What the hell are you doing? Deal with what's her name later when it's safe. Let's get out of here!"" Doon grew tired of the rider, shoved him down out of the way, and continued as before. Mary, still depressed by her failure to find any trace of her family, felt numb. It took a great deal of discipline to follow Doon into the lab, connect the various leads, and run the diagnostics. Why should she be the one to bring Reno back? Especially when it meant she'd be replaced? It didn't seem fair. The roboticist pushed the correct buttons, watched readouts flicker to life, and felt temptation nibble at the edges of her mind. What if she lied? Told Doon it was hopeless? He at least would be hers. But one glance at his face, at the way he looked down into the coffin, and Mary knew:Previous Entities: |Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry| ::: Let's get out of here!"" ",Sojo.M inventively mad… wild and wonderful!”,81726,81736,True,162:Terry Pratchett.M,"an island off the coast of France, where he spends his time writing Discworld novels in accordance with the Very String Anthropic Principle, which holds that the entire Purpose of the Universe is to make possible a being that will live in England, an island off the coast of France, and spend his time writing Discworld novels. Which is exactly what he does. Which proves the whole business true. Any questions? Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author. Unanimous Praise For Terry Pratchett“For lighthearted escape with a thoughtful center, you can’t do better than… any… Discworld novel.”— Washington Post Book World“If I were making my list of Best Books of the Twentieth Century, Terry Pratchett’s would be most of them.”— Elizabeth Peters“Consistently, inventively mad… wild and wonderful!”— Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine“Simply the best humorous writer of the twentieth century.”— Oxford Times“A brilliant story— teller with a sense of humour… whose infectious fun completely engulfs you… The Dickens of the twentieth century.”— Mail on Sunday(London)“If you are unfamiliar with Pratchett’s unique blend of philosophical badinage interspersed with slapstick, you are on the threshold of a mind— expanding opportunity.”— Financial Times(London)“If you don’t know Pratchett and Discworld, you’ve got a treat in store.”— Jerry Pournelle“The funniest parodist working in the field today, period.”— New York Review of Science Fiction“Pratchett demonstrates just how great the distance is between one- or two- joke",Terry Pratchett,"Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus","an island off the coast of France, where he spends his time writing Discworld novels in accordance with the Very String Anthropic Principle, which holds that the entire Purpose of the Universe is to make possible a being that will live in England, an island off the coast of France, and spend his time writing Discworld novels. Which is exactly what he does. Which proves the whole business true. Any questions? Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author. Unanimous Praise For Terry Pratchett“For lighthearted escape with a thoughtful center, you can’t do better than… any… Discworld novel.”— Washington Post Book World“If I were making my list of Best Books of the Twentieth Century, Terry Pratchett’s would be most of them.”— Elizabeth Peters“Consistently, inventively mad… wild and wonderful!”— Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine“Simply the best humorous writer of the twentieth century.”— Oxford Times“A brilliant story— teller with a sense of humour… whose infectious fun completely engulfs you… The Dickens of the twentieth century.”— Mail on Sunday(London)“If you are unfamiliar with Pratchett’s unique blend of philosophical badinage interspersed with slapstick, you are on the threshold of a mind— expanding opportunity.”— Financial Times(London)“If you don’t know Pratchett and Discworld, you’ve got a treat in store.”— Jerry Pournelle“The funniest parodist working in the field today, period.”— New York Review of Science Fiction“Pratchett demonstrates just how great the distance is between one- or two- joke:Previous Entities: |Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus| ::: inventively mad… wild and wonderful!” ",Dactylos.M "Would that be fair?""",27742,27773,True,273:Daly.?,"all knees and elbows."" I wanted to ask you some things, ah, off the record."""" Sure,"" Sanders said."" It's to do with Meredith Johnson,"" Daly said, in an apologetic voice."" If you, ah, don't mind, I'd prefer we just keep this conversation between us."""" All right,"" Sanders said."" I understand that you have been closely involved with setting up the plants in Ireland and Malaysia. And that there has been a little controversy inside the company about how that was carried out."""" Well."" Sanders shrugged."" Phil Blackburn and I haven't always seen eye to eye."""" Showing your good sense, in my view,"" Daly said dryly."" But I gather that in these disputes you represent technical expertise, and others in the company represent, ah, various other concerns. Would that be fair?"""" Yes, I'd say so."" What was he getting at?"" Well, it's along those lines that I'd like to hear your thoughts. Bob Garvin has just appointed Ms. Johnson to a position of considerable authority, a step which many in Conley- White applaud. And certainly it would be unfair to prejudge how she will carry out her new duties within the company. But by the same token, it would be derelict of me not to inquire about her past duties. Do you get my drift?"""" Not exactly,"" Sanders said."" I'm wondering,"" Daly said,"" what you feel about Ms. Johnson's past performance with regard to the technical operations of the company. Specifically, her involvement in the foreign operations of DigiCom",Daly,"Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly","all knees and elbows."" I wanted to ask you some things, ah, off the record."""" Sure,"" Sanders said."" It's to do with Meredith Johnson,"" Daly said, in an apologetic voice."" If you, ah, don't mind, I'd prefer we just keep this conversation between us."""" All right,"" Sanders said."" I understand that you have been closely involved with setting up the plants in Ireland and Malaysia. And that there has been a little controversy inside the company about how that was carried out."""" Well."" Sanders shrugged."" Phil Blackburn and I haven't always seen eye to eye."""" Showing your good sense, in my view,"" Daly said dryly."" But I gather that in these disputes you represent technical expertise, and others in the company represent, ah, various other concerns. Would that be fair?"""" Yes, I'd say so."" What was he getting at?"" Well, it's along those lines that I'd like to hear your thoughts. Bob Garvin has just appointed Ms. Johnson to a position of considerable authority, a step which many in Conley- White applaud. And certainly it would be unfair to prejudge how she will carry out her new duties within the company. But by the same token, it would be derelict of me not to inquire about her past duties. Do you get my drift?"""" Not exactly,"" Sanders said."" I'm wondering,"" Daly said,"" what you feel about Ms. Johnson's past performance with regard to the technical operations of the company. Specifically, her involvement in the foreign operations of DigiCom:Previous Entities: |Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly| ::: Would that be fair?"" ","Sanders.M Daly.M Meredith Johnson.F Phil Blackburn.M Bob Garvin.M" blindingly… do… you… understand?,51761,51801,True,331:Q.M,"You’re important. You cleaned up my blood with that tongue of yours. It’s a rough tongue. Good for polishing. You go get your brothers and your sisters. And you tell them that the quartermaster, that’s me, Quentin, Barred Owl. Strix varia…”“For Glaux’s sake, you don’t have to give your species, Q. Save your breath.” But Q paid him no attention. His amber eyes were set on Patches’ green eyes.“Get those wolves now. In the back of the cave are four dozen ice shields. Start licking them. Lick them until they glow, until they are burnished, then set them out.” Painfully, he turned his head now toward Coryn. He closed his eyes and spoke.“I want those shields to flash, flash brilliantly, blindingly… do… you… understand? Dawn’s about to break. The armory faces east— the rising sun. Do… you… understand?” Coryn did! And it was just then he noticed the trickle of blood coming from behind Q’s head. He heard Patches gasp, for the wolf saw it at the same time.“Don’t lick it.” Q said in a low, rough whisper.“Save your spit, lad.” There was a rough billowy hiccup sound, then quiet. A slight breeze seemed to pass through the cave. Gone, he’s gone! Coryn thought. The old quartermaster is… But before he could complete the thought, Patches was racing from the cave. CHAPTER TWENTY- NINE The Last Glow From her command position outside the yondos, Nyra squinted into the rising sun. The glare was ferocious. Not only did the sun burn, but two east- facing volcanoes",Q,"the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q","You’re important. You cleaned up my blood with that tongue of yours. It’s a rough tongue. Good for polishing. You go get your brothers and your sisters. And you tell them that the quartermaster, that’s me, Quentin, Barred Owl. Strix varia…”“For Glaux’s sake, you don’t have to give your species, Q. Save your breath.” But Q paid him no attention. His amber eyes were set on Patches’ green eyes.“Get those wolves now. In the back of the cave are four dozen ice shields. Start licking them. Lick them until they glow, until they are burnished, then set them out.” Painfully, he turned his head now toward Coryn. He closed his eyes and spoke.“I want those shields to flash, flash brilliantly, blindingly… do… you… understand? Dawn’s about to break. The armory faces east— the rising sun. Do… you… understand?” Coryn did! And it was just then he noticed the trickle of blood coming from behind Q’s head. He heard Patches gasp, for the wolf saw it at the same time.“Don’t lick it.” Q said in a low, rough whisper.“Save your spit, lad.” There was a rough billowy hiccup sound, then quiet. A slight breeze seemed to pass through the cave. Gone, he’s gone! Coryn thought. The old quartermaster is… But before he could complete the thought, Patches was racing from the cave. CHAPTER TWENTY- NINE The Last Glow From her command position outside the yondos, Nyra squinted into the rising sun. The glare was ferocious. Not only did the sun burn, but two east- facing volcanoes:Previous Entities: |the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q| ::: blindingly… do… you… understand? ",Coryn.M "Witful?""",100234,100237,True,349:Jerry.M,"Jerry,"" Norman said. THE MANIFESTATIONS ARE SMALL AND THEY DO NOT EXTEND BEYOND YOUR ENTITIES BUT THE MANIFESTATIONS ARE NEW FOR ME. THEY ARE HAPPY FOR ME."" What's he talking about?"" Harry said. YOUR MANIFESTATIONS HARRY."" What manifestations, for Christ's sake?"""" Don't get mad,"" Norman warned."" Stay calm."" I AM LIKING THAT ONE HARRY. DO AN OTHER. Norman thought: Is he reading emotions? Does he regard our emotions as manifestations? But that didn't make sense. Jerry couldn't read their minds; they'd already determined that. Maybe he'd better check again. Jerry, he thought, can you hear me? I AM LIKING HARRY. HIS MANIFESTATIONS ARE RED. THEY ARE WITFUL."" Witful?"" WITFUL= FULL OF WIT?"" I see,"" Harry said."" He thinks we're funny."" FUNNY= FULL OF FUN?"" Not exactly,"" Norman said."" We entities have the concept of..."" He trailed off. How was he going to explain"" funny""? What was a joke, anyway?"" We entities have the concept of a situation which causes discomfort and we call this situation humorous."" HUME OR US?"" No. One word."" Norman spelled it for him. I SEE. YOUR MANIFESTATIONS ARE HUMOROUS. THE ENTITY SQUID MAKES MANY HUMOROUS MANIFESTATIONS FROM YOU."" We don't think so,"" Harry said. I THINK SO. AND THAT ABOUT summed it up, Norman thought, sitting at",Jerry,"A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor","Jerry,"" Norman said. THE MANIFESTATIONS ARE SMALL AND THEY DO NOT EXTEND BEYOND YOUR ENTITIES BUT THE MANIFESTATIONS ARE NEW FOR ME. THEY ARE HAPPY FOR ME."" What's he talking about?"" Harry said. YOUR MANIFESTATIONS HARRY."" What manifestations, for Christ's sake?"""" Don't get mad,"" Norman warned."" Stay calm."" I AM LIKING THAT ONE HARRY. DO AN OTHER. Norman thought: Is he reading emotions? Does he regard our emotions as manifestations? But that didn't make sense. Jerry couldn't read their minds; they'd already determined that. Maybe he'd better check again. Jerry, he thought, can you hear me? I AM LIKING HARRY. HIS MANIFESTATIONS ARE RED. THEY ARE WITFUL."" Witful?"" WITFUL= FULL OF WIT?"" I see,"" Harry said."" He thinks we're funny."" FUNNY= FULL OF FUN?"" Not exactly,"" Norman said."" We entities have the concept of..."" He trailed off. How was he going to explain"" funny""? What was a joke, anyway?"" We entities have the concept of a situation which causes discomfort and we call this situation humorous."" HUME OR US?"" No. One word."" Norman spelled it for him. I SEE. YOUR MANIFESTATIONS ARE HUMOROUS. THE ENTITY SQUID MAKES MANY HUMOROUS MANIFESTATIONS FROM YOU."" We don't think so,"" Harry said. I THINK SO. AND THAT ABOUT summed it up, Norman thought, sitting at:Previous Entities: |A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor| ::: Witful?"" ",Harry.M "if someone asks you a question in French,",74324,74428,True,339:Dylan.?,"wrong kinds of people, and always with sexual undertones. Athletes. Negroes. That sort of thing."""" Was she ever your patient?"" He sighed."" No, thank God. At one point it was suggested that I take her, but I refused. I had three other adolescent girls at the time, and they were quite enough. Quite enough."""" Who asked you to take her?"""" Peter, of course. He's the only one with any sense in the family."""" What about Karen's abortions?"""" Abortions?"""" Come on, Fritz."" He went to a closet and found a sports coat, pulled it on, and tugged at the lapels."" People never understand,"" he said."" There is a cycle here, a pattern which is as easily recognizable, as familiar, as an MI.1 You learn the pattern, the symptoms, the trouble. You see it acted out before you again and again. A rebellious child chooses the weak point of its parent— with unfailing, uncanny accuracy— and proceeds to exploit it. But then when punishment comes, it must be in terms of the same weak point. It must all fit together: if someone asks you a question in French, you must answer in French."""" I don't understand."""" For a girl like Karen, punishment was important. She wanted to be punished, but her punishment, like her rebellion, had to be sexual in nature. She 1 Myocardial infarction, a heart attack. wanted to suffer the pain of childbirth, so she could compensate for breaking with her family, her society, her morality.... Dylan put it beautifully; I have the poem here somewhere."" He began rummaging through a bookshelf."" It's all right,"" I said."" No, no, a lovely quotation. You'd enjoy it."" He searched for a few more moments, then straightened."" Can't find it. Well, never mind. The point is that she needed suffering,",Dylan,"Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan","wrong kinds of people, and always with sexual undertones. Athletes. Negroes. That sort of thing."""" Was she ever your patient?"" He sighed."" No, thank God. At one point it was suggested that I take her, but I refused. I had three other adolescent girls at the time, and they were quite enough. Quite enough."""" Who asked you to take her?"""" Peter, of course. He's the only one with any sense in the family."""" What about Karen's abortions?"""" Abortions?"""" Come on, Fritz."" He went to a closet and found a sports coat, pulled it on, and tugged at the lapels."" People never understand,"" he said."" There is a cycle here, a pattern which is as easily recognizable, as familiar, as an MI.1 You learn the pattern, the symptoms, the trouble. You see it acted out before you again and again. A rebellious child chooses the weak point of its parent— with unfailing, uncanny accuracy— and proceeds to exploit it. But then when punishment comes, it must be in terms of the same weak point. It must all fit together: if someone asks you a question in French, you must answer in French."""" I don't understand."""" For a girl like Karen, punishment was important. She wanted to be punished, but her punishment, like her rebellion, had to be sexual in nature. She 1 Myocardial infarction, a heart attack. wanted to suffer the pain of childbirth, so she could compensate for breaking with her family, her society, her morality.... Dylan put it beautifully; I have the poem here somewhere."" He began rummaging through a bookshelf."" It's all right,"" I said."" No, no, a lovely quotation. You'd enjoy it."" He searched for a few more moments, then straightened."" Can't find it. Well, never mind. The point is that she needed suffering,:Previous Entities: |Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan| ::: if someone asks you a question in French, ",Joshua.M ‘ But seriously–’,104681,104685,True,436:Worple.?,": My Life Amongst the Vampires– and, of course, his friend Sanguini.’ Worple, who was a small, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry’s hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded. He looked rather bored. A gaggle of girls was standing close to him, looking curious and excited.‘ Harry Potter, I am simply delighted!’ said Worple, peering short- sightedly up into Harry’s face.‘ I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?’‘ Er,’ said Harry,‘ were you?’‘ Just as modest as Horace described!’ said Worple.‘ But seriously–’ his manner changed; it became suddenly businesslike,‘ I would be delighted to write it myself– people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four- or five- hour sessions, why, we could have the book finished within months. And all with very little effort on your part, I assure you– ask Sanguini here if it isn’t quite– Sanguini, stay here!’ added Worple, suddenly stern, for the vampire had been edging towards the nearby group of girls, a rather hungry look in his eye.‘ Here, have a pasty,’ said Worple, seizing one from a passing elf and stuffing it into Sanguini’s hand before turning his attention back to",Worple,"Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple",": My Life Amongst the Vampires– and, of course, his friend Sanguini.’ Worple, who was a small, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry’s hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded. He looked rather bored. A gaggle of girls was standing close to him, looking curious and excited.‘ Harry Potter, I am simply delighted!’ said Worple, peering short- sightedly up into Harry’s face.‘ I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?’‘ Er,’ said Harry,‘ were you?’‘ Just as modest as Horace described!’ said Worple.‘ But seriously–’ his manner changed; it became suddenly businesslike,‘ I would be delighted to write it myself– people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four- or five- hour sessions, why, we could have the book finished within months. And all with very little effort on your part, I assure you– ask Sanguini here if it isn’t quite– Sanguini, stay here!’ added Worple, suddenly stern, for the vampire had been edging towards the nearby group of girls, a rather hungry look in his eye.‘ Here, have a pasty,’ said Worple, seizing one from a passing elf and stuffing it into Sanguini’s hand before turning his attention back to:Previous Entities: |Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple| ::: ‘ But seriously–’ ",Worple.M sire.,107289,107299,True,2431:sire.?,"all that, sire. Tactless of me.'' Don't mention it.'' If you need any help getting her alight—'' Please go back to the castle, sergeant.'' Yes, sire. If you're sure, sire. Thank you, sire.'' Sergeant?'' Yes, sire?'' I shall need someone to take my cap and bells back to the Fools' Guild in Ankh- Morpork now I'm leaving. It seems to me you're the ideal man.'' Thank you, sire. Much obliged.'' It's your, ah, burning desire to be of service.'' Yes, sire?'' Make sure they put you up in one of the guest rooms.'' Yes, sire. Thank you, sire.' There was the sound of a horse trotting away. A few seconds later the latch clonked and the Fool crept in. It takes considerable courage to enter a witch's kitchen in the dark, but probably no more than it takes to wear a purple shirt with velvet sleeves and scalloped edges. It had this in its favour, though. There were no bells on it. He had brought a bottle of sparkling wine and a bouquet of flowers, both of which had gone flat during the journey. He laid them on the table, and sat down by the embers of the fire. He rubbed his eyes. It had been a long day. He wasn't, he felt, a good king, but he'd had a lifetime of working hard at being something he was",sire,"Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire","all that, sire. Tactless of me.'' Don't mention it.'' If you need any help getting her alight—'' Please go back to the castle, sergeant.'' Yes, sire. If you're sure, sire. Thank you, sire.'' Sergeant?'' Yes, sire?'' I shall need someone to take my cap and bells back to the Fools' Guild in Ankh- Morpork now I'm leaving. It seems to me you're the ideal man.'' Thank you, sire. Much obliged.'' It's your, ah, burning desire to be of service.'' Yes, sire?'' Make sure they put you up in one of the guest rooms.'' Yes, sire. Thank you, sire.' There was the sound of a horse trotting away. A few seconds later the latch clonked and the Fool crept in. It takes considerable courage to enter a witch's kitchen in the dark, but probably no more than it takes to wear a purple shirt with velvet sleeves and scalloped edges. It had this in its favour, though. There were no bells on it. He had brought a bottle of sparkling wine and a bouquet of flowers, both of which had gone flat during the journey. He laid them on the table, and sat down by the embers of the fire. He rubbed his eyes. It had been a long day. He wasn't, he felt, a good king, but he'd had a lifetime of working hard at being something he was:Previous Entities: |Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire| ::: sire. ",Fool.M the portion they desire to acquire.,53049,53147,True,504:Herbert Ward.?,"with tusks of ivory with the intention of buying a slave, complaining that meat is now scarce in their neighborhood.” In the Congo, cannibalism was not associated with ritual or religion or war; it was a simple dietary preference. The Reverend Holman Bentley, who spent twenty years in the region, quoted a native as saying,“You white men consider pork to be the tastiest of meat, but pork is not to be compared with human flesh.” Bentley felt that the natives“could not understand the objections raised to the practice.‘ You eat fowls and goats, and we eat men; why not? What is the difference?’ This frank altitude astonished observers, and led to bizarre customs. In 1910, Herbert Ward wrote of markets where slaves were sold“piecemeal whilst still alive, incredible as it may appear, captives are led from place to place in order that individuals may have the opportunity of indicating, by external marks on the body, the portion they desire to acquire. The distinguishing marks are generally made by means of coloured clay or strips of grass tied in a peculiar fashion. The astounding stoicism of the victims, who thus witness the bargaining for their limbs piecemeal, is only equaled by the callousness with which they walk forward to meet their fate.” Such reports can not be dismissed as late- Victorian hysteria, for all observers found the cannibals likable and sympathetic. Ward wrote that“the cannibals are not schemers and they are not mean. In direct opposition to all natural conjectures, they are among the best types of men.” Bentley described them as“merry, manly fellows, very friendly in conversation and quite demonstrative in their affection.” Under Belgian colonial administration, cannibalism became much rarer— by the 1950s, there were even a few graveyards to be found— but no one seriously thought it had been eradicated. In 1956, H. C. Engert wrote,“Cannibalism is far from being dead in Africa.... I myself once lived in a cannibal village for a time, and found some The natives.",Herbert Ward,"the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward","with tusks of ivory with the intention of buying a slave, complaining that meat is now scarce in their neighborhood.” In the Congo, cannibalism was not associated with ritual or religion or war; it was a simple dietary preference. The Reverend Holman Bentley, who spent twenty years in the region, quoted a native as saying,“You white men consider pork to be the tastiest of meat, but pork is not to be compared with human flesh.” Bentley felt that the natives“could not understand the objections raised to the practice.‘ You eat fowls and goats, and we eat men; why not? What is the difference?’ This frank altitude astonished observers, and led to bizarre customs. In 1910, Herbert Ward wrote of markets where slaves were sold“piecemeal whilst still alive, incredible as it may appear, captives are led from place to place in order that individuals may have the opportunity of indicating, by external marks on the body, the portion they desire to acquire. The distinguishing marks are generally made by means of coloured clay or strips of grass tied in a peculiar fashion. The astounding stoicism of the victims, who thus witness the bargaining for their limbs piecemeal, is only equaled by the callousness with which they walk forward to meet their fate.” Such reports can not be dismissed as late- Victorian hysteria, for all observers found the cannibals likable and sympathetic. Ward wrote that“the cannibals are not schemers and they are not mean. In direct opposition to all natural conjectures, they are among the best types of men.” Bentley described them as“merry, manly fellows, very friendly in conversation and quite demonstrative in their affection.” Under Belgian colonial administration, cannibalism became much rarer— by the 1950s, there were even a few graveyards to be found— but no one seriously thought it had been eradicated. In 1956, H. C. Engert wrote,“Cannibalism is far from being dead in Africa.... I myself once lived in a cannibal village for a time, and found some The natives.:Previous Entities: |the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward| ::: the portion they desire to acquire. ",Herbert Ward.M "It stopped even another Talent.""",54369,54390,True,1458:one of the soldiers.?,"groaned. The trip left him kneeling right in front of me, confettilike scraps of paper falling around us. The beast within me quieted, pulling back inside, and all fell still. When I'd been young, I'd thought of my Talent as a curse. Now I'd begun thinking of it as a kind of wild super- power. This was the first time, however, that I thought of it as something foreign inside of me. Something alive."" That was incredible!"" said one of the soldiers. I looked up and saw the soldiers regarding me with awe. Himalaya seemed stunned. The prince stood with his arms folded, smiling in contentment at finally getting to witness a battle."" I saw it,"" one of the soldiers whispered,"" like a wave of power, pulsing out of you, Lord Smedry. It stopped even another Talent."" It felt good to be admired. It made me feel like a leader. Like a hero."" See to your friends,"" I said, pointing to the fallen soldiers."" Give me a report on the wounded."" I reached down, helping Folsom to his feet. He looked down in shame, as Himalaya walked over to comfort him.“Well, I give myself nine out of ten points for being an idiot,"" he said."" I can't believe I let that happen. I should be able to control it!"""" I know how hard it is,” I said."" Trust me. It wasn't your fault."" Prince Rikers walked over to join us, his blue robes swishing."" That was wonderful,""",one of the soldiers,"Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight","groaned. The trip left him kneeling right in front of me, confettilike scraps of paper falling around us. The beast within me quieted, pulling back inside, and all fell still. When I'd been young, I'd thought of my Talent as a curse. Now I'd begun thinking of it as a kind of wild super- power. This was the first time, however, that I thought of it as something foreign inside of me. Something alive."" That was incredible!"" said one of the soldiers. I looked up and saw the soldiers regarding me with awe. Himalaya seemed stunned. The prince stood with his arms folded, smiling in contentment at finally getting to witness a battle."" I saw it,"" one of the soldiers whispered,"" like a wave of power, pulsing out of you, Lord Smedry. It stopped even another Talent."" It felt good to be admired. It made me feel like a leader. Like a hero."" See to your friends,"" I said, pointing to the fallen soldiers."" Give me a report on the wounded."" I reached down, helping Folsom to his feet. He looked down in shame, as Himalaya walked over to comfort him.“Well, I give myself nine out of ten points for being an idiot,"" he said."" I can't believe I let that happen. I should be able to control it!"""" I know how hard it is,” I said."" Trust me. It wasn't your fault."" Prince Rikers walked over to join us, his blue robes swishing."" That was wonderful,"":Previous Entities: |Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight| ::: It stopped even another Talent."" ",Johnstone.M Perhaps the High Lord has crept into our minds to make us believe you are the Morrigan.”,206869,206918,True,3035:The golden queen.F,"— to help save my own. I write to you so one day we might know true peace. So I might one day be able to live in a world where the woman I love may visit her family without fear of hatred and reprisal. A better world.” She set down the letter. Rhys had written that letter weeks ago… before we’d mated. Not a demand for the queens to meet— but a love letter. I reached across the space between us and took his hand, squeezing gently. Rhys’s fingers tightened around my own. But then the ancient one said,“Who is to say that this is not all some grand manipulation?”“What?” Mor blurted. The golden queen nodded her agreement and dared say to Mor,“A great many things have changed since the War. Since your so- called friendships with our ancestors. Perhaps you are not who you say you are. Perhaps the High Lord has crept into our minds to make us believe you are the Morrigan.” Rhys was silent— we all were. Until Nesta said too softly,‘ This is the talk of madwomen. Of arrogant, stupid fools.” Elain grabbed for Nesta’s hand to silence her. But Nesta stalked forward a step, face white with rage.“Give them the Book.” The queens blinked, stiffening. My sister snapped,“Give them the Book.” And the eldest queen hissed,“No.” The word clanged through me. But Nesta went on, flinging out an arm to encompass us, the room, the world,“There are innocent people here. In these lands. If you will not risk your necks against the forces that threaten us, then grant those people a fighting chance. Give my sister the Book.”",The golden queen,"the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman","— to help save my own. I write to you so one day we might know true peace. So I might one day be able to live in a world where the woman I love may visit her family without fear of hatred and reprisal. A better world.” She set down the letter. Rhys had written that letter weeks ago… before we’d mated. Not a demand for the queens to meet— but a love letter. I reached across the space between us and took his hand, squeezing gently. Rhys’s fingers tightened around my own. But then the ancient one said,“Who is to say that this is not all some grand manipulation?”“What?” Mor blurted. The golden queen nodded her agreement and dared say to Mor,“A great many things have changed since the War. Since your so- called friendships with our ancestors. Perhaps you are not who you say you are. Perhaps the High Lord has crept into our minds to make us believe you are the Morrigan.” Rhys was silent— we all were. Until Nesta said too softly,‘ This is the talk of madwomen. Of arrogant, stupid fools.” Elain grabbed for Nesta’s hand to silence her. But Nesta stalked forward a step, face white with rage.“Give them the Book.” The queens blinked, stiffening. My sister snapped,“Give them the Book.” And the eldest queen hissed,“No.” The word clanged through me. But Nesta went on, flinging out an arm to encompass us, the room, the world,“There are innocent people here. In these lands. If you will not risk your necks against the forces that threaten us, then grant those people a fighting chance. Give my sister the Book.”:Previous Entities: |the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman| ::: Perhaps the High Lord has crept into our minds to make us believe you are the Morrigan.” ","Mor.F The golden queen.F Rhys.M Nesta.F Elain.F " ‘ We do a bespoke service.’,46554,46561,True,1630:the first dwarf.?,"the truth, while a valuable thing, was just too stupid, embarrassing and unbelievable. Another, and almost identical, dwarf materialized behind his colleague.‘ Should have gone for ash.’‘ Oh yes,’ said the first dwarf gloomily.‘ Can’t go wrong with ash.’ He prodded Tiffany’s broomstick and sighed again.‘ Looks like it’s got the start of bracket fungus in the base joint,’ the second dwarf suggested.‘ Wouldn’t be surprised at anything, with your elm,’ said the first dwarf.‘ Look, can you just patch it up enough to get me home?’ Tiffany asked.‘ Oh, we don’t“patch things up”,’ said the first dwarf loftily or, rather, metaphorically loftily.‘ We do a bespoke service.’‘ I just need a few bristles,’ said Tiffany desperately, and then, because she forgot she hadn’t been going to admit to the truth,‘ Please? It wasn’t my fault the Feegles set fire to the broomstick.’ Up until that point, there had been quite a lot of background noises in the dwarf workshop as dozens of dwarfs had been working away on their own benches and not taking much heed of the discussion, but now there was a silence, and in that silence a single hammer dropped to the floor. The first dwarf said,‘ When you say Feegles, you don’t mean Nac Mac Feegles, do you, miss?’‘ That’s right.’‘ The wild ones? Do they say… Crivens?’ he asked",the first dwarf,"the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf","the truth, while a valuable thing, was just too stupid, embarrassing and unbelievable. Another, and almost identical, dwarf materialized behind his colleague.‘ Should have gone for ash.’‘ Oh yes,’ said the first dwarf gloomily.‘ Can’t go wrong with ash.’ He prodded Tiffany’s broomstick and sighed again.‘ Looks like it’s got the start of bracket fungus in the base joint,’ the second dwarf suggested.‘ Wouldn’t be surprised at anything, with your elm,’ said the first dwarf.‘ Look, can you just patch it up enough to get me home?’ Tiffany asked.‘ Oh, we don’t“patch things up”,’ said the first dwarf loftily or, rather, metaphorically loftily.‘ We do a bespoke service.’‘ I just need a few bristles,’ said Tiffany desperately, and then, because she forgot she hadn’t been going to admit to the truth,‘ Please? It wasn’t my fault the Feegles set fire to the broomstick.’ Up until that point, there had been quite a lot of background noises in the dwarf workshop as dozens of dwarfs had been working away on their own benches and not taking much heed of the discussion, but now there was a silence, and in that silence a single hammer dropped to the floor. The first dwarf said,‘ When you say Feegles, you don’t mean Nac Mac Feegles, do you, miss?’‘ That’s right.’‘ The wild ones? Do they say… Crivens?’ he asked:Previous Entities: |the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf| ::: ‘ We do a bespoke service.’ ",Tiffany.F "“Go on home,",10224,10265,True,149:Wenders.M,"didn’t know it. We had three scheduled at home with the White Sox, but the first one was a washout. The Doo’s old pal Hi Wenders was the umpire crew chief, and he gave me the news himself. I’d got to The Swamp early because the trunks with our road uniforms in them got sent to Idlewild by mistake and I wanted to make sure they’d been trucked over. We wouldn’t need them for a week, but I was never easy in my mind until such things were taken care of. Wenders was sitting on a little stool outside the umpire’s room, reading a paperback with a blond in step- ins on the cover.“That your wife, Hi?” I asks.“My girlfriend,” he says.“Go on home, Grannie. Weather forecast says that by three it’s gonna be coming down in buckets. I’m just waiting for DiPunno and Lopez to get here so I can call the game.”“Okay,” I says.“Thanks.” I started away and he called after me.“Grannie, is that wonder- kid of yours all right in the head? Because he talks to himself behind the plate. Whispers. Never fucking shuts up.”“He’s no Quiz Kid, but he’s not crazy, if that’s what you mean,” I said. I was wrong about that, but who knew?“What kind of stuff does he say?”“I couldn’t hear much the one time I was behind him— the second game against Boston— but I know he talks about himself. In that what do you call it, third person. He says stuff like‘ I can do it, Billy.’ And",Wenders,"the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders","didn’t know it. We had three scheduled at home with the White Sox, but the first one was a washout. The Doo’s old pal Hi Wenders was the umpire crew chief, and he gave me the news himself. I’d got to The Swamp early because the trunks with our road uniforms in them got sent to Idlewild by mistake and I wanted to make sure they’d been trucked over. We wouldn’t need them for a week, but I was never easy in my mind until such things were taken care of. Wenders was sitting on a little stool outside the umpire’s room, reading a paperback with a blond in step- ins on the cover.“That your wife, Hi?” I asks.“My girlfriend,” he says.“Go on home, Grannie. Weather forecast says that by three it’s gonna be coming down in buckets. I’m just waiting for DiPunno and Lopez to get here so I can call the game.”“Okay,” I says.“Thanks.” I started away and he called after me.“Grannie, is that wonder- kid of yours all right in the head? Because he talks to himself behind the plate. Whispers. Never fucking shuts up.”“He’s no Quiz Kid, but he’s not crazy, if that’s what you mean,” I said. I was wrong about that, but who knew?“What kind of stuff does he say?”“I couldn’t hear much the one time I was behind him— the second game against Boston— but I know he talks about himself. In that what do you call it, third person. He says stuff like‘ I can do it, Billy.’ And:Previous Entities: |the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders| ::: “Go on home, ",Wenders.M "for it is forbidden to speak it,",13766,13793,True,731:the interpreter.M,", a great king in the North. He is kin of Buliwyf and seeks his aid and support on a hero’s mission. Wulfgar says the far country suffers a dread and nameless terror, which all the peoples are powerless to oppose, and he asks Buliwyf to make haste to return to the far country and save his people and the kingdom of his father, Rothgar.” I inquired of the interpreter the nature of this terror. He said to me,“It has no name which I can tell.”[8] The interpreter seemed much disturbed by Wulfgar’s words, and so also were many of the other Northmen. I saw on the countenance of Buliwyf a dark and gloomy expression. I inquired of the interpreter details of the menace. The interpreter said to me:“The name can not be said, for it is forbidden to speak it, lest the utterance of the name call forth the demons.” And as he spoke I saw that he was fearful just to think upon these matters, and his pallor was marked, and so I ended my inquiry. Buliwyf, sitting at the high stone throne, was silent. Verily the assembled earls and vassals and all the slaves and servants were silent, also. No man in the hall spoke. The messenger Wulfgar stood before the company with his head bowed. Never had I seen the merry and rambunctious North people so subdued. Then into the hall entered the old crone called the angel of death, and she sat beside Buliwyf. From a hide bag she withdrew some bones— whether human or animal I do not know— and these bones she cast upon the ground, speaking low utterances, and she passed her hand over them.",the interpreter,"Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter",", a great king in the North. He is kin of Buliwyf and seeks his aid and support on a hero’s mission. Wulfgar says the far country suffers a dread and nameless terror, which all the peoples are powerless to oppose, and he asks Buliwyf to make haste to return to the far country and save his people and the kingdom of his father, Rothgar.” I inquired of the interpreter the nature of this terror. He said to me,“It has no name which I can tell.”[8] The interpreter seemed much disturbed by Wulfgar’s words, and so also were many of the other Northmen. I saw on the countenance of Buliwyf a dark and gloomy expression. I inquired of the interpreter details of the menace. The interpreter said to me:“The name can not be said, for it is forbidden to speak it, lest the utterance of the name call forth the demons.” And as he spoke I saw that he was fearful just to think upon these matters, and his pallor was marked, and so I ended my inquiry. Buliwyf, sitting at the high stone throne, was silent. Verily the assembled earls and vassals and all the slaves and servants were silent, also. No man in the hall spoke. The messenger Wulfgar stood before the company with his head bowed. Never had I seen the merry and rambunctious North people so subdued. Then into the hall entered the old crone called the angel of death, and she sat beside Buliwyf. From a hide bag she withdrew some bones— whether human or animal I do not know— and these bones she cast upon the ground, speaking low utterances, and she passed her hand over them.:Previous Entities: |Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter| ::: for it is forbidden to speak it, ",Ibn Fadlan.M I’m not hearing about evidence.”,83010,83020,True,361:Kalama.?,"in the video who was a witness to the drowning. But then he, like, covers it up, says he doesn’t know the woman. I think he was lying. Then I had a couple of my people visiting Nanigen to get info on Eric Jansen, the executive who drowned. My guys met the CEO, named Drake. Drake was polite, but. My guys said it was like a traffic stop when the subject is visibly nervous but there’s no obvious reason for him to be nervous.”“Maybe Mr., uh—”“Drake.”“— Drake was upset about losing his executive.” Watanabe said,“It was more like he had a body in the trunk of his car.” Marty Kalama squinted behind his rimless spectacles.“Dan, I’m not hearing about evidence.” Watanabe patted his stomach.“Gut. My Spam is talking to me.” Kalama nodded.“Be careful.”“About what?”“You know what Nanigen does, right?” Watanabe grinned. Oops. He hadn’t yet looked into Nanigen’s business.“They make small robots,” Kalama went on.“Really small.”“Okay, so?”“A company like that could have contracts with the government. That’s trouble.”“You know something about Nanigen?” Watanabe asked his boss.“I’m just a cop. Cops don’t know shit.” Watanabe grinned.“I’ll keep you out of it.”“The hell you will,” Kalama snapped.“Get out of here.”",Kalama,"Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone","in the video who was a witness to the drowning. But then he, like, covers it up, says he doesn’t know the woman. I think he was lying. Then I had a couple of my people visiting Nanigen to get info on Eric Jansen, the executive who drowned. My guys met the CEO, named Drake. Drake was polite, but. My guys said it was like a traffic stop when the subject is visibly nervous but there’s no obvious reason for him to be nervous.”“Maybe Mr., uh—”“Drake.”“— Drake was upset about losing his executive.” Watanabe said,“It was more like he had a body in the trunk of his car.” Marty Kalama squinted behind his rimless spectacles.“Dan, I’m not hearing about evidence.” Watanabe patted his stomach.“Gut. My Spam is talking to me.” Kalama nodded.“Be careful.”“About what?”“You know what Nanigen does, right?” Watanabe grinned. Oops. He hadn’t yet looked into Nanigen’s business.“They make small robots,” Kalama went on.“Really small.”“Okay, so?”“A company like that could have contracts with the government. That’s trouble.”“You know something about Nanigen?” Watanabe asked his boss.“I’m just a cop. Cops don’t know shit.” Watanabe grinned.“I’ll keep you out of it.”“The hell you will,” Kalama snapped.“Get out of here.”:Previous Entities: |Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone| ::: I’m not hearing about evidence.” ",Watanabe.M “But my eyes hurt.,134015,134032,True,308:Sekhmet.F,"must,” I said.“But first, you might like to feast on the blood of your enemies!” I drove my sword into the tank and salsa gushed out in a chunky red waterfall. I leaped to the next tank and sliced it open. And again, and again, until six silofuls of Magic Salsa were spewing into the parking lot.“Ha, ha!” Sekhmet loved it. She leaped into the red sauce torrent, rolling in it, lapping it up.“Blood. Lovely blood!” Yeah, apparently lions aren’t too bright, or their taste buds aren’t very developed, because Sekhmet didn’t stop until her belly was bulging and her mouth literally began to smoke.“Tangy,” she said, stumbling and blinking.“But my eyes hurt. What kind of blood is this? Nubian? Persian?”“Jalapeño,” I said.“Try some more. It gets better.” Her ears were smoking too now as she tried to drink more. Her eyes watered, and she began to stagger.“I...” Steam curled from her mouth.“Hot... hot mouth...”“Milk is good for that,” I suggested.“Maybe if you were a cow.”“Trick,” Sekhmet groaned.“You... you tricked...” But her eyes were too heavy. She turned in a circle and collapsed, curling into a ball. Her form twitched and shimmered as her red armor melted into spots on her golden skin, until I was looking down at an enormous sleeping cow. I dropped off the silo and stepped carefully around the sleeping",Sekhmet,"somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet","must,” I said.“But first, you might like to feast on the blood of your enemies!” I drove my sword into the tank and salsa gushed out in a chunky red waterfall. I leaped to the next tank and sliced it open. And again, and again, until six silofuls of Magic Salsa were spewing into the parking lot.“Ha, ha!” Sekhmet loved it. She leaped into the red sauce torrent, rolling in it, lapping it up.“Blood. Lovely blood!” Yeah, apparently lions aren’t too bright, or their taste buds aren’t very developed, because Sekhmet didn’t stop until her belly was bulging and her mouth literally began to smoke.“Tangy,” she said, stumbling and blinking.“But my eyes hurt. What kind of blood is this? Nubian? Persian?”“Jalapeño,” I said.“Try some more. It gets better.” Her ears were smoking too now as she tried to drink more. Her eyes watered, and she began to stagger.“I...” Steam curled from her mouth.“Hot... hot mouth...”“Milk is good for that,” I suggested.“Maybe if you were a cow.”“Trick,” Sekhmet groaned.“You... you tricked...” But her eyes were too heavy. She turned in a circle and collapsed, curling into a ball. Her form twitched and shimmered as her red armor melted into spots on her golden skin, until I was looking down at an enormous sleeping cow. I dropped off the silo and stepped carefully around the sleeping:Previous Entities: |somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet| ::: “But my eyes hurt. ",Sekhmet.F and none with gals as good- looking as Shannon.,50150,50190,True,236:Victoria Hallett.F,"a jail with penguins for guards—”“I don’t get you.”“Jeez! The dapper’s my dad! And penguins is what we call the sisters!” She laughed.“You’re some country palooka, all right! And how! Anyway, the jail where I’m doing time’s called—”“St. Eusebia’s.”“Now you’re cooking with gas, Jackson.” She puffed her cig, narrowed her eyes.“Say, I bet I know who you are— Shan Cotterie’s boyfriend.”“Give that girl a Kewpie doll,” Hank said.“Well, I wouldn’t get within two blocks of our place, that’s my advice. The cops have got your description.” She laughed cheerily.“Yours and half a dozen other Lonesome Lennies, but none of’em green- eyed clodhoppers like you, and none with gals as good- looking as Shannon. She’s a real Sheba! Yow!”“Why do you think I’m here instead of there?”“I’ll bite— why are you here?”“I want to get in touch, but I don’t want to get caught doing it. I’ll give you 2 bucks to take a note to her.” Victoria’s eyes went wide.“Buddy, for a 2- spot, I’d tuck a bugle under my arm and take a message to Garcia— that’s how tapped out I am. Hand it over!”“And another 2 if you keep your mouth shut about it. Now and later.”“For that you don’t have to pay extra,” she said.“I love pulling the business on those holier- than- thou bitches. Why,",Victoria Hallett,"Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett","a jail with penguins for guards—”“I don’t get you.”“Jeez! The dapper’s my dad! And penguins is what we call the sisters!” She laughed.“You’re some country palooka, all right! And how! Anyway, the jail where I’m doing time’s called—”“St. Eusebia’s.”“Now you’re cooking with gas, Jackson.” She puffed her cig, narrowed her eyes.“Say, I bet I know who you are— Shan Cotterie’s boyfriend.”“Give that girl a Kewpie doll,” Hank said.“Well, I wouldn’t get within two blocks of our place, that’s my advice. The cops have got your description.” She laughed cheerily.“Yours and half a dozen other Lonesome Lennies, but none of’em green- eyed clodhoppers like you, and none with gals as good- looking as Shannon. She’s a real Sheba! Yow!”“Why do you think I’m here instead of there?”“I’ll bite— why are you here?”“I want to get in touch, but I don’t want to get caught doing it. I’ll give you 2 bucks to take a note to her.” Victoria’s eyes went wide.“Buddy, for a 2- spot, I’d tuck a bugle under my arm and take a message to Garcia— that’s how tapped out I am. Hand it over!”“And another 2 if you keep your mouth shut about it. Now and later.”“For that you don’t have to pay extra,” she said.“I love pulling the business on those holier- than- thou bitches. Why,:Previous Entities: |Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett| ::: and none with gals as good- looking as Shannon. ",Shannon.F "“A fortnight past,",84133,84146,True,348:Emerson.M,"your crew. You will please accompany me in the longboat.” Hunter was astounded.“By whose order?”“By the order of Mr. Robert Hacklett, Acting Governor of Jamaica.”“But Sir James—”“Even as we speak, Sir James is dying,” Emerson said.“Now please come with me.” Benumbed, moving in a kind of trance, Hunter went over the side, into the longboat. The soldiers rowed ashore. Hunter looked back at the receding silhouette of his ship. He knew that his crew was as stunned as he. He turned to Emerson.“What the devil is happening?” Emerson was more relaxed, now that he was in the longboat.“There have been many changes,” he said.“A fortnight past, Sir James took ill with the fever—”“What fever?”“I tell you what I know,” Emerson said.“He has been confined to bed, in the Governor’s Mansion, these many days. In his absence, Mr. Hacklett has assumed direction of the colony. He is assisted by Commander Scott.”“Is he?” Hunter knew he was reacting slowly. He could not believe that the outcome of his many adventures, these past six weeks, was to be clapped in jail— and no doubt hanged— as a common pirate.“Yes,” Emerson said.“Mr. Hacklett has been stern with the town. Many are already in jail, or hanged. Pitts was hanged last week—”“Pitts!”“— and Morely only yesterday. And there is a",Emerson,"Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson","your crew. You will please accompany me in the longboat.” Hunter was astounded.“By whose order?”“By the order of Mr. Robert Hacklett, Acting Governor of Jamaica.”“But Sir James—”“Even as we speak, Sir James is dying,” Emerson said.“Now please come with me.” Benumbed, moving in a kind of trance, Hunter went over the side, into the longboat. The soldiers rowed ashore. Hunter looked back at the receding silhouette of his ship. He knew that his crew was as stunned as he. He turned to Emerson.“What the devil is happening?” Emerson was more relaxed, now that he was in the longboat.“There have been many changes,” he said.“A fortnight past, Sir James took ill with the fever—”“What fever?”“I tell you what I know,” Emerson said.“He has been confined to bed, in the Governor’s Mansion, these many days. In his absence, Mr. Hacklett has assumed direction of the colony. He is assisted by Commander Scott.”“Is he?” Hunter knew he was reacting slowly. He could not believe that the outcome of his many adventures, these past six weeks, was to be clapped in jail— and no doubt hanged— as a common pirate.“Yes,” Emerson said.“Mr. Hacklett has been stern with the town. Many are already in jail, or hanged. Pitts was hanged last week—”“Pitts!”“— and Morely only yesterday. And there is a:Previous Entities: |Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson| ::: “A fortnight past, ",Emerson.M "“You’ll be up all night with DIVERGENT,",140394,140413,True,3726:A DIVERGENT STORY.?,"ideologically and physically.”— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW“Nonstop, adrenaline- heavy action. Packed with stunning twists and devastating betrayals.”— BCCB“DIVERGENT is really an extended metaphor about the trials of modern adolescence: constantly having to take tests that sort and rank you among your peers, facing separation from your family, agonizing about where you fit in, and deciding when(or whether) to reveal the ways you may diverge from the group.”— WALL STREET JOURNAL“This gritty, paranoid world is built with careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Fans snared by the ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional allegiance.”— KIRKUS REVIEWS“You’ll be up all night with DIVERGENT, a brainy thrill- ride of a novel.”— BOOKPAGE BOOKS BY VERONICA ROTH DIVERGENT INSURGENT ALLEGIANT THE DIVERGENT SERIES COMPLETE COLLECTION THE TRANSFER: A DIVERGENT STORY THE INITIATE: A DIVERGENT STORY THE SON: A DIVERGENT STORY THE TRAITOR: A DIVERGENT STORY FREE FOUR CREDITS SYMBOL ART© 2012 RHYTHM& HUES DESIGN COVER ART AND DESIGN BY JOEL TIPPIE COPYRIGHT Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ALLEGIANT. Copyright© 2013 by Veronica Roth. All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e- book on- screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse- engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system",A DIVERGENT STORY,"Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY","ideologically and physically.”— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW“Nonstop, adrenaline- heavy action. Packed with stunning twists and devastating betrayals.”— BCCB“DIVERGENT is really an extended metaphor about the trials of modern adolescence: constantly having to take tests that sort and rank you among your peers, facing separation from your family, agonizing about where you fit in, and deciding when(or whether) to reveal the ways you may diverge from the group.”— WALL STREET JOURNAL“This gritty, paranoid world is built with careful details and intriguing scope. The plot clips along at an addictive pace, with steady jolts of brutal violence and swoony romance. Fans snared by the ratcheting suspense will be unable to resist speculating on their own factional allegiance.”— KIRKUS REVIEWS“You’ll be up all night with DIVERGENT, a brainy thrill- ride of a novel.”— BOOKPAGE BOOKS BY VERONICA ROTH DIVERGENT INSURGENT ALLEGIANT THE DIVERGENT SERIES COMPLETE COLLECTION THE TRANSFER: A DIVERGENT STORY THE INITIATE: A DIVERGENT STORY THE SON: A DIVERGENT STORY THE TRAITOR: A DIVERGENT STORY FREE FOUR CREDITS SYMBOL ART© 2012 RHYTHM& HUES DESIGN COVER ART AND DESIGN BY JOEL TIPPIE COPYRIGHT Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ALLEGIANT. Copyright© 2013 by Veronica Roth. All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e- book on- screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse- engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system:Previous Entities: |Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY| ::: “You’ll be up all night with DIVERGENT, ",Madam Hooch.F “Will do.”,99128,99132,True,460:Dorothy Girt.F,"large wounds in the victims.” He began scanning the device, searching for identifying marks— a serial number, a printed word, a corporate logo. He found nothing of the sort. Whoever had built the device had not put on identifying marks, or had carefully erased them. In other words, whoever had made the device didn’t want it to be traced. He said,“Did the autopsies turn up any more of these devices? In the wounds, in the blood?”“No,” Girt said.“But the examiners probably wouldn’t have noticed them.”“What’s the status of the bodies?”“Fong was cremated. Rodriguez got buried. John Doe is in the fridge.”“He needs a second look.”“Will do.” Watanabe stood back from the microscope and put his hands in his pockets, and began to walk up and down the lab. He frowned.“Why was the device found on a window? If it came out of a body, how did it get to the window? How did it get into the body in the first place?” He returned to the microscope, and studied the little device’s fan- like housing. Whoa— it was a propeller.“My gosh. This thing could fly, Dorothy.”“That’s speculative,” Dorothy Girt said dryly.“It could swim in blood.”“Possibly.”“Can you recover DNA from the blood that’s stuck on the device?” A prim smile.“I can get DNA",Dorothy Girt,"Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman","large wounds in the victims.” He began scanning the device, searching for identifying marks— a serial number, a printed word, a corporate logo. He found nothing of the sort. Whoever had built the device had not put on identifying marks, or had carefully erased them. In other words, whoever had made the device didn’t want it to be traced. He said,“Did the autopsies turn up any more of these devices? In the wounds, in the blood?”“No,” Girt said.“But the examiners probably wouldn’t have noticed them.”“What’s the status of the bodies?”“Fong was cremated. Rodriguez got buried. John Doe is in the fridge.”“He needs a second look.”“Will do.” Watanabe stood back from the microscope and put his hands in his pockets, and began to walk up and down the lab. He frowned.“Why was the device found on a window? If it came out of a body, how did it get to the window? How did it get into the body in the first place?” He returned to the microscope, and studied the little device’s fan- like housing. Whoa— it was a propeller.“My gosh. This thing could fly, Dorothy.”“That’s speculative,” Dorothy Girt said dryly.“It could swim in blood.”“Possibly.”“Can you recover DNA from the blood that’s stuck on the device?” A prim smile.“I can get DNA:Previous Entities: |Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman| ::: “Will do.” ",Watanabe.M As I fell I saw the world spin off into space until it was lost against the stars.”,65361,65406,True,277:Tethis.M,", where the seafolk had built a number of thriving civilizations in the three large oceans that sprawled across its Disc. He had been a meatman, one of the caste which earned a perilous living in large, sail- powered land yachts that ventured far out to land and hunted the shoals of deer and buffalo that abounded in the storm- haunted continents. His particular yacht had been blown into uncharted lands by a freak gale. The rest of the crew had taken the yacht’s little rowing trolley and had struck out for a distant lake, but Tethis, as master, had elected to remain with his vessel. The storm had carried it right over the rocky rim of the world, smashing it to matchwood in the process.“At first I fell,” said Tethis,“but falling isn’t so bad, you know. It’s only the landing that hurts, and there was nothing below me. As I fell I saw the world spin off into space until it was lost against the stars.”“What happened next?” said Twoflower breathlessly, glancing toward the misty universe.“I froze solid,” said Tethis simply.“Fortunately it is something my race can survive. But I thawed out occasionally when I passed near other worlds. There was one, I think it was the one with what I thought was this strange ring of mountains around it that turned out to be the biggest dragon you could ever imagine, covered in snow and glaciers and holding its tail in its mouth— well, I came within a few leagues of that, I shot over the landscape like a comet, in fact, and then I was off again. Then there was a time I woke up and there was your world coming at me like a custard piethrown by the Creator and",Tethis,"Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis",", where the seafolk had built a number of thriving civilizations in the three large oceans that sprawled across its Disc. He had been a meatman, one of the caste which earned a perilous living in large, sail- powered land yachts that ventured far out to land and hunted the shoals of deer and buffalo that abounded in the storm- haunted continents. His particular yacht had been blown into uncharted lands by a freak gale. The rest of the crew had taken the yacht’s little rowing trolley and had struck out for a distant lake, but Tethis, as master, had elected to remain with his vessel. The storm had carried it right over the rocky rim of the world, smashing it to matchwood in the process.“At first I fell,” said Tethis,“but falling isn’t so bad, you know. It’s only the landing that hurts, and there was nothing below me. As I fell I saw the world spin off into space until it was lost against the stars.”“What happened next?” said Twoflower breathlessly, glancing toward the misty universe.“I froze solid,” said Tethis simply.“Fortunately it is something my race can survive. But I thawed out occasionally when I passed near other worlds. There was one, I think it was the one with what I thought was this strange ring of mountains around it that turned out to be the biggest dragon you could ever imagine, covered in snow and glaciers and holding its tail in its mouth— well, I came within a few leagues of that, I shot over the landscape like a comet, in fact, and then I was off again. Then there was a time I woke up and there was your world coming at me like a custard piethrown by the Creator and:Previous Entities: |Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis| ::: As I fell I saw the world spin off into space until it was lost against the stars.” ",Tethis.M "It was all going according to his evil plan,",33463,33586,True,835:all three owls.?,"thinking. Together, they were a fearsome team. Their timing, their precision, couldn’t be matched. They were the anathema of the enemy. Everyone knew if the war was going to be won it would be because of Lyze and Lil.”“So what happened?” Digger asked.“Was the war won?” Octavia sighed deeply and put down her duster.“No, Ifghar became a turnfeather, betrayed them, betrayed his brother, his family, the entire Kielian league. So jealous was he that, by this point, he went to the other side and swore he could break up the team. His only condition was that Lil be given to him as a mate.”“Oh, no!” all three owls said at once.“I found out about the plan but it was too late. They were already on the wing, set to attack a recon unit on an island in the Bay of Fangs. I usually flew aboard a heavy old Barred Owl. He was a terrific flier, fast and silent, but he wasn’t available. They got me a Spotted Owl instead but she didn’t have the speed. I got there just in time to see the ambush led by Ifghar. It was all going according to his evil plan, except for one thing— Lil was mortally wounded. Ifghar went berserk, and Lyze… well, Lyze went yeep.”“Yeep!” Soren was stunned. When birds went yeep due to some enormous fright, some gizzard- chilling terror, their wings folded under and they plummeted to earth.“It was lucky that a bald eagle was flying over just then. The eagle took a plunge and caught Lyze just before he would have hit the water. But he caught him by a talon, severely injuring it. Still, it would have been worse if he had fallen into the sea. He would have drowned. Owls can’t swim worth racdrops. The injured talon never healed properly. It was causing him a great deal of pain. So he finally bit it off himself.”“Bit off his own talon?” Soren said in dismay.“Believe me, after the first",all three owls,"A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls","thinking. Together, they were a fearsome team. Their timing, their precision, couldn’t be matched. They were the anathema of the enemy. Everyone knew if the war was going to be won it would be because of Lyze and Lil.”“So what happened?” Digger asked.“Was the war won?” Octavia sighed deeply and put down her duster.“No, Ifghar became a turnfeather, betrayed them, betrayed his brother, his family, the entire Kielian league. So jealous was he that, by this point, he went to the other side and swore he could break up the team. His only condition was that Lil be given to him as a mate.”“Oh, no!” all three owls said at once.“I found out about the plan but it was too late. They were already on the wing, set to attack a recon unit on an island in the Bay of Fangs. I usually flew aboard a heavy old Barred Owl. He was a terrific flier, fast and silent, but he wasn’t available. They got me a Spotted Owl instead but she didn’t have the speed. I got there just in time to see the ambush led by Ifghar. It was all going according to his evil plan, except for one thing— Lil was mortally wounded. Ifghar went berserk, and Lyze… well, Lyze went yeep.”“Yeep!” Soren was stunned. When birds went yeep due to some enormous fright, some gizzard- chilling terror, their wings folded under and they plummeted to earth.“It was lucky that a bald eagle was flying over just then. The eagle took a plunge and caught Lyze just before he would have hit the water. But he caught him by a talon, severely injuring it. Still, it would have been worse if he had fallen into the sea. He would have drowned. Owls can’t swim worth racdrops. The injured talon never healed properly. It was causing him a great deal of pain. So he finally bit it off himself.”“Bit off his own talon?” Soren said in dismay.“Believe me, after the first:Previous Entities: |A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls| ::: It was all going according to his evil plan, ","Digger.M Octavia.F Ifghar.M Lyze.M Lil.? Soren.M Barred Owl.? Spotted Owl.? Bald Eagle.?" "“I’m sorry,",79129,79139,True,670:Tracy.F,"fathers. Chimps had only mothers. Dave seemed to have been an abused child, uncared for by his actual chimp mother. He looked to Lynn with open longing, and she responded. It was all deeply emotional, and entirely unexpected.“Mom, he’s not your kid,” Tracy had snapped. Tracy was at the age when she craved her parents’ attention. She was jealous of any dis traction.“I know, Trace,” Lynn said.“But he needs me.”“Mom! He’s not your responsibility!” She threw up her hands in a theatrical gesture.“I know.”“Well, can you leave him alone?”“Is he getting too much attention?”“Well, duh! Yes.”“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” She put her arm around her daughter, gave her a hug.“Don’t treat me like a monkey,” Tracy said, and pushed her away. But they were, after all, primates. Human beings were apes. Her experience with Dave was giving Lynn an uncomfortable awareness of what humans shared with other apes: Grooming, touching, physical attention as a source of relaxation. Eyes lowered under threat, or displeasure, or as a sign of submission.(Tracy around her boy friends, flirting with downcast eyes.) Direct eye contact meant intimidation, a sign of anger. Goose bumps for fear and anger— those same skin muscles made a primate’s hair fluff up, to create a bigger appearance in the presence of threat. Sleeping communally, curling up in",Tracy,"Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo","fathers. Chimps had only mothers. Dave seemed to have been an abused child, uncared for by his actual chimp mother. He looked to Lynn with open longing, and she responded. It was all deeply emotional, and entirely unexpected.“Mom, he’s not your kid,” Tracy had snapped. Tracy was at the age when she craved her parents’ attention. She was jealous of any dis traction.“I know, Trace,” Lynn said.“But he needs me.”“Mom! He’s not your responsibility!” She threw up her hands in a theatrical gesture.“I know.”“Well, can you leave him alone?”“Is he getting too much attention?”“Well, duh! Yes.”“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” She put her arm around her daughter, gave her a hug.“Don’t treat me like a monkey,” Tracy said, and pushed her away. But they were, after all, primates. Human beings were apes. Her experience with Dave was giving Lynn an uncomfortable awareness of what humans shared with other apes: Grooming, touching, physical attention as a source of relaxation. Eyes lowered under threat, or displeasure, or as a sign of submission.(Tracy around her boy friends, flirting with downcast eyes.) Direct eye contact meant intimidation, a sign of anger. Goose bumps for fear and anger— those same skin muscles made a primate’s hair fluff up, to create a bigger appearance in the presence of threat. Sleeping communally, curling up in:Previous Entities: |Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo| ::: “I’m sorry, ",Tracy.F The young girls saw her on her broomstick and thought that was what being a witch was.,5030,5062,True,85:Becky.F,"’m sure you both know, you have bound them all together with strips of candle rush, which once upon a time people used to make into rush lights. What a lovely surprise. Thank you both very much. I hope you have a lovely time at the fair…’ Becky raised her hand.‘ Excuse me, miss?’‘ Was there something else, Becky?’ Becky went pink, and had a hurried conversation with her friend. She turned back to Tiffany, looking slightly more pink but nevertheless determined to see things through.‘ You can’t get into trouble for asking a question, can you, miss? I mean, just asking a question?’ It’s going to be‘ How can I be a witch when I’m grown up?’ Tiffany thought, because it generally was. The young girls saw her on her broomstick and thought that was what being a witch was. Out loud she said,‘ Not from me, at least. Do ask your question.’ Becky Pardon looked down at her boots.‘ Do you have any passionate parts, miss?’ Another talent needful in a witch is the ability not to let your face show what you’re thinking, and especially not allowing it, no matter what, to go as stiff as a board. Tiffany managed to say, without a single wobble in her voice and no trace of an embarrassed smirk,‘ That is a very interesting question, Becky. Can I ask you why you want to know?’ The girl looked a lot happier now that the question was, as it were, out in the public domain.‘ Well, miss, I asked my granny if I could be a witch when I",Becky,"The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky","’m sure you both know, you have bound them all together with strips of candle rush, which once upon a time people used to make into rush lights. What a lovely surprise. Thank you both very much. I hope you have a lovely time at the fair…’ Becky raised her hand.‘ Excuse me, miss?’‘ Was there something else, Becky?’ Becky went pink, and had a hurried conversation with her friend. She turned back to Tiffany, looking slightly more pink but nevertheless determined to see things through.‘ You can’t get into trouble for asking a question, can you, miss? I mean, just asking a question?’ It’s going to be‘ How can I be a witch when I’m grown up?’ Tiffany thought, because it generally was. The young girls saw her on her broomstick and thought that was what being a witch was. Out loud she said,‘ Not from me, at least. Do ask your question.’ Becky Pardon looked down at her boots.‘ Do you have any passionate parts, miss?’ Another talent needful in a witch is the ability not to let your face show what you’re thinking, and especially not allowing it, no matter what, to go as stiff as a board. Tiffany managed to say, without a single wobble in her voice and no trace of an embarrassed smirk,‘ That is a very interesting question, Becky. Can I ask you why you want to know?’ The girl looked a lot happier now that the question was, as it were, out in the public domain.‘ Well, miss, I asked my granny if I could be a witch when I:Previous Entities: |The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky| ::: The young girls saw her on her broomstick and thought that was what being a witch was. ",Tiffany. F "‘ Oh,",97345,97353,True,657:Hygeia.F,"… yes?’ Piper said. Leo looked at his hands, which, as usual, were streaked with grease and grime. He hid them behind his back.‘ Are you wearing clean underwear?’ the statue asked.‘ Hey, lady,’ Leo said,‘ that’s getting personal.’‘ You should always wear clean underwear to the doctor’s office,’ chided Hygeia.‘ I’m afraid you are a health hazard. You will have to be sanitized before we can proceed.’ The golden snake uncurled and dropped from her arm. It reared its head and hissed, flashing sabre- like fangs.‘ Uh, you know,’ Jason said,‘ getting sanitized by large snakes isn’t covered by our medical plan. Darn it.’‘ Oh, that doesn’t matter,’ Hygeia assured him.‘ Sanitizing is a community service. It’s complimentary!’ The snake lunged. Leo had had a lot of practice dodging mechanical monsters, which was good, because the golden serpent was fast. Leo leaped to one side and the snake missed his head by an inch. He rolled and came up, hands blazing. As the snake attacked, Leo blasted it in the eyes, causing it to veer left and smash into the bench. Piper and Jason went to work on Hygeia. They slashed through the statue’s knees, felling her like an alabaster Christmas tree. Her head hit a bench. Her chalice splashed steaming acid all over the floor. Jason and Piper moved in for the kill, but, before they could strike, Hygeia’s legs popped",Hygeia,"Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia","… yes?’ Piper said. Leo looked at his hands, which, as usual, were streaked with grease and grime. He hid them behind his back.‘ Are you wearing clean underwear?’ the statue asked.‘ Hey, lady,’ Leo said,‘ that’s getting personal.’‘ You should always wear clean underwear to the doctor’s office,’ chided Hygeia.‘ I’m afraid you are a health hazard. You will have to be sanitized before we can proceed.’ The golden snake uncurled and dropped from her arm. It reared its head and hissed, flashing sabre- like fangs.‘ Uh, you know,’ Jason said,‘ getting sanitized by large snakes isn’t covered by our medical plan. Darn it.’‘ Oh, that doesn’t matter,’ Hygeia assured him.‘ Sanitizing is a community service. It’s complimentary!’ The snake lunged. Leo had had a lot of practice dodging mechanical monsters, which was good, because the golden serpent was fast. Leo leaped to one side and the snake missed his head by an inch. He rolled and came up, hands blazing. As the snake attacked, Leo blasted it in the eyes, causing it to veer left and smash into the bench. Piper and Jason went to work on Hygeia. They slashed through the statue’s knees, felling her like an alabaster Christmas tree. Her head hit a bench. Her chalice splashed steaming acid all over the floor. Jason and Piper moved in for the kill, but, before they could strike, Hygeia’s legs popped:Previous Entities: |Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia| ::: ‘ Oh, ",Hygeia.F "“Well,",124034,124039,True,825:Wexler.M,"Wisconsin) turned to Congressman Henry Wexler(D- California) and said,“Shouldn’t we have stronger regulations to limit the availability of recombinant DNA technology?”“You thinking of Sanger?”“Well, he’s the most recent case. Where did he get his stuff, do you know?”“On the Internet,” Wexler said.“You can buy recombinant kits from outfits in New Jersey and North Carolina. Cost a couple of hundred bucks.”“That’s asking for trouble, isn’t it?”“Listen,” Wexler said,“my wife gardens. Does your wife garden?”“Now that the kids are gone? She’s a fanatic about her roses.”“Local garden club? All of that?”“Well, sure.”“Plenty of gardeners who used to make hybrids by grafting cuttings onto rootstocks now use DNA kits to carry things a step further,” Wexler said.“People are making genetically modified roses all over the world. Supposedly a Japanese company has made a blue rose using GM methods. A blue rose has been a dream of growers for centuries. Point is, the technology’s everywhere, Marv. It’s in big companies, and it’s in backyards. Everywhere.”“What do we do about that?” Minkowski said.“Nothing,” Wexler said.“I’m not about to do anything to make your wife angry. Or mine.” He cupped his chin in his hand, in a gesture that always looked intelligent on camera.“But maybe,",Wexler,"Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler","Wisconsin) turned to Congressman Henry Wexler(D- California) and said,“Shouldn’t we have stronger regulations to limit the availability of recombinant DNA technology?”“You thinking of Sanger?”“Well, he’s the most recent case. Where did he get his stuff, do you know?”“On the Internet,” Wexler said.“You can buy recombinant kits from outfits in New Jersey and North Carolina. Cost a couple of hundred bucks.”“That’s asking for trouble, isn’t it?”“Listen,” Wexler said,“my wife gardens. Does your wife garden?”“Now that the kids are gone? She’s a fanatic about her roses.”“Local garden club? All of that?”“Well, sure.”“Plenty of gardeners who used to make hybrids by grafting cuttings onto rootstocks now use DNA kits to carry things a step further,” Wexler said.“People are making genetically modified roses all over the world. Supposedly a Japanese company has made a blue rose using GM methods. A blue rose has been a dream of growers for centuries. Point is, the technology’s everywhere, Marv. It’s in big companies, and it’s in backyards. Everywhere.”“What do we do about that?” Minkowski said.“Nothing,” Wexler said.“I’m not about to do anything to make your wife angry. Or mine.” He cupped his chin in his hand, in a gesture that always looked intelligent on camera.“But maybe,:Previous Entities: |Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler| ::: “Well, ",Wexler.M couldn’t you get your own lawyer?”,6879,6896,True,135:Arlette.F,"older than his years. He nodded at me. Just one single dip of the head, but it told me all I needed to know. I got her on the bed, took off her shoes, and left her there to snore with her legs spread and one hand dangling off the mattress. I went back into the sitting room and found Henry standing beside the radio Arlette had hounded me into buying the year before.“She can’t say those things about Shannon,” he whispered.“But she will,” I said.“It’s how she is, how the Lord made her.”“And she can’t take me away from Shannon.”“She’ll do that, too,” I said.“If we let her.”“Couldn’t you... Poppa, couldn’t you get your own lawyer?”“Do you think any lawyer whose services I could buy with the little bit of money I have in the bank could stand up to the lawyers Farrington would throw at us? They swing weight in Hemingford County; I swing nothing but a sickle when I want to cut hay. They want that 100 acres and she means for them to have it. This is the only way, but you have to help me. Will you?” For a long time he said nothing. He lowered his head, and I could see tears dropping from his eyes to the hooked rug. Then he whispered,“Yes. But if I have to watch it... I’m not sure I can...”“There’s a way you can help and still not",Arlette,"Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette","older than his years. He nodded at me. Just one single dip of the head, but it told me all I needed to know. I got her on the bed, took off her shoes, and left her there to snore with her legs spread and one hand dangling off the mattress. I went back into the sitting room and found Henry standing beside the radio Arlette had hounded me into buying the year before.“She can’t say those things about Shannon,” he whispered.“But she will,” I said.“It’s how she is, how the Lord made her.”“And she can’t take me away from Shannon.”“She’ll do that, too,” I said.“If we let her.”“Couldn’t you... Poppa, couldn’t you get your own lawyer?”“Do you think any lawyer whose services I could buy with the little bit of money I have in the bank could stand up to the lawyers Farrington would throw at us? They swing weight in Hemingford County; I swing nothing but a sickle when I want to cut hay. They want that 100 acres and she means for them to have it. This is the only way, but you have to help me. Will you?” For a long time he said nothing. He lowered his head, and I could see tears dropping from his eyes to the hooked rug. Then he whispered,“Yes. But if I have to watch it... I’m not sure I can...”“There’s a way you can help and still not:Previous Entities: |Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette| ::: couldn’t you get your own lawyer?” ",Henry.M "First rule,""",43788,43792,True,1186:the one in front of me.?,"doubt that you know how to speak Elder Faxdarian."" Speak ancient Greek..., I thought, confused. Then it occurred to me. They don't know about my Translator's Lenses! They think that because I understood them back at the beginning, I must have known the language."" Oh, I don't know about that,"" I said casually, swapping my Discerner's Lenses back for my Translator's Lenses.“Try me.”"" Ha,"" one of them said in a very odd, strange language– it consisted mostly of spitting sounds. Like always, the Translator's Lenses let me hear the words in English."" The fool thinks he knows our language."""" Give him the rules, then,"" another hissed."" First rule,"" said the one in front of me."" If anyone enters our domain bearing writing, we may separate them from their group and demand the writing be given to us. If they resist, we may take the writing, but we must return copies. We may hold these back for one hour but, unless the items are requested, can keep them from then on."" Second rule, we may take the souls of those who enter, but we can do so only if the souls are offered freely and lawfully. Souls may be coerced, but not forced."" Third rule, we may accept or reject a person's request for a soul contract. Once the contract is signed, we must provide the specific book requested, then refrain from taking their soul for the",the one in front of me,"the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me","doubt that you know how to speak Elder Faxdarian."" Speak ancient Greek..., I thought, confused. Then it occurred to me. They don't know about my Translator's Lenses! They think that because I understood them back at the beginning, I must have known the language."" Oh, I don't know about that,"" I said casually, swapping my Discerner's Lenses back for my Translator's Lenses.“Try me.”"" Ha,"" one of them said in a very odd, strange language– it consisted mostly of spitting sounds. Like always, the Translator's Lenses let me hear the words in English."" The fool thinks he knows our language."""" Give him the rules, then,"" another hissed."" First rule,"" said the one in front of me."" If anyone enters our domain bearing writing, we may separate them from their group and demand the writing be given to us. If they resist, we may take the writing, but we must return copies. We may hold these back for one hour but, unless the items are requested, can keep them from then on."" Second rule, we may take the souls of those who enter, but we can do so only if the souls are offered freely and lawfully. Souls may be coerced, but not forced."" Third rule, we may accept or reject a person's request for a soul contract. Once the contract is signed, we must provide the specific book requested, then refrain from taking their soul for the:Previous Entities: |the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me| ::: First rule,"" ",The one in front of me.M "there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,”",29819,29838,True,251:Alison.F,"More?” I asked, nodding toward the white Styrofoam cup in her hand.“I shouldn’t,” she said,“but I’m a rebel.” She gave me another plastic spoonful of crushed ice. I mumbled a thank- you. Praise God for good nurses.“Getting tired?” she asked. I nodded.“Sleep for a while,” she said.“I’ll try to run interference and give you a couple hours before somebody comes in to check vitals and the like.” I said Thanks again. You say thanks a lot in a hospital. I tried to settle into the bed.“You’re not gonna ask about your boyfriend?” she asked.“Don’t have one,” I told her.“Well, there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,” she said.“He hasn’t seen me like this, has he?”“No. Family only.” I nodded and sank into an aqueous sleep. It would take me six days to get home, six undays of staring at acoustic ceiling tile and watching television and sleeping and pain and wishing for time to pass. I did not see Augustus or anyone other than my parents. My hair looked like a bird’s nest; my shuffling gait like a dementia patient’s. I felt a little better each day, though: Each sleep ended to reveal a person who seemed a bit more like me. Sleep fights cancer, Regular Dr. Jim said for the thousandth time as he hovered over me one morning surrounded by a coterie of medical students.“Then I am",Alison,"his mom, Alison","More?” I asked, nodding toward the white Styrofoam cup in her hand.“I shouldn’t,” she said,“but I’m a rebel.” She gave me another plastic spoonful of crushed ice. I mumbled a thank- you. Praise God for good nurses.“Getting tired?” she asked. I nodded.“Sleep for a while,” she said.“I’ll try to run interference and give you a couple hours before somebody comes in to check vitals and the like.” I said Thanks again. You say thanks a lot in a hospital. I tried to settle into the bed.“You’re not gonna ask about your boyfriend?” she asked.“Don’t have one,” I told her.“Well, there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,” she said.“He hasn’t seen me like this, has he?”“No. Family only.” I nodded and sank into an aqueous sleep. It would take me six days to get home, six undays of staring at acoustic ceiling tile and watching television and sleeping and pain and wishing for time to pass. I did not see Augustus or anyone other than my parents. My hair looked like a bird’s nest; my shuffling gait like a dementia patient’s. I felt a little better each day, though: Each sleep ended to reveal a person who seemed a bit more like me. Sleep fights cancer, Regular Dr. Jim said for the thousandth time as he hovered over me one morning surrounded by a coterie of medical students.“Then I am:Previous Entities: |his mom, Alison| ::: there’s a kid who has hardly left the waiting room since you got here,” ",nurse.F "“Okay,",101610,101615,True,3381:the first kid.?,"left three spaces over here for news,” the first kid said.“Isn’t that enough?”“He wants ten.”“Ten spaces? How many news crews does he think are going to show up for this thing?”“I don’t know, but he wants ten spaces and he’s told us to arrange extra power and phone lines.”“For an academic conference on abrupt climate change? I don’t get it. How much can you say about hurricanes and droughts? He’ll be lucky to have three crews.”“Hey, he’s the boss. Mark off the ten slots and be done with it.”“That means the buses have to go way in the back.”“Ten slots, Jake.”“Okay, okay.”“Next to the building, because the line feeds are very expensive. The auditorium’s charging us an arm and a leg for the extra utilities.” At the other end of the table, a girl was saying,“How dark will it be in the exhibition spaces? Will it be dark enough to project video?”“No, they’re limited to flat panels.”“Some of the exhibitors have all- in- one projectors.”“Oh, that should be all right.” A young woman came up to Evans as he was standing looking into the room.“Can I help you, sir?” She looked like a receptionist. She had that bland prettiness.“Yes,” he said, nodding toward the conference room.“",the first kid,"the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid","left three spaces over here for news,” the first kid said.“Isn’t that enough?”“He wants ten.”“Ten spaces? How many news crews does he think are going to show up for this thing?”“I don’t know, but he wants ten spaces and he’s told us to arrange extra power and phone lines.”“For an academic conference on abrupt climate change? I don’t get it. How much can you say about hurricanes and droughts? He’ll be lucky to have three crews.”“Hey, he’s the boss. Mark off the ten slots and be done with it.”“That means the buses have to go way in the back.”“Ten slots, Jake.”“Okay, okay.”“Next to the building, because the line feeds are very expensive. The auditorium’s charging us an arm and a leg for the extra utilities.” At the other end of the table, a girl was saying,“How dark will it be in the exhibition spaces? Will it be dark enough to project video?”“No, they’re limited to flat panels.”“Some of the exhibitors have all- in- one projectors.”“Oh, that should be all right.” A young woman came up to Evans as he was standing looking into the room.“Can I help you, sir?” She looked like a receptionist. She had that bland prettiness.“Yes,” he said, nodding toward the conference room.“:Previous Entities: |the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid| ::: “Okay, ",the first kid.M "Honestly,",39159,39183,True,1337:the huddled witches.?,"lives as village witches, curing boils and warts for a cup of tea and a biscuit? Well? Do you?’ There was a shuffling among the huddled witches, and a general murmur of‘ No, Annagramma.’‘ You did all read Mrs Earwig’s book, didn’t you?’ she demanded.‘ Well, did you?’ Petulia raised a hand nervously.‘ Um—’ she began.‘ Petulia, I’ve told you literally a million times not to start. Every. Single. Sentence. With“Um”—haven’t I?’‘ Um—’ said Petulia, trembling with nervousness.‘ Just speak up, for goodness’ sake! Don’t hesitate all the time!’‘ Um—’‘ Petulia!’‘ Um—’‘ Really, you might make an effort. Honestly, I don’t know what’s the matter with all of you!’ I do, Tiffany thought. You’re like a dog worrying sheep all the time. You don’t give them time to obey you and you don’t let them know when they’ve done things right. You just keep barking. Petulia had lapsed into tongue- tied silence. Annagramma put the book down on the log.‘ Well, we’ve completely lost the moment,’ she said.‘ We may as well have that cup of tea, Petulia. Do hurry up.’ Petulia, relieved, grabbed the kettle. People relaxed a little. Tiffany looked at the cover of the book. It read: The Higher MagiK by Letice Earwig, Witch‘ Magic with a K?’ she said aloud.‘ Magikkkk?’‘ That’s deliberate,’ said",the huddled witches,"Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","lives as village witches, curing boils and warts for a cup of tea and a biscuit? Well? Do you?’ There was a shuffling among the huddled witches, and a general murmur of‘ No, Annagramma.’‘ You did all read Mrs Earwig’s book, didn’t you?’ she demanded.‘ Well, did you?’ Petulia raised a hand nervously.‘ Um—’ she began.‘ Petulia, I’ve told you literally a million times not to start. Every. Single. Sentence. With“Um”—haven’t I?’‘ Um—’ said Petulia, trembling with nervousness.‘ Just speak up, for goodness’ sake! Don’t hesitate all the time!’‘ Um—’‘ Petulia!’‘ Um—’‘ Really, you might make an effort. Honestly, I don’t know what’s the matter with all of you!’ I do, Tiffany thought. You’re like a dog worrying sheep all the time. You don’t give them time to obey you and you don’t let them know when they’ve done things right. You just keep barking. Petulia had lapsed into tongue- tied silence. Annagramma put the book down on the log.‘ Well, we’ve completely lost the moment,’ she said.‘ We may as well have that cup of tea, Petulia. Do hurry up.’ Petulia, relieved, grabbed the kettle. People relaxed a little. Tiffany looked at the cover of the book. It read: The Higher MagiK by Letice Earwig, Witch‘ Magic with a K?’ she said aloud.‘ Magikkkk?’‘ That’s deliberate,’ said:Previous Entities: |Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: Honestly, ","Annagramma.F Tiffany.F Petulia.F " I’m sorry if I woke you.,30536,30560,True,134:Phyl.F,"behind them, and Magnolia turned to see the monitor on the table across the room flashing, red dots moving across the translucent LZ. Michael raised his rifle.“Everyone on alert. We’ve got company.”***** Les Mitchells bent down to clear the low bulkhead over his daughter’s bunk. It wasn’t the first overhead his skull had gone to war with, and he had the scars to prove it. The worst was from getting knocked unconscious by a pipe when he was a gangly six- foot- nine teenager. Since then, ducking had become part of his daily routine.“Daddy?” Phyl whispered as he leaned down. She opened her eyes and let out a moan, rolling over in her bunk to look at Les.“Hey, sweetie, I’m sorry if I woke you. I was just going to give you a kiss goodbye.”“What time is it?”“Five in the morning,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.“Go back to sleep.”“Are you going to work?”“Yes, but I’ll be back tonight and I’ll bring you a treat.”“What kind of a treat?” Phyl said, trying to sit up. Les brushed her long brown hair from her face.“It’s a surprise.”“Okay, Daddy.” He kissed her again on the forehead, his heart hurting at the thought of her in pain. She had no idea he had joined the Hell Divers. She thought he was heading to his old job as an electrician. A cough rang out, filling the small quarters. Katherine,",Phyl,"Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro","behind them, and Magnolia turned to see the monitor on the table across the room flashing, red dots moving across the translucent LZ. Michael raised his rifle.“Everyone on alert. We’ve got company.”***** Les Mitchells bent down to clear the low bulkhead over his daughter’s bunk. It wasn’t the first overhead his skull had gone to war with, and he had the scars to prove it. The worst was from getting knocked unconscious by a pipe when he was a gangly six- foot- nine teenager. Since then, ducking had become part of his daily routine.“Daddy?” Phyl whispered as he leaned down. She opened her eyes and let out a moan, rolling over in her bunk to look at Les.“Hey, sweetie, I’m sorry if I woke you. I was just going to give you a kiss goodbye.”“What time is it?”“Five in the morning,” he said, kissing her on the forehead.“Go back to sleep.”“Are you going to work?”“Yes, but I’ll be back tonight and I’ll bring you a treat.”“What kind of a treat?” Phyl said, trying to sit up. Les brushed her long brown hair from her face.“It’s a surprise.”“Okay, Daddy.” He kissed her again on the forehead, his heart hurting at the thought of her in pain. She had no idea he had joined the Hell Divers. She thought he was heading to his old job as an electrician. A cough rang out, filling the small quarters. Katherine,:Previous Entities: |Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro| ::: I’m sorry if I woke you. ",Les.M "then,’",33134,33143,True,1245:the bearded mystery man.?,"was quite a large coin. And it was certainly gold. It had come from the treasure of the old dead king who was buried in the main part of the Feegles’ mound. Oddly enough, the Feegles weren’t hugely interested in gold once they’d stolen it, because you couldn’t drink it and it was difficult to eat. In the mound, they mostly used the old coins and plates to reflect candlelight and give the place a nice glow. It was no hardship to give some away. The carter stared at it. It was more money than he had ever seen in his life.‘ If... sir... would like to... hop on the back of the cart, sir,’ he said, carefully taking it.‘ Ach, right you are, then,’ said the bearded mystery man after a pause.‘ Just a moment, this needs a wee bitty organizin’... OK, youse hands, you just grab the side o’ the cart, and’ you leftie leg, ye got ta kinda sidle along... ach, crivens! Ye got ta bend! Bend! C’m on, get it right!’ The hairy face turned to the carter.‘ Sorry aboot this,’ it said.‘ I talk to my knees, but they dinnae listen to me.’‘ Is that right?’ said the carter weakly.‘ I have trouble with my knees in the wet weather. Goose grease works.’‘ Ah, weel, these knees is gonna get more’n a greasin’ if I",the bearded mystery man,"the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man","was quite a large coin. And it was certainly gold. It had come from the treasure of the old dead king who was buried in the main part of the Feegles’ mound. Oddly enough, the Feegles weren’t hugely interested in gold once they’d stolen it, because you couldn’t drink it and it was difficult to eat. In the mound, they mostly used the old coins and plates to reflect candlelight and give the place a nice glow. It was no hardship to give some away. The carter stared at it. It was more money than he had ever seen in his life.‘ If... sir... would like to... hop on the back of the cart, sir,’ he said, carefully taking it.‘ Ach, right you are, then,’ said the bearded mystery man after a pause.‘ Just a moment, this needs a wee bitty organizin’... OK, youse hands, you just grab the side o’ the cart, and’ you leftie leg, ye got ta kinda sidle along... ach, crivens! Ye got ta bend! Bend! C’m on, get it right!’ The hairy face turned to the carter.‘ Sorry aboot this,’ it said.‘ I talk to my knees, but they dinnae listen to me.’‘ Is that right?’ said the carter weakly.‘ I have trouble with my knees in the wet weather. Goose grease works.’‘ Ah, weel, these knees is gonna get more’n a greasin’ if I:Previous Entities: |the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man| ::: then,’ ",the bearded mystery man.M “Okay.”,64342,64345,True,659:Maria Gonzales.F,"news coming out of BioGen.”“What kind of bad news?”“At the moment,” Maria Gonzales said,“BioGen’s most important commercial product consists of a cell line, the Burnet line, which the company bought from UCLA. The cell line produces cytokines, important in cancer treatment.”“Yeah…”“Contamination of those cell lines would be disastrous.” She reached into her purse and brought out a small plastic bottle of a well- known brand of eye drops. The bottle contained clear liquid. She unscrewed the cap and put a single drop of liquid on the tip of each finger of her other hand.“Got it?”“Yes,” he said.“One drop on each finger. Let it dry.”“Okay.”“Go into BioGen. Your swipe cards still work. Check the database for storage locations and research lockers containing the Burnet line. The storage number is on this card.” She handed him a small card with the number BGOX6178990QD.“There are frozen samples and there are live in- vitro incubators. You go to each one and… just touch them.”“Just touch them?” Brad looked at the bottle.“What is that stuff?”“Nothing that will hurt you. But the cells won’t like it.”“The security cameras will record me. Card swipes are recorded. They’ll know who did it.”“Not if you go in between one and two a.m. The systems are down for backup.”“No, they",Maria Gonzales,Maria Gonzales,"news coming out of BioGen.”“What kind of bad news?”“At the moment,” Maria Gonzales said,“BioGen’s most important commercial product consists of a cell line, the Burnet line, which the company bought from UCLA. The cell line produces cytokines, important in cancer treatment.”“Yeah…”“Contamination of those cell lines would be disastrous.” She reached into her purse and brought out a small plastic bottle of a well- known brand of eye drops. The bottle contained clear liquid. She unscrewed the cap and put a single drop of liquid on the tip of each finger of her other hand.“Got it?”“Yes,” he said.“One drop on each finger. Let it dry.”“Okay.”“Go into BioGen. Your swipe cards still work. Check the database for storage locations and research lockers containing the Burnet line. The storage number is on this card.” She handed him a small card with the number BGOX6178990QD.“There are frozen samples and there are live in- vitro incubators. You go to each one and… just touch them.”“Just touch them?” Brad looked at the bottle.“What is that stuff?”“Nothing that will hurt you. But the cells won’t like it.”“The security cameras will record me. Card swipes are recorded. They’ll know who did it.”“Not if you go in between one and two a.m. The systems are down for backup.”“No, they:Previous Entities: |Maria Gonzales| ::: “Okay.” ",Brad.M "“Not if she won’t tell you,",106529,106540,True,3617:the policewoman.?,"to know—”“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the policewoman said.“If she is sixteen, and these drugs involve reproductive issues, you have no right to be informed.”“What do you mean I have no right to be informed? She’s my daughter. She’s sixteen.”“That’s the law, ma’am.”“But that law is for abortions. She isn’t having an abortion. I don’t know what the hell she is doing. These are fertility drugs. She’s shooting up fertility drugs.”“I’m sorry, I can’t help you on this.”“You mean my daughter is allowed to inject drugs into her body, and I am not allowed to know what is going on?”“Not if she won’t tell you, no.”“And what about her doctor?” Officer Lowry shook her head.“He can’t tell you, either. Doctor- patient privilege.” Georgia Bellarmino collected the syringes and threw them back in the bag.“This is ridiculous.”“I don’t make the laws,” the policewoman said.“I just enforce them.” They were driving home.“Honey,” Georgia said.“Are you trying to get pregnant?”“No.” Sitting there with her arms folded. Furious.“I mean, you’re sixteen, that shouldn’t be a problem… So what are you doing?”“You made me feel like an idiot.”“Honey, I’m just concerned.”“No you’re not. You",the policewoman,"Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry","to know—”“I’m sorry, ma’am,” the policewoman said.“If she is sixteen, and these drugs involve reproductive issues, you have no right to be informed.”“What do you mean I have no right to be informed? She’s my daughter. She’s sixteen.”“That’s the law, ma’am.”“But that law is for abortions. She isn’t having an abortion. I don’t know what the hell she is doing. These are fertility drugs. She’s shooting up fertility drugs.”“I’m sorry, I can’t help you on this.”“You mean my daughter is allowed to inject drugs into her body, and I am not allowed to know what is going on?”“Not if she won’t tell you, no.”“And what about her doctor?” Officer Lowry shook her head.“He can’t tell you, either. Doctor- patient privilege.” Georgia Bellarmino collected the syringes and threw them back in the bag.“This is ridiculous.”“I don’t make the laws,” the policewoman said.“I just enforce them.” They were driving home.“Honey,” Georgia said.“Are you trying to get pregnant?”“No.” Sitting there with her arms folded. Furious.“I mean, you’re sixteen, that shouldn’t be a problem… So what are you doing?”“You made me feel like an idiot.”“Honey, I’m just concerned.”“No you’re not. You:Previous Entities: |Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry| ::: “Not if she won’t tell you, ",Georgia.F They’re supposed to be really hard to catch!”,145002,145019,True,402:Lavender Brown.?,"curtains were closed. Was Hagrid in there, alone and ill?“What’s wrong with Hagrid?” Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly- Plank.“Never you mind,” she said as though she thought he was being nosy.“I do mind, though,” said Harry hotly.“What’s up with him?” Professor Grubbly- Plank acted as though she couldn’t hear him. She led them past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered. Many of the girls“ooooohed!” at the sight of the unicorn.“Oh it’s so beautiful!” whispered Lavender Brown.“How did she get it? They’re supposed to be really hard to catch!” The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.“Boys keep back!” barked Professor Grubbly- Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest.“They prefer the woman’s touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it.…” She and the girls walked slowly forward toward the unicorn, leaving the boys standing near the paddock fence, watching. The moment Professor Grubbly- Plank was out of earshot, Harry turned to Ron.“What d’you reckon’s wrong with him? You don’t think a skrewt—?”“Oh he hasn’t been attacked, Potter",Lavender Brown,"the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody","curtains were closed. Was Hagrid in there, alone and ill?“What’s wrong with Hagrid?” Harry said, hurrying to catch up with Professor Grubbly- Plank.“Never you mind,” she said as though she thought he was being nosy.“I do mind, though,” said Harry hotly.“What’s up with him?” Professor Grubbly- Plank acted as though she couldn’t hear him. She led them past the paddock where the huge Beauxbatons horses were standing, huddled against the cold, and toward a tree on the edge of the forest, where a large and beautiful unicorn was tethered. Many of the girls“ooooohed!” at the sight of the unicorn.“Oh it’s so beautiful!” whispered Lavender Brown.“How did she get it? They’re supposed to be really hard to catch!” The unicorn was so brightly white it made the snow all around look gray. It was pawing the ground nervously with its golden hooves and throwing back its horned head.“Boys keep back!” barked Professor Grubbly- Plank, throwing out an arm and catching Harry hard in the chest.“They prefer the woman’s touch, unicorns. Girls to the front, and approach with care, come on, easy does it.…” She and the girls walked slowly forward toward the unicorn, leaving the boys standing near the paddock fence, watching. The moment Professor Grubbly- Plank was out of earshot, Harry turned to Ron.“What d’you reckon’s wrong with him? You don’t think a skrewt—?”“Oh he hasn’t been attacked, Potter:Previous Entities: |the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody| ::: They’re supposed to be really hard to catch!” ",Lavender Brown.F There’s even talk of firing him.”,132912,132937,True,4219:Nobody.?,"I wasn’t talking to any of them. The phone rang constantly, but I let the answering machine take it. I just sat in the tub, and tried to decide what to do. In the middle of the morning I called Ken Shubik at the Times.“I wondered when you’d check in,” he said.“You must be pleased.”“About what?”“About being alive,” Ken said.“These kids are murder.”“You mean the Vietnamese kids last night?” I said.“They spoke Japanese.”“No.”“Yes, Ken.“We didn’t get that story right?”“Not really.”“That explains it,” he said.“Explains what?”“That was the Weasel’s story. And the Weasel is in bad odor today. There’s even talk of firing him.” Nobody can figure it out, but something’s happening around here,” he said.“Somebody high in editorial all of a sudden has a bug up his ass about Japan. Anyway, we’re starting a series investigating Japanese corporations in America.”“Oh, yeah?”“Of course you’d never know it from today’s paper. You see the business section?”“No, why?”“Darley- Higgins announced the sale of Micro Con to Akai. It’s on page four of the business section. Twocentimeter story.”“That’s it?”“Notworth any more, I guess. Just another American company sold to the Japanese. I checked. Since 1987, there have been a hundred and eighty American high- tech and electronics",Nobody,"Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator","I wasn’t talking to any of them. The phone rang constantly, but I let the answering machine take it. I just sat in the tub, and tried to decide what to do. In the middle of the morning I called Ken Shubik at the Times.“I wondered when you’d check in,” he said.“You must be pleased.”“About what?”“About being alive,” Ken said.“These kids are murder.”“You mean the Vietnamese kids last night?” I said.“They spoke Japanese.”“No.”“Yes, Ken.“We didn’t get that story right?”“Not really.”“That explains it,” he said.“Explains what?”“That was the Weasel’s story. And the Weasel is in bad odor today. There’s even talk of firing him.” Nobody can figure it out, but something’s happening around here,” he said.“Somebody high in editorial all of a sudden has a bug up his ass about Japan. Anyway, we’re starting a series investigating Japanese corporations in America.”“Oh, yeah?”“Of course you’d never know it from today’s paper. You see the business section?”“No, why?”“Darley- Higgins announced the sale of Micro Con to Akai. It’s on page four of the business section. Twocentimeter story.”“That’s it?”“Notworth any more, I guess. Just another American company sold to the Japanese. I checked. Since 1987, there have been a hundred and eighty American high- tech and electronics:Previous Entities: |Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator| ::: There’s even talk of firing him.” ","Ken Shubik. The Weasel." “Is now a bad time to talk?”,35016,35025,True,516:your counterpart.?,"and therefore a word to be avoided at all costs. But it really often just means“Wait” or“I’m not comfortable with that.” Learn how to hear it calmly. It is not the end of the negotiation, but the beginning.■“Yes” is the final goal of a negotiation, but don’t aim for it at the start. Asking someone for“Yes” too quickly in a conversation—“Do you like to drink water, Mr. Smith?”—gets his guard up and paints you as an untrustworthy salesman.■ Saying“No” makes the speaker feel safe, secure, and in control, so trigger it. By saying what they don’t want, your counterpart defines their space and gains the confidence and comfort to listen to you. That’s why“Is now a bad time to talk?” is always better than“Do you have a few minutes to talk?”■ Sometimes the only way to get your counterpart to listen and engage with you is by forcing them into a“No.” That means intentionally mislabeling one of their emotions or desires or asking a ridiculous question— like,“It seems like you want this project to fail”—that can only be answered negatively.■ Negotiate in their world. Persuasion is not about how bright or smooth or forceful you are. It’s about the other party convincing themselves that the solution you want is their own idea. So don’t beat them with logic or brute force. Ask them questions that open paths to your goals. It’s not about you.■ If a potential business partner is ignoring you, contact them",your counterpart,"Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie","and therefore a word to be avoided at all costs. But it really often just means“Wait” or“I’m not comfortable with that.” Learn how to hear it calmly. It is not the end of the negotiation, but the beginning.■“Yes” is the final goal of a negotiation, but don’t aim for it at the start. Asking someone for“Yes” too quickly in a conversation—“Do you like to drink water, Mr. Smith?”—gets his guard up and paints you as an untrustworthy salesman.■ Saying“No” makes the speaker feel safe, secure, and in control, so trigger it. By saying what they don’t want, your counterpart defines their space and gains the confidence and comfort to listen to you. That’s why“Is now a bad time to talk?” is always better than“Do you have a few minutes to talk?”■ Sometimes the only way to get your counterpart to listen and engage with you is by forcing them into a“No.” That means intentionally mislabeling one of their emotions or desires or asking a ridiculous question— like,“It seems like you want this project to fail”—that can only be answered negatively.■ Negotiate in their world. Persuasion is not about how bright or smooth or forceful you are. It’s about the other party convincing themselves that the solution you want is their own idea. So don’t beat them with logic or brute force. Ask them questions that open paths to your goals. It’s not about you.■ If a potential business partner is ignoring you, contact them:Previous Entities: |Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie| ::: “Is now a bad time to talk?” ",Rhea Silvia. F right after I kiss my reflection!”,28702,28736,True,347:Narcissus.?,"turned back to the pond.“The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!”“Team Leo!” one of the nymphs squeaked. But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.“I’m the beautiful one!” Narcissus insisted.“He’s stolen my mirror, and I’m going to leave unless we get it back!” The girls gasped. One pointed.“There!” Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.“Get it back!” cried a nymph. Probably against her will, Echo muttered,“Get it back.”“Yes!” Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver.“The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!”“Oh my gods!” the nymphs screamed.“And kill those demigods!” Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at Leo.“They are not as cool as me!” Leo could run pretty fast when someone was trying to kill him. Sadly, he’d had a lot of practice. He overtook Hazel, which was easy, since she was struggling with fifty pounds of Celestial bronze. He took one side of the metal plate and glanced back. Narcissus was nocking an arrow, but it was so old and brittle, it broke into splinters.“Ow!” he yelled very attractively.“My manicure!” Normally nymphs were quick— at least the ones at Camp Half- Blood were— but these were burdened with posters, T- shirts,",Narcissus,"my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph","turned back to the pond.“The bronze mirror is gone! My reflection! Give me back to me!”“Team Leo!” one of the nymphs squeaked. But the others returned their attention to Narcissus.“I’m the beautiful one!” Narcissus insisted.“He’s stolen my mirror, and I’m going to leave unless we get it back!” The girls gasped. One pointed.“There!” Hazel was at the top of the crater, running away as fast as she could while lugging a large sheet of bronze.“Get it back!” cried a nymph. Probably against her will, Echo muttered,“Get it back.”“Yes!” Narcissus unslung his bow and grabbed an arrow from his dusty quiver.“The first one who gets that bronze, I will like you almost as much as I like me. I might even kiss you, right after I kiss my reflection!”“Oh my gods!” the nymphs screamed.“And kill those demigods!” Narcissus added, glaring very handsomely at Leo.“They are not as cool as me!” Leo could run pretty fast when someone was trying to kill him. Sadly, he’d had a lot of practice. He overtook Hazel, which was easy, since she was struggling with fifty pounds of Celestial bronze. He took one side of the metal plate and glanced back. Narcissus was nocking an arrow, but it was so old and brittle, it broke into splinters.“Ow!” he yelled very attractively.“My manicure!” Normally nymphs were quick— at least the ones at Camp Half- Blood were— but these were burdened with posters, T- shirts,:Previous Entities: |my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph| ::: right after I kiss my reflection!” ",Narcissus.M Yes?”,22397,22429,True,243:Black Eye.M,", to the east of the port. Even from a distance, Hunter could determine his location by the acrid smoke rising above the green trees, and the occasional report of explosive charges. He rode into a small clearing and found the Jew in the midst of a bizarre scene: dead animals of all sorts lay everywhere, stinking in the hot midday sun. Three wooden casks, containing saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur, stood to one side. Fragments of broken glass lay glinting in the tall grass. The Jew himself was working feverishly, his clothing and face smeared with blood and the dust of exploded powder. Hunter dismounted and looked around him.“What in God’s name have you been doing?”“What you asked,” Black Eye said. He smiled.“You will not be disappointed. Here, I will show you. First, you gave me the task of a long and slow- burning fuse. Yes?” Hunter nodded.“The usual fuses are of no use,” the Jew said judiciously.“One could employ a powder trail, but it burns with great swiftness. Or contrariwise, one could employ a slow match.” A slow match was a piece of cord or twine soaked in saltpeter.“But that is very slow indeed, and the flame is often too weak to ignite the final materials. You take my meaning?”“I do.”“Well then. An intermediate flame and speed of burning is provided by increasing the proportion of sulfur in the powder. But such a mixture is notorious for its unreliability. One does not wish the flame to sputter and die.”“No.”“I tried many soaked strings and wicks and cloths,",Black Eye,"Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais",", to the east of the port. Even from a distance, Hunter could determine his location by the acrid smoke rising above the green trees, and the occasional report of explosive charges. He rode into a small clearing and found the Jew in the midst of a bizarre scene: dead animals of all sorts lay everywhere, stinking in the hot midday sun. Three wooden casks, containing saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur, stood to one side. Fragments of broken glass lay glinting in the tall grass. The Jew himself was working feverishly, his clothing and face smeared with blood and the dust of exploded powder. Hunter dismounted and looked around him.“What in God’s name have you been doing?”“What you asked,” Black Eye said. He smiled.“You will not be disappointed. Here, I will show you. First, you gave me the task of a long and slow- burning fuse. Yes?” Hunter nodded.“The usual fuses are of no use,” the Jew said judiciously.“One could employ a powder trail, but it burns with great swiftness. Or contrariwise, one could employ a slow match.” A slow match was a piece of cord or twine soaked in saltpeter.“But that is very slow indeed, and the flame is often too weak to ignite the final materials. You take my meaning?”“I do.”“Well then. An intermediate flame and speed of burning is provided by increasing the proportion of sulfur in the powder. But such a mixture is notorious for its unreliability. One does not wish the flame to sputter and die.”“No.”“I tried many soaked strings and wicks and cloths,:Previous Entities: |Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais| ::: Yes?” ",Black Eye.M “Right.,65730,65742,True,1558:the magician.M,"a hundred yards down the path, a bald magician in white robes stepped out of a whirling sand vortex.“Hurry,” I told Sadie. I grabbed the staff- rod from my bag and threw it to her.“Since I cut yours in half. I’ll stick with the sword.”“But I don’t know what I’m doing!” she protested, searching the obelisk’s base as if she hoped to find a secret switch. The magician regained his balance and spit the sand out of his mouth. Then he spotted us.“Stop!”“Yeah,” I muttered.“That’s gonna happen.”“Paris.” Sadie turned to me.“You said the other obelisk is in Paris, right?”“Right. Um, not to rush you, but...” The magician raised his staff and started chanting. I fumbled for the hilt of my sword. My legs felt like they were turning to butter. I wondered if I could pull off that hawk warrior thing again. That had been cool, but it had also been just a duel. And the test at the chasm bridge, when I’d deflected those daggers— that hadn’t seemed like me. Every time I’d drawn this sword so far, I’d had help: Zia had been there, or Bast. I’d never felt completely alone. This time, it was just me. I was crazy to think I could hold off a full- fledged magician. I was no warrior. Everything I knew about swords came from reading books— the history of Alexander the",the magician,"the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man","a hundred yards down the path, a bald magician in white robes stepped out of a whirling sand vortex.“Hurry,” I told Sadie. I grabbed the staff- rod from my bag and threw it to her.“Since I cut yours in half. I’ll stick with the sword.”“But I don’t know what I’m doing!” she protested, searching the obelisk’s base as if she hoped to find a secret switch. The magician regained his balance and spit the sand out of his mouth. Then he spotted us.“Stop!”“Yeah,” I muttered.“That’s gonna happen.”“Paris.” Sadie turned to me.“You said the other obelisk is in Paris, right?”“Right. Um, not to rush you, but...” The magician raised his staff and started chanting. I fumbled for the hilt of my sword. My legs felt like they were turning to butter. I wondered if I could pull off that hawk warrior thing again. That had been cool, but it had also been just a duel. And the test at the chasm bridge, when I’d deflected those daggers— that hadn’t seemed like me. Every time I’d drawn this sword so far, I’d had help: Zia had been there, or Bast. I’d never felt completely alone. This time, it was just me. I was crazy to think I could hold off a full- fledged magician. I was no warrior. Everything I knew about swords came from reading books— the history of Alexander the:Previous Entities: |the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man| ::: “Right. ","Sadie.F Paris.M" “Poor little things.,66903,66918,True,2249:the tall man.M,"haven’t got.” Teppic carefully poked his head over the top of the dune. He saw a large cleared area, surrounded by complicated ranks of markers and flags. There were one or two buildings in it, mostly consisting of cages, and several other intricate constructions he could not recognize. In the middle of it all were two men— one small, fat and florid, the other tall and willowy and with an indefinable air of authority. They were wearing sheets. Clustered around them, and not wearing very much at all, was a group of slaves. One of them was holding a bow. Several of them were holding tortoises on sticks. They looked a bit pathetic, like tortoise lollies.“Anyway, it’s cruel,” said the tall man.“Poor little things. They look so sad with their little legs waggling.”“It’s logically impossible for the arrow to hit them!” The fat man threw up his hands.“It shouldn’t do it! You must be giving me the wrong type of tortoise,” he added accusingly.“We ought to try again with faster tortoises.”“Or slower arrows?”“Possibly, possibly.” Teppic was aware of a faint scuffling by his chin. There was a small tortoise scurrying past him. It had several ricochet marks on its shell.“We’ll have one last try,” said the fat man. He turned to the slaves.“You lot— go and find that tortoise.” The little reptile gave Teppic a look of mingled pleading and hope. He stared at it, and then lifted it up",the tall man,"Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man","haven’t got.” Teppic carefully poked his head over the top of the dune. He saw a large cleared area, surrounded by complicated ranks of markers and flags. There were one or two buildings in it, mostly consisting of cages, and several other intricate constructions he could not recognize. In the middle of it all were two men— one small, fat and florid, the other tall and willowy and with an indefinable air of authority. They were wearing sheets. Clustered around them, and not wearing very much at all, was a group of slaves. One of them was holding a bow. Several of them were holding tortoises on sticks. They looked a bit pathetic, like tortoise lollies.“Anyway, it’s cruel,” said the tall man.“Poor little things. They look so sad with their little legs waggling.”“It’s logically impossible for the arrow to hit them!” The fat man threw up his hands.“It shouldn’t do it! You must be giving me the wrong type of tortoise,” he added accusingly.“We ought to try again with faster tortoises.”“Or slower arrows?”“Possibly, possibly.” Teppic was aware of a faint scuffling by his chin. There was a small tortoise scurrying past him. It had several ricochet marks on its shell.“We’ll have one last try,” said the fat man. He turned to the slaves.“You lot— go and find that tortoise.” The little reptile gave Teppic a look of mingled pleading and hope. He stared at it, and then lifted it up:Previous Entities: |Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man| ::: “Poor little things. ",Teppic.M "' I've been to the city,",83960,83980,True,2547:the bandit.M,"These don't look like Guild thieves,' he hissed.' They definitely look freelance to me.' It would be nice to say that the leader of the robbers was a black- bearded, swaggering brute, with a red headscarf and one gold earring and a chin you could clean pots with. Actually it would be practically compulsory. And, in fact, this was so. Hwel thought the wooden leg was overdoing it, but the man had obviously studied the role.' Well now,' said the bandit chief.' What have we here, and do they have any money?'' We're actors,' said Tomjon.' That ought to answer both questions,' said Hwel.' And none of your repartee,' said the bandit.' I've been to the city, I have. I know repartee when I see it and—' he half turned to his followers, raising an eyebrow to indicate that the next remark was going to be witty–' if you're not careful I can make a few cutting remarks of my own.' There was dead silence behind him until he made an impatient gesture with his cutlass.' All right,' he said, against a chorus of uncertain laughter.' We'll just take any loose change, valuables, food and clothing you might be having.'' Could I say something?' said Tomjon. The company backed away from him. Hwel smiled at his own feet.' You're going to beg for mercy, are you?' said the bandit.' That's right.' Hwel thrust his hands deep into his pockets and looked up at",the bandit,"the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit","These don't look like Guild thieves,' he hissed.' They definitely look freelance to me.' It would be nice to say that the leader of the robbers was a black- bearded, swaggering brute, with a red headscarf and one gold earring and a chin you could clean pots with. Actually it would be practically compulsory. And, in fact, this was so. Hwel thought the wooden leg was overdoing it, but the man had obviously studied the role.' Well now,' said the bandit chief.' What have we here, and do they have any money?'' We're actors,' said Tomjon.' That ought to answer both questions,' said Hwel.' And none of your repartee,' said the bandit.' I've been to the city, I have. I know repartee when I see it and—' he half turned to his followers, raising an eyebrow to indicate that the next remark was going to be witty–' if you're not careful I can make a few cutting remarks of my own.' There was dead silence behind him until he made an impatient gesture with his cutlass.' All right,' he said, against a chorus of uncertain laughter.' We'll just take any loose change, valuables, food and clothing you might be having.'' Could I say something?' said Tomjon. The company backed away from him. Hwel smiled at his own feet.' You're going to beg for mercy, are you?' said the bandit.' That's right.' Hwel thrust his hands deep into his pockets and looked up at:Previous Entities: |the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit| ::: ' I've been to the city, ",Hwel.M er… feel we should perhaps keep you carefully but humanely where you can do no mischief until after the wedding.,87631,87681,True,2106:the young Baron.M,"lord”, Roland. You must not let the lower orders act so familiarly to you. I have told you this before.’ Tiffany would cheerfully have kicked Roland for not coming back sharply on that one. Brian had taught him to ride a horse, she knew, and taught him how to hold a sword and how to hunt. Perhaps he should have taught him manners too.‘ Excuse me,’ she said sharply.‘ Do you intend to keep me locked up for ever? I wouldn’t mind some more socks and couple of spare dresses, and, of course, some unmentionables if that is going to be the case.’ Possibly the mention of the word‘ unmentionables’ was what flustered the young Baron. But he rallied quite quickly and said,‘ We, er… that is to say, I, er… feel we should perhaps keep you carefully but humanely where you can do no mischief until after the wedding. You do seem to be the centre of a lot of unfortunate events recently. I’m sorry about this.’ Tiffany didn’t dare say anything, because it isn’t polite to burst out laughing after such a solemn and stupid sentence as that. He went on, trying to smile,‘ You will be made comfortable, and of course we will take the goats out, if you wish.’‘ I’d like you to leave them in here, if it’s all the same to you,’ said Tiffany.‘ I am beginning to enjoy the pleasure of their company. But may I ask a question?’‘ Yes, of course.’‘ This is not going to be about spinning wheels, is it?’ Tiffany asked. Well, after all, there was only one way this stupid reasoning could be taking them.‘ What",the young Baron,"Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron","lord”, Roland. You must not let the lower orders act so familiarly to you. I have told you this before.’ Tiffany would cheerfully have kicked Roland for not coming back sharply on that one. Brian had taught him to ride a horse, she knew, and taught him how to hold a sword and how to hunt. Perhaps he should have taught him manners too.‘ Excuse me,’ she said sharply.‘ Do you intend to keep me locked up for ever? I wouldn’t mind some more socks and couple of spare dresses, and, of course, some unmentionables if that is going to be the case.’ Possibly the mention of the word‘ unmentionables’ was what flustered the young Baron. But he rallied quite quickly and said,‘ We, er… that is to say, I, er… feel we should perhaps keep you carefully but humanely where you can do no mischief until after the wedding. You do seem to be the centre of a lot of unfortunate events recently. I’m sorry about this.’ Tiffany didn’t dare say anything, because it isn’t polite to burst out laughing after such a solemn and stupid sentence as that. He went on, trying to smile,‘ You will be made comfortable, and of course we will take the goats out, if you wish.’‘ I’d like you to leave them in here, if it’s all the same to you,’ said Tiffany.‘ I am beginning to enjoy the pleasure of their company. But may I ask a question?’‘ Yes, of course.’‘ This is not going to be about spinning wheels, is it?’ Tiffany asked. Well, after all, there was only one way this stupid reasoning could be taking them.‘ What:Previous Entities: |Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron| ::: er… feel we should perhaps keep you carefully but humanely where you can do no mischief until after the wedding. ",Roland.M "Yes,",109698,109710,True,1716:Two female Navy crewmen.?,"! We have our orders, sir!"""" I see,"" Norman said."" Well, carry on, then."" He started to move past them into the sleeping area."" Beg your pardon, Dr. Johnson, sir!"" They barred his way."" What is it?"" Norman asked, as innocently as he could manage."" This area is off- limits to all personnel, sir!"""" But I want to go to sleep."""" Very sorry, Dr. Johnson, sir! No one may disturb Dr. Adams while he sleeps, sir!"""" I won't disturb Dr. Adams."""" Sorry, Dr. Johnson, sir! May we see what is in your hand, sir!"""" In my hand?"""" Yes, there is something in your hand, sir!"" Their snapping, machine- gun delivery, always punctuated by the"" sir!"" at the end, was getting on his nerves. He looked at them again. The starched uniforms covered powerful muscles. He didn't think he could force his way past them. Beyond the door he saw Harry, lying on his back, snoring. It was a perfect moment to inject him."" Dr. Johnson, may we see what is in your hand, sir!"""" No, damn it, you may not."""" Very good, sir!"" Norman turned, and walked back to D Cyl."" I SAW,"" Beth said, nodding to the monitor. Norman looked at the monitor, at the two women in the corridor. Then he looked at the",Two female Navy crewmen,"The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen","! We have our orders, sir!"""" I see,"" Norman said."" Well, carry on, then."" He started to move past them into the sleeping area."" Beg your pardon, Dr. Johnson, sir!"" They barred his way."" What is it?"" Norman asked, as innocently as he could manage."" This area is off- limits to all personnel, sir!"""" But I want to go to sleep."""" Very sorry, Dr. Johnson, sir! No one may disturb Dr. Adams while he sleeps, sir!"""" I won't disturb Dr. Adams."""" Sorry, Dr. Johnson, sir! May we see what is in your hand, sir!"""" In my hand?"""" Yes, there is something in your hand, sir!"" Their snapping, machine- gun delivery, always punctuated by the"" sir!"" at the end, was getting on his nerves. He looked at them again. The starched uniforms covered powerful muscles. He didn't think he could force his way past them. Beyond the door he saw Harry, lying on his back, snoring. It was a perfect moment to inject him."" Dr. Johnson, may we see what is in your hand, sir!"""" No, damn it, you may not."""" Very good, sir!"" Norman turned, and walked back to D Cyl."" I SAW,"" Beth said, nodding to the monitor. Norman looked at the monitor, at the two women in the corridor. Then he looked at the:Previous Entities: |The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen| ::: Yes, ",Beth. We have no kind of air force.,58609,58641,True,136:Aluki.M,". Too many things didn't make sense; I had to sort through them. As I walked, Aydee Ecks and Aluki ran up to me, she with her backpack full of bears on her shoulder, him holding his flaming spear."" Your Majesty,"" Aluki said urgently."" Lady Aydee just brought us word. The scouts have spotted something outside the city. We're in trouble."""" Giant robotic bats?"" I asked.“Yes.”"" How many?"""" Hundreds, Alcatraz!"" Aydee said."" I started to do the math but Aluki stopped me....”"" Probably for the best,"" I said."" They must have been waiting until the dome broke open to surprise us,"" Aluki said."" Your Majesty, they'll be able to drop thousands of troops through that hole! We have no kind of air force. We'll be destroyed in minutes!""“I...” Aluki and Aydee looked at me, eyes urgent. Needful."" I don't know what to do,” I whispered, hand to my head."" You have to know what to do,"" Aluki said."" You're king!"""" That doesn't mean I have all of the answers!"" I said. My mother’s revelation had shocked me, unhinged me. Change. A man can be confident one moment– and then, with one discovery, be shocked to the point that he’s completely uncertain. If my mother was working for what was right, and my father was the one trying to destroy the world... I'd saved him. If everything went wrong, it would be my fault.",Aluki,"Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki",". Too many things didn't make sense; I had to sort through them. As I walked, Aydee Ecks and Aluki ran up to me, she with her backpack full of bears on her shoulder, him holding his flaming spear."" Your Majesty,"" Aluki said urgently."" Lady Aydee just brought us word. The scouts have spotted something outside the city. We're in trouble."""" Giant robotic bats?"" I asked.“Yes.”"" How many?"""" Hundreds, Alcatraz!"" Aydee said."" I started to do the math but Aluki stopped me....”"" Probably for the best,"" I said."" They must have been waiting until the dome broke open to surprise us,"" Aluki said."" Your Majesty, they'll be able to drop thousands of troops through that hole! We have no kind of air force. We'll be destroyed in minutes!""“I...” Aluki and Aydee looked at me, eyes urgent. Needful."" I don't know what to do,” I whispered, hand to my head."" You have to know what to do,"" Aluki said."" You're king!"""" That doesn't mean I have all of the answers!"" I said. My mother’s revelation had shocked me, unhinged me. Change. A man can be confident one moment– and then, with one discovery, be shocked to the point that he’s completely uncertain. If my mother was working for what was right, and my father was the one trying to destroy the world... I'd saved him. If everything went wrong, it would be my fault.:Previous Entities: |Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki| ::: We have no kind of air force. ",Aluki.M “We did.,57934,57953,True,2067:the scientists.?,"the future,” Marsh continued,“we all recognized that she could not be maintained through adolescence. Hormonal changes were already affecting her metabolism. She was certain to die in the next three to four years. It was on that basis that we undertook the procedure to insert the gene into her body.” He paused.“The risks were known.” One of the scientists said,“These risks were discussed with the family?”“Of course. In detail.”“And with the patient?”“Yes. She was a bright girl. She was the one who first proposed the procedure. She read about it on the Internet. She understood that the risks were enormous.”“Did you give the family an estimate of those risks?”“We did. We told them the chances of success were on the order of three percent.”“And they went ahead anyway?”“Yes. The daughter pushed them. She felt that if she was going to die anyway, she might as well take the chance.”“She was a minor…”“Yes,” Marsh said.“But she was also the one with the disease.”“You got signed releases?”“Yes.”“We’ve read those releases. Some of us felt the releases struck an unrealistic positive tone, minimizing risks.”“The releases were prepared by the hospital’s legal department,” Marsh said.“And you will notice the family signed off on a statement that they had been fully informed of the risks. What they were told is also noted in the patient’s charts. We would not",the scientists,"my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists","the future,” Marsh continued,“we all recognized that she could not be maintained through adolescence. Hormonal changes were already affecting her metabolism. She was certain to die in the next three to four years. It was on that basis that we undertook the procedure to insert the gene into her body.” He paused.“The risks were known.” One of the scientists said,“These risks were discussed with the family?”“Of course. In detail.”“And with the patient?”“Yes. She was a bright girl. She was the one who first proposed the procedure. She read about it on the Internet. She understood that the risks were enormous.”“Did you give the family an estimate of those risks?”“We did. We told them the chances of success were on the order of three percent.”“And they went ahead anyway?”“Yes. The daughter pushed them. She felt that if she was going to die anyway, she might as well take the chance.”“She was a minor…”“Yes,” Marsh said.“But she was also the one with the disease.”“You got signed releases?”“Yes.”“We’ve read those releases. Some of us felt the releases struck an unrealistic positive tone, minimizing risks.”“The releases were prepared by the hospital’s legal department,” Marsh said.“And you will notice the family signed off on a statement that they had been fully informed of the risks. What they were told is also noted in the patient’s charts. We would not:Previous Entities: |my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists| ::: “We did. ",One of the scientists.M “He’s got an Invisibility Cloak.,235319,235332,True,2647:father.?,"one foot in front of the other. His body and mind felt oddly disconnected now, his limbs working without conscious instruction, as if he were passenger, not driver, in the body he was about to leave. The dead who walked beside him through the forest were much more real to him now than the living back at the castle: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and all the others were the ones who felt like ghosts as he stumbled and slipped toward the end of his life, toward Voldemort.… A thud and a whisper: Some other living creature had stirred close by. Harry stopped under the Cloak, peering around, listening, and his mother and father, Lupin and Sirius stopped too.“Someone there,” came a rough whisper close at hand.“He’s got an Invisibility Cloak. Could it be—?” Two figures emerged from behind a nearby tree: Their wands flared, and Harry saw Yaxley and Dolohov peering into the darkness, directly at the place Harry, his mother and father and Sirius and Lupin stood. Apparently they could not see anything.“Definitely heard something,” said Yaxley.“Animal, d’you reckon?”“That head case Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here,” said Dolohov, glancing over his shoulder. Yaxley looked down at his watch.“Time’s nearly up. Potter’s had his hour. He’s not coming.”“And he was sure he’d come! He won’t be happy.”“Better go back,” said Yaxley.“Find out what the plan is now.” He and Dolohov turned",father,"Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick","one foot in front of the other. His body and mind felt oddly disconnected now, his limbs working without conscious instruction, as if he were passenger, not driver, in the body he was about to leave. The dead who walked beside him through the forest were much more real to him now than the living back at the castle: Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and all the others were the ones who felt like ghosts as he stumbled and slipped toward the end of his life, toward Voldemort.… A thud and a whisper: Some other living creature had stirred close by. Harry stopped under the Cloak, peering around, listening, and his mother and father, Lupin and Sirius stopped too.“Someone there,” came a rough whisper close at hand.“He’s got an Invisibility Cloak. Could it be—?” Two figures emerged from behind a nearby tree: Their wands flared, and Harry saw Yaxley and Dolohov peering into the darkness, directly at the place Harry, his mother and father and Sirius and Lupin stood. Apparently they could not see anything.“Definitely heard something,” said Yaxley.“Animal, d’you reckon?”“That head case Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here,” said Dolohov, glancing over his shoulder. Yaxley looked down at his watch.“Time’s nearly up. Potter’s had his hour. He’s not coming.”“And he was sure he’d come! He won’t be happy.”“Better go back,” said Yaxley.“Find out what the plan is now.” He and Dolohov turned:Previous Entities: |Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick| ::: “He’s got an Invisibility Cloak. ","Yaxley.M Dolohov.M " "“Oh— right— here you are,",83798,83811,True,333:Madam Hooch.F,"been. She took it in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion. 253 CHAPTER THIRTEEN“Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it’s a slight list to the tail end— you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They’ve updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows— a pity they’ve stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too....” She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said,“Er— Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice....”“Oh— right— here you are, then, Potter,” said Madam Hooch.“I’ll sit over here with Weasley...” She and Ron left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow’s match.“Harry, I’ve just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It’s Cho Chang. She’s a fourth year, and she’s pretty good.... I really hoped she wouldn’t be fit, she’s had some problems with injuries....” Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said,“On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt.” He gave Harry’s broom a look",Madam Hooch,"a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class","been. She took it in her hands before takeoff and gave them the benefit of her professional opinion. 253 CHAPTER THIRTEEN“Look at the balance on it! If the Nimbus series has a fault, it’s a slight list to the tail end— you often find they develop a drag after a few years. They’ve updated the handle too, a bit slimmer than the Cleansweeps, reminds me of the old Silver Arrows— a pity they’ve stopped making them. I learned to fly on one, and a very fine old broom it was too....” She continued in this vein for some time, until Wood said,“Er— Madam Hooch? Is it okay if Harry has the Firebolt back? We need to practice....”“Oh— right— here you are, then, Potter,” said Madam Hooch.“I’ll sit over here with Weasley...” She and Ron left the field to sit in the stadium, and the Gryffindor team gathered around Wood for his final instructions for tomorrow’s match.“Harry, I’ve just found out who Ravenclaw is playing as Seeker. It’s Cho Chang. She’s a fourth year, and she’s pretty good.... I really hoped she wouldn’t be fit, she’s had some problems with injuries....” Wood scowled his displeasure that Cho Chang had made a full recovery, then said,“On the other hand, she rides a Comet Two Sixty, which is going to look like a joke next to the Firebolt.” He gave Harry’s broom a look:Previous Entities: |a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class| ::: “Oh— right— here you are, ",Madam Hooch.F "That was weird,""",69495,69500,True,327:Herb.?,".""Staring at him. A bland expression."" Look away from her face. Look her up and down."" The uniform. Spray bottle clipped to her waist. Knee- length blue skirt. White shoes. Like a nurse. No. Sneakers. No. Thickerrunning shoes. Thick soles. Dark laces. Something about the laces."" She's got... sort of running shoes. Little old lady running shoes."""" Good."""" There's something funny about the laces."""" Can you see what's funny?"""" No. They're dark. Something funny. I... can't tell."""" All right. Open your eyes."" He looked at the five of them. He was back in the room."" That was weird,"" he said."" If there was time,"" Fernandez said,"" I would have a professional hypnotist take you through the entire evening. I've found it can be very useful. But there's no time. Boys? It's five o'clock. You better get started."" The two investigators collected their notes and left."" What are they going to do?"""" If we were litigating this,"" Fernandez said,"" we would have the right to depose potential witnesses- to question individuals within the company who might have knowledge bearing on the case. Under the present circumstances, we have no right to interrogate anybody, because you're entering into private mediation. But if one of the DigiCom assistants chooses to have a drink with a handsome delivery man after work",Herb,"the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb",".""Staring at him. A bland expression."" Look away from her face. Look her up and down."" The uniform. Spray bottle clipped to her waist. Knee- length blue skirt. White shoes. Like a nurse. No. Sneakers. No. Thickerrunning shoes. Thick soles. Dark laces. Something about the laces."" She's got... sort of running shoes. Little old lady running shoes."""" Good."""" There's something funny about the laces."""" Can you see what's funny?"""" No. They're dark. Something funny. I... can't tell."""" All right. Open your eyes."" He looked at the five of them. He was back in the room."" That was weird,"" he said."" If there was time,"" Fernandez said,"" I would have a professional hypnotist take you through the entire evening. I've found it can be very useful. But there's no time. Boys? It's five o'clock. You better get started."" The two investigators collected their notes and left."" What are they going to do?"""" If we were litigating this,"" Fernandez said,"" we would have the right to depose potential witnesses- to question individuals within the company who might have knowledge bearing on the case. Under the present circumstances, we have no right to interrogate anybody, because you're entering into private mediation. But if one of the DigiCom assistants chooses to have a drink with a handsome delivery man after work:Previous Entities: |the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb| ::: That was weird,"" ",Fernandez.M "All visitors are stopped at reception in the downstairs lobby.""",68429,68443,True,1372:the handsome one.?,"neck. Fernandez made Sanders go over his story again, in greater detail. She paused frequently to ask questions, noting down times, names, and specific details. The two lawyers never said anything, although Sanders had the strong impression that the young woman was unsympathetic to him. The two investigators were also silent, except at specific points. After Sanders mentioned Meredith's assistant, Alan, the handsome one, said,"" Her name again?"""" Betsy Ross. Like in the flag."""" She's on the fifth floor?"""" Yes."""" What time does she go home?"""" Last night, she left at six- fifteen."""" I may want to meet her casually. Can I go up to the fifth floor?"""" No. All visitors are stopped at reception in the downstairs lobby."""" What if I'm delivering a package? Would Betsy take delivery of a package?"""" No. Packages go to central receiving."""" Okay. What about flowers? Would they be delivered directly?"""" Yes, I guess so. You mean, like flowers for Meredith?"""" Yes,"" Alan said."" I guess you could deliver those in person."""" Fine,"" Alan said, and made a note. They stopped him a second time when he mentioned the cleaning woman he had seen on leaving Meredith's office."" DigiCom uses a cleaning service?"""" Yes. AMS- American Management Services. They're over on-"""" We know them. On Boyle. What time do the cleaning crews enter the building?""",the handsome one,"Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one","neck. Fernandez made Sanders go over his story again, in greater detail. She paused frequently to ask questions, noting down times, names, and specific details. The two lawyers never said anything, although Sanders had the strong impression that the young woman was unsympathetic to him. The two investigators were also silent, except at specific points. After Sanders mentioned Meredith's assistant, Alan, the handsome one, said,"" Her name again?"""" Betsy Ross. Like in the flag."""" She's on the fifth floor?"""" Yes."""" What time does she go home?"""" Last night, she left at six- fifteen."""" I may want to meet her casually. Can I go up to the fifth floor?"""" No. All visitors are stopped at reception in the downstairs lobby."""" What if I'm delivering a package? Would Betsy take delivery of a package?"""" No. Packages go to central receiving."""" Okay. What about flowers? Would they be delivered directly?"""" Yes, I guess so. You mean, like flowers for Meredith?"""" Yes,"" Alan said."" I guess you could deliver those in person."""" Fine,"" Alan said, and made a note. They stopped him a second time when he mentioned the cleaning woman he had seen on leaving Meredith's office."" DigiCom uses a cleaning service?"""" Yes. AMS- American Management Services. They're over on-"""" We know them. On Boyle. What time do the cleaning crews enter the building?"":Previous Entities: |Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one| ::: All visitors are stopped at reception in the downstairs lobby."" ",Alan.M “What—?”,26238,26242,True,722:Mia.F,", its legs pulling up and melting into its belly, its head sliding down— and pulling Mia’s breast with it— into its neck, which puffed up like the throat of a toad. Its blue eyes turned to tar, then back to blue again. Susannah tried to scream and could not. Tumors swelled along the black thing’s sides, then burst and extruded legs. The red mark which had ridden the heel was still visible, but now had become a blob like the crimson brand on a black widow spider’s belly. For that was what this thing was: a spider. Yet the baby was not entirely gone. A white excrescence rose from the spider’s back. In it Susannah could see a tiny, deformed face and blue sparks that were eyes.“What—?” Mia asked, and started up on her elbows once again. Blood had begun to pour from her breast. The baby drank it like milk, losing not a drop. Beside Mia, Sayre was standing as still as a graven image, his mouth open and his eyes bulging from their sockets. Whatever he’d expected from this birth— whatever he’d been told to expect— it wasn’t this. The Detta part of Susannah took a child’s vicious pleasure in the man’s shocked expression: he looked like the comedian Jack Benny milking a laugh. For a moment only Mia seemed to realize what had happened, for her face began to lengthen with a kind of informed horror— and, perhaps, pain. Then her smile returned, that angelic madonna’s smile. She",Mia,"The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre",", its legs pulling up and melting into its belly, its head sliding down— and pulling Mia’s breast with it— into its neck, which puffed up like the throat of a toad. Its blue eyes turned to tar, then back to blue again. Susannah tried to scream and could not. Tumors swelled along the black thing’s sides, then burst and extruded legs. The red mark which had ridden the heel was still visible, but now had become a blob like the crimson brand on a black widow spider’s belly. For that was what this thing was: a spider. Yet the baby was not entirely gone. A white excrescence rose from the spider’s back. In it Susannah could see a tiny, deformed face and blue sparks that were eyes.“What—?” Mia asked, and started up on her elbows once again. Blood had begun to pour from her breast. The baby drank it like milk, losing not a drop. Beside Mia, Sayre was standing as still as a graven image, his mouth open and his eyes bulging from their sockets. Whatever he’d expected from this birth— whatever he’d been told to expect— it wasn’t this. The Detta part of Susannah took a child’s vicious pleasure in the man’s shocked expression: he looked like the comedian Jack Benny milking a laugh. For a moment only Mia seemed to realize what had happened, for her face began to lengthen with a kind of informed horror— and, perhaps, pain. Then her smile returned, that angelic madonna’s smile. She:Previous Entities: |The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre| ::: “What—?” ",Mia.F didn’t ya?’,10135,10148,True,665:ya.F,", Mr Petty, not good enough at all. Go away and become a better person and then, maybe, when you come back as a changed man, people here might find it in their hearts to say hello to you, or at least to nod.’ She had been watching his eyes, and she knew the man. Something inside him was boiling up. He was ashamed, bewildered and resentful, and in those circumstances the Pettys of the world struck out.‘ Please don’t, Mr Petty,’ she said.‘ Do you have any idea what would happen to you if you hit a witch?’ She thought to herself, With those fists, you could probably kill me with a punch and that is why I intend to keep you scared.‘ You set the rough music on me, didn’t ya?’ She sighed.‘ No one controls the music, Mr Petty, you know that. It just turns up when people have had enough. No one knows where it starts. People look around, and catch one another’s eye, and give each other a little nod, and other people see that. Other people catch their eye and so, very slowly, the music starts and somebody picks up a spoon and bangs it on a plate, and then somebody else bangs a jug on the table and boots start to stamp on the floor, louder and louder. It is the sound of anger, it is the sound of people who have had enough. Do you want to face the music?’‘ You think you’re so clever, don’t ya?’ Petty",ya,"the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya",", Mr Petty, not good enough at all. Go away and become a better person and then, maybe, when you come back as a changed man, people here might find it in their hearts to say hello to you, or at least to nod.’ She had been watching his eyes, and she knew the man. Something inside him was boiling up. He was ashamed, bewildered and resentful, and in those circumstances the Pettys of the world struck out.‘ Please don’t, Mr Petty,’ she said.‘ Do you have any idea what would happen to you if you hit a witch?’ She thought to herself, With those fists, you could probably kill me with a punch and that is why I intend to keep you scared.‘ You set the rough music on me, didn’t ya?’ She sighed.‘ No one controls the music, Mr Petty, you know that. It just turns up when people have had enough. No one knows where it starts. People look around, and catch one another’s eye, and give each other a little nod, and other people see that. Other people catch their eye and so, very slowly, the music starts and somebody picks up a spoon and bangs it on a plate, and then somebody else bangs a jug on the table and boots start to stamp on the floor, louder and louder. It is the sound of anger, it is the sound of people who have had enough. Do you want to face the music?’‘ You think you’re so clever, don’t ya?’ Petty:Previous Entities: |the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya| ::: didn’t ya?’ ",Petty.M "though if any of those who are over age wish to stay and fight,",201597,201649,True,634:Flitwick.?,"to barricade the school, he’s coming now!”“Very well. He- Who- Must- Not- Be- Named is coming,” she told the other teachers. Sprout and Flitwick gasped; Slughorn let out a low groan.“Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore’s orders. We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable while Potter does what he needs to do.”“You realize, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You- Know- Who indefinitely?” squeaked Flitwick.“But we can hold him up,” said Professor Sprout.“Thank you, Pomona,” said Professor McGonagall, and between the two witches there passed a look of grim understanding.“I suggest we establish basic protection around the place, then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, though if any of those who are over age wish to stay and fight, I think they ought to be given the chance.”“Agreed,” said Professor Sprout, already hurrying toward the door.“I shall meet you in the Great Hall in twenty minutes with my House.” And as she jogged out of sight, they could hear her muttering,“Tentacula. Devil’s Snare. And Snargaluff pods… yes, I’d like to see the Death Eaters fighting those.”“I can act from here,” said Flitwick, and although he could barely see out of it, he pointed his wand through the smashed window and started muttering incantations of great complexity. Harry heard a weird rushing noise, as though Flitwick had unleashed the power of the wind into the grounds.“Professor,” Harry said, approaching the little Charms master,“Professor, I’m sorry to interrupt,",Flitwick,"Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick","to barricade the school, he’s coming now!”“Very well. He- Who- Must- Not- Be- Named is coming,” she told the other teachers. Sprout and Flitwick gasped; Slughorn let out a low groan.“Potter has work to do in the castle on Dumbledore’s orders. We need to put in place every protection of which we are capable while Potter does what he needs to do.”“You realize, of course, that nothing we do will be able to keep out You- Know- Who indefinitely?” squeaked Flitwick.“But we can hold him up,” said Professor Sprout.“Thank you, Pomona,” said Professor McGonagall, and between the two witches there passed a look of grim understanding.“I suggest we establish basic protection around the place, then gather our students and meet in the Great Hall. Most must be evacuated, though if any of those who are over age wish to stay and fight, I think they ought to be given the chance.”“Agreed,” said Professor Sprout, already hurrying toward the door.“I shall meet you in the Great Hall in twenty minutes with my House.” And as she jogged out of sight, they could hear her muttering,“Tentacula. Devil’s Snare. And Snargaluff pods… yes, I’d like to see the Death Eaters fighting those.”“I can act from here,” said Flitwick, and although he could barely see out of it, he pointed his wand through the smashed window and started muttering incantations of great complexity. Harry heard a weird rushing noise, as though Flitwick had unleashed the power of the wind into the grounds.“Professor,” Harry said, approaching the little Charms master,“Professor, I’m sorry to interrupt,:Previous Entities: |Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick| ::: though if any of those who are over age wish to stay and fight, ",McGonagall.F This is history!”,32403,32417,True,66:Cole.M,"workers scrub away the paintings outside the farm. Jordan motioned with his head down the opposite corridor.“Let’s go, Del Toro.” A shout stopped them.“Captain Jordan!” Jordan turned as Cole and Bernie Mintel led a small group of people down the hallway. They all wore tattered clothing, and he could smell them from where he stood.“What’s the meaning of this?” Bernie asked. She brushed her long gray hair over her shoulder while Cole rolled back his sleeves, revealing muscular forearms and a clock tattoo.“Sorry, but I’m quite busy, Mr. and Mrs. Mintel,” Jordan replied.“Please check with your representative to learn about the renovations.” He turned away, but Cole called out after him again.“Renovations? You’re taking down our heritage! This is history!” Del Toro struck the end of his baton against his palm, the metal making a loud smack against the leather glove.“Back off, Cole,” said the ensign. Jordan dipped his head politely as if they had just had a pleasant conversation, and continued down the next corridor. He had known that the plan to take down the art wouldn’t be popular, but he was surprised to see the fury in the eyes of Cole and the others. Still, he would not be deterred. Like many of his plans, the current operation was geared toward long- term change, and in the end, people would look back and agree with him. Their resistance was the burden every leader had to endure when making unpopular decisions. They made it to the brig a",Cole,"Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro","workers scrub away the paintings outside the farm. Jordan motioned with his head down the opposite corridor.“Let’s go, Del Toro.” A shout stopped them.“Captain Jordan!” Jordan turned as Cole and Bernie Mintel led a small group of people down the hallway. They all wore tattered clothing, and he could smell them from where he stood.“What’s the meaning of this?” Bernie asked. She brushed her long gray hair over her shoulder while Cole rolled back his sleeves, revealing muscular forearms and a clock tattoo.“Sorry, but I’m quite busy, Mr. and Mrs. Mintel,” Jordan replied.“Please check with your representative to learn about the renovations.” He turned away, but Cole called out after him again.“Renovations? You’re taking down our heritage! This is history!” Del Toro struck the end of his baton against his palm, the metal making a loud smack against the leather glove.“Back off, Cole,” said the ensign. Jordan dipped his head politely as if they had just had a pleasant conversation, and continued down the next corridor. He had known that the plan to take down the art wouldn’t be popular, but he was surprised to see the fury in the eyes of Cole and the others. Still, he would not be deterred. Like many of his plans, the current operation was geared toward long- term change, and in the end, people would look back and agree with him. Their resistance was the burden every leader had to endure when making unpopular decisions. They made it to the brig a:Previous Entities: |Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro| ::: This is history!” ",Cole.M “You don’t have to shout.”,8674,8682,True,492:The technician.?,"Okay, here.” I saw Julia standing at the monitor again, with the technician beside her.“That’s acceptable,” onscreen Julia was saying, pointing to the image.“Not great, but acceptable. Now, show me the STM.”“The what?”“The STM. The electron microscope. Show me the image from that.” The technician looked confused.“Uh... Nobody told us about any electron microscope.”“For God’s sake, read the damn storyboards!” The technician blinked.“It’s on the storyboards?”“Did you look at the storyboards?”“I’m sorry, I guess I must have missed it.”“There’s no time now to be sorry. Fix it!”“You don’t have to shout.”“Yes I do! I have to shout, because I’m surrounded by idiots!” She waved her hands in the air.“I’m about to go online and talk to eleven billion dollars of venture capital in five countries and show them submicroscopic technology, except I don’t have a microscope feed, so they can’t see the technology!” On the bed, Julia said,“I kind of lost it with this guy. It was so frustrating. We had a clock counting down to the satellite time, which was booked and locked. We couldn’t change it. We had to make the time, and this guy was a dimbus. But eventually we got it working. Fast forward.” The screen showed a static card, which read: A",The technician,"Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician","Okay, here.” I saw Julia standing at the monitor again, with the technician beside her.“That’s acceptable,” onscreen Julia was saying, pointing to the image.“Not great, but acceptable. Now, show me the STM.”“The what?”“The STM. The electron microscope. Show me the image from that.” The technician looked confused.“Uh... Nobody told us about any electron microscope.”“For God’s sake, read the damn storyboards!” The technician blinked.“It’s on the storyboards?”“Did you look at the storyboards?”“I’m sorry, I guess I must have missed it.”“There’s no time now to be sorry. Fix it!”“You don’t have to shout.”“Yes I do! I have to shout, because I’m surrounded by idiots!” She waved her hands in the air.“I’m about to go online and talk to eleven billion dollars of venture capital in five countries and show them submicroscopic technology, except I don’t have a microscope feed, so they can’t see the technology!” On the bed, Julia said,“I kind of lost it with this guy. It was so frustrating. We had a clock counting down to the satellite time, which was booked and locked. We couldn’t change it. We had to make the time, and this guy was a dimbus. But eventually we got it working. Fast forward.” The screen showed a static card, which read: A:Previous Entities: |Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician| ::: “You don’t have to shout.” ",The technician.M "Their bodies,",107170,107214,True,779:Feinstein.?,", we should consider a law that would prevent young women from selling their eggs for profit.”“Young girls already doing that, Bob,” Feinstein said.“They sell their eggs now.”“Why, to pay for college?”“Maybe a few. Mostly, they do it to buy a new car for their boyfriend, or plastic surgery for themselves.” Senator Wilson looked puzzled.“How long has that been going on?” he said.“A couple of years now,” Feinstein said.“Maybe in California…”“Everywhere, Bob. A teenager in New Hampshire did it to make bail for her boyfriend.”“And this doesn’t trouble you?”“I don’t like it,” Feinstein said.“I think it’s ill- advised. I think medically the procedure has dangers. I think these girls may be risking their reproductive futures. But what would be the basis for banning it? Their bodies, their eggs.” Feinstein shrugged.“Anyway, the boat’s sailed, Bob. Quite a while ago.” CH064 N ot again! Ellis Levine found his mother on the second floor of the Polo Ralph Lauren store on Madison and Seventy- second. She was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a cream- colored linen suit with a green scarf. She was turning this way and that.“Hello, dear,” she said, when she saw him.“Are you going to make another scene?”“Mom,” he said.“What are you doing?”“Buying a few things for summer, dear.”“We talked about that,” Ellis said.“Just a few things,” his mother said.“For summer. Do",Feinstein,"Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein",", we should consider a law that would prevent young women from selling their eggs for profit.”“Young girls already doing that, Bob,” Feinstein said.“They sell their eggs now.”“Why, to pay for college?”“Maybe a few. Mostly, they do it to buy a new car for their boyfriend, or plastic surgery for themselves.” Senator Wilson looked puzzled.“How long has that been going on?” he said.“A couple of years now,” Feinstein said.“Maybe in California…”“Everywhere, Bob. A teenager in New Hampshire did it to make bail for her boyfriend.”“And this doesn’t trouble you?”“I don’t like it,” Feinstein said.“I think it’s ill- advised. I think medically the procedure has dangers. I think these girls may be risking their reproductive futures. But what would be the basis for banning it? Their bodies, their eggs.” Feinstein shrugged.“Anyway, the boat’s sailed, Bob. Quite a while ago.” CH064 N ot again! Ellis Levine found his mother on the second floor of the Polo Ralph Lauren store on Madison and Seventy- second. She was standing in front of the mirror, wearing a cream- colored linen suit with a green scarf. She was turning this way and that.“Hello, dear,” she said, when she saw him.“Are you going to make another scene?”“Mom,” he said.“What are you doing?”“Buying a few things for summer, dear.”“We talked about that,” Ellis said.“Just a few things,” his mother said.“For summer. Do:Previous Entities: |Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein| ::: Their bodies, ",Feinstein.F I ken well that witches looks after everybody but theirselves.,15930,15970,True,814:the spokesfeegle.M,"of sheep kind of accidentally fell intae the pan when it was cooking and we tried to drag it oot but– well, ye ken what sheep is like– it panicked and fought back.’ At this point the speaker’s obvious relief at being able to cobble some kind of excuse together led him to attempt greater heights of fiction, and he went on:‘ It is my thinking that it must have been suicidal owing to having nothing to do all day but eat grass.’ He looked hopefully at Tiffany to see if this had worked, just as the kelda cut in sharply and said,‘ Wee Honeymouth Jock, just you go in there and say that the big wee hag would like a mutton sandwich, OK?’ She looked up at Tiffany and said,‘ No arguing, girl. Ye look tae me to be all but swaying for want of a decent hot meal. I ken well that witches looks after everybody but theirselves. Run ye along, boys.’ Tiffany could still feel a tension in the air. The kelda’s solemn little gaze stayed fixed on her, and then Jeannie said,‘ Can you remember yesterday?’ It sounded like a silly question, but Jeannie was never silly. It was worth thinking about, although Tiffany yearned for some suicidal sheep and a decent night’s sleep.‘ Yesterday– well, I suppose it’s the day before yesterday now– I was called over to Buckle- Without,’ she said thoughtfully.‘ The blacksmith there had not been careful with his forge, and it had broken open and shot hot coals all down his leg. I treated him and took away the pain, which I put in his anvil. For the doing of this, I was paid twenty- four pounds",the spokesfeegle,"Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle","of sheep kind of accidentally fell intae the pan when it was cooking and we tried to drag it oot but– well, ye ken what sheep is like– it panicked and fought back.’ At this point the speaker’s obvious relief at being able to cobble some kind of excuse together led him to attempt greater heights of fiction, and he went on:‘ It is my thinking that it must have been suicidal owing to having nothing to do all day but eat grass.’ He looked hopefully at Tiffany to see if this had worked, just as the kelda cut in sharply and said,‘ Wee Honeymouth Jock, just you go in there and say that the big wee hag would like a mutton sandwich, OK?’ She looked up at Tiffany and said,‘ No arguing, girl. Ye look tae me to be all but swaying for want of a decent hot meal. I ken well that witches looks after everybody but theirselves. Run ye along, boys.’ Tiffany could still feel a tension in the air. The kelda’s solemn little gaze stayed fixed on her, and then Jeannie said,‘ Can you remember yesterday?’ It sounded like a silly question, but Jeannie was never silly. It was worth thinking about, although Tiffany yearned for some suicidal sheep and a decent night’s sleep.‘ Yesterday– well, I suppose it’s the day before yesterday now– I was called over to Buckle- Without,’ she said thoughtfully.‘ The blacksmith there had not been careful with his forge, and it had broken open and shot hot coals all down his leg. I treated him and took away the pain, which I put in his anvil. For the doing of this, I was paid twenty- four pounds:Previous Entities: |Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle| ::: I ken well that witches looks after everybody but theirselves. ",Tiffany.F That was a sharp estimate.,58641,58665,True,2059:The panel speaker.?,"out a new frequency selection. Glancing at the grid chart on rollers over their heads, he spoke into the microphone:“Calling crawler at Delta Ajax niner. Wormsign warning. Crawler at Delta Ajax niner. Wormsign warning. Acknowledge, please.” He waited. The panel speaker emitted static crackles, then a voice:“Who calls Delta Ajax niner? Over.”“They seem pretty calm about it,” Halleck said. Kynes spoke into the microphone:“Unlisted flight— north and east of you about three kilometers. Wormsign is on intercept course, your position, estimated contact twenty- five minutes.” Another voice rumbled from the speaker:“This is Spotter Control. Sighting confirmed. Stand by for contact fix.” There was a pause, then:“Contact in twenty- six minutes minus. That was a sharp estimate. Who’s on that unlisted flight? Over.” Halleck had his harness off and surged forward between Kynes and the Duke.“Is this the regular working frequency, Kynes?”“Yes. Why?”“Who’d be listening?”“Just the work crews in this area. Cuts down interference.” Again, the speaker crackled, then:“This is Delta Ajax niner. Who gets bonus credit for that spot? Over.” Halleck glanced at the Duke. Kynes said:“There’s a bonus based on spice load for whoever gives first worm warning. They want to know—”“Tell them who had first sight of that worm,” Halleck said. The Duke nodded. Kynes hesitated, then lifted the microphone:“Spotter credit to the Duke Leto Atreides. The Duke Leto Atreides.",The panel speaker,"Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker","out a new frequency selection. Glancing at the grid chart on rollers over their heads, he spoke into the microphone:“Calling crawler at Delta Ajax niner. Wormsign warning. Crawler at Delta Ajax niner. Wormsign warning. Acknowledge, please.” He waited. The panel speaker emitted static crackles, then a voice:“Who calls Delta Ajax niner? Over.”“They seem pretty calm about it,” Halleck said. Kynes spoke into the microphone:“Unlisted flight— north and east of you about three kilometers. Wormsign is on intercept course, your position, estimated contact twenty- five minutes.” Another voice rumbled from the speaker:“This is Spotter Control. Sighting confirmed. Stand by for contact fix.” There was a pause, then:“Contact in twenty- six minutes minus. That was a sharp estimate. Who’s on that unlisted flight? Over.” Halleck had his harness off and surged forward between Kynes and the Duke.“Is this the regular working frequency, Kynes?”“Yes. Why?”“Who’d be listening?”“Just the work crews in this area. Cuts down interference.” Again, the speaker crackled, then:“This is Delta Ajax niner. Who gets bonus credit for that spot? Over.” Halleck glanced at the Duke. Kynes said:“There’s a bonus based on spice load for whoever gives first worm warning. They want to know—”“Tell them who had first sight of that worm,” Halleck said. The Duke nodded. Kynes hesitated, then lifted the microphone:“Spotter credit to the Duke Leto Atreides. The Duke Leto Atreides.:Previous Entities: |Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker| ::: That was a sharp estimate. ","Halleck.M Kynes.M Duke Leto Atreides.M Delta Ajax niner. ? Spotter Control.? " “Good?”,74351,74354,True,473:Holloway.M,"friendly grin and said,“Want to talk, son?” Blaze began to stammer. Yes, he did want to talk. If someone really wanted to listen, and be a little bit friendly, he did. Holloway told the others to get out. Blaze asked if he could go to the bathroom. Holloway pointed across the room to a door Blaze hadn’t even noticed and said,“What are you waiting for?” He was wearing that same friendly grin when he said it. When Blaze came out, there was a pitcher of icewater and an empty glass on the table. Blaze looked at Holloway, and Holloway nodded. Blaze drank three glasses in a row, then sat back with what felt like an icepick planted in the center of his forehead.“Good?” Holloway asked. Blaze nodded.“Yeah. Answering questions is thirsty work. Cigarette?”“Don’t use em.”“Good kid, that’ll never get you in trouble,” Holloway said, and lit one for himself.“Who are you to your pals, son? What do they call you?”“Blaze.”“Okay, Blaze, I’m Frank Holloway.” He stuck out his hand, then winced and clamped the end of his cigarette with his teeth as Blaze wrung it.“Now tell me exactly what you did to wind up here.” Blaze began to pour out his story, beginning with The Law’s arrival at Hetton and Blaze’s problems with Arithmetic. Holloway held up his hand.“Mind if I get",Holloway,"the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway","friendly grin and said,“Want to talk, son?” Blaze began to stammer. Yes, he did want to talk. If someone really wanted to listen, and be a little bit friendly, he did. Holloway told the others to get out. Blaze asked if he could go to the bathroom. Holloway pointed across the room to a door Blaze hadn’t even noticed and said,“What are you waiting for?” He was wearing that same friendly grin when he said it. When Blaze came out, there was a pitcher of icewater and an empty glass on the table. Blaze looked at Holloway, and Holloway nodded. Blaze drank three glasses in a row, then sat back with what felt like an icepick planted in the center of his forehead.“Good?” Holloway asked. Blaze nodded.“Yeah. Answering questions is thirsty work. Cigarette?”“Don’t use em.”“Good kid, that’ll never get you in trouble,” Holloway said, and lit one for himself.“Who are you to your pals, son? What do they call you?”“Blaze.”“Okay, Blaze, I’m Frank Holloway.” He stuck out his hand, then winced and clamped the end of his cigarette with his teeth as Blaze wrung it.“Now tell me exactly what you did to wind up here.” Blaze began to pour out his story, beginning with The Law’s arrival at Hetton and Blaze’s problems with Arithmetic. Holloway held up his hand.“Mind if I get:Previous Entities: |the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway| ::: “Good?” ",Holloway.M It doesn't cut any ice with me.,43778,43819,True,255:geddin.?,"wha'. Shome kinna shoun grenay. Buh I dell you shomeshin. Budlah ish dead. I shod him in de head. No way he'sh geddin uh affer da.'' Oh, shut up!' snapped Spiro.' You're giving me a headache. The sooner you get those new teeth, the better.'' My gumsh wi be healed suffishendly by hish afernoo.'' I thought I told you to shut up!'' Shorry, bosh.'' You've put me in a very difficult situation, Arno. Because of your incompetence I had to hire a team from the Antonellis. Carla is a smart girl; she could decide that they deserve a percentage. It would cost me billions.' Arno tried his best to look remorseful.' And don't bother with the puppy dog look, Blunt. It doesn't cut any ice with me. If this deal goes south, you'll be losing a lot more than a couple of teeth.' Arno decided to change the subject.' Sho, di' your shiendishds geh de Cube worging?'' No,' said Spiro, twisting his gold identity bracelet.' Fowl has it sealed up tight. An Eternity Code, or some such thing. That idiot, Pearson, couldn't get a peep out of it.' It was at that moment, dramatically, that a voice emanated from the C Cube's micro- speaker mesh.' Mister Spiro?' said the voice.' This is Ireland calling. Do you read, Mister Spiro?' Jon Spiro was not a man who spooked easily. He hadn't seen a horror movie yet that could make him jump in his seat, but the voice coming out of that speaker almost knocked him off his",geddin,"the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin","wha'. Shome kinna shoun grenay. Buh I dell you shomeshin. Budlah ish dead. I shod him in de head. No way he'sh geddin uh affer da.'' Oh, shut up!' snapped Spiro.' You're giving me a headache. The sooner you get those new teeth, the better.'' My gumsh wi be healed suffishendly by hish afernoo.'' I thought I told you to shut up!'' Shorry, bosh.'' You've put me in a very difficult situation, Arno. Because of your incompetence I had to hire a team from the Antonellis. Carla is a smart girl; she could decide that they deserve a percentage. It would cost me billions.' Arno tried his best to look remorseful.' And don't bother with the puppy dog look, Blunt. It doesn't cut any ice with me. If this deal goes south, you'll be losing a lot more than a couple of teeth.' Arno decided to change the subject.' Sho, di' your shiendishds geh de Cube worging?'' No,' said Spiro, twisting his gold identity bracelet.' Fowl has it sealed up tight. An Eternity Code, or some such thing. That idiot, Pearson, couldn't get a peep out of it.' It was at that moment, dramatically, that a voice emanated from the C Cube's micro- speaker mesh.' Mister Spiro?' said the voice.' This is Ireland calling. Do you read, Mister Spiro?' Jon Spiro was not a man who spooked easily. He hadn't seen a horror movie yet that could make him jump in his seat, but the voice coming out of that speaker almost knocked him off his:Previous Entities: |the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin| ::: It doesn't cut any ice with me. ",Spiro. "you see,",89997,90013,True,1422:The dragon.?,"You don’t need to eat people, surely? I think that’s the only problem from people’s point of view, you see,” he added, his voice speeding up to a gabble.“The treasure and everything, that doesn’t have to be a problem, but if it’s just a matter of, well, protein, then perhaps it has occurred to a powerful intellect such as your own that something less controversial, like a cow, might—” The dragon breathed a horizontal streak of fire that calcined the opposite wall. Need? Need? it roared, when the sound had died away. You talk to me of need? Isn’t it the tradition that the finest flower of womanhood should be sent to the dragon to ensure peace and prosperity?“But, you see, we have always been moderately peaceful and reasonably prosperous—” DO YOU WANT THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS TO CONTINUE? The force of the thought drove Wonse to his knees.“Of course,” he managed. The dragon stretched its claws luxuriantly. Then the need is not mine, it is yours, it thought. Now get out of my sight. Wonse sagged as it left his mind. The dragon slithered over the cut- price hoard, leapt up onto the ledge of one of the hall’s big windows, and smashed the stained glass with its head. The multicolored image of a city father cascaded into the other debris below. The long neck stretched out into the early evening air, and turned like a seeking needle. Lights were coming on across the city. The sound of a million people being alive made a muted,",The dragon,"the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant","You don’t need to eat people, surely? I think that’s the only problem from people’s point of view, you see,” he added, his voice speeding up to a gabble.“The treasure and everything, that doesn’t have to be a problem, but if it’s just a matter of, well, protein, then perhaps it has occurred to a powerful intellect such as your own that something less controversial, like a cow, might—” The dragon breathed a horizontal streak of fire that calcined the opposite wall. Need? Need? it roared, when the sound had died away. You talk to me of need? Isn’t it the tradition that the finest flower of womanhood should be sent to the dragon to ensure peace and prosperity?“But, you see, we have always been moderately peaceful and reasonably prosperous—” DO YOU WANT THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS TO CONTINUE? The force of the thought drove Wonse to his knees.“Of course,” he managed. The dragon stretched its claws luxuriantly. Then the need is not mine, it is yours, it thought. Now get out of my sight. Wonse sagged as it left his mind. The dragon slithered over the cut- price hoard, leapt up onto the ledge of one of the hall’s big windows, and smashed the stained glass with its head. The multicolored image of a city father cascaded into the other debris below. The long neck stretched out into the early evening air, and turned like a seeking needle. Lights were coming on across the city. The sound of a million people being alive made a muted,:Previous Entities: |the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant| ::: you see, ",The intellectual.M “Greetings!”,41391,41394,True,152:Rolf.M,"She heard frightened yelps from the cubs now.“What is it?”“Auntie!” they screeched. Svenka, off seal hunting, was nowhere around. Siv immediately flew to the nearby point where they had been frolicking in the water. A strange creature was crawling from the sea. She blinked. She could not believe her eyes. It was a wolf! But even wet she had never seen one this enormous. A dire wolf, she thought. There was only one place such wolves were known to inhabit— the Beyond. Grank had told her about them. Siv was immediately alert. There was something frightening about this wolf, but she did not want to betray her fear to the cubs. So she drew herself up tall and fluffed out her feathers.“Greetings!” she said with great dignity. The wolf grunted something.“How come you only have one eye?” Rolf asked.“Rolf, that is very rude,” Anka said.“You shouldn’t say things like that. Should he, Auntie?”“You want to know, little one, why I only have one eye?” Rolf hesitated.“Uh… yes.” He stole a look at Siv. Siv’s gizzard was roiling. This wolf was setting off all sorts of alarms.“It’s because a very evil wolf bit it out.”“Who was the evil wolf?” Rolf asked.“Fengo.” Fengo! The name shrieked in Siv’s brain. Fengo wasn’t evil. Fengo was Grank’s best friend.",Rolf,"The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls","She heard frightened yelps from the cubs now.“What is it?”“Auntie!” they screeched. Svenka, off seal hunting, was nowhere around. Siv immediately flew to the nearby point where they had been frolicking in the water. A strange creature was crawling from the sea. She blinked. She could not believe her eyes. It was a wolf! But even wet she had never seen one this enormous. A dire wolf, she thought. There was only one place such wolves were known to inhabit— the Beyond. Grank had told her about them. Siv was immediately alert. There was something frightening about this wolf, but she did not want to betray her fear to the cubs. So she drew herself up tall and fluffed out her feathers.“Greetings!” she said with great dignity. The wolf grunted something.“How come you only have one eye?” Rolf asked.“Rolf, that is very rude,” Anka said.“You shouldn’t say things like that. Should he, Auntie?”“You want to know, little one, why I only have one eye?” Rolf hesitated.“Uh… yes.” He stole a look at Siv. Siv’s gizzard was roiling. This wolf was setting off all sorts of alarms.“It’s because a very evil wolf bit it out.”“Who was the evil wolf?” Rolf asked.“Fengo.” Fengo! The name shrieked in Siv’s brain. Fengo wasn’t evil. Fengo was Grank’s best friend.:Previous Entities: |The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls| ::: “Greetings!” ",Siv.F “But… but… what about me?”,25180,25189,True,169:The dignified Snowy.?,"all.”“Precisely.” Soren’s heart and gizzard began to sink somewhere toward his talons.“I mean, how good are you at low- level flight, threading your way through tall grass? You know those Pygmies are noisy when they fly, but you can not beat them for low- level precision surveillance.”“Yes, yes, I suppose that’s true, but…” Soren’s voice trailed off. Barran blinked, then her eyes softened and the yellow light streaming from them was like the delicate pale light of the sun in the earliest morning, in that small fraction of a second when it first slips above the horizon.“I’ll tell you what, my dear. How about we get Gylfie to fly Primrose’s position?”“But… but… what about me?”“Hush, Soren, hear me out. Elf Owls are as good as Pygmies at this low- level stuff, and I propose that you fly left ear. Eglantine had been covering that spot.”“You mean, I can go?” Try not to be too emotional. Try not to cry. Oh, Glaux! Don’t cry in front of her! But if he could get Eglantine back, even shattered, he swore to himself he would put her back together, piece by piece. Piece by piece? Soren wondered why these words reminded him of something. Something very dim and shadowy. Piece by piece. The words nagged at the edges of his mind, prickling his gizzard. Well, no time for wondering now. Time for action. Fifteen",The dignified Snowy,"Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy","all.”“Precisely.” Soren’s heart and gizzard began to sink somewhere toward his talons.“I mean, how good are you at low- level flight, threading your way through tall grass? You know those Pygmies are noisy when they fly, but you can not beat them for low- level precision surveillance.”“Yes, yes, I suppose that’s true, but…” Soren’s voice trailed off. Barran blinked, then her eyes softened and the yellow light streaming from them was like the delicate pale light of the sun in the earliest morning, in that small fraction of a second when it first slips above the horizon.“I’ll tell you what, my dear. How about we get Gylfie to fly Primrose’s position?”“But… but… what about me?”“Hush, Soren, hear me out. Elf Owls are as good as Pygmies at this low- level stuff, and I propose that you fly left ear. Eglantine had been covering that spot.”“You mean, I can go?” Try not to be too emotional. Try not to cry. Oh, Glaux! Don’t cry in front of her! But if he could get Eglantine back, even shattered, he swore to himself he would put her back together, piece by piece. Piece by piece? Soren wondered why these words reminded him of something. Something very dim and shadowy. Piece by piece. The words nagged at the edges of his mind, prickling his gizzard. Well, no time for wondering now. Time for action. Fifteen:Previous Entities: |Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy| ::: “But… but… what about me?” ",Soren.M I suppose-”,53378,53402,True,399:Brant.?,"like, six- seven. Maybe even six- eight.” Sterling prepared to ask a final question. He had saved it for last because he was almost sure it would lead to a dead end.“Mrs. Moldow, how did this man pay for his purchases?”“Cash,” she said promptly.“I see.” He looked at Granger. It was the answer they had expected.“You should have seen all the cash he had in his wallet!”“Spent most of it,” Brant said.“He tipped me five, but by then the cupboard was mostly, like, bare.” Sterling ignored this.“And since it was a cash purchase, you don’t have any record of the man’s name.”” No. No record. Hager’s will get around to putting in security cameras in a few years, I suppose-”“Centuries,” said Brant.“This place is, like, cheap to the max.”” Well, then,” Sterling said, flipping his notebook closed,“we’ll be going. But I want to give you my card in case you think of anyth-”“I do happen to know his name,” Nancy Moldow said. They both turned back to her.“When he opened his wallet to take out that big stack of money, I saw his driver’s license. I remember the name partly because that kind of sale is a once- in- a- lifetime thing, but mostly because it was such a a stately name. It didn’t seem to fit him. I remember thinking that a man like him should be named",Brant,"Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant","like, six- seven. Maybe even six- eight.” Sterling prepared to ask a final question. He had saved it for last because he was almost sure it would lead to a dead end.“Mrs. Moldow, how did this man pay for his purchases?”“Cash,” she said promptly.“I see.” He looked at Granger. It was the answer they had expected.“You should have seen all the cash he had in his wallet!”“Spent most of it,” Brant said.“He tipped me five, but by then the cupboard was mostly, like, bare.” Sterling ignored this.“And since it was a cash purchase, you don’t have any record of the man’s name.”” No. No record. Hager’s will get around to putting in security cameras in a few years, I suppose-”“Centuries,” said Brant.“This place is, like, cheap to the max.”” Well, then,” Sterling said, flipping his notebook closed,“we’ll be going. But I want to give you my card in case you think of anyth-”“I do happen to know his name,” Nancy Moldow said. They both turned back to her.“When he opened his wallet to take out that big stack of money, I saw his driver’s license. I remember the name partly because that kind of sale is a once- in- a- lifetime thing, but mostly because it was such a a stately name. It didn’t seem to fit him. I remember thinking that a man like him should be named:Previous Entities: |Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant| ::: I suppose-” ",Nancy Moldow. leave.,1671,1701,True,308:The older one.?,"it. They were now driving him down toward a lake and steering him to a sycamore tree. As they lighted down on a branch of the tree, the third and oldest of the three Great Grays stepped forward.“Look, young’un, how do we know you ain’t a slipgizzle for them Pure Ones?”“A slipgizzle?” Nyroc had no idea what a slipgizzle was.“A spy,” the owl explained.“I can’t stand the Pure Ones, I tell you. I can’t stand them.”“Why should we trust you?” the owl called Silvertip demanded.“Why should we take your word?” the smallest of the Great Grays said. He was still much bigger than Nyroc. The older one spoke again.“Perhaps, young’un, you’ll prove yourself someday. But until that day, we suggest you leave. Yes, leave, or if you want…”“He’s got to leave Ambala, now, Tup.”“Ambala? I’m in Ambala?”“Yes,” the one called Tup said.“We are a peaceable place. We have suffered a lot through the years, first from the owls of St. Aggie’s when they stole the eggs from our very nests, and then from the Pure Ones. But since the last great battle when the Guardians of Ga’Hoole defeated them, we have had peace. We don’t want any more trouble.”“I promise I won’t be any trouble.”“Promises aren’t enough, young’un,” Tup said. There was a tinge of sympathy in his voice. He looked to his companions.“But seeing as it’s getting on to breaklight",The older one,"the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one","it. They were now driving him down toward a lake and steering him to a sycamore tree. As they lighted down on a branch of the tree, the third and oldest of the three Great Grays stepped forward.“Look, young’un, how do we know you ain’t a slipgizzle for them Pure Ones?”“A slipgizzle?” Nyroc had no idea what a slipgizzle was.“A spy,” the owl explained.“I can’t stand the Pure Ones, I tell you. I can’t stand them.”“Why should we trust you?” the owl called Silvertip demanded.“Why should we take your word?” the smallest of the Great Grays said. He was still much bigger than Nyroc. The older one spoke again.“Perhaps, young’un, you’ll prove yourself someday. But until that day, we suggest you leave. Yes, leave, or if you want…”“He’s got to leave Ambala, now, Tup.”“Ambala? I’m in Ambala?”“Yes,” the one called Tup said.“We are a peaceable place. We have suffered a lot through the years, first from the owls of St. Aggie’s when they stole the eggs from our very nests, and then from the Pure Ones. But since the last great battle when the Guardians of Ga’Hoole defeated them, we have had peace. We don’t want any more trouble.”“I promise I won’t be any trouble.”“Promises aren’t enough, young’un,” Tup said. There was a tinge of sympathy in his voice. He looked to his companions.“But seeing as it’s getting on to breaklight:Previous Entities: |the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one| ::: leave. ",Tup.M ' If there's anything I can do...?',15060,15072,True,181:Barre.?,", but they were interrupted by an earthquake. And if that's what really happened, I'll eat my badge. I don't suppose you can throw any light on the situation?'' A competitor of mine disagreed with a business strategy. It was a violent disagreement.'' Who pulled the trigger?'' Arno Blunt. A New Zealander. Bleached hair, rings in his ears, tattoos on his body and neck. Most of his teeth are missing.' Barre took a note.' I'll circulate the description to the airports. You never know, we might catch him.' Artemis rubbed his eyes.' Butler saved my life. The bullet was meant for me.'' That's Butler all right,' said Barre, nodding.' If there's anything I can do...?'' You'll be the first to know,' said Artemis.' Did your officers find anyone on the scene?' Barre consulted his notebook.' Some customers and staff. They all checked out, so we let them go. The thieves escaped before we arrived.'' No matter. Better I deal with the culprits myself.' Barre made a concerted effort to ignore the activity in the kitchen behind him.' Artemis, can you guarantee this is not going to come back to haunt me? Technically, we're looking at a homicide.' Artemis looked Barre in the eye, which was quite an effort.' Detective Inspector, no body, no case. And I guarantee that by tomorrow Butler will be alive and kicking. I shall instruct him to",Barre,"the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane",", but they were interrupted by an earthquake. And if that's what really happened, I'll eat my badge. I don't suppose you can throw any light on the situation?'' A competitor of mine disagreed with a business strategy. It was a violent disagreement.'' Who pulled the trigger?'' Arno Blunt. A New Zealander. Bleached hair, rings in his ears, tattoos on his body and neck. Most of his teeth are missing.' Barre took a note.' I'll circulate the description to the airports. You never know, we might catch him.' Artemis rubbed his eyes.' Butler saved my life. The bullet was meant for me.'' That's Butler all right,' said Barre, nodding.' If there's anything I can do...?'' You'll be the first to know,' said Artemis.' Did your officers find anyone on the scene?' Barre consulted his notebook.' Some customers and staff. They all checked out, so we let them go. The thieves escaped before we arrived.'' No matter. Better I deal with the culprits myself.' Barre made a concerted effort to ignore the activity in the kitchen behind him.' Artemis, can you guarantee this is not going to come back to haunt me? Technically, we're looking at a homicide.' Artemis looked Barre in the eye, which was quite an effort.' Detective Inspector, no body, no case. And I guarantee that by tomorrow Butler will be alive and kicking. I shall instruct him to:Previous Entities: |the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane| ::: ' If there's anything I can do...?' ",Barre.M not a blemish.,39677,39720,True,1727:A couple.F,"didn’t look happy.“Wait here, please.” From the entryway, we could see into the living room. It was crowded with party- goers, who at a quick glance seemed to be many of the same people who had been at the Nakamoto reception. As in the restaurant, almost everyone was wearing black. But the room itself caught my attention: it was stark white, entirely unadorned. No pictures on the wall. No furniture. Just bare white walls and a bare carpet. The guests looked uncomfortable. They were holding cocktail napkins and drinks, looking around for someplace to put them. A couple passed us on their way to the dining room.“Rod always knows what to do,” she said.“Yes,” he said.“So elegantly minimalist. The detail in executing that room. I don’t know how he ever got that. paint Jo b. It’s absolutely perfect. Not a brush stroke, not a blemish. A perfect surface.”“Well, it has to be,” she said.“It’s integral to his whole conception.”“It’s really quite daring,” the man said.“Daring?” I said.“What are they talking about? It’s just an empty room.” Connor smiled.“I call it faux zen. Style without substance.” I scanned the crowd.“Senator Morton’s here.” He was standing in the corner, holding forth. Looking very much like a presidential candidate.“So he is.” The guard hadn’t returned, so we stepped a few feet into the room. As I approached Senator Morton, I heard him say,“Yes, I can tell you exactly why I’m disturbed about the extent of",A couple,"the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple","didn’t look happy.“Wait here, please.” From the entryway, we could see into the living room. It was crowded with party- goers, who at a quick glance seemed to be many of the same people who had been at the Nakamoto reception. As in the restaurant, almost everyone was wearing black. But the room itself caught my attention: it was stark white, entirely unadorned. No pictures on the wall. No furniture. Just bare white walls and a bare carpet. The guests looked uncomfortable. They were holding cocktail napkins and drinks, looking around for someplace to put them. A couple passed us on their way to the dining room.“Rod always knows what to do,” she said.“Yes,” he said.“So elegantly minimalist. The detail in executing that room. I don’t know how he ever got that. paint Jo b. It’s absolutely perfect. Not a brush stroke, not a blemish. A perfect surface.”“Well, it has to be,” she said.“It’s integral to his whole conception.”“It’s really quite daring,” the man said.“Daring?” I said.“What are they talking about? It’s just an empty room.” Connor smiled.“I call it faux zen. Style without substance.” I scanned the crowd.“Senator Morton’s here.” He was standing in the corner, holding forth. Looking very much like a presidential candidate.“So he is.” The guard hadn’t returned, so we stepped a few feet into the room. As I approached Senator Morton, I heard him say,“Yes, I can tell you exactly why I’m disturbed about the extent of:Previous Entities: |the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple| ::: not a blemish. ","Rod.M Connor.M Senator Morton.M " "The Emptiness""",12998,13001,True,239:Fremen.?,"windtrap collectors behind him on the highest point of rock. The green flag of the Atreides flew openly there. Water and green. The new symbols of Arrakis: water and green. A diamond- shaped oasis of planted dunes spread beneath his high perch, focusing his attention into sharp Fremen awareness. The bell call of a nightbird came from the cliff below him, and it amplified the sensation that he lived this moment out of a wild past. Nous avons change tout cela, he thought, falling easily into one of the ancient tongues which he and Ghanima employed in private."" We have altered all of that."" He sighed. Oublier je ne puis."" I can not forget."" Beyond the oasis, he could see in this failing light the land Fremen called"" The Emptiness""-- the land where nothing grows, the land never fertile. Water and the great ecological plan were changing that. There were places now on Arrakis where one could see the plush green velvet of forested hills. Forests on Arrakis! Some in the new generation found it difficult to imagine dunes beneath those undulant green hills. To such young eyes there was no shock value in seeing the flat foliage of rain trees. But Leto found himself thinking now in the Old Fremen manner, wary of change, fearful in the presence of the new. He said:"" The children tell me they seldom find sandtrout here near the surface anymore."""" What's that supposed to indicate?"" Ghanima asked. There was petulance in her tone."" Things are beginning to change very swiftly,",Fremen,"the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen","windtrap collectors behind him on the highest point of rock. The green flag of the Atreides flew openly there. Water and green. The new symbols of Arrakis: water and green. A diamond- shaped oasis of planted dunes spread beneath his high perch, focusing his attention into sharp Fremen awareness. The bell call of a nightbird came from the cliff below him, and it amplified the sensation that he lived this moment out of a wild past. Nous avons change tout cela, he thought, falling easily into one of the ancient tongues which he and Ghanima employed in private."" We have altered all of that."" He sighed. Oublier je ne puis."" I can not forget."" Beyond the oasis, he could see in this failing light the land Fremen called"" The Emptiness""-- the land where nothing grows, the land never fertile. Water and the great ecological plan were changing that. There were places now on Arrakis where one could see the plush green velvet of forested hills. Forests on Arrakis! Some in the new generation found it difficult to imagine dunes beneath those undulant green hills. To such young eyes there was no shock value in seeing the flat foliage of rain trees. But Leto found himself thinking now in the Old Fremen manner, wary of change, fearful in the presence of the new. He said:"" The children tell me they seldom find sandtrout here near the surface anymore."""" What's that supposed to indicate?"" Ghanima asked. There was petulance in her tone."" Things are beginning to change very swiftly,:Previous Entities: |the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen| ::: The Emptiness"" ",Leto.M Not at all!,120442,120477,True,517:Rhea Silvia.?,"started to protest. Her expression stopped him. She was terrified but doing her best to hide it— for his sake. If he tried to argue, he would only make things harder for her. Or worse, he might convince her to stay. Then she would have to live with the knowledge that she’d backed down from her biggest challenge… assuming that they survived at all, with Rome about to get leveled and Gaea about to rise and destroy the world. The Athena statue held the key to defeating the giants. Percy didn’t know why or how, but Annabeth was the only one who could find it.“You’re right,” he said, forcing out the words.“Be safe.” Rhea Silvia giggled like it was a ridiculous comment.“Safe? Not at all! But necessary. Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you’re on your own.” Annabeth kissed Percy. She hesitated, like she was wondering what else to say. Then she shouldered her backpack and climbed on the back of the scooter. Percy hated it. He would’ve preferred to fight any monster in the world. He would’ve preferred a rematch with Chrysaor. But he forced himself to stay in his chair and watch as Annabeth motored off through the streets of Rome with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Annabeth figured it could’ve been worse. If she had to go on a horrifying solo quest, at least she’d gotten to have lunch with Percy on the banks of the Tiber first. Now she got to take a scooter ride with Gregory Peck. She only knew about that old movie because of her dad. Over the past few years, since",Rhea Silvia,"Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia","started to protest. Her expression stopped him. She was terrified but doing her best to hide it— for his sake. If he tried to argue, he would only make things harder for her. Or worse, he might convince her to stay. Then she would have to live with the knowledge that she’d backed down from her biggest challenge… assuming that they survived at all, with Rome about to get leveled and Gaea about to rise and destroy the world. The Athena statue held the key to defeating the giants. Percy didn’t know why or how, but Annabeth was the only one who could find it.“You’re right,” he said, forcing out the words.“Be safe.” Rhea Silvia giggled like it was a ridiculous comment.“Safe? Not at all! But necessary. Come, Annabeth, my dear. We will show you where your path starts. After that, you’re on your own.” Annabeth kissed Percy. She hesitated, like she was wondering what else to say. Then she shouldered her backpack and climbed on the back of the scooter. Percy hated it. He would’ve preferred to fight any monster in the world. He would’ve preferred a rematch with Chrysaor. But he forced himself to stay in his chair and watch as Annabeth motored off through the streets of Rome with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Annabeth figured it could’ve been worse. If she had to go on a horrifying solo quest, at least she’d gotten to have lunch with Percy on the banks of the Tiber first. Now she got to take a scooter ride with Gregory Peck. She only knew about that old movie because of her dad. Over the past few years, since:Previous Entities: |Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia| ::: Not at all! ",Rhea Silvia.F ’ knees!,65372,65389,True,1856:the customers.?,"the bar and said:‘ And I’ll ha’ that wee drop o’ whisky before I go, barman. Ach, no you willnae, Big Yan! Shame on ye! Hey, youse legs can shut up right noo! A wee pint of whisky’ll do us no harm! Oh, aye? Who deid and made ye Big Man, eh? Listen, ye scunner, oor Rob is in there! Aye, and he’d have a wee drink, too!’ The customers stopped pushing one another out of the way to get at the coins, and got up to face a whole body arguing with itself.‘ Anywa’, I’m in the heid, right? The heid’s in charge. I dinnae ha’ tae listen to a bunch o’ knees! I said this wuz a bad idea, Wullie, ye ken we ha’ trouble getting oot of pubs! Well, speaking on behalf o’ the legs, we’re not gonna stand by and watch the heid get pished, thank ye so veerae much!’ To the horror of the customers the entire bottom half of the figure turned round and started to walk towards the door, causing the top half to fall forward. It gripped the edge of the bar desperately, managed to say,‘ OK! Is a deep- fried pickled egg totally oot o’ the question?’ and then the figure—– tore itself in half. The legs staggered a few steps towards the door, and fell over. In the shocked silence a voice from somewhere in the trousers said:‘ Crivens! Time for offski!’ The air blurred for a",the customers,"Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher","the bar and said:‘ And I’ll ha’ that wee drop o’ whisky before I go, barman. Ach, no you willnae, Big Yan! Shame on ye! Hey, youse legs can shut up right noo! A wee pint of whisky’ll do us no harm! Oh, aye? Who deid and made ye Big Man, eh? Listen, ye scunner, oor Rob is in there! Aye, and he’d have a wee drink, too!’ The customers stopped pushing one another out of the way to get at the coins, and got up to face a whole body arguing with itself.‘ Anywa’, I’m in the heid, right? The heid’s in charge. I dinnae ha’ tae listen to a bunch o’ knees! I said this wuz a bad idea, Wullie, ye ken we ha’ trouble getting oot of pubs! Well, speaking on behalf o’ the legs, we’re not gonna stand by and watch the heid get pished, thank ye so veerae much!’ To the horror of the customers the entire bottom half of the figure turned round and started to walk towards the door, causing the top half to fall forward. It gripped the edge of the bar desperately, managed to say,‘ OK! Is a deep- fried pickled egg totally oot o’ the question?’ and then the figure—– tore itself in half. The legs staggered a few steps towards the door, and fell over. In the shocked silence a voice from somewhere in the trousers said:‘ Crivens! Time for offski!’ The air blurred for a:Previous Entities: |Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher| ::: ’ knees! ",Madam Hooch.F "' I have some e- forms for you to initial,'",37967,37979,True,1405:the lieutenant.M,"And make a home beneath the ground. Centaurs were known for their intellect, not their poetry. Still, Foaly felt the words were as relevant today as they had been all those centuries ago. Cudgeon knocked on the booth's security glass. Now, technically, Cudgeon shouldn't be allowed in Ops, but Foaly buzzed him through. He could never resist having a crack at the ex- commander. Cudgeon had been demoted to lieutenant following a disastrous attempt to replace Root as Recon head honcho. If it hadn't been for his family's considerable political clout, he would have been booted off the force altogether. All in all, he might have been better off in some other line of work. At least he wouldn't have had to suffer Foaly's constant teasing.' I have some e- forms for you to initial,' said the lieutenant, avoiding eye- contact.' No problem, Commander,' chuckled the centaur.' How's the plotting going? Any revolutions planned for this afternoon?'' Just sign the forms please,' said Cudgeon holding out a digi- pen. His hand was shaking. Amazing, thought Foaly. This broken- down shell of an elf was once on the LEP fast track.' No, but seriously, Cudgeon. You're doing a bang- up job on the form- signing thing.' Cudgeon's eyes narrowed in suspicion.' Thank you, sir.' A grin tugged at the corner of Foaly's mouth.' You're welcome. No need to get a swelled head.' Cudgeon's hand flew to his misshapen forehead.",the lieutenant,"Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle","And make a home beneath the ground. Centaurs were known for their intellect, not their poetry. Still, Foaly felt the words were as relevant today as they had been all those centuries ago. Cudgeon knocked on the booth's security glass. Now, technically, Cudgeon shouldn't be allowed in Ops, but Foaly buzzed him through. He could never resist having a crack at the ex- commander. Cudgeon had been demoted to lieutenant following a disastrous attempt to replace Root as Recon head honcho. If it hadn't been for his family's considerable political clout, he would have been booted off the force altogether. All in all, he might have been better off in some other line of work. At least he wouldn't have had to suffer Foaly's constant teasing.' I have some e- forms for you to initial,' said the lieutenant, avoiding eye- contact.' No problem, Commander,' chuckled the centaur.' How's the plotting going? Any revolutions planned for this afternoon?'' Just sign the forms please,' said Cudgeon holding out a digi- pen. His hand was shaking. Amazing, thought Foaly. This broken- down shell of an elf was once on the LEP fast track.' No, but seriously, Cudgeon. You're doing a bang- up job on the form- signing thing.' Cudgeon's eyes narrowed in suspicion.' Thank you, sir.' A grin tugged at the corner of Foaly's mouth.' You're welcome. No need to get a swelled head.' Cudgeon's hand flew to his misshapen forehead.:Previous Entities: |Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle| ::: ' I have some e- forms for you to initial,' ",Cudgeon.M "“Phawish prak nraggg grash m’whocki,”",9834,9841,True,525:the polar bear.M,"from his sister and out of the reach of the bear. Eglantine turned to Soren and in a patronizing voice said,“He says he doesn’t eat babies.”“Oh, so all of a sudden you speak Krakish, do you?” Soren challenged his sister and took a small step forward.“Few words speak sister… me speak little bit Hoole.” The polar bear raised his other huge paw, which had been underwater and, with the longest, deadliest claws Soren had ever seen, tried to indicate the“little bit” of Hoole he spoke by holding together his pinky claw with his first claw. It was a gizzard- freezing sight. Meanwhile, Eglantine pressed on, and Soren listened to one of the oddest conversations he had ever heard.“Phawish prak nraggg grash m’whocki,” said the polar bear.“You don’t say?” said Eglantine. Does she really understand all this or is she just pretending? I bet she’s pretending, Soren thought.“What’s he saying, Eglantine?”“Uh, it’s something about lemmings and…”“And mice and all things owl eats,” rumbled the polar bear.“Huh?” said Soren. He blinked in amazement. Eglantine had understood some of this.“Ja! Ja! Ja!” The polar bear was nodding his head and saying yes in Krakish. To do this he dropped his jaws wide open. His mouth was as big as a tree hollow. Four owls could have easily fit in it.“I no tell owl what to eat. Rodents",the polar bear,"mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear","from his sister and out of the reach of the bear. Eglantine turned to Soren and in a patronizing voice said,“He says he doesn’t eat babies.”“Oh, so all of a sudden you speak Krakish, do you?” Soren challenged his sister and took a small step forward.“Few words speak sister… me speak little bit Hoole.” The polar bear raised his other huge paw, which had been underwater and, with the longest, deadliest claws Soren had ever seen, tried to indicate the“little bit” of Hoole he spoke by holding together his pinky claw with his first claw. It was a gizzard- freezing sight. Meanwhile, Eglantine pressed on, and Soren listened to one of the oddest conversations he had ever heard.“Phawish prak nraggg grash m’whocki,” said the polar bear.“You don’t say?” said Eglantine. Does she really understand all this or is she just pretending? I bet she’s pretending, Soren thought.“What’s he saying, Eglantine?”“Uh, it’s something about lemmings and…”“And mice and all things owl eats,” rumbled the polar bear.“Huh?” said Soren. He blinked in amazement. Eglantine had understood some of this.“Ja! Ja! Ja!” The polar bear was nodding his head and saying yes in Krakish. To do this he dropped his jaws wide open. His mouth was as big as a tree hollow. Four owls could have easily fit in it.“I no tell owl what to eat. Rodents:Previous Entities: |mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear| ::: “Phawish prak nraggg grash m’whocki,” ","Eglantine.F Soren.M polar bear.M" "“Dunno about the brat,”",43586,43592,True,903:Lamla.M,"up man, but t’would be whatever you see down there. Anyone who doesn’t think the imagination can kill is a fool.” The rest had gathered behind the taheen now. They were alternating glances into the hazy clearing with looks at Lamla. Flaherty didn’t like what he saw on their faces, not a bit. Killing one or two of those least willing to veil their sullen eyes might restore the enthusiasm of the rest, but what good would that do if Lamla was right? Cursed old people, always leaving their toys behind! Dangerous toys! How they complicated a man’s life! A pox on every last one!“Then how do we get past?” Flaherty cried.“For that mat- tah, how did the brat get past?”“Dunno about the brat,” Lamla said,“but all we need to do is shoot the projectors.”“What shitting projectors?” Lamla pointed below… or along the course of the corridor, if what the ugly bastard said was true.“There,” Lam said.“I know you can’t see em, but take my word for it, they’re there. Either side.” Flaherty was watching with a certain fascination as Jake’s misty jungle clearing continued to change before his eyes into the deep dark forest, as in Once upon a time when everyone lived in the deep dark forest and nobody lived anywhere else, a dragon came to rampage. Flaherty didn’t know what Lamla and the rest of them were seeing, but before his eyes the dragon(which had been a",Lamla,"Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla","up man, but t’would be whatever you see down there. Anyone who doesn’t think the imagination can kill is a fool.” The rest had gathered behind the taheen now. They were alternating glances into the hazy clearing with looks at Lamla. Flaherty didn’t like what he saw on their faces, not a bit. Killing one or two of those least willing to veil their sullen eyes might restore the enthusiasm of the rest, but what good would that do if Lamla was right? Cursed old people, always leaving their toys behind! Dangerous toys! How they complicated a man’s life! A pox on every last one!“Then how do we get past?” Flaherty cried.“For that mat- tah, how did the brat get past?”“Dunno about the brat,” Lamla said,“but all we need to do is shoot the projectors.”“What shitting projectors?” Lamla pointed below… or along the course of the corridor, if what the ugly bastard said was true.“There,” Lam said.“I know you can’t see em, but take my word for it, they’re there. Either side.” Flaherty was watching with a certain fascination as Jake’s misty jungle clearing continued to change before his eyes into the deep dark forest, as in Once upon a time when everyone lived in the deep dark forest and nobody lived anywhere else, a dragon came to rampage. Flaherty didn’t know what Lamla and the rest of them were seeing, but before his eyes the dragon(which had been a:Previous Entities: |Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla| ::: “Dunno about the brat,” ",Lamla.M You will only die.”,30049,30075,True,225:Druellae.F,"as the woman, and unarmed. That last fact was irrelevant, however. They didn’t look as though they would need weapons to fight Rincewind. They looked as though they could shoulder their way through solid rock and beat up a regiment of trolls into the bargain. The three handsome giants looked down at him with wooden menace. Their skins were the color of walnut husks, and under it muscles bulged like sacks of melons. He turned around again and grinned weakly at Druellae. Life was beginning to take on a familiar shape again.“I’m not rescued, am I?” he said.“I’m captured, right?”“Of course.”“And you’re not letting me go?” It was a statement. Druellae shook her head.“You hurt the Tree. But you are lucky. Your friend is going to meet Bel- Shamharoth. You will only die.” From behind two hands gripped his shoulders in much the same way that an old tree root coils relentlessly around a pebble.“With a certain amount of ceremony, of course,” the dryad went on.“After the Sender of Eight has finished with your friend.” All Rincewind could manage to say was,“You know, I never imagined there were he- dryads. Not even in an oak tree.” One of the giants grinned at him. Druellae snorted.“Stupid! Where do you think acorns come from?” There was a vast empty space like a hall, its roof lost in the golden haze. The endless stair ran right up through it. Several hundred dryads were clustered at the other end of the hall. They parted respectfully when Druellae",Druellae,"The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae","as the woman, and unarmed. That last fact was irrelevant, however. They didn’t look as though they would need weapons to fight Rincewind. They looked as though they could shoulder their way through solid rock and beat up a regiment of trolls into the bargain. The three handsome giants looked down at him with wooden menace. Their skins were the color of walnut husks, and under it muscles bulged like sacks of melons. He turned around again and grinned weakly at Druellae. Life was beginning to take on a familiar shape again.“I’m not rescued, am I?” he said.“I’m captured, right?”“Of course.”“And you’re not letting me go?” It was a statement. Druellae shook her head.“You hurt the Tree. But you are lucky. Your friend is going to meet Bel- Shamharoth. You will only die.” From behind two hands gripped his shoulders in much the same way that an old tree root coils relentlessly around a pebble.“With a certain amount of ceremony, of course,” the dryad went on.“After the Sender of Eight has finished with your friend.” All Rincewind could manage to say was,“You know, I never imagined there were he- dryads. Not even in an oak tree.” One of the giants grinned at him. Druellae snorted.“Stupid! Where do you think acorns come from?” There was a vast empty space like a hall, its roof lost in the golden haze. The endless stair ran right up through it. Several hundred dryads were clustered at the other end of the hall. They parted respectfully when Druellae:Previous Entities: |The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae| ::: You will only die.” ","Rincewind.M Druellae.F " then?,19909,19920,True,961:the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain.?,"Shades. Two muggers, a sneak thief and someone who had merely tapped Conina on the shoulder to ask her the time had already found this out.“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” said Rincewind, stepping over the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain.“Well?”“I mean, I wouldn’t like to cause offense.”“Well?”“It’s just that I can’t help noticing—”“Hmmm?”“You have this certain way with strangers.” Rincewind ducked, but nothing happened.“What are you doing down there?” said Conina, testily.“Sorry.”“I know what you’re thinking. I can’t help it, I take after my father.”“Who was he, then? Cohen the Barbarian?” Rincewind grinned to show it was a joke. At least, his lips moved in a desperate crescent.“No need to laugh about it, wizard.”“What?”“It’s not my fault.” Rincewind’s lips moved soundlessly.“Sorry,” he said.“Have I got this right? Your father really is Cohen the Barbarian?”“Yes.” The girl scowled at Rincewind.“Everyone has to have a father,” she added.“Even you, I imagine.” She peered around a corner.“All clear. Come on,” she said, and then when they were striding along the damp cobbles she continued:“I expect your father was a wizard, probably.”“I shouldn’t think so",the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain,"Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain","Shades. Two muggers, a sneak thief and someone who had merely tapped Conina on the shoulder to ask her the time had already found this out.“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” said Rincewind, stepping over the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain.“Well?”“I mean, I wouldn’t like to cause offense.”“Well?”“It’s just that I can’t help noticing—”“Hmmm?”“You have this certain way with strangers.” Rincewind ducked, but nothing happened.“What are you doing down there?” said Conina, testily.“Sorry.”“I know what you’re thinking. I can’t help it, I take after my father.”“Who was he, then? Cohen the Barbarian?” Rincewind grinned to show it was a joke. At least, his lips moved in a desperate crescent.“No need to laugh about it, wizard.”“What?”“It’s not my fault.” Rincewind’s lips moved soundlessly.“Sorry,” he said.“Have I got this right? Your father really is Cohen the Barbarian?”“Yes.” The girl scowled at Rincewind.“Everyone has to have a father,” she added.“Even you, I imagine.” She peered around a corner.“All clear. Come on,” she said, and then when they were striding along the damp cobbles she continued:“I expect your father was a wizard, probably.”“I shouldn’t think so:Previous Entities: |Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain| ::: then? ",Rincewind.M I know at the time we made the radio series I felt that it was the,24034,24050,True,468:Geoffrey Perkins.M,"success as anyone- he had no idea whether it was any good or not. He used to sit around going,` Is this good? Is this funny? What do you think of this script?' He really didn't know. But you can't explain it. And because you can't, you can't write another book like it. And that's what makes it a work of genius."" Jacqueline Graham(Press officer, Pan Books):"" Because it was such a wholly original idea, and you don't get too many of those. And because it was funny, but intelligently funny. And because it started as a sort of cult thing. Mostly because it's so original, and secondly because it makes you laugh."" Geoffrey Perkins:"" I know at the time we made the radio series I felt that it was the logical successor to Monty Python, really. There's no doubt that Hitchhiker's appeals to the same kind of audience and has the same sort of comedy. That was an initial reason for the success. The title plays an important part. Somebody once described it in an article as` a programme somewhat clumsily entitled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', which is a very erroneous judgement. I knew it hit a nerve from the start, when the letters started pouring in. The timing was obviously good. It was Star Wars time, there was a lot of interest in space. Also, when people think of space they tend to think of something very comic- strip and here was something very erudite and witty. That surprised people. But it appealed to everyone.",Geoffrey Perkins,"Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd","success as anyone- he had no idea whether it was any good or not. He used to sit around going,` Is this good? Is this funny? What do you think of this script?' He really didn't know. But you can't explain it. And because you can't, you can't write another book like it. And that's what makes it a work of genius."" Jacqueline Graham(Press officer, Pan Books):"" Because it was such a wholly original idea, and you don't get too many of those. And because it was funny, but intelligently funny. And because it started as a sort of cult thing. Mostly because it's so original, and secondly because it makes you laugh."" Geoffrey Perkins:"" I know at the time we made the radio series I felt that it was the logical successor to Monty Python, really. There's no doubt that Hitchhiker's appeals to the same kind of audience and has the same sort of comedy. That was an initial reason for the success. The title plays an important part. Somebody once described it in an article as` a programme somewhat clumsily entitled The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', which is a very erroneous judgement. I knew it hit a nerve from the start, when the letters started pouring in. The timing was obviously good. It was Star Wars time, there was a lot of interest in space. Also, when people think of space they tend to think of something very comic- strip and here was something very erudite and witty. That surprised people. But it appealed to everyone.:Previous Entities: |Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd| ::: I know at the time we made the radio series I felt that it was the ",Geoffrey Perkins. "Area 20- c needs to pick up the pace.""",16614,16626,True,538:an owlet working at the same ledge.?,"pellet. Soren and Gylfie had no idea how long they had been working. It seemed endless. It was not entirely quiet, however. At certain intervals, a low soft whistle alarm would be sounded from one of the smaller owls who monitored the work from overhead ledges and the sound of another pellet song would begin to rise. The songs were sung in the same hollow tones in which 47- 2 had spoken. But Soren felt that they were sung mostly to provide a rhythm for their work. The words, he supposed, like their own non- number names, had become meaningless. In between the songs it was not completely silent. There were, of course, certain commands that had to be given."" New pellets needed in area 10- B."" Or"" Area 20- c needs to pick up the pace."" And then there was some talk among the owls as they worked, but the more carefully Soren and Gylfie listened, the stranger this talk seemed. And then suddenly an owlet working at the same ledge as Soren began to speak."" 12- 1. I feel perfect this morning. I have just completed my first set of pellets. I am sure you shall feel perfect, too, when you have completed your first set. It is a feeling of rare contentment to complete a set. I feel this sense of rare contentment every morning at this hour."" Rare? Soren thought. That was a word he knew, for his parents had told them that the family of Barn Owls to which they belonged, the Tyto Alba, had become rare, which meant there were",an owlet working at the same ledge,"the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt","pellet. Soren and Gylfie had no idea how long they had been working. It seemed endless. It was not entirely quiet, however. At certain intervals, a low soft whistle alarm would be sounded from one of the smaller owls who monitored the work from overhead ledges and the sound of another pellet song would begin to rise. The songs were sung in the same hollow tones in which 47- 2 had spoken. But Soren felt that they were sung mostly to provide a rhythm for their work. The words, he supposed, like their own non- number names, had become meaningless. In between the songs it was not completely silent. There were, of course, certain commands that had to be given."" New pellets needed in area 10- B."" Or"" Area 20- c needs to pick up the pace."" And then there was some talk among the owls as they worked, but the more carefully Soren and Gylfie listened, the stranger this talk seemed. And then suddenly an owlet working at the same ledge as Soren began to speak."" 12- 1. I feel perfect this morning. I have just completed my first set of pellets. I am sure you shall feel perfect, too, when you have completed your first set. It is a feeling of rare contentment to complete a set. I feel this sense of rare contentment every morning at this hour."" Rare? Soren thought. That was a word he knew, for his parents had told them that the family of Barn Owls to which they belonged, the Tyto Alba, had become rare, which meant there were:Previous Entities: |the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt| ::: Area 20- c needs to pick up the pace."" ",Soren.M Ronan?,285094,285140,True,5005:the grey centaur.M,"“We do not attack foals.”“They brought her here, Ronan,” replied the centaur who had such a firm grip on Harry.“And they are not so young… he is nearing manhood, this one.” He shook Harry by the neck of his robes.“Please,” said Hermione breathlessly,“please, don’t attack us, we don’t think like her, we aren’t Ministry of Magic employees! We only came in here because we hoped you’d drive her off for us.” Harry knew at once, from the look on the face of the grey centaur holding Hermione, that she had made a terrible mistake in saying this. The grey centaur threw back his head, his back legs stamping furiously, and bellowed,“You see, Ronan? They already have the arrogance of their kind! So we were to do your dirty work, were we, human girl? We were to act as your servants, drive away your enemies like obedient hounds?”“No!” said Hermione in a horrorstruck squeak.“Please- I didn’t mean that! I just hoped you’d be able to- to help us-” But she seemed to be going from bad to worse.“We do not help humans!” snarled the centaur holding Harry, tightening his grip and rearing a little at the same time, so that Harry’s feet left the ground momentarily.“We are a race apart and proud to be so. We will not permit you to walk from here, boasting that we did your bidding!”“We’re not going to say anything like that!” Harry shouted.“We know you didn’t do what you did because we wanted you to-” But nobody seemed to be listening to",the grey centaur,"Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty","“We do not attack foals.”“They brought her here, Ronan,” replied the centaur who had such a firm grip on Harry.“And they are not so young… he is nearing manhood, this one.” He shook Harry by the neck of his robes.“Please,” said Hermione breathlessly,“please, don’t attack us, we don’t think like her, we aren’t Ministry of Magic employees! We only came in here because we hoped you’d drive her off for us.” Harry knew at once, from the look on the face of the grey centaur holding Hermione, that she had made a terrible mistake in saying this. The grey centaur threw back his head, his back legs stamping furiously, and bellowed,“You see, Ronan? They already have the arrogance of their kind! So we were to do your dirty work, were we, human girl? We were to act as your servants, drive away your enemies like obedient hounds?”“No!” said Hermione in a horrorstruck squeak.“Please- I didn’t mean that! I just hoped you’d be able to- to help us-” But she seemed to be going from bad to worse.“We do not help humans!” snarled the centaur holding Harry, tightening his grip and rearing a little at the same time, so that Harry’s feet left the ground momentarily.“We are a race apart and proud to be so. We will not permit you to walk from here, boasting that we did your bidding!”“We’re not going to say anything like that!” Harry shouted.“We know you didn’t do what you did because we wanted you to-” But nobody seemed to be listening to:Previous Entities: |Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty| ::: Ronan? ",Ronan.M it’ll be transferred to your name.,81960,82026,True,548:Orr.?,"You need to fill it out, Captain. Of course it’s just routine. I can assure you, there won’t be any problem with it, considering who your sponsors are.”“My sponsors,” Connor said.“Yes, sir,” Orr said.“And congratulations. As you know, it’s almost impossible to obtain a membership at Sunset these days. But Mr. Hanada’s company had already bought a corporate membership some time ago, and they have decided to put it in your name. I must say, it’s a very nice gesture from your friends.”“Yes, it is,” Connor said, frowning. I was looking at him.“They know how fond you are of playing golf here,” Orr said.“You know the terms, of course. Hanada will purchase the membership over five years, but after that time, it’ll be transferred to your name. So when you retire from club membership, you’re free to sell it. Now: will you be picking up the paperwork here, or should I send it to your home?” Connor said,“Mr. Orr, please convey my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Hanada for his very great generosity. I hardly know what to say. But I will have to call you back about this.”“That’s fine. You just let us know where to send it.”“I’ll call you back,” Connor said. He pushed the button to end the call, and stared forward, frowning. There was a long silence. I said,“How much is a membership at that club worth?”“Seven fifty. Maybe a million.” I said,“Pretty nice gift from your friends.” I was thinking again of Graham, and the way Graham had always implied that Connor was’in the pocket of the Japanese. There didn’t",Orr,"the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr","You need to fill it out, Captain. Of course it’s just routine. I can assure you, there won’t be any problem with it, considering who your sponsors are.”“My sponsors,” Connor said.“Yes, sir,” Orr said.“And congratulations. As you know, it’s almost impossible to obtain a membership at Sunset these days. But Mr. Hanada’s company had already bought a corporate membership some time ago, and they have decided to put it in your name. I must say, it’s a very nice gesture from your friends.”“Yes, it is,” Connor said, frowning. I was looking at him.“They know how fond you are of playing golf here,” Orr said.“You know the terms, of course. Hanada will purchase the membership over five years, but after that time, it’ll be transferred to your name. So when you retire from club membership, you’re free to sell it. Now: will you be picking up the paperwork here, or should I send it to your home?” Connor said,“Mr. Orr, please convey my heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Hanada for his very great generosity. I hardly know what to say. But I will have to call you back about this.”“That’s fine. You just let us know where to send it.”“I’ll call you back,” Connor said. He pushed the button to end the call, and stared forward, frowning. There was a long silence. I said,“How much is a membership at that club worth?”“Seven fifty. Maybe a million.” I said,“Pretty nice gift from your friends.” I was thinking again of Graham, and the way Graham had always implied that Connor was’in the pocket of the Japanese. There didn’t:Previous Entities: |the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr| ::: it’ll be transferred to your name. ",Connor.M "“She is no more High Fae than we are,”",175529,175540,True,292:Devlon.M,"they went, until Devlon looked over Rhys’s shoulder— to where we stood. A scowl at Mor. A frown at me— wisely subdued. Then he noticed Nesta.“What is that,” Devlon asked. Nesta merely stared at him, one hand clamping the edges of her gray cloak together at her chest. One of the other camp- lords made some sign against evil.“That,” Cassian said too quietly,“is none of your concern.”“Is she a witch.” I opened my mouth, but Nesta said flatly,“Yes.” And I watched as nine full- grown, weathered Illyrian warlords flinched.“She may act like one sometimes,” Cassian clarified,“but no— she is High Fae.”“She is no more High Fae than we are,” Devlon countered. A pause that went on for too long. Even Rhys seemed at a loss for words. Devlon had complained when we’d first met that Amren and I were Other. As if he possessed some sense for such things. Devlon muttered,“Keep her away from the females and children.” I clutched Nesta’s free hand in silent warning to remain quiet. Mor let out a snort that made the Illyrians stiffen. But she shifted, revealing Elain behind her. Elain was just blinking, wide- eyed, at the camp. The army. Devlon let out a grunt at the sight of her. But Elain wrapped her own blue cloak around herself, averting her eyes from all of those towering, muscled warriors, the army camp bustling toward the horizon…",Devlon,"Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan","they went, until Devlon looked over Rhys’s shoulder— to where we stood. A scowl at Mor. A frown at me— wisely subdued. Then he noticed Nesta.“What is that,” Devlon asked. Nesta merely stared at him, one hand clamping the edges of her gray cloak together at her chest. One of the other camp- lords made some sign against evil.“That,” Cassian said too quietly,“is none of your concern.”“Is she a witch.” I opened my mouth, but Nesta said flatly,“Yes.” And I watched as nine full- grown, weathered Illyrian warlords flinched.“She may act like one sometimes,” Cassian clarified,“but no— she is High Fae.”“She is no more High Fae than we are,” Devlon countered. A pause that went on for too long. Even Rhys seemed at a loss for words. Devlon had complained when we’d first met that Amren and I were Other. As if he possessed some sense for such things. Devlon muttered,“Keep her away from the females and children.” I clutched Nesta’s free hand in silent warning to remain quiet. Mor let out a snort that made the Illyrians stiffen. But she shifted, revealing Elain behind her. Elain was just blinking, wide- eyed, at the camp. The army. Devlon let out a grunt at the sight of her. But Elain wrapped her own blue cloak around herself, averting her eyes from all of those towering, muscled warriors, the army camp bustling toward the horizon…:Previous Entities: |Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan| ::: “She is no more High Fae than we are,” ",Devlon.M Poor old fella can hardly even walk from his chair to his bed anymore.,148711,148773,True,704:Osgood.?,"longer, then lowered it and wiped the palm nervously against his chinos.' I have a message for you. From Mr. Devore.' I waited.' May I come in?'' No,' I said. He took a step backward, wiped his hand on his pants again, and seemed to gather himself.' I hardly think there's any need to be rude, Mr. Noonan.' I wasn't being rude. If I'd wanted to be rude, I would have treated him to a faceful of roach- repellent.' Max Devore and his minder tried to drown me in the lake this evening. If my manners seem a little off to you, that's probably it.' Osgood's look of shock was real, I think.' You must be working too hard on your latest project, Mr. Noonan. Max Devore is going to be eighty- six on his next birthday— if he makes it, which now seems to be in some doubt. Poor old fella can hardly even walk from his chair to his bed anymore. As for Rogette—'' I see your point,' I said.' In fact I saw it twenty minutes ago, without any help from you. I hardly believe it myself, and I was there. Give me whatever it is you have for me.'' Fine,' he said in a prissy little' all right, be that way' voice. He unzipped a pouch on the front of his leather bag and brought out a white envelope, business- sized and sealed. I took it, hoping Osgood couldn't sense how hard my heart was thumping. Devore moved pretty damned fast for a man who travelled with an oxygen tank. The question was, what kind of move was this?' Thanks,' I said, beginning to close the door.' I'd",Osgood,"Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie","longer, then lowered it and wiped the palm nervously against his chinos.' I have a message for you. From Mr. Devore.' I waited.' May I come in?'' No,' I said. He took a step backward, wiped his hand on his pants again, and seemed to gather himself.' I hardly think there's any need to be rude, Mr. Noonan.' I wasn't being rude. If I'd wanted to be rude, I would have treated him to a faceful of roach- repellent.' Max Devore and his minder tried to drown me in the lake this evening. If my manners seem a little off to you, that's probably it.' Osgood's look of shock was real, I think.' You must be working too hard on your latest project, Mr. Noonan. Max Devore is going to be eighty- six on his next birthday— if he makes it, which now seems to be in some doubt. Poor old fella can hardly even walk from his chair to his bed anymore. As for Rogette—'' I see your point,' I said.' In fact I saw it twenty minutes ago, without any help from you. I hardly believe it myself, and I was there. Give me whatever it is you have for me.'' Fine,' he said in a prissy little' all right, be that way' voice. He unzipped a pouch on the front of his leather bag and brought out a white envelope, business- sized and sealed. I took it, hoping Osgood couldn't sense how hard my heart was thumping. Devore moved pretty damned fast for a man who travelled with an oxygen tank. The question was, what kind of move was this?' Thanks,' I said, beginning to close the door.' I'd:Previous Entities: |Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie| ::: Poor old fella can hardly even walk from his chair to his bed anymore. ",Max Devore.M “Firssst I mussst pull out the shaft.,31536,31563,True,270:Slynella.?,"eagles who had saved them in the desert.“Zan! Streak!” Gylfie gasped.“What are you doing here?” Then there was a huge flutter. The owls all pressed themselves against the sides of the hollow as Slynella, in one sinuous movement, slid in and hung herself in an S shape from a wood spur that projected directly over Soren.“Calm yourselves. This snake is Soren’s only hope. Only one side of her forked tongue bears the poison. If she mixes it with the contents of the other side, she can provide a powerful medicine for an infection.” The six owls stepped back. The snake lowered herself until her head was directly above Soren’s battered tail feather. Flicking madly, her tongue sought out the broken shaft.“Firssst I mussst pull out the shaft. No ssssense having a broken one. Then I can get to the wound with my tongue.” Gylfie sank back against Twilight. The thought of that tongue probing Soren’s wound made her knees weak. In his feverish state, Soren saw something green and luminous swaying over him. Had that terrible scar of Finny’s become green? Was it a green bolt of lightning now? He was fascinated. But why were all the others backing away? There was nothing to fear. Of this he was sure. His mind filled with thoughts. Come on, pals. Nothing to fear here. Hey, Hortense! Hortense, I thought you were dead. No, not that Hortense. The real Hortense. The one Finny threw off the highest cliff in the hatchery. Hortense, how did you survive? Streak caught me. He flew in at the last minute. Hortense,",Slynella,"the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella","eagles who had saved them in the desert.“Zan! Streak!” Gylfie gasped.“What are you doing here?” Then there was a huge flutter. The owls all pressed themselves against the sides of the hollow as Slynella, in one sinuous movement, slid in and hung herself in an S shape from a wood spur that projected directly over Soren.“Calm yourselves. This snake is Soren’s only hope. Only one side of her forked tongue bears the poison. If she mixes it with the contents of the other side, she can provide a powerful medicine for an infection.” The six owls stepped back. The snake lowered herself until her head was directly above Soren’s battered tail feather. Flicking madly, her tongue sought out the broken shaft.“Firssst I mussst pull out the shaft. No ssssense having a broken one. Then I can get to the wound with my tongue.” Gylfie sank back against Twilight. The thought of that tongue probing Soren’s wound made her knees weak. In his feverish state, Soren saw something green and luminous swaying over him. Had that terrible scar of Finny’s become green? Was it a green bolt of lightning now? He was fascinated. But why were all the others backing away? There was nothing to fear. Of this he was sure. His mind filled with thoughts. Come on, pals. Nothing to fear here. Hey, Hortense! Hortense, I thought you were dead. No, not that Hortense. The real Hortense. The one Finny threw off the highest cliff in the hatchery. Hortense, how did you survive? Streak caught me. He flew in at the last minute. Hortense,:Previous Entities: |the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella| ::: “Firssst I mussst pull out the shaft. ","Slynella.F Gylfie.F Soren.M Twilight.? Streak.M Hortense.F Finny.?" “Permission to see the steward.”,22098,22105,True,273:Taya.F,"watched carefully as they were towed side by side through the Hollow of Benevolence and Forgiveness in the wake of the Empress Dowager. The empress seemed as dull- eyed as ever. Taya sensed an impatience in the two azure owls, as if they wanted to move faster. This was unheard of. Taya also observed that their feathers seemed somehow different. She decided she had to discuss her concerns with the steward. A pompous old owl, he was only the third steward since the creation of the Panqua Palace nearly one thousand years before by Theosang, the first H’ryth. Taya was not looking forward to this meeting but it needed to be done. She proceeded toward his office, the Jasper Chamber directly off the Hollow of Perpetual Beauty, where the dragon owls indulged in endless preening.“Permission to see the steward.” Taya addressed a tiny cerulean- blue owl, who resembled an Elf Owl except for his color.“Do you have an appointment?”“No, but this is important.”“That’s what they all say.” He had mastered the cultivated weariness of the steward’s many sycophants. They all tried to lord their position over the other owls who served in the Panqua Palace. One had to play their game, had to toady up to them the way they toadied to the steward. The cerulean owl named Pingong would take a bit of work.“Come on, Ping. You know I hardly ever ask for an audience with the steward,” Taya said. Pingong gave Taya a look of disdain which was not easy since she towered over him. How",Taya,"Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya","watched carefully as they were towed side by side through the Hollow of Benevolence and Forgiveness in the wake of the Empress Dowager. The empress seemed as dull- eyed as ever. Taya sensed an impatience in the two azure owls, as if they wanted to move faster. This was unheard of. Taya also observed that their feathers seemed somehow different. She decided she had to discuss her concerns with the steward. A pompous old owl, he was only the third steward since the creation of the Panqua Palace nearly one thousand years before by Theosang, the first H’ryth. Taya was not looking forward to this meeting but it needed to be done. She proceeded toward his office, the Jasper Chamber directly off the Hollow of Perpetual Beauty, where the dragon owls indulged in endless preening.“Permission to see the steward.” Taya addressed a tiny cerulean- blue owl, who resembled an Elf Owl except for his color.“Do you have an appointment?”“No, but this is important.”“That’s what they all say.” He had mastered the cultivated weariness of the steward’s many sycophants. They all tried to lord their position over the other owls who served in the Panqua Palace. One had to play their game, had to toady up to them the way they toadied to the steward. The cerulean owl named Pingong would take a bit of work.“Come on, Ping. You know I hardly ever ask for an audience with the steward,” Taya said. Pingong gave Taya a look of disdain which was not easy since she towered over him. How:Previous Entities: |Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya| ::: “Permission to see the steward.” ",Taya.F ' Exactly.,32803,32842,True,158:Sool.M,". The blast walls are up and overground missions have been cancelled. No further action pending a meeting of the Council. If the manure hits the air circulator, Sool isn't going to be the one taking the blame. Not on his own.'' Politics,' spat Holly.' Sool only cares about his precious career. So you can't send me anyone?' Foaly chose his words carefully.' Not officially. And no one official. I mean, it would be impossible for anyone, a consultant, say, to get past the blast walls carrying something you might need, if you see what I mean.' Holly understood exactly what Foaly was trying to tell her.' Ten four, Foaly. I'm on my own. Officially.'' Exactly. As far as Commander Sool knows, you are simply shadowing the suspects. You are only to take action if they decide to go public. In that case your orders are, and I'm quoting Sool here,"" to take the least complicated and most permanent course of action"".'' He means vaporize the demon?'' Sool didn't say that, but that's what he wants.' Holly despised Sool more with every heartbeat.' He can't order me to do that! Killing a fairy goes against every law in the Book. I won't do it.'' Sool knows he can't officially order you to use terminal force on a fairy. What he's doing here is making an unofficial recommendation. The kind that could have a major effect on your career. It's a tricky one, Holly. Best- case scenario, this all blows over somehow.' Artemis voiced the opinion that they all held.' That's",Sool,"One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool",". The blast walls are up and overground missions have been cancelled. No further action pending a meeting of the Council. If the manure hits the air circulator, Sool isn't going to be the one taking the blame. Not on his own.'' Politics,' spat Holly.' Sool only cares about his precious career. So you can't send me anyone?' Foaly chose his words carefully.' Not officially. And no one official. I mean, it would be impossible for anyone, a consultant, say, to get past the blast walls carrying something you might need, if you see what I mean.' Holly understood exactly what Foaly was trying to tell her.' Ten four, Foaly. I'm on my own. Officially.'' Exactly. As far as Commander Sool knows, you are simply shadowing the suspects. You are only to take action if they decide to go public. In that case your orders are, and I'm quoting Sool here,"" to take the least complicated and most permanent course of action"".'' He means vaporize the demon?'' Sool didn't say that, but that's what he wants.' Holly despised Sool more with every heartbeat.' He can't order me to do that! Killing a fairy goes against every law in the Book. I won't do it.'' Sool knows he can't officially order you to use terminal force on a fairy. What he's doing here is making an unofficial recommendation. The kind that could have a major effect on your career. It's a tricky one, Holly. Best- case scenario, this all blows over somehow.' Artemis voiced the opinion that they all held.' That's:Previous Entities: |One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool| ::: ' Exactly. ",Foaly.M “It Can not Fail!”,32423,32429,True,896:The gannet.M,"pinpointed their exact location.“We’ve got to get out of here,” Eglantine said.“Leave the egg!”“No!” she shouted.“Never!” The two young owls burst out of the hole.“There they are!” shrieked Nyra.“To the fire! To the fire! Eglantine, we must go back into the fire.” Eglantine knew Primrose was right. They didn’t know how to fly in fire, not like the colliering chaw, but they were better at it than the Pure Ones and, more important, they could fight with fire— as expertly as the Pure Ones fought with battle claws. The two young owls rose in the night and raced in flight toward the flame- scorched sky. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN“It Can not Fail!” A gannet flying in the vicinity had pointed them in the direction that Gylfie and Digger were now flying. The gannet thought that he had seen something that might have been two owls flying low. So Gylfie and Digger were now skimming just above the ground. On occasion, Digger lighted down to walk, using his tracking skills to find any sign of the two missing owls. This was difficult work, for Digger was not simply looking for tracks of the two owls but“tracks” of Soren’s strange dream, as he had explained it to them. Ahead was a tree stump with a hole at its base. Could a hole be considered a clear space, too? Digger knew that he might be prejudiced in this case. He was a Burrowing Owl after all, and",The gannet,"Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet","pinpointed their exact location.“We’ve got to get out of here,” Eglantine said.“Leave the egg!”“No!” she shouted.“Never!” The two young owls burst out of the hole.“There they are!” shrieked Nyra.“To the fire! To the fire! Eglantine, we must go back into the fire.” Eglantine knew Primrose was right. They didn’t know how to fly in fire, not like the colliering chaw, but they were better at it than the Pure Ones and, more important, they could fight with fire— as expertly as the Pure Ones fought with battle claws. The two young owls rose in the night and raced in flight toward the flame- scorched sky. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN“It Can not Fail!” A gannet flying in the vicinity had pointed them in the direction that Gylfie and Digger were now flying. The gannet thought that he had seen something that might have been two owls flying low. So Gylfie and Digger were now skimming just above the ground. On occasion, Digger lighted down to walk, using his tracking skills to find any sign of the two missing owls. This was difficult work, for Digger was not simply looking for tracks of the two owls but“tracks” of Soren’s strange dream, as he had explained it to them. Ahead was a tree stump with a hole at its base. Could a hole be considered a clear space, too? Digger knew that he might be prejudiced in this case. He was a Burrowing Owl after all, and:Previous Entities: |Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet| ::: “It Can not Fail!” ",The gannet.M don't you think?',207780,207790,True,727:Footman.M,"sort of listening. That was at least close. The minister was speaking about Royce Merrill, a life which had been long and fruitful, a man who had served his country in peace and in war, but the old- timers weren't listening to him. They were listening to us, the way they had once gathered around the pickle barrel at the Lakeview General and listened to prizefights on the radio. Bill Dean was holding Yvette's wrist so tightly his fingernails were white. He was hurting her... but she wasn't complaining. She wanted him to hold onto her. Why?' Mike!' George's voice was perceptibly weaker.' Please, man, help me. This guy is dangerous.'' Let me go,' Footman said.' You'd better, don't you think?'' In your wettest dreams, motherfuck,' George said. I got up, went past the pot with the key underneath, went up the cement- block steps. Lightning exploded across the sky, followed by a bellow of thunder. Inside, Rommie was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. His face was even whiter than George's.' Kid's okay,' he said, forcing the words.' But she looks like waking up... I can't walk anymore. My ankle's totally fucked.' I moved for the telephone.' Don't bother,' Rommie said. His voice was harsh and trembling.' Tried it. Dead. Storm must already have hit some of the other towns. Killed some of the equipment. Christ",Footman,"Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore","sort of listening. That was at least close. The minister was speaking about Royce Merrill, a life which had been long and fruitful, a man who had served his country in peace and in war, but the old- timers weren't listening to him. They were listening to us, the way they had once gathered around the pickle barrel at the Lakeview General and listened to prizefights on the radio. Bill Dean was holding Yvette's wrist so tightly his fingernails were white. He was hurting her... but she wasn't complaining. She wanted him to hold onto her. Why?' Mike!' George's voice was perceptibly weaker.' Please, man, help me. This guy is dangerous.'' Let me go,' Footman said.' You'd better, don't you think?'' In your wettest dreams, motherfuck,' George said. I got up, went past the pot with the key underneath, went up the cement- block steps. Lightning exploded across the sky, followed by a bellow of thunder. Inside, Rommie was sitting in a chair at the kitchen table. His face was even whiter than George's.' Kid's okay,' he said, forcing the words.' But she looks like waking up... I can't walk anymore. My ankle's totally fucked.' I moved for the telephone.' Don't bother,' Rommie said. His voice was harsh and trembling.' Tried it. Dead. Storm must already have hit some of the other towns. Killed some of the equipment. Christ:Previous Entities: |Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore| ::: don't you think?' ","Footman.M George.M Rommie.M " “if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter.,141317,141374,True,305:Selwyn.?,"life, have you? Thought you’d lure us here to kill us, did you? And you think you’ll get your girl back like this?”“I swear… I swear… Potter’s upstairs!”“Homenum revelio,” said the voice at the foot of the stairs. Harry heard Hermione gasp, and he had the odd sensation that something was swooping low over him, immersing his body in its shadow.“There’s someone up there all right, Selwyn,” said the second man sharply.“It’s Potter, I tell you, it’s Potter!” sobbed Xenophilius.“Please… please… give me Luna, just let me have Luna.…”“You can have your little girl, Lovegood,” said Selwyn,“if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it’s a trick, if you’ve got an accomplice waiting up there to ambush us, we’ll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury.” Xenophilius gave a wail of fear and despair. There were scurryings and scrapings: Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.“Come on,” Harry whispered,“we’ve got to get out of here.” He started to dig himself out under cover of all the noise Xenophilius was making on the staircase. Ron was buried deepest: Harry and Hermione climbed, as quietly as they could, over all the wreckage to where he lay, trying to prise a heavy chest of drawers off his legs. While Xenophilius’s banging and scraping drew nearer and nearer, Hermione managed to free Ron with the use of a Hover Charm.“All right,” breathed Hermione, as the broken printing press blocking the top of the stairs began to tremble; Xenophilius",Selwyn,"Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn","life, have you? Thought you’d lure us here to kill us, did you? And you think you’ll get your girl back like this?”“I swear… I swear… Potter’s upstairs!”“Homenum revelio,” said the voice at the foot of the stairs. Harry heard Hermione gasp, and he had the odd sensation that something was swooping low over him, immersing his body in its shadow.“There’s someone up there all right, Selwyn,” said the second man sharply.“It’s Potter, I tell you, it’s Potter!” sobbed Xenophilius.“Please… please… give me Luna, just let me have Luna.…”“You can have your little girl, Lovegood,” said Selwyn,“if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. But if this is a plot, if it’s a trick, if you’ve got an accomplice waiting up there to ambush us, we’ll see if we can spare a bit of your daughter for you to bury.” Xenophilius gave a wail of fear and despair. There were scurryings and scrapings: Xenophilius was trying to get through the debris on the stairs.“Come on,” Harry whispered,“we’ve got to get out of here.” He started to dig himself out under cover of all the noise Xenophilius was making on the staircase. Ron was buried deepest: Harry and Hermione climbed, as quietly as they could, over all the wreckage to where he lay, trying to prise a heavy chest of drawers off his legs. While Xenophilius’s banging and scraping drew nearer and nearer, Hermione managed to free Ron with the use of a Hover Charm.“All right,” breathed Hermione, as the broken printing press blocking the top of the stairs began to tremble; Xenophilius:Previous Entities: |Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn| ::: “if you get up those stairs and bring me down Harry Potter. ",Selwyn.M "the stegosaurs,""",64504,64522,True,1939:the recording.?,"the larger animals."" The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park don't breed,"" the recording said."" The young animals you see were introduced a few months ago, already hatched. But the adults nurture them anyway."" There was the rolling growl of thunder. The sky was darker, lower, and menacing."" Yeah, looks like rain, all right,"" Ed Regis said. The car started forward, and Tim looked back at the hadrosaurs. Suddenly, off to one side, he saw a pale yellow animal moving quickly. There were brownish stripes on its back. He recognized it instantly."" Hey!"" he shouted."" Stop the car!"":' What is it?"" Ed Regis said.' Quick! Stop the car!"""" We move on now to see the last of our great prehistoric animals, the stegosaurs,"" the recorded voice said."" What's the matter, Tim?"""" I saw one! I saw one in the field out there!"""" Saw what?"""" A raptor! In that field!"""" The stegosaurs are a mid- Jurassic animal, evolving about a hundred and seventy million years ago,"" the recording said."" Several of these remarkable herbivores live here at Jurassic Park-"""" Oh, I don't think so, Tim,"" Ed Regis said."" Not a raptor."""" I did! Stop the car!"" There was a babble on the intercom, as the news was relayed to Grant and Malcolm."" Tim says he saw a raptor."""" Where?"""" Back at the field.""""",the recording,"Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording","the larger animals."" The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park don't breed,"" the recording said."" The young animals you see were introduced a few months ago, already hatched. But the adults nurture them anyway."" There was the rolling growl of thunder. The sky was darker, lower, and menacing."" Yeah, looks like rain, all right,"" Ed Regis said. The car started forward, and Tim looked back at the hadrosaurs. Suddenly, off to one side, he saw a pale yellow animal moving quickly. There were brownish stripes on its back. He recognized it instantly."" Hey!"" he shouted."" Stop the car!"":' What is it?"" Ed Regis said.' Quick! Stop the car!"""" We move on now to see the last of our great prehistoric animals, the stegosaurs,"" the recorded voice said."" What's the matter, Tim?"""" I saw one! I saw one in the field out there!"""" Saw what?"""" A raptor! In that field!"""" The stegosaurs are a mid- Jurassic animal, evolving about a hundred and seventy million years ago,"" the recording said."" Several of these remarkable herbivores live here at Jurassic Park-"""" Oh, I don't think so, Tim,"" Ed Regis said."" Not a raptor."""" I did! Stop the car!"" There was a babble on the intercom, as the news was relayed to Grant and Malcolm."" Tim says he saw a raptor."""" Where?"""" Back at the field."""":Previous Entities: |Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording| ::: the stegosaurs,"" ","Tim.M Ed Regis.M Richard Kiley.M" He’s called Rex Vivat.”,78464,78483,True,275:Harga.M,"know and love. It’s a meal in itself. And you’ve cleaned out the coffee jug, haven’t you. I can tell. This is love- in- a- canoe coffee if ever I tasted it. The other stuff had flavor.”“Well, I thought it was time—”“Why?” Harga let the pan fall from his pudgy fingers.“Well, I thought, if the king should happen to come in—”“You’re all mad!”“But, Cap’n—” Vimes’s accusing finger buried itself up to the second joint in Harga’s expensive vest.“You don’t even know the wretched fellow’s name!” he shouted. Harga rallied.“I do, Cap’n,” he stuttered.“Course I do. Seen it on the decorations and everything. He’s called Rex Vivat.” Very gently, shaking his head in despair, crying in his heart for the essential servility of mankind, Vimes let him go. In another time and place, the Librarian finished reading. He’d reached the end of the text. Not the end of the book— there was plenty more book. It had been scorched beyond the point of legibility, though. Not that the last few unburned pages were very easy to read. The author’s hand had been shaking, he’d been writing fast, and he’d blotted a lot. But the Librarian had wrestled with many a terrifying text in some of the worst books ever bound, words that tried to read you as you read them, words that writhed on the page. At least these weren’t words like that.",Harga,"the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga","know and love. It’s a meal in itself. And you’ve cleaned out the coffee jug, haven’t you. I can tell. This is love- in- a- canoe coffee if ever I tasted it. The other stuff had flavor.”“Well, I thought it was time—”“Why?” Harga let the pan fall from his pudgy fingers.“Well, I thought, if the king should happen to come in—”“You’re all mad!”“But, Cap’n—” Vimes’s accusing finger buried itself up to the second joint in Harga’s expensive vest.“You don’t even know the wretched fellow’s name!” he shouted. Harga rallied.“I do, Cap’n,” he stuttered.“Course I do. Seen it on the decorations and everything. He’s called Rex Vivat.” Very gently, shaking his head in despair, crying in his heart for the essential servility of mankind, Vimes let him go. In another time and place, the Librarian finished reading. He’d reached the end of the text. Not the end of the book— there was plenty more book. It had been scorched beyond the point of legibility, though. Not that the last few unburned pages were very easy to read. The author’s hand had been shaking, he’d been writing fast, and he’d blotted a lot. But the Librarian had wrestled with many a terrifying text in some of the worst books ever bound, words that tried to read you as you read them, words that writhed on the page. At least these weren’t words like that.:Previous Entities: |the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga| ::: He’s called Rex Vivat.” ","Cap’n.M Harga.M Librarian.? Vimes.M" "“You’re in very deep shit,",49600,49611,True,2361:The older attorney.?,", shook his hand. He didn’t catch their names. But he knew they were from his uncle’s law firm.“What’s going on here?” he said. The older lawyer opened a folder.“Her name is Kelly Chin,” he said.“You met her at a soccer game, you came on to her—”“I came on to her?”“And then you took her to the Westview Plaza Hotel, room four- thirteen…”“You don’t have this story right…”“And once in the room you had oral, genital, and anal sex with her. And she’s sixteen.”“Christ,” he said.“It never happened.” The older attorney just stared at him.“You’re in very deep shit, my friend.”“I’m telling you it never happened.”“I see. The two of you were photographed on hotel security cameras in the lobby and again in the elevator. Hallway cameras on the fourth floor recorded you with Miss Chin as you entered room four- thirteen. You were there one hour and seven minutes. Then she left by herself.”“Yeah, sure, but—”“She was crying in the elevator.”“What?”“She drove to the Westview Community Hospital and reported she had been assaulted and raped. She was examined at that time, and photographs were taken. She had vaginal tears and contusions, and anal tears. Semen was obtained from her rectum. It is being analyzed now, but she says it’s yours. Is",The older attorney,"Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney",", shook his hand. He didn’t catch their names. But he knew they were from his uncle’s law firm.“What’s going on here?” he said. The older lawyer opened a folder.“Her name is Kelly Chin,” he said.“You met her at a soccer game, you came on to her—”“I came on to her?”“And then you took her to the Westview Plaza Hotel, room four- thirteen…”“You don’t have this story right…”“And once in the room you had oral, genital, and anal sex with her. And she’s sixteen.”“Christ,” he said.“It never happened.” The older attorney just stared at him.“You’re in very deep shit, my friend.”“I’m telling you it never happened.”“I see. The two of you were photographed on hotel security cameras in the lobby and again in the elevator. Hallway cameras on the fourth floor recorded you with Miss Chin as you entered room four- thirteen. You were there one hour and seven minutes. Then she left by herself.”“Yeah, sure, but—”“She was crying in the elevator.”“What?”“She drove to the Westview Community Hospital and reported she had been assaulted and raped. She was examined at that time, and photographs were taken. She had vaginal tears and contusions, and anal tears. Semen was obtained from her rectum. It is being analyzed now, but she says it’s yours. Is:Previous Entities: |Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney| ::: “You’re in very deep shit, ",The older attorney.M “Your father has been selfish lately.,49198,49219,True,1477:a woman in a blue dress.F,", not after I left her and my father. I walk with her toward the railing that overlooks the chasm, glad to be close to her. The last week and a half has been more affectionless than I realized. At home we did not touch each other often, and the most I ever saw my parents do was hold hands at the dinner table, but it was more than this, more than here.“Just one question.” I feel my pulse in my throat.“Where’s Dad? Is he visiting Caleb?”“Ah.” She shakes her head.“Your father had to be at work.” I look down.“You can tell me if he didn’t want to come.” Her eyes travel over my face.“Your father has been selfish lately. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, I promise.” I stare at her, stunned. My father— selfish? More startling than the label is the fact that she assigned it to him. I can’t tell by looking at her if she’s angry. I don’t expect to be able to. But she must be; if she calls him selfish, she must be angry.“What about Caleb?” I say.“Will you visit him later?”“I wish I could,” she says,“but the Erudite have prohibited Abnegation visitors from entering their compound. If I tried, I would be removed from the premises.”“What?” I demand.“That’s terrible. Why would they do that?”“Tensions between our factions are higher than ever,” she says",a woman in a blue dress,"Robert, a woman in a blue dress",", not after I left her and my father. I walk with her toward the railing that overlooks the chasm, glad to be close to her. The last week and a half has been more affectionless than I realized. At home we did not touch each other often, and the most I ever saw my parents do was hold hands at the dinner table, but it was more than this, more than here.“Just one question.” I feel my pulse in my throat.“Where’s Dad? Is he visiting Caleb?”“Ah.” She shakes her head.“Your father had to be at work.” I look down.“You can tell me if he didn’t want to come.” Her eyes travel over my face.“Your father has been selfish lately. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love you, I promise.” I stare at her, stunned. My father— selfish? More startling than the label is the fact that she assigned it to him. I can’t tell by looking at her if she’s angry. I don’t expect to be able to. But she must be; if she calls him selfish, she must be angry.“What about Caleb?” I say.“Will you visit him later?”“I wish I could,” she says,“but the Erudite have prohibited Abnegation visitors from entering their compound. If I tried, I would be removed from the premises.”“What?” I demand.“That’s terrible. Why would they do that?”“Tensions between our factions are higher than ever,” she says:Previous Entities: |Robert, a woman in a blue dress| ::: “Your father has been selfish lately. ",Robert.M ‘ Yeah?’,53352,53355,True,3075:a wizard.M,"and a wizard appeared. You could tell he was a wizard. Wizards never wanted you to have to guess. He had long flowing robes, with stars and magical symbols on them; there were even some sequins. His beard would have been long and flowing if indeed he’d been the kind of young man who could really grow a beard. Instead, it was ragged and wispy and not very clean. And the general effect was also spoiled by the fact that he was smoking a cigarette, had a mug of tea in his hand and a face that looked a bit like something that lives under damp logs. The mug was chipped and on it were the jolly words‘ You Don’t Have to Be Magic to Work Here But It Helps!!!!!’‘ Yeah?’ he said, adding reproachfully,‘ I was on my tea break, you know.’‘ This young… lady is being awkward,’ said Zakzak.‘ Throwing magic about. Talking back and being smart at me. The usual stuff.’ Brian looked at Tiffany. She smiled.‘ Brian’s been to Unseen University,’ said Zakzak with a‘ so there’ smirk.‘ Got a degree. What he doesn’t know about magic could fill a book! These ladies need showing the way out, Brian.’‘ Now then, ladies,’ said Brian nervously, putting down his mug.‘ Do what Mr Stronginthearm says and push off, right? We don’t want trouble, do we? Go on, there’s good kids.’",a wizard,"the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","and a wizard appeared. You could tell he was a wizard. Wizards never wanted you to have to guess. He had long flowing robes, with stars and magical symbols on them; there were even some sequins. His beard would have been long and flowing if indeed he’d been the kind of young man who could really grow a beard. Instead, it was ragged and wispy and not very clean. And the general effect was also spoiled by the fact that he was smoking a cigarette, had a mug of tea in his hand and a face that looked a bit like something that lives under damp logs. The mug was chipped and on it were the jolly words‘ You Don’t Have to Be Magic to Work Here But It Helps!!!!!’‘ Yeah?’ he said, adding reproachfully,‘ I was on my tea break, you know.’‘ This young… lady is being awkward,’ said Zakzak.‘ Throwing magic about. Talking back and being smart at me. The usual stuff.’ Brian looked at Tiffany. She smiled.‘ Brian’s been to Unseen University,’ said Zakzak with a‘ so there’ smirk.‘ Got a degree. What he doesn’t know about magic could fill a book! These ladies need showing the way out, Brian.’‘ Now then, ladies,’ said Brian nervously, putting down his mug.‘ Do what Mr Stronginthearm says and push off, right? We don’t want trouble, do we? Go on, there’s good kids.’:Previous Entities: |the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: ‘ Yeah?’ ",Brian.M "“The kid got laid last night,”",9188,9196,True,90:The Doo.M,"before. But I didn’t see any bad calls that day, and I was standing less than ninety feet away. The kid hit safe in both games, including a home run and a triple. Nor did Dusen hold the hot bat against him, which would have been his ordinary behavior; he was one of those guys who wanted fellows to understand there was one big star on the Titans, and it wasn’t them. But he liked the kid; really seemed to think the kid was his lucky charm. And the kid liked him. They went bar- hopping after the game, had about a thousand drinks and visited a whorehouse to celebrate The Doo’s first loss of the season, and showed up the next day for the trip to KC pale and shaky.“The kid got laid last night,” Doo confided in me as we rode out to the airport in the team bus.“I think it was his first time. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I don’t think he remembers it.” We had a bumpy plane- ride; most of them were back then. Lousy prop- driven buckets, it’s a wonder we didn’t all get killed like Buddy Holly and the Big Fucking Bopper. The kid spent most of the trip throwing up in the can at the back of the plane, while right outside the door a bunch of guys sat playing acey- deucey and tossing him the usual funny stuff: Get any onya? Want a fork and knife to cut that up a little? Then the next day the sonofabitch goes five",The Doo,"Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick","before. But I didn’t see any bad calls that day, and I was standing less than ninety feet away. The kid hit safe in both games, including a home run and a triple. Nor did Dusen hold the hot bat against him, which would have been his ordinary behavior; he was one of those guys who wanted fellows to understand there was one big star on the Titans, and it wasn’t them. But he liked the kid; really seemed to think the kid was his lucky charm. And the kid liked him. They went bar- hopping after the game, had about a thousand drinks and visited a whorehouse to celebrate The Doo’s first loss of the season, and showed up the next day for the trip to KC pale and shaky.“The kid got laid last night,” Doo confided in me as we rode out to the airport in the team bus.“I think it was his first time. That’s the good news. The bad news is that I don’t think he remembers it.” We had a bumpy plane- ride; most of them were back then. Lousy prop- driven buckets, it’s a wonder we didn’t all get killed like Buddy Holly and the Big Fucking Bopper. The kid spent most of the trip throwing up in the can at the back of the plane, while right outside the door a bunch of guys sat playing acey- deucey and tossing him the usual funny stuff: Get any onya? Want a fork and knife to cut that up a little? Then the next day the sonofabitch goes five:Previous Entities: |Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick| ::: “The kid got laid last night,” ",Doo.M eh?,83088,83099,True,2802:the litter - bearer.M,"” the other said. Scarface nodded.“But— it’s one of them little liaison jobs. Ain’t room in there for more’n them an’ two of us.”“Two’s enough,” said the litter- bearer, moving up close and presenting his lips for reading.“We can take care of it from here on, Kinet.”“The Baron he told me to make sure what happened to them two,” Scarface said.“What you so worried about?” asked another trooper from behind the litter- bearer.“She is a Bene Gesserit witch,” the deaf one said.“They have powers.”“Ah- h- h....” The litter- bearer made the sign of the fist at his ear.“One of them, eh? Know whatcha mean.” The trooper behind him grunted.“She’ll be worm meat soon enough. Don’t suppose even a Bene Gesserit witch has powers over one of them big worms. Eh, Czigo?” He nudged the litter- bearer.“Yee- up,” the litter- bearer said. He returned to the litter, took Jessica’s shoulders.“C’m on, Kinet. You can go along if you wants to make sure what happens.”“It is nice of you to invite me, Czigo,” Scarface said. Jessica felt herself lifted, the wing shadow spinning— stars. She was pushed into the rear of the’ thopter, her krimskell fiber bindings examined, and she was strapped down. Paul was jammed in beside her, strapped securely, and she",the litter - bearer,"The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer","” the other said. Scarface nodded.“But— it’s one of them little liaison jobs. Ain’t room in there for more’n them an’ two of us.”“Two’s enough,” said the litter- bearer, moving up close and presenting his lips for reading.“We can take care of it from here on, Kinet.”“The Baron he told me to make sure what happened to them two,” Scarface said.“What you so worried about?” asked another trooper from behind the litter- bearer.“She is a Bene Gesserit witch,” the deaf one said.“They have powers.”“Ah- h- h....” The litter- bearer made the sign of the fist at his ear.“One of them, eh? Know whatcha mean.” The trooper behind him grunted.“She’ll be worm meat soon enough. Don’t suppose even a Bene Gesserit witch has powers over one of them big worms. Eh, Czigo?” He nudged the litter- bearer.“Yee- up,” the litter- bearer said. He returned to the litter, took Jessica’s shoulders.“C’m on, Kinet. You can go along if you wants to make sure what happens.”“It is nice of you to invite me, Czigo,” Scarface said. Jessica felt herself lifted, the wing shadow spinning— stars. She was pushed into the rear of the’ thopter, her krimskell fiber bindings examined, and she was strapped down. Paul was jammed in beside her, strapped securely, and she:Previous Entities: |The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer| ::: eh? ",Scarface.M “And then come upstairs and watch your movie in the living room.”,8224,8238,True,546:his dad.M,"was truly and absolutely extraordinary for March, and how in spring all things are new, and they didn’t even once ask me about the oxygen or my diagnosis, which was weird and wonderful, and then Augustus said,“Hazel and I are going to watch V for Vendetta so she can see her filmic doppelgänger, mid- two thousands Natalie Portman.”“The living room TV is yours for the watching,” his dad said happily.“I think we’re actually gonna watch it in the basement.” His dad laughed.“Good try. Living room.”“But I want to show Hazel Grace the basement,” Augustus said.“Just Hazel,” I said.“So show Just Hazel the basement,” said his dad.“And then come upstairs and watch your movie in the living room.” Augustus puffed out his cheeks, balanced on his leg, and twisted his hips, throwing the prosthetic forward.“Fine,” he mumbled. I followed him down carpeted stairs to a huge basement bedroom. A shelf at my eye level reached all the way around the room, and it was stuffed solid with basketball memorabilia: dozens of trophies with gold plastic men mid– jump shot or dribbling or reaching for a layup toward an unseen basket. There were also lots of signed balls and sneakers.“I used to play basketball,” he explained.“You must’ve been pretty good.”“I wasn’t bad, but all the shoes and balls are Cancer Perks.” He walked toward the TV, where a huge pile of DVDs and video games were arranged",his dad,"Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom","was truly and absolutely extraordinary for March, and how in spring all things are new, and they didn’t even once ask me about the oxygen or my diagnosis, which was weird and wonderful, and then Augustus said,“Hazel and I are going to watch V for Vendetta so she can see her filmic doppelgänger, mid- two thousands Natalie Portman.”“The living room TV is yours for the watching,” his dad said happily.“I think we’re actually gonna watch it in the basement.” His dad laughed.“Good try. Living room.”“But I want to show Hazel Grace the basement,” Augustus said.“Just Hazel,” I said.“So show Just Hazel the basement,” said his dad.“And then come upstairs and watch your movie in the living room.” Augustus puffed out his cheeks, balanced on his leg, and twisted his hips, throwing the prosthetic forward.“Fine,” he mumbled. I followed him down carpeted stairs to a huge basement bedroom. A shelf at my eye level reached all the way around the room, and it was stuffed solid with basketball memorabilia: dozens of trophies with gold plastic men mid– jump shot or dribbling or reaching for a layup toward an unseen basket. There were also lots of signed balls and sneakers.“I used to play basketball,” he explained.“You must’ve been pretty good.”“I wasn’t bad, but all the shoes and balls are Cancer Perks.” He walked toward the TV, where a huge pile of DVDs and video games were arranged:Previous Entities: |Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom| ::: “And then come upstairs and watch your movie in the living room.” ",Gus's dad.M "It is here at St. Aggie’s that you shall find everything that you need to become humble,",8187,8219,True,"104:The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl.F","jagged white scar. She was perched on a rock outcropping in the granite ravine where they had been brought.“I am Skench, Ablah General of St. Aegolius. My job is to teach you the Truth. We discourage questions here as we feel they often distract from the Truth.” Soren found this very confusing. He had always asked questions, ever since he had hatched out. Skench, the Ablah General, was continuing her speech.“You are orphans now.” The words shocked Soren. He was not an orphan! He had a mum and da, perhaps not here, but out there somewhere. Orphan meant your parents were dead. How dare this Skench, the Ablah blah blah blah, or whatever she called herself, say he was an orphan!“We have rescued you. It is here at St. Aggie’s that you shall find everything that you need to become humble, plain servants of a higher good.” This was the most outrageous thing Soren had ever heard. He hadn’t been rescued, he had been snatched away. If he had been rescued, these owls would have flown up and dropped him back in his family’s nest. And what exactly was a higher good?“There are many ways in which one can serve the higher good, and it is our job to find out which best suits you and to discover what your special talents are.” Skench narrowed her eyes until they were gleaming amber slits in her feathery face.“I am sure that each and every one of you has something special.” At that very moment, there was a chorus of hoots, and many owl voices were raised in song. To find one’s special quality One must lead","The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl","Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","jagged white scar. She was perched on a rock outcropping in the granite ravine where they had been brought.“I am Skench, Ablah General of St. Aegolius. My job is to teach you the Truth. We discourage questions here as we feel they often distract from the Truth.” Soren found this very confusing. He had always asked questions, ever since he had hatched out. Skench, the Ablah General, was continuing her speech.“You are orphans now.” The words shocked Soren. He was not an orphan! He had a mum and da, perhaps not here, but out there somewhere. Orphan meant your parents were dead. How dare this Skench, the Ablah blah blah blah, or whatever she called herself, say he was an orphan!“We have rescued you. It is here at St. Aggie’s that you shall find everything that you need to become humble, plain servants of a higher good.” This was the most outrageous thing Soren had ever heard. He hadn’t been rescued, he had been snatched away. If he had been rescued, these owls would have flown up and dropped him back in his family’s nest. And what exactly was a higher good?“There are many ways in which one can serve the higher good, and it is our job to find out which best suits you and to discover what your special talents are.” Skench narrowed her eyes until they were gleaming amber slits in her feathery face.“I am sure that each and every one of you has something special.” At that very moment, there was a chorus of hoots, and many owl voices were raised in song. To find one’s special quality One must lead:Previous Entities: |Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: It is here at St. Aggie’s that you shall find everything that you need to become humble, ",Skench.F I killed most of'em,54192,54221,True,247:Jonah.M,"peeking through a shutter. Little Jonah grabbed his brother's sleeve.' Who's found you, Eric? You got ta tell me.' Eric appeared to consider it.' OK,' he said finally.' I belong to a... uh... secret society. We fight a secret enemy.'' What, like a gang?'' No,' said Eric.' We fight demons.'' Demons?' said little Jonah, half sceptical, half scared out of his wits.' Yeah. They're all over California. By day, they're normal guys. Accountants and basketball players, stuff like that. But at night they peel off their skin and go hunting kids. Under tens.'' Under tens? Like me.'' Like you. Exactly like you. I found these demons chewing on a couple of twin girls. Maybe eight years old. I killed most of'em, but a few must've followed me home. We got ta stay real quiet and they'll go away.' Jonah rushed for the phone.' We should call Mom.'' No!' said Eric, snatching the phone.' You want to get Mom killed? Is that what you want?' The idea of his mother dying started Jonah crying.' No. Mom can't die.'' Exactly,' said Eric gently.' You got ta leave the demon- slaying to me and my boys. When you're fifteen, then you get to be sworn in, but until then, this is our secret. You stay in the house and let me do my duty. Promise?' Jonah nodded, blubbering too much to say the",Jonah,"One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah","peeking through a shutter. Little Jonah grabbed his brother's sleeve.' Who's found you, Eric? You got ta tell me.' Eric appeared to consider it.' OK,' he said finally.' I belong to a... uh... secret society. We fight a secret enemy.'' What, like a gang?'' No,' said Eric.' We fight demons.'' Demons?' said little Jonah, half sceptical, half scared out of his wits.' Yeah. They're all over California. By day, they're normal guys. Accountants and basketball players, stuff like that. But at night they peel off their skin and go hunting kids. Under tens.'' Under tens? Like me.'' Like you. Exactly like you. I found these demons chewing on a couple of twin girls. Maybe eight years old. I killed most of'em, but a few must've followed me home. We got ta stay real quiet and they'll go away.' Jonah rushed for the phone.' We should call Mom.'' No!' said Eric, snatching the phone.' You want to get Mom killed? Is that what you want?' The idea of his mother dying started Jonah crying.' No. Mom can't die.'' Exactly,' said Eric gently.' You got ta leave the demon- slaying to me and my boys. When you're fifteen, then you get to be sworn in, but until then, this is our secret. You stay in the house and let me do my duty. Promise?' Jonah nodded, blubbering too much to say the:Previous Entities: |One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah| ::: I killed most of'em ",Eric.M You tell him that.”,88181,88238,True,2732:the younger man.M,"Greiman, these men-““Just a minute,” Greiman said. He turned to the man with him, who was younger, in his early thirties.“Just make sure you get it straight with Roger,” Greiman said. The younger man was shaking his head.“He won’t like it.”“I know he won’t. But tell him anyway. Six million four in direct compensation for the CEO is the minimum.”“But Arthur-““Just tell him.”“I will, Arthur,” the younger man said, smoothing his tie. He lowered his voice.“But the board may balk at raising you above six when company earnings are down so much-““We’re not talking about earnings,” Greiman said.“We’re talking about compensation. It has nothing to do with earnings. The board has to match current compensation levels for chief executives. If Roger can’t bring the board into line on this, I’m going to cancel the March meeting and ask for changes. You tell him that.”“Okay, I will, Arthur, but-““Just do it. Call me tonight.”“Right, Arthur.” They shook hands. The younger man walked off unhappily. The receptionist said,“Mr. Greiman, these gentlemen-“Greiman turned to us. Connor said,“Mr. Greiman, we’d like to speak to you for a minute about Micro Con And he turned slightly aside, and showed his badge. Greiman exploded in rage.“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Not again. This is god damned harassment.”“Harassment?”“Whatwould you call it? I’ve had senatorial staffers here, I’ve had the F.B.I. here. Now I have the L.A. police? We’re not criminals. We own a company and we have",the younger man,"the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman","Greiman, these men-““Just a minute,” Greiman said. He turned to the man with him, who was younger, in his early thirties.“Just make sure you get it straight with Roger,” Greiman said. The younger man was shaking his head.“He won’t like it.”“I know he won’t. But tell him anyway. Six million four in direct compensation for the CEO is the minimum.”“But Arthur-““Just tell him.”“I will, Arthur,” the younger man said, smoothing his tie. He lowered his voice.“But the board may balk at raising you above six when company earnings are down so much-““We’re not talking about earnings,” Greiman said.“We’re talking about compensation. It has nothing to do with earnings. The board has to match current compensation levels for chief executives. If Roger can’t bring the board into line on this, I’m going to cancel the March meeting and ask for changes. You tell him that.”“Okay, I will, Arthur, but-““Just do it. Call me tonight.”“Right, Arthur.” They shook hands. The younger man walked off unhappily. The receptionist said,“Mr. Greiman, these gentlemen-“Greiman turned to us. Connor said,“Mr. Greiman, we’d like to speak to you for a minute about Micro Con And he turned slightly aside, and showed his badge. Greiman exploded in rage.“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Not again. This is god damned harassment.”“Harassment?”“Whatwould you call it? I’ve had senatorial staffers here, I’ve had the F.B.I. here. Now I have the L.A. police? We’re not criminals. We own a company and we have:Previous Entities: |the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman| ::: You tell him that.” ",Greiman.M The King growled.,8282,8363,True,364:its colleagues.?,"It, er, it opened, o lord. The circle in Pseudopolis.”“Ah. The clever boy. We have great hopes of him.”“Er. Then it closed again, lord.” The demon shut its eyes.“And who went through?”“Er.” The demon looked around at its colleagues, clustered at the far end of the mile- long throne room.“I said, and who went through?”“In point of fact, o lord-”“Yes?”“We don't know. Someone.”"" I gave orders, did I not, that when the boy succeeded the Duke Vassenego was to materialise unto him, and offer him forbidden pleasures and dark delights to bend him to Our will?"" The King growled. The problem with being evil, he'd been forced to admit, was that demons were not great innovatory thinkers and really needed the spice of human ingenuity. And he'd really been looking forward to Eric Thursley, whose brand of superintelligent gormlessness was a rare delight. Hell heeded horribly- bright, self- centred people like Eric. They were much better at being nasty than demons could ever manage.“Indeed, lord,” said the demon,“And the duke has been awaiting the summons there for years, shunning all other temptations, steadfastly and patiently studying the world of men-”“So where was he?”“Er. Call of supernatural, lord,” the demon gabbled.“Hadn't turned his back for two minutes when-”“And someone went through?”“We're trying to find out-” Lord Astfgl's patience, which in any case had the tensile strength of putty, snapped at this point. That just about summed it up. He had the kind of subjects who used the words“find out” when they meant“ascertain”. Damnation was too good for them.“Get out,” he whispered",its colleagues,"Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues","It, er, it opened, o lord. The circle in Pseudopolis.”“Ah. The clever boy. We have great hopes of him.”“Er. Then it closed again, lord.” The demon shut its eyes.“And who went through?”“Er.” The demon looked around at its colleagues, clustered at the far end of the mile- long throne room.“I said, and who went through?”“In point of fact, o lord-”“Yes?”“We don't know. Someone.”"" I gave orders, did I not, that when the boy succeeded the Duke Vassenego was to materialise unto him, and offer him forbidden pleasures and dark delights to bend him to Our will?"" The King growled. The problem with being evil, he'd been forced to admit, was that demons were not great innovatory thinkers and really needed the spice of human ingenuity. And he'd really been looking forward to Eric Thursley, whose brand of superintelligent gormlessness was a rare delight. Hell heeded horribly- bright, self- centred people like Eric. They were much better at being nasty than demons could ever manage.“Indeed, lord,” said the demon,“And the duke has been awaiting the summons there for years, shunning all other temptations, steadfastly and patiently studying the world of men-”“So where was he?”“Er. Call of supernatural, lord,” the demon gabbled.“Hadn't turned his back for two minutes when-”“And someone went through?”“We're trying to find out-” Lord Astfgl's patience, which in any case had the tensile strength of putty, snapped at this point. That just about summed it up. He had the kind of subjects who used the words“find out” when they meant“ascertain”. Damnation was too good for them.“Get out,” he whispered:Previous Entities: |Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues| ::: The King growled. ",Lord Astfgl.M do you enjoy it?”,7704,7712,True,542:his mom.F,"glass pan. They didn’t seem too surprised by my arrival, which made sense: The fact that Augustus made me feel special did not necessarily indicate that I was special. Maybe he brought home a different girl every night to show her movies and feel her up.“This is Hazel Grace,” he said, by way of introduction.“Just Hazel,” I said.“How’s it going, Hazel?” asked Gus’s dad. He was tall— almost as tall as Gus— and skinny in a way that parentally aged people usually aren’t.“Okay,” I said.“How was Isaac’s Support Group?”“It was incredible,” Gus said.“You’re such a Debbie Downer,” his mom said.“Hazel, do you enjoy it?” I paused a second, trying to figure out if my response should be calibrated to please Augustus or his parents.“Most of the people are really nice,” I finally said.“That’s exactly what we found with families at Memorial when we were in the thick of it with Gus’s treatment,” his dad said.“Everybody was so kind. Strong, too. In the darkest days, the Lord puts the best people into your life.”“Quick, give me a throw pillow and some thread because that needs to be an Encouragement,” Augustus said, and his dad looked a little annoyed, but then Gus wrapped his long arm around his dad’s neck and said,“I’m just kidding, Dad. I like the freaking Encouragements",his mom,"Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom","glass pan. They didn’t seem too surprised by my arrival, which made sense: The fact that Augustus made me feel special did not necessarily indicate that I was special. Maybe he brought home a different girl every night to show her movies and feel her up.“This is Hazel Grace,” he said, by way of introduction.“Just Hazel,” I said.“How’s it going, Hazel?” asked Gus’s dad. He was tall— almost as tall as Gus— and skinny in a way that parentally aged people usually aren’t.“Okay,” I said.“How was Isaac’s Support Group?”“It was incredible,” Gus said.“You’re such a Debbie Downer,” his mom said.“Hazel, do you enjoy it?” I paused a second, trying to figure out if my response should be calibrated to please Augustus or his parents.“Most of the people are really nice,” I finally said.“That’s exactly what we found with families at Memorial when we were in the thick of it with Gus’s treatment,” his dad said.“Everybody was so kind. Strong, too. In the darkest days, the Lord puts the best people into your life.”“Quick, give me a throw pillow and some thread because that needs to be an Encouragement,” Augustus said, and his dad looked a little annoyed, but then Gus wrapped his long arm around his dad’s neck and said,“I’m just kidding, Dad. I like the freaking Encouragements:Previous Entities: |Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom| ::: do you enjoy it?” ",Gus’s dad.M "it occurred to me,",52407,52449,True,1859:the accountant.M,"’s afraid he’s going to creep up on him. There’s worse than that, too. Dad, we’re paying forty thousand people, and we’re only employing two thousand.”“It’s going to bankrupt us, that’s what you’re going to say,” said Ptaclusp.“I know. It’s all my fault. I just wanted something to hand on to you, you know. I didn’t expect all this. It seemed too easy to start with.” One of the IIas cleared his throat.“It’s… uh… not quite as bad as all that,” he said quietly.“What do you mean?” The accountant laid a dozen copper coins on the table.“Well, er,” he said.“You see, eh, it occurred to me, since there’s all this movement in time, that it’s not just people who can be looped, and, er, look, you see these coins?” One coin vanished.“They’re all the same coin, aren’t they,” said one of his brothers.“Well, yes,” said the IIa, very embarrassed, because interfering with the divine flow of money was alien to his personal religion.“The same coin at five minute intervals.”“And you’re using this trick to pay the men?” said Ptaclusp dully.“It’s not a trick! I give them the money,” said IIa primly.“What happens to it afterward isn’t my responsibility, is it?”“I don’t like any of this,” said his father.“Don’t worry. It all evens out in the end,” said one of the IIas.“Everyone gets what’s",the accountant,"the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant","’s afraid he’s going to creep up on him. There’s worse than that, too. Dad, we’re paying forty thousand people, and we’re only employing two thousand.”“It’s going to bankrupt us, that’s what you’re going to say,” said Ptaclusp.“I know. It’s all my fault. I just wanted something to hand on to you, you know. I didn’t expect all this. It seemed too easy to start with.” One of the IIas cleared his throat.“It’s… uh… not quite as bad as all that,” he said quietly.“What do you mean?” The accountant laid a dozen copper coins on the table.“Well, er,” he said.“You see, eh, it occurred to me, since there’s all this movement in time, that it’s not just people who can be looped, and, er, look, you see these coins?” One coin vanished.“They’re all the same coin, aren’t they,” said one of his brothers.“Well, yes,” said the IIa, very embarrassed, because interfering with the divine flow of money was alien to his personal religion.“The same coin at five minute intervals.”“And you’re using this trick to pay the men?” said Ptaclusp dully.“It’s not a trick! I give them the money,” said IIa primly.“What happens to it afterward isn’t my responsibility, is it?”“I don’t like any of this,” said his father.“Don’t worry. It all evens out in the end,” said one of the IIas.“Everyone gets what’s:Previous Entities: |the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant| ::: it occurred to me, ",IIa.M or so brutish.,55215,55352,True,310:Goodrich.M,"with a perfectly serviceable description of Neanderthal men, coinciding with the fossil record and our suppositions about the cultural level of these early men. We should accept it immediately, had we not already decided these men vanished without a trace some 30- 40000 years previously. We should remember that we only believe this disappearance because we have found no fossils of a later date, and the absence of such fossils does not mean that they do not, in fact, exist.“Objectively, there is no a priori reason to deny that a group of Neanderthals might have survived very late in an isolated region of Scandinavia. In any case this assumption best fits the description of the Arabic text.” Goodrich, a paleontologist well known for his skepticism, takes the contrasting view[ 1972]:“The general accuracy of Ibn Fadlan’s reporting may tempt us to overlook certain excesses in his manuscript. These are several, and they arise either from cultural preconditioning, or from a storyteller’s desire to impress. He calls the Vikings giants when they most certainly were not; he emphasizes the dirty, drunken aspects of his hosts, which less fastidious observers did not find striking. In his report of the so- called‘ wendol,’ he places great importance on their hairiness and brutish appearance when, in fact, they may not have been so hairy, or so brutish. They may simply have been a tribe of Homo sapiens, living in isolation and without the level of cultural attainment manifested by the Scandinavians.“There is internal evidence, within the body of the Ibn Fadlan manuscript, to support the notion that the‘ wendol’ are actually Homo sapiens. The pregnant female figurines described by the Arab are highly suggestive of the prehistoric carvings and figurines to be found at the Aurignacian industry sites in France and of the Gravettian finds in Willendorf, Austria, Level 9. Both Aurignacian and Gravettian cultural levels are associated with essentially modern man, and not Neanderthal Man.“We must never forget that to untrained observers, cultural differences are often interpreted as physical differences, and one need not be particularly naive to make this mistake. Thus, as late as the 1880s it was possible for educated Europeans to wonder aloud whether Negroes in primitive African societies could be considered human beings after all, or whether",Goodrich,"the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich","with a perfectly serviceable description of Neanderthal men, coinciding with the fossil record and our suppositions about the cultural level of these early men. We should accept it immediately, had we not already decided these men vanished without a trace some 30- 40000 years previously. We should remember that we only believe this disappearance because we have found no fossils of a later date, and the absence of such fossils does not mean that they do not, in fact, exist.“Objectively, there is no a priori reason to deny that a group of Neanderthals might have survived very late in an isolated region of Scandinavia. In any case this assumption best fits the description of the Arabic text.” Goodrich, a paleontologist well known for his skepticism, takes the contrasting view[ 1972]:“The general accuracy of Ibn Fadlan’s reporting may tempt us to overlook certain excesses in his manuscript. These are several, and they arise either from cultural preconditioning, or from a storyteller’s desire to impress. He calls the Vikings giants when they most certainly were not; he emphasizes the dirty, drunken aspects of his hosts, which less fastidious observers did not find striking. In his report of the so- called‘ wendol,’ he places great importance on their hairiness and brutish appearance when, in fact, they may not have been so hairy, or so brutish. They may simply have been a tribe of Homo sapiens, living in isolation and without the level of cultural attainment manifested by the Scandinavians.“There is internal evidence, within the body of the Ibn Fadlan manuscript, to support the notion that the‘ wendol’ are actually Homo sapiens. The pregnant female figurines described by the Arab are highly suggestive of the prehistoric carvings and figurines to be found at the Aurignacian industry sites in France and of the Gravettian finds in Willendorf, Austria, Level 9. Both Aurignacian and Gravettian cultural levels are associated with essentially modern man, and not Neanderthal Man.“We must never forget that to untrained observers, cultural differences are often interpreted as physical differences, and one need not be particularly naive to make this mistake. Thus, as late as the 1880s it was possible for educated Europeans to wonder aloud whether Negroes in primitive African societies could be considered human beings after all, or whether:Previous Entities: |the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich| ::: or so brutish. ",Ibn Fadlan.M "Fiscal policy!""",63292,63296,True,1686:the management consultant.M,""" The Captain hummed and hahed about this for a moment."" Well, I wouldn't overstress that angle, you know,"" he said finally,"" one's never alone with a rubber duck."" He held the duck aloft and it got an appreciative round from the crowd. All the while, the Management Consultant had been sitting in stony silence, his finger tips pressed to his temples to indicate that he was waiting and would wait all day if it was necessary. At this point he decided he would not wait all day after all, he would merely pretend that the last half hour hadn't happened. He rose to his feet."" If,"" he said tersely,"" we could for a moment move on to the subject of fiscal policy..."""" Fiscal policy!"" whooped Ford Prefect,"" Fiscal policy!"" The Management Consultant gave him a look that only a lungfish could have copied."" Fiscal policy..."" he repeated,"" that is what I said."""" How can you have money,"" demanded Ford,"" if none of you actually produces anything? It doesn't grow on trees you know."""" If you would allow me to continue..."" Ford nodded dejectedly."" Thank you. Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt the leaf as legal tender, we have, of course, all become immensely rich."" Ford stared in disbelief at the crowd who were murmuring appreciatively at this and greedily fingering the wads of leaves with which their track suits were stuffed."" But we have also,""",the management consultant,"the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl",""" The Captain hummed and hahed about this for a moment."" Well, I wouldn't overstress that angle, you know,"" he said finally,"" one's never alone with a rubber duck."" He held the duck aloft and it got an appreciative round from the crowd. All the while, the Management Consultant had been sitting in stony silence, his finger tips pressed to his temples to indicate that he was waiting and would wait all day if it was necessary. At this point he decided he would not wait all day after all, he would merely pretend that the last half hour hadn't happened. He rose to his feet."" If,"" he said tersely,"" we could for a moment move on to the subject of fiscal policy..."""" Fiscal policy!"" whooped Ford Prefect,"" Fiscal policy!"" The Management Consultant gave him a look that only a lungfish could have copied."" Fiscal policy..."" he repeated,"" that is what I said."""" How can you have money,"" demanded Ford,"" if none of you actually produces anything? It doesn't grow on trees you know."""" If you would allow me to continue..."" Ford nodded dejectedly."" Thank you. Since we decided a few weeks ago to adopt the leaf as legal tender, we have, of course, all become immensely rich."" Ford stared in disbelief at the crowd who were murmuring appreciatively at this and greedily fingering the wads of leaves with which their track suits were stuffed."" But we have also,"":Previous Entities: |the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl| ::: Fiscal policy!"" ",Ford Prefect.M "Mine is the opposite view,",104890,104947,True,296:Drog.M,"to the voice that warned of a trap? Mary found her ex- husband's eyes and delivered the lie directly to him."" I believe in the Church— and wish to convert."" Drog marveled at the accuracy with which Lictor had predicted her response. He turned to his companions."" The human, Mary Smith, would take God into her heart. What say you?"" Bishop Worb, the Zid seated to Mary's right, knew nothing of Lictor's concerns and had little respect for the frequently inaccurate intelligence reports. The human seemed sincere— and he had no way to look inside the female's head."" I vote yes."" Things were proceeding exactly as George had predicted they would. Mary felt her spirits rise. Drog signaled his understanding."" Thank you, Bishop Worb. Mine is the opposite view, I'm afraid. This female was spotted in the company of so- called synthetics prior to the counselor's attack on Riftwall— and subsequently went to their aid. She lied to this panel— and can never be trusted."" The bishop's words left no doubt as to the truth of the matter. The situation was a setup... and Maras must choose. Condemn Mary— or condemn himself. He attempted to meet her eyes but couldn't."" Bishop Drog is correct. Request denied. Next, please."" Mary heard herself gasp, then was herded toward the back door and shoved into the cold. Her fate was sealed. Harley Doon had never felt so helpless as when they rolled him into the cathedral, down a long, empty aisle, and boosted him up onto a pedestal. He wanted to hurt them, to run as far as he could, but the clay held him fast. He could have spoken to them, yelled or even screamed, but knew better than to do",Drog,Drog,"to the voice that warned of a trap? Mary found her ex- husband's eyes and delivered the lie directly to him."" I believe in the Church— and wish to convert."" Drog marveled at the accuracy with which Lictor had predicted her response. He turned to his companions."" The human, Mary Smith, would take God into her heart. What say you?"" Bishop Worb, the Zid seated to Mary's right, knew nothing of Lictor's concerns and had little respect for the frequently inaccurate intelligence reports. The human seemed sincere— and he had no way to look inside the female's head."" I vote yes."" Things were proceeding exactly as George had predicted they would. Mary felt her spirits rise. Drog signaled his understanding."" Thank you, Bishop Worb. Mine is the opposite view, I'm afraid. This female was spotted in the company of so- called synthetics prior to the counselor's attack on Riftwall— and subsequently went to their aid. She lied to this panel— and can never be trusted."" The bishop's words left no doubt as to the truth of the matter. The situation was a setup... and Maras must choose. Condemn Mary— or condemn himself. He attempted to meet her eyes but couldn't."" Bishop Drog is correct. Request denied. Next, please."" Mary heard herself gasp, then was herded toward the back door and shoved into the cold. Her fate was sealed. Harley Doon had never felt so helpless as when they rolled him into the cathedral, down a long, empty aisle, and boosted him up onto a pedestal. He wanted to hurt them, to run as far as he could, but the clay held him fast. He could have spoken to them, yelled or even screamed, but knew better than to do:Previous Entities: |Drog| ::: Mine is the opposite view, ",Drog.M “Just thought I’d ask.”,88989,88996,True,2781:The other man.?,", I shouldn’t wonder. Still, can’t be helped.”“One of those things, really,” agreed the Tsortean. The other man nodded.“Funny old world, when you come to think about it.”“You’ve put your finger on it, all right.” The sergeant loosened his breastplate a bit, glad to be out of the sun.“Rations OK on your side?” he said.“Oh, you know. Mustn’t grumble.”“Like us, really.”“’Cos if you do grumble, they get even worse.”“Just like ours. Here, you haven’t got any figs on your side, have you? I could just do with a fig.”“Sorry.”“Just thought I’d ask.”“Got plenty of dates, if they’re any good to you.”“We’re OK on dates, thanks.”“Sorry.” The two men stood awhile, lost in their own thoughts. Then the Ephebian put on his helmet again, and the Tsortean adjusted his belt.“Right, then.”“Right, then.” They squared their shoulders, stuck out their chins, and marched away. A moment later they turned about smartly and, exchanging the merest flicker of an embarrassed grin, headed back to their own sides. PART IV The Book of 101 Things A Boy Can Do Teppic had expected—— what? Possibly the splat of flesh hitting rock. Possibly, although this was on the very edge of expectation, the sight of the",The other man,"The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man",", I shouldn’t wonder. Still, can’t be helped.”“One of those things, really,” agreed the Tsortean. The other man nodded.“Funny old world, when you come to think about it.”“You’ve put your finger on it, all right.” The sergeant loosened his breastplate a bit, glad to be out of the sun.“Rations OK on your side?” he said.“Oh, you know. Mustn’t grumble.”“Like us, really.”“’Cos if you do grumble, they get even worse.”“Just like ours. Here, you haven’t got any figs on your side, have you? I could just do with a fig.”“Sorry.”“Just thought I’d ask.”“Got plenty of dates, if they’re any good to you.”“We’re OK on dates, thanks.”“Sorry.” The two men stood awhile, lost in their own thoughts. Then the Ephebian put on his helmet again, and the Tsortean adjusted his belt.“Right, then.”“Right, then.” They squared their shoulders, stuck out their chins, and marched away. A moment later they turned about smartly and, exchanging the merest flicker of an embarrassed grin, headed back to their own sides. PART IV The Book of 101 Things A Boy Can Do Teppic had expected—— what? Possibly the splat of flesh hitting rock. Possibly, although this was on the very edge of expectation, the sight of the:Previous Entities: |The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man| ::: “Just thought I’d ask.” ","The Ephebian.M The Tsortean.M" “I never said—”,16674,16679,True,695:Poor feller.?,"that offensive.”“I don’t blame you. Think of it as a... not a simile, that’s not right, but a kind of parable.”“I don’t understand you.”“Well, you’ve got an hour back to the city to think it over— two, if Lars’s Red Baby throws a tire. And I can assure you, Mr. Lester, that if I did let you poke around through my house— my private place, my castle, my goolie- bits— you wouldn’t find my wife’s body in the closet or...” There was a terrible moment when I almost said or down the well. I felt sweat spring out on my forehead.“Or under the bed.”“I never said—”“Henry!” I called.“Come over here a minute!” Henry came with his head down and his feet dragging in the dust. He looked worried, maybe even guilty, but that was all right.“Yes, sir?”“Tell this man where’s your mama.”“I don’t know. When you called me to breakfast Friday morning, she was gone. Packed and gone.” Lester was looking at him keenly.“Son, is that the truth?”“Yes, sir.”“The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”“Poppa, can I go back in the house? I’ve got schoolwork to make up from being sick.”“Go on, then,",Poor feller,"Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller","that offensive.”“I don’t blame you. Think of it as a... not a simile, that’s not right, but a kind of parable.”“I don’t understand you.”“Well, you’ve got an hour back to the city to think it over— two, if Lars’s Red Baby throws a tire. And I can assure you, Mr. Lester, that if I did let you poke around through my house— my private place, my castle, my goolie- bits— you wouldn’t find my wife’s body in the closet or...” There was a terrible moment when I almost said or down the well. I felt sweat spring out on my forehead.“Or under the bed.”“I never said—”“Henry!” I called.“Come over here a minute!” Henry came with his head down and his feet dragging in the dust. He looked worried, maybe even guilty, but that was all right.“Yes, sir?”“Tell this man where’s your mama.”“I don’t know. When you called me to breakfast Friday morning, she was gone. Packed and gone.” Lester was looking at him keenly.“Son, is that the truth?”“Yes, sir.”“The whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”“Poppa, can I go back in the house? I’ve got schoolwork to make up from being sick.”“Go on, then,:Previous Entities: |Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller| ::: “I never said—” ",Henry.M "but if machines are equal,",84332,84360,True,617:Some.?,"God, or living in his present state of dissonance. Though sentient and possessed of free will, Michael, as well as the other AIs he knew of, were"" born"" with a strong sense of preordained purpose. His was to watch over the planet's surface... and protect people from harm. Some claimed this was a good thing, an improvement on the human condition, in which most people were born without the foggiest idea of what they should do with their lives. Others, including some human intellectuals, and a group of cantankerous androids, held a different view. It was their position that preprogrammed"" tendencies"" were tantamount to slavery."" Then why build sentient machines in the first place?"" the pragmatists asked."" We have enough problems already."""" Ah, but if machines are equal, then they have the right to procreate as humans do, reproducing whenever they choose to do so,"" came the immediate reply. Not that such discussions took place any more— not on Zuul, where machines were hunted like animals. Although Michael was sympathetic to the Machinist point of view, he believed that it was good to have a sense of purpose, so long as there was a chance to fulfill it. How frustrating to be a musician minus an instrument, a dancer with no legs, or an angel in which no one believed. All of which explained why he had completed preparations to break orbit and drift away. It was the most he could hope for, given the fact that his nano lacked the specs and raw materials required to build a ship. But drifting was okay, suggesting as it did a long period of peaceful meditation prior to a distant death. Something",Some,"The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss","God, or living in his present state of dissonance. Though sentient and possessed of free will, Michael, as well as the other AIs he knew of, were"" born"" with a strong sense of preordained purpose. His was to watch over the planet's surface... and protect people from harm. Some claimed this was a good thing, an improvement on the human condition, in which most people were born without the foggiest idea of what they should do with their lives. Others, including some human intellectuals, and a group of cantankerous androids, held a different view. It was their position that preprogrammed"" tendencies"" were tantamount to slavery."" Then why build sentient machines in the first place?"" the pragmatists asked."" We have enough problems already."""" Ah, but if machines are equal, then they have the right to procreate as humans do, reproducing whenever they choose to do so,"" came the immediate reply. Not that such discussions took place any more— not on Zuul, where machines were hunted like animals. Although Michael was sympathetic to the Machinist point of view, he believed that it was good to have a sense of purpose, so long as there was a chance to fulfill it. How frustrating to be a musician minus an instrument, a dancer with no legs, or an angel in which no one believed. All of which explained why he had completed preparations to break orbit and drift away. It was the most he could hope for, given the fact that his nano lacked the specs and raw materials required to build a ship. But drifting was okay, suggesting as it did a long period of peaceful meditation prior to a distant death. Something:Previous Entities: |The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss| ::: but if machines are equal, ",Michael.M Morrison sounded harried.,24498,24505,True,217:Morrison.M,"Wright stepped to the window and extended his hand. He held an anemometer; the cups spun lazily. After a moment Wright withdrew the instrument and returned to directing the other men in the room. Graves turned away from the window and made some calls.` Department of Defence.'` Public Information, please.'` Just a minute, please.' There was a clicking.` Public Information, Miss, Conover speaking.'` I'd like to talk to Lieutenant Morrison, please.'` One minute, please.' More clicking.` Lieutenant Morrison's office.'` John Graves calling for Lieutenant Morrison.'` Just a minute, I'll see if he's in.' Still more clicking.' Morrison here. What is it?' As usual, Morrison sounded harried.` Pete, this is John Graves at State. I'm in San Diego, and I need some information.'` Shoot.'` Pete, I need to know what a code word represents. The code word is Binary 75 slash 76.' Morrison coughed in surprise.` Where'd you hear that?'` Pete, just tell me what it means.'` Jesus, this is an open line.'` I know it's an open line. Tell me what it means.'` Where are you calling from?'` San Diego.'` Jesus, you must be out of your mind.'` I need the information, Pete. And I need it now.'` Look,' Morrison said,` if you",Morrison,"Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison","Wright stepped to the window and extended his hand. He held an anemometer; the cups spun lazily. After a moment Wright withdrew the instrument and returned to directing the other men in the room. Graves turned away from the window and made some calls.` Department of Defence.'` Public Information, please.'` Just a minute, please.' There was a clicking.` Public Information, Miss, Conover speaking.'` I'd like to talk to Lieutenant Morrison, please.'` One minute, please.' More clicking.` Lieutenant Morrison's office.'` John Graves calling for Lieutenant Morrison.'` Just a minute, I'll see if he's in.' Still more clicking.' Morrison here. What is it?' As usual, Morrison sounded harried.` Pete, this is John Graves at State. I'm in San Diego, and I need some information.'` Shoot.'` Pete, I need to know what a code word represents. The code word is Binary 75 slash 76.' Morrison coughed in surprise.` Where'd you hear that?'` Pete, just tell me what it means.'` Jesus, this is an open line.'` I know it's an open line. Tell me what it means.'` Where are you calling from?'` San Diego.'` Jesus, you must be out of your mind.'` I need the information, Pete. And I need it now.'` Look,' Morrison said,` if you:Previous Entities: |Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison| ::: Morrison sounded harried. ","Wright.M Graves.M Miss Conover.F Lieutenant Morrison.M John Graves.M Pete.M " sad as I am.”,33400,33419,True,2466:the washerboy.M,"liddle. I learn since I come over here.” He opened his other hand and the knife joined the cleaver on the kitchen floor.“Do you come from Mid- World?” Jake asked.“You do, don’t you?” He didn’t think the washerboy was terribly bright(“No quiz- kid,” Elmer Chambers would no doubt have sneered), but he was at least smart enough to be homesick; in spite of his terror, Jake saw an unmistakable flash of that look in the boy’s eyes.“Yar,” he said.“Come from Ludweg, me.”“Near the city of Lud?”“North of there, if you do like it or if you don’t,” said the washerboy.“Will’ee kill me, lad? I don’t want to die, sad as I am.”“I won’t be the one to kill you if you tell me the truth. Did a woman come through here?” The washerboy hesitated, then said:“Aye. Sayre and his closies had’ er. She’ us out on her feet, that’ un, head all lollin…” He demonstrated, rolling his head on his neck and looking more like the village idiot than ever. Jake thought of Sheemie in Roland’s tale of his Mejis days.“But not dead.”“Nar. I hurt her breevin, me.” Jake looked toward the door, but no one came through. Yet. He should go, but—“What’s your name, cully?”“Jochabim, that be I, son of Hossa.”",the washerboy,"Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy","liddle. I learn since I come over here.” He opened his other hand and the knife joined the cleaver on the kitchen floor.“Do you come from Mid- World?” Jake asked.“You do, don’t you?” He didn’t think the washerboy was terribly bright(“No quiz- kid,” Elmer Chambers would no doubt have sneered), but he was at least smart enough to be homesick; in spite of his terror, Jake saw an unmistakable flash of that look in the boy’s eyes.“Yar,” he said.“Come from Ludweg, me.”“Near the city of Lud?”“North of there, if you do like it or if you don’t,” said the washerboy.“Will’ee kill me, lad? I don’t want to die, sad as I am.”“I won’t be the one to kill you if you tell me the truth. Did a woman come through here?” The washerboy hesitated, then said:“Aye. Sayre and his closies had’ er. She’ us out on her feet, that’ un, head all lollin…” He demonstrated, rolling his head on his neck and looking more like the village idiot than ever. Jake thought of Sheemie in Roland’s tale of his Mejis days.“But not dead.”“Nar. I hurt her breevin, me.” Jake looked toward the door, but no one came through. Yet. He should go, but—“What’s your name, cully?”“Jochabim, that be I, son of Hossa.”:Previous Entities: |Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy| ::: sad as I am.” ",Jochabim.M He seems especially good at sensing the presence of female demigods.,67010,67046,True,1314:The Hunter.?,"warriors–’‘ In other words,’ Reyna said dryly,‘ he’s getting in the way of your plans for world domination.’ Hylla shrugged.‘ Exactly.’‘ That’s why you rushed here to intercept me,’ Reyna said.‘ You knew Orion would be right behind me. You’re setting up an ambush. I’m the bait.’ The other girls all found somewhere else to look besides Reyna’s face.‘ Oh, please,’ Reyna chided,‘ don’t develop a guilty conscience now. It’s a good plan. How do we proceed?’ Hylla gave her comrades a lopsided smile.‘ I told you my sister was tough. Phoebe, you want to explain the details?’ The Hunter shouldered her bow.‘ Like I said, I believe Orion is tracking you, not the Athena Parthenos. He seems especially good at sensing the presence of female demigods. I guess you’d say that we’re his natural prey.’‘ Charming,’ Reyna said.‘ So my friends, Nico and Gleeson Hedge– are they safe?’‘ I still don’t see why you travel with males,’ Phoebe grumbled,‘ but my guess is that they are safer without you around. I did my best to camouflage your statue. With luck, Orion will follow you here, straight into our line of defences.’‘ And then?’ Reyna asked. Hylla gave her the sort of cold smile that used to make Blackbeard’s pirates nervous.‘ Thalia and most of her Hunters are scouting the perimeter of Viejo San Juan. As soon as Orion gets close, we’ll know. We’ve set traps at every approach. I have my best fighters on alert.",The Hunter,"the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter","warriors–’‘ In other words,’ Reyna said dryly,‘ he’s getting in the way of your plans for world domination.’ Hylla shrugged.‘ Exactly.’‘ That’s why you rushed here to intercept me,’ Reyna said.‘ You knew Orion would be right behind me. You’re setting up an ambush. I’m the bait.’ The other girls all found somewhere else to look besides Reyna’s face.‘ Oh, please,’ Reyna chided,‘ don’t develop a guilty conscience now. It’s a good plan. How do we proceed?’ Hylla gave her comrades a lopsided smile.‘ I told you my sister was tough. Phoebe, you want to explain the details?’ The Hunter shouldered her bow.‘ Like I said, I believe Orion is tracking you, not the Athena Parthenos. He seems especially good at sensing the presence of female demigods. I guess you’d say that we’re his natural prey.’‘ Charming,’ Reyna said.‘ So my friends, Nico and Gleeson Hedge– are they safe?’‘ I still don’t see why you travel with males,’ Phoebe grumbled,‘ but my guess is that they are safer without you around. I did my best to camouflage your statue. With luck, Orion will follow you here, straight into our line of defences.’‘ And then?’ Reyna asked. Hylla gave her the sort of cold smile that used to make Blackbeard’s pirates nervous.‘ Thalia and most of her Hunters are scouting the perimeter of Viejo San Juan. As soon as Orion gets close, we’ll know. We’ve set traps at every approach. I have my best fighters on alert.:Previous Entities: |the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter| ::: He seems especially good at sensing the presence of female demigods. ",Orion.M Or maybe it was the way Lila looked at me as she did it.,181481,181532,True,566:Blueberry.M,"' Blueberry's the name of Kenny's dog, isn't it?'' Ain't he a funny one? God, I love a big dog, if he's behaved.' She turned, got a pint of berries from her little fridge, and put them in another bag for me.' Where's Helen?' I asked.' Day off?.'' Not her,' Lila said.' If she's in town, you can't get her out of this place' less you beat her with a stick. She and Kenny and the kids went down Taxachusetts. Them and her brother's family club together and get a seaside cottage two weeks every summer. They all went. Old Blueberry, he'll chase seagulls until he drops.' She laughed— it was a loud and hearty one. It made me think of Sara Tidwell. Or maybe it was the way Lila looked at me as she did it. There was no laughter in her eyes. They were small and considering, coldly curious. Would you for Christ's sake quit it? I told myself. They can't all be in on it together, Mike! Couldn't they, though? There is such a thing as town consciousness— anyone who doubts it has never been to a New England town meeting. Where there's a consciousness, is there not likely to be a subconscious? And if Kyra and I were doing the old mind- meld thing, could not other people in TR-90 also be doing it, perhaps without even knowing it? We all shared the same air and land; we shared the lake and the aquifer which lay below everything, buried water tasting of rock and minerals. We shared The Street as well, that place where good pups and vile dogs could walk side- by-",Blueberry,"a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila","' Blueberry's the name of Kenny's dog, isn't it?'' Ain't he a funny one? God, I love a big dog, if he's behaved.' She turned, got a pint of berries from her little fridge, and put them in another bag for me.' Where's Helen?' I asked.' Day off?.'' Not her,' Lila said.' If she's in town, you can't get her out of this place' less you beat her with a stick. She and Kenny and the kids went down Taxachusetts. Them and her brother's family club together and get a seaside cottage two weeks every summer. They all went. Old Blueberry, he'll chase seagulls until he drops.' She laughed— it was a loud and hearty one. It made me think of Sara Tidwell. Or maybe it was the way Lila looked at me as she did it. There was no laughter in her eyes. They were small and considering, coldly curious. Would you for Christ's sake quit it? I told myself. They can't all be in on it together, Mike! Couldn't they, though? There is such a thing as town consciousness— anyone who doubts it has never been to a New England town meeting. Where there's a consciousness, is there not likely to be a subconscious? And if Kyra and I were doing the old mind- meld thing, could not other people in TR-90 also be doing it, perhaps without even knowing it? We all shared the same air and land; we shared the lake and the aquifer which lay below everything, buried water tasting of rock and minerals. We shared The Street as well, that place where good pups and vile dogs could walk side- by-:Previous Entities: |a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila| ::: Or maybe it was the way Lila looked at me as she did it. ",Lila.F "‘ Even if we get the entire Fourth and Fifth Cohorts to follow us,",119946,119983,True,678:Leila.F,"of Half- Blood Hill, its five cohorts in perfect order, its standards bright and proud. Giant eagles circled overhead. The siege weapons– six golden onagers the size of houses– were arrayed behind in a loose semicircle, three on each flank. But, for all its impressive discipline, the Twelfth Legion looked pitifully small, a splotch of demigod valour in a sea of ravenous monsters. Nico wished he still had the sceptre of Diocletian, but he doubted a legion of dead warriors would make a dent in this army. Even the Argo II couldn’t do much against this kind of strength.‘ I have to disable the onagers,’ Nico said.‘ We don’t have much time.’‘ You’ll never get close to them,’ Leila warned.‘ Even if we get the entire Fourth and Fifth Cohorts to follow us, the other cohorts will try to stop us. And those siege weapons are manned by Octavian’s most loyal followers.’‘ We won’t get close by force,’ Nico agreed.‘ But alone I can do it. Dakota, Leila– Jules- Albert will drive you to the legion lines. Get out, talk to your troops, convince them to follow your lead. I’ll need a distraction.’ Dakota frowned.‘ All right, but I’m not hurting any of my fellow legionnaires.’‘ No one’s asking you to,’ Nico growled.‘ But if we don’t stop this war the entire legion will be wiped out. You said the monster tribes take insult easily?’‘ Yes,’ Dakota said.‘ I mean, for instance, you make any comment to those two- headed guys about the way they smell and… oh.’",Leila,"Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king","of Half- Blood Hill, its five cohorts in perfect order, its standards bright and proud. Giant eagles circled overhead. The siege weapons– six golden onagers the size of houses– were arrayed behind in a loose semicircle, three on each flank. But, for all its impressive discipline, the Twelfth Legion looked pitifully small, a splotch of demigod valour in a sea of ravenous monsters. Nico wished he still had the sceptre of Diocletian, but he doubted a legion of dead warriors would make a dent in this army. Even the Argo II couldn’t do much against this kind of strength.‘ I have to disable the onagers,’ Nico said.‘ We don’t have much time.’‘ You’ll never get close to them,’ Leila warned.‘ Even if we get the entire Fourth and Fifth Cohorts to follow us, the other cohorts will try to stop us. And those siege weapons are manned by Octavian’s most loyal followers.’‘ We won’t get close by force,’ Nico agreed.‘ But alone I can do it. Dakota, Leila– Jules- Albert will drive you to the legion lines. Get out, talk to your troops, convince them to follow your lead. I’ll need a distraction.’ Dakota frowned.‘ All right, but I’m not hurting any of my fellow legionnaires.’‘ No one’s asking you to,’ Nico growled.‘ But if we don’t stop this war the entire legion will be wiped out. You said the monster tribes take insult easily?’‘ Yes,’ Dakota said.‘ I mean, for instance, you make any comment to those two- headed guys about the way they smell and… oh.’:Previous Entities: |Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king| ::: ‘ Even if we get the entire Fourth and Fifth Cohorts to follow us, ","Nico.M Leila.F Dakota.? Jules-Albert.? Octavian.M" “What little mouse is climbing about in my chimney?”,83541,83552,True,6165:the Weaver.F,"them make me weak. Bent to it like some wild horse broken to the bit. The soot- stained bricks were loose, uneven. Perfect for climbing. Faster— I had to go faster. But my shoulders scraped against the brick, and it reeked in here, like carrion and burned hair, and there was an oily sheen on the stone, like cooked fat— The Weaver’s screaming was cut short as I was halfway up her chimney, sunlight and trees almost visible, every breath a near- sob. I reached for the next brick, fingernails breaking as I hauled myself up so violently that my arms barked in protest against the squeezing of the stone around me, and— And I was stuck. Stuck, as the Weaver hissed from within her house,“What little mouse is climbing about in my chimney?” I had just enough room to look down as the Weaver’s rotted face appeared below. She put that milk- white hand on the ledge, and I realized how little room there was between us. My head emptied out. I pushed against the grip of the chimney, but couldn’t budge. I was going to die here. I was going to be dragged down by those beautiful hands and ripped apart and eaten. Maybe while I was still alive, she’d set that hideous mouth on my flesh and gnaw and tear and bite and— Black panic crushed in, and I was again trapped under a nearby mountain, in a muddy trench, the Middengard Wyrm barreling for me. I’d barely escaped, barely— I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t breathe, could",the Weaver,"the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver","them make me weak. Bent to it like some wild horse broken to the bit. The soot- stained bricks were loose, uneven. Perfect for climbing. Faster— I had to go faster. But my shoulders scraped against the brick, and it reeked in here, like carrion and burned hair, and there was an oily sheen on the stone, like cooked fat— The Weaver’s screaming was cut short as I was halfway up her chimney, sunlight and trees almost visible, every breath a near- sob. I reached for the next brick, fingernails breaking as I hauled myself up so violently that my arms barked in protest against the squeezing of the stone around me, and— And I was stuck. Stuck, as the Weaver hissed from within her house,“What little mouse is climbing about in my chimney?” I had just enough room to look down as the Weaver’s rotted face appeared below. She put that milk- white hand on the ledge, and I realized how little room there was between us. My head emptied out. I pushed against the grip of the chimney, but couldn’t budge. I was going to die here. I was going to be dragged down by those beautiful hands and ripped apart and eaten. Maybe while I was still alive, she’d set that hideous mouth on my flesh and gnaw and tear and bite and— Black panic crushed in, and I was again trapped under a nearby mountain, in a muddy trench, the Middengard Wyrm barreling for me. I’d barely escaped, barely— I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t breathe, could:Previous Entities: |the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver| ::: “What little mouse is climbing about in my chimney?” ",the Weaver.F "back in the old times,",7460,7504,True,552:The figure.?,"to Wayzygoose’s room. The air was full of greasy coils. Little particles of soot drifted gently on the air currents, and there were several foot- shaped burn marks on the floor. The figure shrugged. There was no accounting for the sort of things you found in wizard’s rooms. It caught sight of its multi- faceted reflection in the shattered mirror, adjusted the set of its hood, and got on with the search. Moving like one listening to inner directions, it padded noiselessly across the room until it reached the table whereon stood a tall, round and battered leather box. It crept closer and gently raised the lid. The voice from inside sounded as though it was talking through several layers of carpet when it said, At last. What kept you?“I mean, how did they all get started? I mean, back in the old times, there were real wizards, there was none of this levels business. They just went out and— did it. Pow!” One or two of the other customers in the darkened bar of the Mended Drum tavern looked around hastily at the noise. They were new in town. Regular customers never took any notice of surprising noises like groans or unpleasantly gristly sounds. It was a lot healthier. In some parts of the city curiosity didn’t just kill the cat, it threw it in the river with lead weights tied to its feet. Rincewind’s hands weaved unsteadily over the array of empty glasses on the table in front of him. He’d almost been able to forget about the cockroaches. After another drink he might manage to forget about the mattress, too.“Whee! A fireball! Fizz! Vanishing like smoke! Whee!—Sorry.” The Librarian carefully pulled what remained of his beer out of the",The figure,"Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose","to Wayzygoose’s room. The air was full of greasy coils. Little particles of soot drifted gently on the air currents, and there were several foot- shaped burn marks on the floor. The figure shrugged. There was no accounting for the sort of things you found in wizard’s rooms. It caught sight of its multi- faceted reflection in the shattered mirror, adjusted the set of its hood, and got on with the search. Moving like one listening to inner directions, it padded noiselessly across the room until it reached the table whereon stood a tall, round and battered leather box. It crept closer and gently raised the lid. The voice from inside sounded as though it was talking through several layers of carpet when it said, At last. What kept you?“I mean, how did they all get started? I mean, back in the old times, there were real wizards, there was none of this levels business. They just went out and— did it. Pow!” One or two of the other customers in the darkened bar of the Mended Drum tavern looked around hastily at the noise. They were new in town. Regular customers never took any notice of surprising noises like groans or unpleasantly gristly sounds. It was a lot healthier. In some parts of the city curiosity didn’t just kill the cat, it threw it in the river with lead weights tied to its feet. Rincewind’s hands weaved unsteadily over the array of empty glasses on the table in front of him. He’d almost been able to forget about the cockroaches. After another drink he might manage to forget about the mattress, too.“Whee! A fireball! Fizz! Vanishing like smoke! Whee!—Sorry.” The Librarian carefully pulled what remained of his beer out of the:Previous Entities: |Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose| ::: back in the old times, ",Rincewind.M “Elain— why are you with them?”,178133,178142,True,289:Graysen.M,"“And who are your companions?” It was a gamble— we knew it was. To say who we were, when we knew full well the terror of any Fae, let alone High Lords… But I stepped forward.“My name is Feyre Archeron. I am High Lady of the Night Court. This is Rhysand, my— husband.” I doubted mate would go over well as a term. Rhys came to my side. Some of the guards shifted and murmured with terror. Some flinched at the hand Rhys lifted— to gesture behind him.“Our third in command, Morrigan. And our spymaster, Azriel.” Lord Nolan, to his credit, did not blanch. Graysen did, but remained steady.“Elain,” Graysen breathed.“Elain— why are you with them?”“Because she is our sister,” Nesta answered, her fingers still curled with those invisible talons.“And there is no safer place for her during this war than with us.” Elain whispered,“Graysen— we’ve come to beg you…” A pleading glance at his father.“Both of you… Open your gates to any humans who can get here. To families. With the wall down… We— they believe… There is not enough time for an evacuation. The queens will not send aid from the continent. But here— they might stand a chance.” Neither man responded, though Graysen now looked at Elain’s engagement ring. His blue eyes rippled with pain.“I would be inclined to believe you,” he said quietly,",Graysen,"Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan","“And who are your companions?” It was a gamble— we knew it was. To say who we were, when we knew full well the terror of any Fae, let alone High Lords… But I stepped forward.“My name is Feyre Archeron. I am High Lady of the Night Court. This is Rhysand, my— husband.” I doubted mate would go over well as a term. Rhys came to my side. Some of the guards shifted and murmured with terror. Some flinched at the hand Rhys lifted— to gesture behind him.“Our third in command, Morrigan. And our spymaster, Azriel.” Lord Nolan, to his credit, did not blanch. Graysen did, but remained steady.“Elain,” Graysen breathed.“Elain— why are you with them?”“Because she is our sister,” Nesta answered, her fingers still curled with those invisible talons.“And there is no safer place for her during this war than with us.” Elain whispered,“Graysen— we’ve come to beg you…” A pleading glance at his father.“Both of you… Open your gates to any humans who can get here. To families. With the wall down… We— they believe… There is not enough time for an evacuation. The queens will not send aid from the continent. But here— they might stand a chance.” Neither man responded, though Graysen now looked at Elain’s engagement ring. His blue eyes rippled with pain.“I would be inclined to believe you,” he said quietly,:Previous Entities: |Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan| ::: “Elain— why are you with them?” ",Graysen.M And using condemned criminals and so on.1 But that’s different from bunging someone to a dragon just because it’s feeling peckish.”,93978,94008,True,1544:the first speaker.M,"he was exhausted… He stared at nothing. Down below the city was a mass of smoke and steam. He wasn’t thinking of that, though. He was thinking of a running man. And, further back in the fuddled mists of his life, a boy running to keep up. And under his breath he said,“Any of them get out?” Sergeant Colon finished the proclamation and looked around at the hostile crowd.“Don’t blame me,” he said.“I just read the things. I don’t write’em.”“That’s a human sacrifice, that is,” said someone.“There’s nothing wrong with human sacrifice,” said a priest.“Ah, per say,” said the first speaker quickly.“For proper religious reasons. And using condemned criminals and so on.1 But that’s different from bunging someone to a dragon just because it’s feeling peckish.”“That’s the spirit!” said Sergeant Colon.“Taxes is one thing, but eating people is another.”“Well said!”“If we all say we won’t put up with it, what can the dragon do?” Nobby opened his mouth. Colon clamped a hand over it and raised a triumphant fist in the air.“It’s just what I’ve always said,” he said.“The people united can never be ignited!” There was a ragged cheer.“Hang on a minute,” said a small man, slowly.“As far as we know, the dragon’s only good at one thing. It flies around the city setting fire to people. I’m not actually certain what is being proposed that would",the first speaker,"a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant","he was exhausted… He stared at nothing. Down below the city was a mass of smoke and steam. He wasn’t thinking of that, though. He was thinking of a running man. And, further back in the fuddled mists of his life, a boy running to keep up. And under his breath he said,“Any of them get out?” Sergeant Colon finished the proclamation and looked around at the hostile crowd.“Don’t blame me,” he said.“I just read the things. I don’t write’em.”“That’s a human sacrifice, that is,” said someone.“There’s nothing wrong with human sacrifice,” said a priest.“Ah, per say,” said the first speaker quickly.“For proper religious reasons. And using condemned criminals and so on.1 But that’s different from bunging someone to a dragon just because it’s feeling peckish.”“That’s the spirit!” said Sergeant Colon.“Taxes is one thing, but eating people is another.”“Well said!”“If we all say we won’t put up with it, what can the dragon do?” Nobby opened his mouth. Colon clamped a hand over it and raised a triumphant fist in the air.“It’s just what I’ve always said,” he said.“The people united can never be ignited!” There was a ragged cheer.“Hang on a minute,” said a small man, slowly.“As far as we know, the dragon’s only good at one thing. It flies around the city setting fire to people. I’m not actually certain what is being proposed that would:Previous Entities: |a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant| ::: And using condemned criminals and so on.1 But that’s different from bunging someone to a dragon just because it’s feeling peckish.” ",the first speaker.M “I thought you were—”,22425,22431,True,167:Monk.M,"doomsday. Right now, that clock was ticking for X, Mags, and Miles, and there was only one thing he could do for them right now.“Let’s just let him through,” O’Toole said.“What? We have specific orders,” Monk replied quietly, turning his back to Michael.“He’s a Hell Diver.” The hatch clicked, and both men stepped away. A white glow emanated from the other side, coalescing into a human shape. The dark- skinned figure, dressed in creaseless pants and a suit jacket, stood inside the launch bay. He had a neat beard and short- cropped hair. The man— or hologram, to be precise— made Michael smile.“What the hell!” Monk said.“I thought you were—”“The captain ordered his reactivation,” Michael said.“Good to have you back, Timothy.”“Thank you, Commander. It’s good to see you. Samson said that you wanted to see me.”“Yes. Follow me.” Now that the hatch had opened, Michael didn’t wait for permission. He simply nodded at O’Toole and Monk, who stepped aside to let him into the launch bay. The hatch closed behind them, sealing with a loud click that echoed throughout the vaulted space.“I’m only fifty- nine percent operational,” Timothy said,“but I should be one hundred percent within the hour and will have accessed the thousands of new files on the mainframe.”“That’s what I wanted to talk to",Monk,"Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk","doomsday. Right now, that clock was ticking for X, Mags, and Miles, and there was only one thing he could do for them right now.“Let’s just let him through,” O’Toole said.“What? We have specific orders,” Monk replied quietly, turning his back to Michael.“He’s a Hell Diver.” The hatch clicked, and both men stepped away. A white glow emanated from the other side, coalescing into a human shape. The dark- skinned figure, dressed in creaseless pants and a suit jacket, stood inside the launch bay. He had a neat beard and short- cropped hair. The man— or hologram, to be precise— made Michael smile.“What the hell!” Monk said.“I thought you were—”“The captain ordered his reactivation,” Michael said.“Good to have you back, Timothy.”“Thank you, Commander. It’s good to see you. Samson said that you wanted to see me.”“Yes. Follow me.” Now that the hatch had opened, Michael didn’t wait for permission. He simply nodded at O’Toole and Monk, who stepped aside to let him into the launch bay. The hatch closed behind them, sealing with a loud click that echoed throughout the vaulted space.“I’m only fifty- nine percent operational,” Timothy said,“but I should be one hundred percent within the hour and will have accessed the thousands of new files on the mainframe.”“That’s what I wanted to talk to:Previous Entities: |Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk| ::: “I thought you were—” ",Monk.M "“A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you,",3762,3802,True,756:the second man.?,"wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition… Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servant will have rejoined us—”“I am a faithful servant,” said Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice.“Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfill neither requirement.”“I found you,” said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now.“I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins.”“That is true,” said the second man, sounding amused.“A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail— though, if truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you caught her, were you?”“I— I thought she might be useful, My Lord—”“Liar,” said the second voice again, the cruel amusement more pronounced than ever.“However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform.…”“R- really, My Lord? What—?” Wormtail sounded terrified again.“Ah, Wormtail, you don’t want me to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end… but I promise you, you will have the honor of being just",the second man,the second man,"wish that I could do it myself, but in my present condition… Come, Wormtail, one more death and our path to Harry Potter is clear. I am not asking you to do it alone. By that time, my faithful servant will have rejoined us—”“I am a faithful servant,” said Wormtail, the merest trace of sullenness in his voice.“Wormtail, I need somebody with brains, somebody whose loyalty has never wavered, and you, unfortunately, fulfill neither requirement.”“I found you,” said Wormtail, and there was definitely a sulky edge to his voice now.“I was the one who found you. I brought you Bertha Jorkins.”“That is true,” said the second man, sounding amused.“A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, Wormtail— though, if truth be told, you were not aware how useful she would be when you caught her, were you?”“I— I thought she might be useful, My Lord—”“Liar,” said the second voice again, the cruel amusement more pronounced than ever.“However, I do not deny that her information was invaluable. Without it, I could never have formed our plan, and for that, you will have your reward, Wormtail. I will allow you to perform an essential task for me, one that many of my followers would give their right hands to perform.…”“R- really, My Lord? What—?” Wormtail sounded terrified again.“Ah, Wormtail, you don’t want me to spoil the surprise? Your part will come at the very end… but I promise you, you will have the honor of being just:Previous Entities: |the second man| ::: “A stroke of brilliance I would not have thought possible from you, ",the second man.M "‘ And may I say,",110935,110979,True,3129:The warden.?,"to be me.’ She gave in.*** The fog of the city was as thick as curtains when Mrs Proust hurried towards the dark, brooding shape of the Tanty, but the billows obediently separated as she approached and closed again after her. The warden was waiting at the main gate, a lantern in his hand.‘ Sorry, missus, but we thought you ought to see this one before it gets all official. I know witches seem a bit unpopular right now, but we’ve always thought of you as family, if you know what I mean. Everyone remembers your dad. What a craftsman! He could hang a man in seven and a quarter seconds! Never been beat. We shall never see his likes again.’ He went solemn.‘ And may I say, missus, I hope I never see again the like of what you will be seeing now. It’s got us rattled, and no mistake. It’s right up your street, I reckon.’ Mrs Proust shook the water droplets off her cloak in the prison office and could smell the fear in the air. There was the general clanging and distant yelling that you always got when things were going bad in a prison: a prison, by definition, being a lot of people all crammed together and every fear and hatred and worry and dread and rumour all sitting on top of one another, choking for space. She hung the cloak on a nail by the door and rubbed her hands together.‘ The lad you sent said something about a breakout?’‘ D wing,’ said the warder.‘ Macintosh. You remember? Been in here about a year.’‘ Oh yes, I recall,’ said the witch.‘ They had to stop the trial",The warden,"Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden","to be me.’ She gave in.*** The fog of the city was as thick as curtains when Mrs Proust hurried towards the dark, brooding shape of the Tanty, but the billows obediently separated as she approached and closed again after her. The warden was waiting at the main gate, a lantern in his hand.‘ Sorry, missus, but we thought you ought to see this one before it gets all official. I know witches seem a bit unpopular right now, but we’ve always thought of you as family, if you know what I mean. Everyone remembers your dad. What a craftsman! He could hang a man in seven and a quarter seconds! Never been beat. We shall never see his likes again.’ He went solemn.‘ And may I say, missus, I hope I never see again the like of what you will be seeing now. It’s got us rattled, and no mistake. It’s right up your street, I reckon.’ Mrs Proust shook the water droplets off her cloak in the prison office and could smell the fear in the air. There was the general clanging and distant yelling that you always got when things were going bad in a prison: a prison, by definition, being a lot of people all crammed together and every fear and hatred and worry and dread and rumour all sitting on top of one another, choking for space. She hung the cloak on a nail by the door and rubbed her hands together.‘ The lad you sent said something about a breakout?’‘ D wing,’ said the warder.‘ Macintosh. You remember? Been in here about a year.’‘ Oh yes, I recall,’ said the witch.‘ They had to stop the trial:Previous Entities: |Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden| ::: ‘ And may I say, ",The warden.M “We think it’s the air purifiers.,8141,8155,True,489:a video technician.F,"much time- okay, here we go,” she said, pointing to the screen. I saw black- and- white scramble, and then the image resolved. The tape showed Julia in a large laboratory that was fitted out like an operating room. A man lay on his back on the gurney, an IV in his arm, an anesthesiologist standing by. Above the table was a round flat metal plate about six feet in diameter, which could be raised and lowered, but was now raised. There were video monitors all around. And in the foreground, peering at a monitor, was Julia. There was a video technician by her side.“This is terrible,” she was saying, pointing to the monitor.“What’s all the interference?”“We think it’s the air purifiers. They’re causing it.”“Well, this is unacceptable.”“Really?”“Yes, really.”“What do you want us to do?”“I want you to fix it,” Julia said.“Then we have to boost power, and you have-”“I don’t care,” she said.“I can’t show the VCs an image of this quality. They’ve seen better pictures from Mars. Fix it.” Beside me on the bed, Julia said,“I didn’t know they recorded all this. This is before the demo. You can fast forward.” I pushed the remote. The picture scrambled. I waited a few seconds, and played it again. Same scene. Julia still in the foreground. Carol, her",a video technician,"her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician","much time- okay, here we go,” she said, pointing to the screen. I saw black- and- white scramble, and then the image resolved. The tape showed Julia in a large laboratory that was fitted out like an operating room. A man lay on his back on the gurney, an IV in his arm, an anesthesiologist standing by. Above the table was a round flat metal plate about six feet in diameter, which could be raised and lowered, but was now raised. There were video monitors all around. And in the foreground, peering at a monitor, was Julia. There was a video technician by her side.“This is terrible,” she was saying, pointing to the monitor.“What’s all the interference?”“We think it’s the air purifiers. They’re causing it.”“Well, this is unacceptable.”“Really?”“Yes, really.”“What do you want us to do?”“I want you to fix it,” Julia said.“Then we have to boost power, and you have-”“I don’t care,” she said.“I can’t show the VCs an image of this quality. They’ve seen better pictures from Mars. Fix it.” Beside me on the bed, Julia said,“I didn’t know they recorded all this. This is before the demo. You can fast forward.” I pushed the remote. The picture scrambled. I waited a few seconds, and played it again. Same scene. Julia still in the foreground. Carol, her:Previous Entities: |her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician| ::: “We think it’s the air purifiers. ",the video technician.F “How can a man with plenty of gold consider himself poor?,24716,24741,True,168:Weasel.M,"Immediately it sprouted numerous legs and scrabbled for a purchase. Hauling itself to the top of the bank the Luggage— streaked with soot, stained with water and very, very angry— shook itself and took its bearings. Then it moved away at a brisk trot, the small and incredibly ugly imp that was perching on its lid watching the scenery with interest. Bravd looked at the Weasel and raised his eyebrows.“And that’s it,” said Rincewind.“The Luggage caught up with us, don’t ask me how. Is there any more wine?” The Weasel picked up the empty wineskin.“I think you have had just about enough wine this night,” he said. Bravd’s forehead wrinkled.“Gold is gold,” he said finally.“How can a man with plenty of gold consider himself poor? You’re either poor or rich. It stands to reason.” Rincewind hiccupped. He was finding Reason rather difficult to hold on to.“Well,” he said,“what I think is, the point is, well, you know octiron?” The two adventurers nodded. The strange iridescent metal was almost as highly valued in the lands around the Circle Sea as sapient pearwood, and was about as rare. A man who owned a needle made of octiron would never lose his way, since it always pointed to the Hub of the Discworld, being acutely sensitive to the Disc’s magical field; it would also miraculously darn his socks.“Well, my point is, you see, that gold also has its sort of magical field. Sort of financial wizardry. Echo- gnomics.” Rincewind giggled. The Weasel stood up",Weasel,"Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf","Immediately it sprouted numerous legs and scrabbled for a purchase. Hauling itself to the top of the bank the Luggage— streaked with soot, stained with water and very, very angry— shook itself and took its bearings. Then it moved away at a brisk trot, the small and incredibly ugly imp that was perching on its lid watching the scenery with interest. Bravd looked at the Weasel and raised his eyebrows.“And that’s it,” said Rincewind.“The Luggage caught up with us, don’t ask me how. Is there any more wine?” The Weasel picked up the empty wineskin.“I think you have had just about enough wine this night,” he said. Bravd’s forehead wrinkled.“Gold is gold,” he said finally.“How can a man with plenty of gold consider himself poor? You’re either poor or rich. It stands to reason.” Rincewind hiccupped. He was finding Reason rather difficult to hold on to.“Well,” he said,“what I think is, the point is, well, you know octiron?” The two adventurers nodded. The strange iridescent metal was almost as highly valued in the lands around the Circle Sea as sapient pearwood, and was about as rare. A man who owned a needle made of octiron would never lose his way, since it always pointed to the Hub of the Discworld, being acutely sensitive to the Disc’s magical field; it would also miraculously darn his socks.“Well, my point is, you see, that gold also has its sort of magical field. Sort of financial wizardry. Echo- gnomics.” Rincewind giggled. The Weasel stood up:Previous Entities: |Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf| ::: “How can a man with plenty of gold consider himself poor? ",Bravd.M "sir,",45267,45281,True,302:Quentin.M,"for these young’uns who’ve had the training on Dark Fowl. And I’ll take my usual.” Bubo’s usual was a pierced metal ball full of bonk coals attached to the end of a link chain. It was called a flail, or a fizgig, and it was an extraordinarily difficult weapon to use. But Bubo was an expert. The ball became red hot when swung in a rapid circular motion and could wreak havoc in a thicket of hostile owls, scattering them like dried leaves in a crisp breeze.“Battle claws first, before picking up your weapons, if I might recommend,” Quentin said in a soft voice.“Of course, Q.” Quentin was a very formal owl. He picked up the battle claws that Ezylryb had given to Soren.“If I may, sir, it would be a great honor.” Bubo sighed.“All right, Q. Assist Soren, but the rest of us shall claw ourselves. We must get to the front as fast as we can.” In a matter of minutes, the owls were clawed and airborne with their weapons. Smoke roiled through the night, but rain pelted through the thickness of the smoke and when a loud clap of thunder broke, the lightning appeared like a fuzzy white filament in the grayness. Soren thought that this was the oddest atmosphere he had ever flown in. But did it seem familiar to him in some way? Had there not been another time when a strange thickness in the air surrounded him? No, it had not been smoke. Fog! Suddenly, it burst upon him: It was his dream. The dream",Quentin,"The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft","for these young’uns who’ve had the training on Dark Fowl. And I’ll take my usual.” Bubo’s usual was a pierced metal ball full of bonk coals attached to the end of a link chain. It was called a flail, or a fizgig, and it was an extraordinarily difficult weapon to use. But Bubo was an expert. The ball became red hot when swung in a rapid circular motion and could wreak havoc in a thicket of hostile owls, scattering them like dried leaves in a crisp breeze.“Battle claws first, before picking up your weapons, if I might recommend,” Quentin said in a soft voice.“Of course, Q.” Quentin was a very formal owl. He picked up the battle claws that Ezylryb had given to Soren.“If I may, sir, it would be a great honor.” Bubo sighed.“All right, Q. Assist Soren, but the rest of us shall claw ourselves. We must get to the front as fast as we can.” In a matter of minutes, the owls were clawed and airborne with their weapons. Smoke roiled through the night, but rain pelted through the thickness of the smoke and when a loud clap of thunder broke, the lightning appeared like a fuzzy white filament in the grayness. Soren thought that this was the oddest atmosphere he had ever flown in. But did it seem familiar to him in some way? Had there not been another time when a strange thickness in the air surrounded him? No, it had not been smoke. Fog! Suddenly, it burst upon him: It was his dream. The dream:Previous Entities: |The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft| ::: sir, ","Bubo.M Quentin.M Soren.M Ezylryb.M" "or we’d have come sooner,”",33601,33619,True,38:Lisbeth.F,"All he’d do was sit out under the dog run all day, talking and chewing tobacco and spitting juice all over the place. On top of that, he’d expect Mama to cook him up a good dinner and maybe a supper if he took a notion to stay that long. And Mama had ten times too much to do, like it was. In a little bit, though, I heard a quiet step at the door. I looked up. It was Lisbeth. She stood with her hands behind her back, staring at me with her big solemn eyes.“You hurting pretty bad?” she asked. I was hurting a- plenty, but I wasn’t admitting it to a girl.“I’m doing all right,” I said.“We didn’t know you’d got hog cut, or we’d have come sooner,” she said. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t say anything.“Well, anyhow,” she said,“I brung you a surprise.” I was too sick and worn out to care about a surprise right then; but there was such an eager look in her eyes that I knew I had to say“What?” or hurt her feelings, so I said“What?”“One of Miss Prissy’s pups!” she said. She brought her hands around from behind her back. In the right one, she held a dog pup about as big as a year- old possum. It was a dirty white in color and speckled all over with blue spots about the size of cow ticks. She held",Lisbeth,"Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy","All he’d do was sit out under the dog run all day, talking and chewing tobacco and spitting juice all over the place. On top of that, he’d expect Mama to cook him up a good dinner and maybe a supper if he took a notion to stay that long. And Mama had ten times too much to do, like it was. In a little bit, though, I heard a quiet step at the door. I looked up. It was Lisbeth. She stood with her hands behind her back, staring at me with her big solemn eyes.“You hurting pretty bad?” she asked. I was hurting a- plenty, but I wasn’t admitting it to a girl.“I’m doing all right,” I said.“We didn’t know you’d got hog cut, or we’d have come sooner,” she said. I didn’t know what to say to that, so I didn’t say anything.“Well, anyhow,” she said,“I brung you a surprise.” I was too sick and worn out to care about a surprise right then; but there was such an eager look in her eyes that I knew I had to say“What?” or hurt her feelings, so I said“What?”“One of Miss Prissy’s pups!” she said. She brought her hands around from behind her back. In the right one, she held a dog pup about as big as a year- old possum. It was a dirty white in color and speckled all over with blue spots about the size of cow ticks. She held:Previous Entities: |Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy| ::: or we’d have come sooner,” ",Lisbeth.F "They drove us inland,",117935,118018,True,4645:a hell of a good tale - spinner.?,"up— ki’can sort of means shit- people or shit- folken, if you’re interested— but it was suicide and I knew it if no one else did. The rest… well, remember Doc Number Two? The rest were and are like him.‘ Don’t tell me what I don’t want to know, sai, don’t mess up my worldview.’ Anyway, the last one was Tanya Leeds. Tough little thing…” A pause and a click. Then Ted’s voice resumed, sounding temporarily refreshed. The third tape had almost finished. He must have really burned through the rest of the story, Eddie thought, and found that the idea disappointed him. Whatever else he was, Ted was a hell of a good tale- spinner.“Armitage and his colleagues showed up in a Ford station wagon, what we called a woody in those charming days. They drove us inland, to a town called Santa Mira. There was a paved main street. The rest of them were dirt. I remember there were a lot of oil- derricks, looking like praying mantises, sort of… although it was dark by then and they were really just shapes against the sky.“I was expecting a train depot, or maybe a bus with CHARTERED in the destination window. Instead we pulled up to this empty freight depot with a sign reading SANTA MIRA SHIPPING hanging askew on the front and I got a thought, clear as day, from Dick whatever- his- name was. They’re going to kill us, he was thinking. They brought us out here to kill us and steal our stuff.“If you’re not a telepath, you don’t know how scary something like that can be. How the surety of it kind of… invades your head. I saw Dave Ittaway go pale, and although Tanya didn’t make a sound— she was a tough little thing, as I told you— it was bright enough in the car",a hell of a good tale - spinner,"Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner","up— ki’can sort of means shit- people or shit- folken, if you’re interested— but it was suicide and I knew it if no one else did. The rest… well, remember Doc Number Two? The rest were and are like him.‘ Don’t tell me what I don’t want to know, sai, don’t mess up my worldview.’ Anyway, the last one was Tanya Leeds. Tough little thing…” A pause and a click. Then Ted’s voice resumed, sounding temporarily refreshed. The third tape had almost finished. He must have really burned through the rest of the story, Eddie thought, and found that the idea disappointed him. Whatever else he was, Ted was a hell of a good tale- spinner.“Armitage and his colleagues showed up in a Ford station wagon, what we called a woody in those charming days. They drove us inland, to a town called Santa Mira. There was a paved main street. The rest of them were dirt. I remember there were a lot of oil- derricks, looking like praying mantises, sort of… although it was dark by then and they were really just shapes against the sky.“I was expecting a train depot, or maybe a bus with CHARTERED in the destination window. Instead we pulled up to this empty freight depot with a sign reading SANTA MIRA SHIPPING hanging askew on the front and I got a thought, clear as day, from Dick whatever- his- name was. They’re going to kill us, he was thinking. They brought us out here to kill us and steal our stuff.“If you’re not a telepath, you don’t know how scary something like that can be. How the surety of it kind of… invades your head. I saw Dave Ittaway go pale, and although Tanya didn’t make a sound— she was a tough little thing, as I told you— it was bright enough in the car:Previous Entities: |Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner| ::: They drove us inland, ","The Hunter.M The Central Maine Power guy.M" "It will do a small amount of injury,",10371,10390,True,841:the Duncan.M,".”“You’re not even human anymore!” Oh, how angry the Duncan had been. Leto had found his accusation irritating, like a grain of sand in an eye. He held onto the remnants of his once- human self with a grimness which could not be denied, although irritation was the closest he could come to anger.“Your life is becoming a cliché,” Leto had accused. Whereupon the Duncan had produced a small explosive from the folds of his uniform robe. What a surprise! Leto loved surprises, even nasty ones. It is something I did not predict! And he said as much to Duncan, who had stood there oddly undecided now that decision was absolutely demanded of him.“This could kill you,” the Duncan said.“I’m sorry, Duncan. It will do a small amount of injury, no more.”“But you said you didn’t predict this!” The Duncan’s voice had grown shrill.“Duncan, Duncan, it is absolute prediction which equals death to me. How unutterably boring death is.” At the last instant, the Duncan had tried to throw the explosive to one side, but the material in it had been unstable and it had gone off too soon. The Duncan had died. Ahh, well— the Tleilaxu always had another in their axlotl tanks. One of the drifting glowglobes above Leto began to blink. Excitement gripped him. Moneo’s signal! Faithful Moneo had alerted his God Emperor that the Duncan was descending to the crypt. The door to the human lift between two spoked passages in the northwest arc of the hub swung open. The Duncan",the Duncan,"the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan",".”“You’re not even human anymore!” Oh, how angry the Duncan had been. Leto had found his accusation irritating, like a grain of sand in an eye. He held onto the remnants of his once- human self with a grimness which could not be denied, although irritation was the closest he could come to anger.“Your life is becoming a cliché,” Leto had accused. Whereupon the Duncan had produced a small explosive from the folds of his uniform robe. What a surprise! Leto loved surprises, even nasty ones. It is something I did not predict! And he said as much to Duncan, who had stood there oddly undecided now that decision was absolutely demanded of him.“This could kill you,” the Duncan said.“I’m sorry, Duncan. It will do a small amount of injury, no more.”“But you said you didn’t predict this!” The Duncan’s voice had grown shrill.“Duncan, Duncan, it is absolute prediction which equals death to me. How unutterably boring death is.” At the last instant, the Duncan had tried to throw the explosive to one side, but the material in it had been unstable and it had gone off too soon. The Duncan had died. Ahh, well— the Tleilaxu always had another in their axlotl tanks. One of the drifting glowglobes above Leto began to blink. Excitement gripped him. Moneo’s signal! Faithful Moneo had alerted his God Emperor that the Duncan was descending to the crypt. The door to the human lift between two spoked passages in the northwest arc of the hub swung open. The Duncan:Previous Entities: |the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan| ::: It will do a small amount of injury, ",Leto.M ' he said.,16153,16156,True,201:Reeves.M,"and came over to join them.` What was that all about?'` Insurance,' the dispatcher said.` You have to be cleared before exposure to the cargo., in order for our coverage to be effective. We should also do a blood test, but we don't bother.' He turned to Peters.` Reeves, this is your rider, Peters. Peters, Reeves.' Reeves shook hands with Peters. As he did so he gave him a slightly surprised look, as if something were mildly wrong. The dispatcher nodded across the warehouse.` Truck's over there,' he said.` Have a good trip.' Peters blinked in the sun and put on his sunglasses. Beside him, Reeves sighed.` Bright day,' he said.` Sure is.'` You new at this?'` Yeah.'` What'd you do before?F' Aeroplane tail assembly. Lockheed, in Palmdale.'` Tail assembly, huh?' Reeves said, and laughed loudly.` They laid me off.' Reeves stopped laughing and nodded sympathetically.` Rough,' he said. And then after a moment,` Laid off the tail assembly.' And he chuckled some more. Peters smiled. He felt confident about Reeves, who was fat and sloppy and casual- and fifteen years his senior. There wouldn't be any difficulty.` Well,' Reeves said,` since you're new at this, you might as well learn the ropes.'. He reached into his pocket and withdrew",Reeves,"Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves","and came over to join them.` What was that all about?'` Insurance,' the dispatcher said.` You have to be cleared before exposure to the cargo., in order for our coverage to be effective. We should also do a blood test, but we don't bother.' He turned to Peters.` Reeves, this is your rider, Peters. Peters, Reeves.' Reeves shook hands with Peters. As he did so he gave him a slightly surprised look, as if something were mildly wrong. The dispatcher nodded across the warehouse.` Truck's over there,' he said.` Have a good trip.' Peters blinked in the sun and put on his sunglasses. Beside him, Reeves sighed.` Bright day,' he said.` Sure is.'` You new at this?'` Yeah.'` What'd you do before?F' Aeroplane tail assembly. Lockheed, in Palmdale.'` Tail assembly, huh?' Reeves said, and laughed loudly.` They laid me off.' Reeves stopped laughing and nodded sympathetically.` Rough,' he said. And then after a moment,` Laid off the tail assembly.' And he chuckled some more. Peters smiled. He felt confident about Reeves, who was fat and sloppy and casual- and fifteen years his senior. There wouldn't be any difficulty.` Well,' Reeves said,` since you're new at this, you might as well learn the ropes.'. He reached into his pocket and withdrew:Previous Entities: |Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves| ::: ' he said. ",Reeves.M “How do we handle this?”,41603,41610,True,1260:all men.?,"7:12 A.M. With the vibration of the helicopter, I must have dozed off for a few minutes. I awoke and yawned, hearing voices in my headphones. They were all men speaking:“Well, what exactly is the problem?” A growling voice.“Apparently, the plant released some material into the environment. It was an accident. Now, several dead animals have been found out in the desert. In the vicinity of the plant.” A reasonable, organized voice.“Who found them?” Growly.“Couple of nosy environmentalists. They ignored the keep- out signs, snooped around the plant. They’ve complained to the company and are demanding to inspect the plant.”“Which we can’t allow.”“No, no.”“How do we handle this?” said a timid voice.“I say we minimize the amount of contamination released, and give data that show no untoward consequence is possible.” Organized voice.“Hell, I wouldn’t play it that way,” said growling voice.“We’re better off flatly denying it. Nothing was released. I mean, what’s the evidence anything was released?”“Well, the dead animals. A coyote, some desert rats. Maybe a few birds.”“Hell, animals die in nature all the time. I mean, remember the business about those slashed cows? It was supposed to be aliens from UFOs that were slashing the cows. Finally turned out the cows were dying of natural causes, and it was decomposing gas in the carcasses that split them",all men,"Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly","7:12 A.M. With the vibration of the helicopter, I must have dozed off for a few minutes. I awoke and yawned, hearing voices in my headphones. They were all men speaking:“Well, what exactly is the problem?” A growling voice.“Apparently, the plant released some material into the environment. It was an accident. Now, several dead animals have been found out in the desert. In the vicinity of the plant.” A reasonable, organized voice.“Who found them?” Growly.“Couple of nosy environmentalists. They ignored the keep- out signs, snooped around the plant. They’ve complained to the company and are demanding to inspect the plant.”“Which we can’t allow.”“No, no.”“How do we handle this?” said a timid voice.“I say we minimize the amount of contamination released, and give data that show no untoward consequence is possible.” Organized voice.“Hell, I wouldn’t play it that way,” said growling voice.“We’re better off flatly denying it. Nothing was released. I mean, what’s the evidence anything was released?”“Well, the dead animals. A coyote, some desert rats. Maybe a few birds.”“Hell, animals die in nature all the time. I mean, remember the business about those slashed cows? It was supposed to be aliens from UFOs that were slashing the cows. Finally turned out the cows were dying of natural causes, and it was decomposing gas in the carcasses that split them:Previous Entities: |Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly| ::: “How do we handle this?” ",Growly.M "“The cut on your cheek is still there,",93808,93827,True,2622:the betrothed princess Amarinda.F,"it clear that she did not feel the same way. Aware of the many eyes on us, I moved closer to her and whispered,“Can we talk?” Her tone was icy.“Talk with whom? A brazen servant, a ragged orphan, or a prince?”“With me.”“Here in public?” I hesitated and she added,“We’ll make a scene if we’re only talking. Dance with me.” I started to protest, but she was right. A dance might be the best shield for the conversation we had to have. So I nodded at the musicians in the corner to begin a song. With little attempt at concealing her disgust, she took my hand and moved with me to begin the steps.“The cut on your cheek is still there, though much improved from what it was before,” she finally said.“It was never intended that you notice me that night,” I explained.“Then you should not have spoken to me the way you did.”“I sometimes lack the talent of knowing when to speak and when to keep quiet.”“That’s not true,” she snapped. Then she took a deep breath and fell back into rhythm with the dance.“You had every opportunity to be honest with me about the one thing that mattered most! It was no lack of talent. You designed it that way.”“I never lied to you that night, not once.”“Even after I begged for it, you failed to tell me the truth. Only the devils know the difference between that and a lie",the betrothed princess Amarinda,"others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda","it clear that she did not feel the same way. Aware of the many eyes on us, I moved closer to her and whispered,“Can we talk?” Her tone was icy.“Talk with whom? A brazen servant, a ragged orphan, or a prince?”“With me.”“Here in public?” I hesitated and she added,“We’ll make a scene if we’re only talking. Dance with me.” I started to protest, but she was right. A dance might be the best shield for the conversation we had to have. So I nodded at the musicians in the corner to begin a song. With little attempt at concealing her disgust, she took my hand and moved with me to begin the steps.“The cut on your cheek is still there, though much improved from what it was before,” she finally said.“It was never intended that you notice me that night,” I explained.“Then you should not have spoken to me the way you did.”“I sometimes lack the talent of knowing when to speak and when to keep quiet.”“That’s not true,” she snapped. Then she took a deep breath and fell back into rhythm with the dance.“You had every opportunity to be honest with me about the one thing that mattered most! It was no lack of talent. You designed it that way.”“I never lied to you that night, not once.”“Even after I begged for it, you failed to tell me the truth. Only the devils know the difference between that and a lie:Previous Entities: |others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda| ::: “The cut on your cheek is still there, ",Latamer.M to increase your power...”,20588,20606,True,234:Rooster Foot.M,"skin began to steam.“No!” the toadie begged.“No- o- o- o!” I could hardly watch. I don’t want to describe it. But if you’ve heard what happens when cruel kids pour salt on snails, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what happened to the toadie. Soon there was nothing left. Rooster Foot took a nervous step back. I couldn’t blame him.“We will build my temple here,” the fiery man said, as if nothing had happened.“This mountain shall serve as my place of worship. When it is complete, I will summon the greatest storm ever known. I will cleanse everything. Everything.”“Yes, my lord,” Rooster Foot agreed quickly.“And, ah, if I may suggest, my lord, to increase your power...” The creature bowed and scraped and moved forward, as if he wanted to whisper in the fiery man’s ear. Just when I thought Rooster Foot was going to become fried chicken for sure, he said something to the fiery dude that I couldn’t make out, and the fiery dude burned brighter.“Excellent! If you can do this, you will be rewarded. If not...”“I understand, my lord.”“Go then,” the fiery man said.“Unleash our forces. Start with the longnecks. That should soften them up. Collect the younglings and bring them to me. I want them alive, before they have time to learn their powers. Do not fail me.”“No, lord.”“Phoenix,” the",Rooster Foot,"Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot","skin began to steam.“No!” the toadie begged.“No- o- o- o!” I could hardly watch. I don’t want to describe it. But if you’ve heard what happens when cruel kids pour salt on snails, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what happened to the toadie. Soon there was nothing left. Rooster Foot took a nervous step back. I couldn’t blame him.“We will build my temple here,” the fiery man said, as if nothing had happened.“This mountain shall serve as my place of worship. When it is complete, I will summon the greatest storm ever known. I will cleanse everything. Everything.”“Yes, my lord,” Rooster Foot agreed quickly.“And, ah, if I may suggest, my lord, to increase your power...” The creature bowed and scraped and moved forward, as if he wanted to whisper in the fiery man’s ear. Just when I thought Rooster Foot was going to become fried chicken for sure, he said something to the fiery dude that I couldn’t make out, and the fiery dude burned brighter.“Excellent! If you can do this, you will be rewarded. If not...”“I understand, my lord.”“Go then,” the fiery man said.“Unleash our forces. Start with the longnecks. That should soften them up. Collect the younglings and bring them to me. I want them alive, before they have time to learn their powers. Do not fail me.”“No, lord.”“Phoenix,” the:Previous Entities: |Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot| ::: to increase your power...” ",Rooster Foot.M And where's my breakfast?,122206,122237,True,330:Pomo.?,"That the aliens opposed indiscriminate violence? But what of the things that exploded when mutimals stepped on them? How did they fit? There was a great deal to think about and, having considered, to take into account. It took a while, but when darkness fled he was ready. Though perfectly willing to forgo his place of honor among the martyrs, Elder Pomo had been unable to negotiate any sort of transfer. That being the case, he, along with Elder Zozo and the rest of Piety's contingent, were among the first to be awakened. It seemed that the most glorious moment of the crusade was upon them, and they, along with the rest of the martyrs, would follow the labor brigade into battle."" Why us?"" Pomo demanded shrilly."" We're old and sickly! Surely the Reapers should go first— to smite the heretics down. And where's my breakfast? I want it now."" A monk, tired of Pomo's whining and concerned as to his own safety, shoved the elder into line."" For the greater glory of God— that's why you'll do it. Now, shut up and do as you're told."" The elders did as they were told, the drums started to roll, and the attack began. Cantwell watched from the top of a hill. Her cavalry was arrayed on the slope in front of her, vapor hanging around their heads, weapons at the ready. The valley, through which the Zid must come, lay below. There were mines and rows of well- placed stakes, backed by a maze of trenches. Many were empty, but she saw a scattering of heads. Though not impregnable, the arena",Pomo,"The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell","That the aliens opposed indiscriminate violence? But what of the things that exploded when mutimals stepped on them? How did they fit? There was a great deal to think about and, having considered, to take into account. It took a while, but when darkness fled he was ready. Though perfectly willing to forgo his place of honor among the martyrs, Elder Pomo had been unable to negotiate any sort of transfer. That being the case, he, along with Elder Zozo and the rest of Piety's contingent, were among the first to be awakened. It seemed that the most glorious moment of the crusade was upon them, and they, along with the rest of the martyrs, would follow the labor brigade into battle."" Why us?"" Pomo demanded shrilly."" We're old and sickly! Surely the Reapers should go first— to smite the heretics down. And where's my breakfast? I want it now."" A monk, tired of Pomo's whining and concerned as to his own safety, shoved the elder into line."" For the greater glory of God— that's why you'll do it. Now, shut up and do as you're told."" The elders did as they were told, the drums started to roll, and the attack began. Cantwell watched from the top of a hill. Her cavalry was arrayed on the slope in front of her, vapor hanging around their heads, weapons at the ready. The valley, through which the Zid must come, lay below. There were mines and rows of well- placed stakes, backed by a maze of trenches. Many were empty, but she saw a scattering of heads. Though not impregnable, the arena:Previous Entities: |The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell| ::: And where's my breakfast? ",Pomo.M "“But Siona… Lord,",154459,154484,True,843:his God Emperor.M,".”“On Dune!”“Dune, yes.”“It’s because there’s no more Dune that there are no more Fremen,” Leto said.“Have you conveyed my message to Nayla?”“Lord, why do you add to your peril?”“Did you convey my message?”“The messenger has been sent to Tuono, but I could still call her back.”“You will not call her back!”“But, Lord…”“What will she say to Nayla?”“That… that it is your command for Nayla to continue in absolute and unquestioning obedience of my daughter except insofar… Lord! This is dangerous!”“Dangerous? Nayla is a Fish Speaker. She will obey me.”“But Siona… Lord, I fear that my daughter does not serve you with all of her heart. And Nayla is…”“Nayla must not deviate.”“Lord, let us hold your wedding in some other place.”“No!”“Lord, I know that your vision has revealed…”“The Golden Path endures, Moneo. You know that as well as I.” Moneo sighed.“Infinity is yours, Lord. I do not question the…” He broke off as a monstrous shuddering roar shook the tower, louder and louder. Both of them turned toward the sound— a descending plume of blue- orange light filled with swirling shockwaves came down to the desert less than a kilometer away to the south.“Ahhh, my guest arrives,” Leto said.“I will send you down on my cart, Moneo. Bring only Malky back with you.",his God Emperor,"Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor",".”“On Dune!”“Dune, yes.”“It’s because there’s no more Dune that there are no more Fremen,” Leto said.“Have you conveyed my message to Nayla?”“Lord, why do you add to your peril?”“Did you convey my message?”“The messenger has been sent to Tuono, but I could still call her back.”“You will not call her back!”“But, Lord…”“What will she say to Nayla?”“That… that it is your command for Nayla to continue in absolute and unquestioning obedience of my daughter except insofar… Lord! This is dangerous!”“Dangerous? Nayla is a Fish Speaker. She will obey me.”“But Siona… Lord, I fear that my daughter does not serve you with all of her heart. And Nayla is…”“Nayla must not deviate.”“Lord, let us hold your wedding in some other place.”“No!”“Lord, I know that your vision has revealed…”“The Golden Path endures, Moneo. You know that as well as I.” Moneo sighed.“Infinity is yours, Lord. I do not question the…” He broke off as a monstrous shuddering roar shook the tower, louder and louder. Both of them turned toward the sound— a descending plume of blue- orange light filled with swirling shockwaves came down to the desert less than a kilometer away to the south.“Ahhh, my guest arrives,” Leto said.“I will send you down on my cart, Moneo. Bring only Malky back with you.:Previous Entities: |Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor| ::: “But Siona… Lord, ","Nayla.F Siona.F Moneo.M Leto.M" "She called me a self- righteous fool,",58445,58528,True,1682:I’d.?,"’ll think things over, but I don’t think she will be. So that puts you and me in the same old broke wagon, doesn’t it? We’re two men who started the year with wives and are ending it without them. We’re two men who started the year with living children and are ending it with dead ones. The only difference I can see is that I didn’t lose half my house and most of my barn in a storm.” He thought about it.“And I’ve still got both hands. There’s that, I suppose. When it comes to pulling my peter— should I ever feel the urge to— I’d have a choice of which one to use.”“What... why would she—”“Oh, use your head. She blames me as well as you for Shannon’s death. She said that if I hadn’t gotten on my high horse and sent Shan away, she’d still be alive and living with Henry at your farm just down the road instead of lying frozen in a box underground. She says she’d have a grandchild. She called me a self- righteous fool, and she’s right.” I reached for him with my remaining hand. He slapped it away.“Don’t touch me, Wilf. A single warning on that is all you get.” I put my hand back at my side.“One thing I know for sure,” he said.“If I took you up on that offer, tasty as it is, I’d regret it. Because that land is cursed. We may not agree on everything, but I bet we would on that. If you want to sell it, sell it to the bank. You’ll get your mortgage paper back, and some cash besides.”“They’d just turn around and sell it to Farrington!”“Tough titty said the kitty” was his final word on it as he",I’d,"an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d","’ll think things over, but I don’t think she will be. So that puts you and me in the same old broke wagon, doesn’t it? We’re two men who started the year with wives and are ending it without them. We’re two men who started the year with living children and are ending it with dead ones. The only difference I can see is that I didn’t lose half my house and most of my barn in a storm.” He thought about it.“And I’ve still got both hands. There’s that, I suppose. When it comes to pulling my peter— should I ever feel the urge to— I’d have a choice of which one to use.”“What... why would she—”“Oh, use your head. She blames me as well as you for Shannon’s death. She said that if I hadn’t gotten on my high horse and sent Shan away, she’d still be alive and living with Henry at your farm just down the road instead of lying frozen in a box underground. She says she’d have a grandchild. She called me a self- righteous fool, and she’s right.” I reached for him with my remaining hand. He slapped it away.“Don’t touch me, Wilf. A single warning on that is all you get.” I put my hand back at my side.“One thing I know for sure,” he said.“If I took you up on that offer, tasty as it is, I’d regret it. Because that land is cursed. We may not agree on everything, but I bet we would on that. If you want to sell it, sell it to the bank. You’ll get your mortgage paper back, and some cash besides.”“They’d just turn around and sell it to Farrington!”“Tough titty said the kitty” was his final word on it as he:Previous Entities: |an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d| ::: She called me a self- righteous fool, ",She called me a self-righteous fool. Arlette.F They scattered like cockroaches.”,65960,66003,True,1946:The security man.?,"a hundred smaller droplets flying everywhere. The afternoon rains had arrived.“Get to high ground!” Peter shouted.“This way!” They began to run, heading upslope, grabbing whatever they could carry. Karen carried Jenny on her back, while raindrops exploded around them like bombs going off. At Nanigen, Vin Drake turned away from his computer screen. He had been watching a weather- radar scan of the Ko‘olau Pali. Those trade winds were so dependable. As the winds ran up against the windward side of Oahu, they dropped their moisture on the mountains. The peaks of the Ko‘olau Pali were some of the wettest places on earth. Don Makele knocked on the door. The security man entered and placed the pieces of Station Echo on Drake’s desk.“The beds are rumpled, toilet’s been used. And I saw a couple of them on the ground running. I ordered them to stop. I tried to stop’em with my knife. They scattered like cockroaches.”“That’s disturbing,” Drake said.“Very disturbing, Don. I told you to fix this.”“What do you want me to do, sir?” Vin Drake leaned back and tapped a gold mechanical pencil on his teeth. A portrait of him hung on the wall behind him, painted by an up- and- coming Brooklyn artist, in which Drake’s face seemed to fracture into bold colors; it was an image of power, and Drake liked it.“I want you to close off the security gate at the entrance to Manoa Valley. Stop the shuttle truck. The valley is to be sealed. And bring me your two best security men.”“That would be Telius and Johnstone. I trained them in Kabul.”“",The security man,"Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man","a hundred smaller droplets flying everywhere. The afternoon rains had arrived.“Get to high ground!” Peter shouted.“This way!” They began to run, heading upslope, grabbing whatever they could carry. Karen carried Jenny on her back, while raindrops exploded around them like bombs going off. At Nanigen, Vin Drake turned away from his computer screen. He had been watching a weather- radar scan of the Ko‘olau Pali. Those trade winds were so dependable. As the winds ran up against the windward side of Oahu, they dropped their moisture on the mountains. The peaks of the Ko‘olau Pali were some of the wettest places on earth. Don Makele knocked on the door. The security man entered and placed the pieces of Station Echo on Drake’s desk.“The beds are rumpled, toilet’s been used. And I saw a couple of them on the ground running. I ordered them to stop. I tried to stop’em with my knife. They scattered like cockroaches.”“That’s disturbing,” Drake said.“Very disturbing, Don. I told you to fix this.”“What do you want me to do, sir?” Vin Drake leaned back and tapped a gold mechanical pencil on his teeth. A portrait of him hung on the wall behind him, painted by an up- and- coming Brooklyn artist, in which Drake’s face seemed to fracture into bold colors; it was an image of power, and Drake liked it.“I want you to close off the security gate at the entrance to Manoa Valley. Stop the shuttle truck. The valley is to be sealed. And bring me your two best security men.”“That would be Telius and Johnstone. I trained them in Kabul.”“:Previous Entities: |Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man| ::: They scattered like cockroaches.” ","Don Makele. Vin Drake. Telius. Johnstone." ‘ She thinks I’m,27596,27600,True,124:Miss Spruce.?,"went on.‘ Did he… drop any hints about the afterlife?’‘ Yes, sir. Apparently it contains no mustard, and I got the impression that it contains no pickles either.’‘ Really? Bit of a blow, that. I suppose that chutney is out of the question?’‘ I did not go into the subject of pickled condiments in any depth, sir. He had a big scythe.’ There was a loud knocking at the door, and Miss Spruce called loudly,‘ Are you all right, sir?’‘ In tip- top condition, dear Miss Spruce,’ said the Baron loudly, then lowered his voice to say conspiratorially,‘ I believe our Miss Spruce does not like you very much, my dear.’‘ She thinks I’m unhygienic,’ said Tiffany.‘ Never really understood about all that nonsense,’ said the Baron.‘ It’s quite easy,’ said Tiffany.‘ I have to stick my hands in the fire at every opportunity.’‘ What? You put your hands in the fire?’ Now she was sorry she had mentioned it, but she knew the old man would not now be satisfied until she had shown him. She sighed and crossed over to the fireplace, pulling a large iron poker out of its stand. She admitted to herself that she liked showing off this trick occasionally, and the Baron would be an appreciative audience. But should she do it? Well, the fire trick was not that complicated and the balance of the pain was fine, and it",Miss Spruce,"the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce","went on.‘ Did he… drop any hints about the afterlife?’‘ Yes, sir. Apparently it contains no mustard, and I got the impression that it contains no pickles either.’‘ Really? Bit of a blow, that. I suppose that chutney is out of the question?’‘ I did not go into the subject of pickled condiments in any depth, sir. He had a big scythe.’ There was a loud knocking at the door, and Miss Spruce called loudly,‘ Are you all right, sir?’‘ In tip- top condition, dear Miss Spruce,’ said the Baron loudly, then lowered his voice to say conspiratorially,‘ I believe our Miss Spruce does not like you very much, my dear.’‘ She thinks I’m unhygienic,’ said Tiffany.‘ Never really understood about all that nonsense,’ said the Baron.‘ It’s quite easy,’ said Tiffany.‘ I have to stick my hands in the fire at every opportunity.’‘ What? You put your hands in the fire?’ Now she was sorry she had mentioned it, but she knew the old man would not now be satisfied until she had shown him. She sighed and crossed over to the fireplace, pulling a large iron poker out of its stand. She admitted to herself that she liked showing off this trick occasionally, and the Baron would be an appreciative audience. But should she do it? Well, the fire trick was not that complicated and the balance of the pain was fine, and it:Previous Entities: |the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce| ::: ‘ She thinks I’m ",Tiffany.F "Reloading!""",112145,112148,True,2429:the cameraman.?,"wasn't secret."""" Never distributed. Never shown to the public..."""" It was an internal report,"" she said."" You have nothing to hide?"""" No,"" she said."" Then why haven't you told us the truth about Transpacific Flight 545?'"" The truth?"""" We're told your accident team already has a preliminary finding on the probable cause. Is that not true?"""" We're close,"" she said."" Close... Ms. Singleton, do you have a finding, or not?"" Casey stared at Reardon. The question hung in the air."" I'm very sorry,"" the cameraman said, behind her."" But we have to reload."""" Camera reloading!"""" Reloading!"" Reardon looked as if he had been slapped. But almost immediately he recovered.' To be continued,"" he said, smiling at Casey. He was relaxed; he knew he had beaten her. He got up from his chair, turned his back to her. The big lights clicked off; the room seemed suddenly almost dark. Somebody turned the air- conditioning back on. Casey got up, too. She pulled the radio mike off her waist. The makeup woman came running over to her, holding out a powder puff. Casey held up her hand."" In a minute,"" she said. With the lights off, she saw Richman, heading for the door. Casey hurried after him. BLDG 64 3:01 p.m. She caught him in the hallway, grabbed",the cameraman,"Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman","wasn't secret."""" Never distributed. Never shown to the public..."""" It was an internal report,"" she said."" You have nothing to hide?"""" No,"" she said."" Then why haven't you told us the truth about Transpacific Flight 545?'"" The truth?"""" We're told your accident team already has a preliminary finding on the probable cause. Is that not true?"""" We're close,"" she said."" Close... Ms. Singleton, do you have a finding, or not?"" Casey stared at Reardon. The question hung in the air."" I'm very sorry,"" the cameraman said, behind her."" But we have to reload."""" Camera reloading!"""" Reloading!"" Reardon looked as if he had been slapped. But almost immediately he recovered.' To be continued,"" he said, smiling at Casey. He was relaxed; he knew he had beaten her. He got up from his chair, turned his back to her. The big lights clicked off; the room seemed suddenly almost dark. Somebody turned the air- conditioning back on. Casey got up, too. She pulled the radio mike off her waist. The makeup woman came running over to her, holding out a powder puff. Casey held up her hand."" In a minute,"" she said. With the lights off, she saw Richman, heading for the door. Casey hurried after him. BLDG 64 3:01 p.m. She caught him in the hallway, grabbed:Previous Entities: |Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman| ::: Reloading!"" ",Casey.F “It’s been a long day.”,19391,19399,True,999:this girlfriend.F,"years, he’d had to deal with cheating students, students dispensing sexual favors in exchange for grades, students falsifying their results, and with professors who appropriated student work. In one bizarre instance, there’d been a thesis advisor on heroin. He felt, at the age of twenty- three, like a man who had seen it all. Not anymore. The idea of murder, that someone would, with calculation, try to kill his brother, left him shaken and sweating and cold. He didn’t trust himself to speak to this woman, who was supposed to be his brother’s girlfriend but who had evidently plotted against him. No tears from this girlfriend— she didn’t seem upset at all. She said,“You’re awfully quiet, Peter.”“It’s been a long day.”“Buy you a drink?”“No, thanks.”“Mai tais are famous here.”“I think I better call it a night.”“Have you had dinner?”“Not hungry.” She got up from the sand, brushed herself off.“I know you must be upset. I am, too.”“Yes.”“Why so cold toward me? I’m just trying to—”“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. He didn’t want her to suspect anything. That would be unwise, even dangerous.“It’s all been such a shock.” She put her hand up, touched his cheek.“Call me if I can do anything.”“Thanks. Okay.”",this girlfriend,"the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend","years, he’d had to deal with cheating students, students dispensing sexual favors in exchange for grades, students falsifying their results, and with professors who appropriated student work. In one bizarre instance, there’d been a thesis advisor on heroin. He felt, at the age of twenty- three, like a man who had seen it all. Not anymore. The idea of murder, that someone would, with calculation, try to kill his brother, left him shaken and sweating and cold. He didn’t trust himself to speak to this woman, who was supposed to be his brother’s girlfriend but who had evidently plotted against him. No tears from this girlfriend— she didn’t seem upset at all. She said,“You’re awfully quiet, Peter.”“It’s been a long day.”“Buy you a drink?”“No, thanks.”“Mai tais are famous here.”“I think I better call it a night.”“Have you had dinner?”“Not hungry.” She got up from the sand, brushed herself off.“I know you must be upset. I am, too.”“Yes.”“Why so cold toward me? I’m just trying to—”“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. He didn’t want her to suspect anything. That would be unwise, even dangerous.“It’s all been such a shock.” She put her hand up, touched his cheek.“Call me if I can do anything.”“Thanks. Okay.”:Previous Entities: |the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend| ::: “It’s been a long day.” ",Peter.M "she wouldn’t be,",86860,86870,True,4924:your mother.F,"my smile, because he grins.“I thought you would say yes,” he says.“It’s something I wanted your mother to do with me, before she volunteered to enter the city. But I think she had fallen in love with the place from afar and couldn’t resist it.”“Fallen in love... with the city?” I say.“No accounting for taste, I suppose.” It’s just a joke, but my heart isn’t in it. Still, David laughs, and I know I’ve said the right thing.“You were... close with my mother, while she was here?” I say.“I’ve been reading her journal, but she’s not very wordy.”“No, she wouldn’t be, would she? Natalie was always very straightforward. Yes, we were close, your mother and I.” His voice softens when he talks about her— he is no longer the toughened leader of this compound, but an old man, reflecting on some fonder past. The past that happened before he got her killed.“We had a similar history. I was also plucked right out of the damaged world as a child... my parents were severely dysfunctional people who were both taken to prison when I was young. Rather than succumbing to an adoption system overburdened with orphans, my siblings and I ran to the fringe— the same place where your mother also took refuge, years later— and only I came out of there alive.” I don’t know what to say to that",your mother,"God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly","my smile, because he grins.“I thought you would say yes,” he says.“It’s something I wanted your mother to do with me, before she volunteered to enter the city. But I think she had fallen in love with the place from afar and couldn’t resist it.”“Fallen in love... with the city?” I say.“No accounting for taste, I suppose.” It’s just a joke, but my heart isn’t in it. Still, David laughs, and I know I’ve said the right thing.“You were... close with my mother, while she was here?” I say.“I’ve been reading her journal, but she’s not very wordy.”“No, she wouldn’t be, would she? Natalie was always very straightforward. Yes, we were close, your mother and I.” His voice softens when he talks about her— he is no longer the toughened leader of this compound, but an old man, reflecting on some fonder past. The past that happened before he got her killed.“We had a similar history. I was also plucked right out of the damaged world as a child... my parents were severely dysfunctional people who were both taken to prison when I was young. Rather than succumbing to an adoption system overburdened with orphans, my siblings and I ran to the fringe— the same place where your mother also took refuge, years later— and only I came out of there alive.” I don’t know what to say to that:Previous Entities: |God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: she wouldn’t be, ",David.M "“I’m talking’bout terrorism,”",7147,7154,True,1785:the power guy.M,"yokels, even the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department.”“You’re kidding,” Eddie said. It seemed a safe enough response. The power guy shook his head grimly.“No one seems to know exactly what’s up, but there’s been shootin— automatic weapons, maybe— and explosions.” He patted the battered and sawdusty walkie- talkie clipped to his belt.“I’ve even heard the t- word once or twice this afternoon. Not s’prised, either.” Eddie had no idea what the t- word might be, but knew Roland wanted to get going. He could feel the gunslinger’s impatience in his head; could almost see Roland’s impatient finger- twirling gesture, the one that meant Let’s go, let’s go.“I’m talking’bout terrorism,” the power guy said, then lowered his voice.“People don’t think shit like that can happen in America, buddy, but I got news for you, it can. If not today, then sooner or later. Someone’s gonna blow up the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, that’s what I think— the right- wingers, the left- wingers, or the goddam A- rabs. Too many crazy people.” Eddie, who had a nodding acquaintance with ten more years of history than this fellow, nodded.“You’re probably right. In any case, thanks for the info.”“Just tryin to save you some time.” And, as Eddie opened the driver’s- side door of John Cullum’s Ford sedan",the power guy,"Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy","yokels, even the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department.”“You’re kidding,” Eddie said. It seemed a safe enough response. The power guy shook his head grimly.“No one seems to know exactly what’s up, but there’s been shootin— automatic weapons, maybe— and explosions.” He patted the battered and sawdusty walkie- talkie clipped to his belt.“I’ve even heard the t- word once or twice this afternoon. Not s’prised, either.” Eddie had no idea what the t- word might be, but knew Roland wanted to get going. He could feel the gunslinger’s impatience in his head; could almost see Roland’s impatient finger- twirling gesture, the one that meant Let’s go, let’s go.“I’m talking’bout terrorism,” the power guy said, then lowered his voice.“People don’t think shit like that can happen in America, buddy, but I got news for you, it can. If not today, then sooner or later. Someone’s gonna blow up the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, that’s what I think— the right- wingers, the left- wingers, or the goddam A- rabs. Too many crazy people.” Eddie, who had a nodding acquaintance with ten more years of history than this fellow, nodded.“You’re probably right. In any case, thanks for the info.”“Just tryin to save you some time.” And, as Eddie opened the driver’s- side door of John Cullum’s Ford sedan:Previous Entities: |Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy| ::: “I’m talking’bout terrorism,” ",Central Maine Power guy.M "If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans,",219811,219855,True,None:None.?,"made him take the pages down. Further attacks since have made it clear what is going on. Lomborg is charged with heresy. That’s why none of his critics needs to substantiate their attacks in any detail. That’s why the facts don’t matter. That’s why they can attack him in the most vicious personal terms. He’s a heretic. Of course, any scientist can be charged as Galileo was charged. I just never thought I’d see the Scientific American in the role of mother church. Is this what science has become? I hope not. But it is what it will become, unless there is a concerted effort by leading scientists to aggressively separate science from policy. The late Philip Handler, former president of the National Academy of Sciences, said that“Scientists best serve public policy by living within the ethics of science, not those of politics. If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans, the public will not discern the difference— science and the nation will suffer.” Personally, I don’t worry about the nation. But I do worry about science. Thank you very much. ABOUT THE AUTHOR MICHAEL CRICHTON was born in Chicago in 1942. His novels include The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Prey. He is also the creator of the tele vision series ER. ALSO BY MICHAEL CRICHTON*** FICTION The Andromeda Strain The Terminal Man The Great Train Robbery Eaters of the Dead Congo Sphere Jurassic Park Rising Sun Disclosure The Lost World Airframe Timeline Prey NONFICTION Five Patients Jasper Johns Electronic Life Travels Credits Jacket design by Will Staehle Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint from‘ You May Be Right’ by Billy Joel,© 1980, Impulsive Music. All rights reserved; used by permission. STATE OF FEAR. Copyright© 2004",None,"a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid","made him take the pages down. Further attacks since have made it clear what is going on. Lomborg is charged with heresy. That’s why none of his critics needs to substantiate their attacks in any detail. That’s why the facts don’t matter. That’s why they can attack him in the most vicious personal terms. He’s a heretic. Of course, any scientist can be charged as Galileo was charged. I just never thought I’d see the Scientific American in the role of mother church. Is this what science has become? I hope not. But it is what it will become, unless there is a concerted effort by leading scientists to aggressively separate science from policy. The late Philip Handler, former president of the National Academy of Sciences, said that“Scientists best serve public policy by living within the ethics of science, not those of politics. If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans, the public will not discern the difference— science and the nation will suffer.” Personally, I don’t worry about the nation. But I do worry about science. Thank you very much. ABOUT THE AUTHOR MICHAEL CRICHTON was born in Chicago in 1942. His novels include The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Prey. He is also the creator of the tele vision series ER. ALSO BY MICHAEL CRICHTON*** FICTION The Andromeda Strain The Terminal Man The Great Train Robbery Eaters of the Dead Congo Sphere Jurassic Park Rising Sun Disclosure The Lost World Airframe Timeline Prey NONFICTION Five Patients Jasper Johns Electronic Life Travels Credits Jacket design by Will Staehle Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint from‘ You May Be Right’ by Billy Joel,© 1980, Impulsive Music. All rights reserved; used by permission. STATE OF FEAR. Copyright© 2004:Previous Entities: |a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid| ::: If the scientific community will not unfrock the charlatans, ",the receptionist.F I dinnae know if it wuz proper hagglin’,49390,49408,True,3294:mistress.?,"nightie. Then there’s one guarding her window and another at the door.’‘ Guarding her from what?’‘ Everything.’ For a moment Miss Level had a picture in her mind of a silent, moonlit bedroom with a sleeping child. She saw, by the window, lit by the moon, one small figure on guard, and another in the shadows by the door. What were they guarding her from? Everything… But now something, this thing, has taken her over and she’s locked inside somewhere. But she never used to do magic! I could understand it if it was one of the other girls, messing around, but... Tiffany? One of the Feegles was slowly raising a hand.‘ Yes?’ she said.‘ It’s me, mistress, Big Yan. I dinnae know if it wuz proper hagglin’, mistress,’ he said nervously,‘ but me an’ Nearly Big Angus saw her doin’ something odd a few times, eh, Nearly Big Angus?’ The Feegle next to him nodded and the speaker went on.‘ It was when she got her new dress and her new hat...’‘ And verra bonny she looked, too,’ said Nearly Big Angus.‘ Aye, she did that. But she’d put‘ em on, and then standing in the middle o’ the floor and said– whut wuz it she said, Nearly Big Angus?’‘“See me”,’ Nearly Big Angus volunteered. Miss Level looked blank. The speaker, now looking a bit sorry that he’d raised this, went on:‘",mistress,"Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress","nightie. Then there’s one guarding her window and another at the door.’‘ Guarding her from what?’‘ Everything.’ For a moment Miss Level had a picture in her mind of a silent, moonlit bedroom with a sleeping child. She saw, by the window, lit by the moon, one small figure on guard, and another in the shadows by the door. What were they guarding her from? Everything… But now something, this thing, has taken her over and she’s locked inside somewhere. But she never used to do magic! I could understand it if it was one of the other girls, messing around, but... Tiffany? One of the Feegles was slowly raising a hand.‘ Yes?’ she said.‘ It’s me, mistress, Big Yan. I dinnae know if it wuz proper hagglin’, mistress,’ he said nervously,‘ but me an’ Nearly Big Angus saw her doin’ something odd a few times, eh, Nearly Big Angus?’ The Feegle next to him nodded and the speaker went on.‘ It was when she got her new dress and her new hat...’‘ And verra bonny she looked, too,’ said Nearly Big Angus.‘ Aye, she did that. But she’d put‘ em on, and then standing in the middle o’ the floor and said– whut wuz it she said, Nearly Big Angus?’‘“See me”,’ Nearly Big Angus volunteered. Miss Level looked blank. The speaker, now looking a bit sorry that he’d raised this, went on:‘:Previous Entities: |Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress| ::: I dinnae know if it wuz proper hagglin’ ",Big Yan. obviously.”,40066,40137,True,596:Marliee Hunter.?,"against her side as she walked. She lit a cigarette and then climbed into her car. She was driving a black Mustang. She waved to him. He started his engine, pulled out, and she followed him. He thought, Don’t get your hopes up. But the truth was, he already had. CH019 M arilee Hunter, the pedantic director of the Long Beach Memorial genetics lab, liked to hear herself talk. Marty Roberts did his best to appear interested. Marilee had a fussy, pinched demeanor, like a librarian in an old forties movie. She delighted in catching errors among hospital staff. She had called Marty to say she needed to see him, right away.“Correct me if I’m wrong on the basics,” Marliee Hunter said.“Mr. Weller’s daughter obtains a postmortem paternity test that indicates she and her father do not share DNA. Nevertheless, the widow insists Weller is the father, and demands further testing. You provide me samples of blood, spleen, liver, kidney, and testes, although all have been compromised from funeral home infusation. You are looking for a chimera, obviously.”“Yes. Or an error in the original test,” Marty said.“We don’t know where the daughter took the blood for testing.”“Paternity tests have a nontrivial error rate,” Marilee said.“Especially in online establishments. My lab does not make errors. We will test all these tissues, Marty— as soon as you provide buccal cells from the daughter.”“Right, right.” He had forgotten all about that. They needed cheek cells from the daughter to compare DNA.“She may not cooperate.”“In that case,” Marilee said,“we will test the son and the other daughter. But you realize these tissue tests take time. Weeks.”“Of course, yes.” Marilee opened the",Marliee Hunter,Marliee Hunter,"against her side as she walked. She lit a cigarette and then climbed into her car. She was driving a black Mustang. She waved to him. He started his engine, pulled out, and she followed him. He thought, Don’t get your hopes up. But the truth was, he already had. CH019 M arilee Hunter, the pedantic director of the Long Beach Memorial genetics lab, liked to hear herself talk. Marty Roberts did his best to appear interested. Marilee had a fussy, pinched demeanor, like a librarian in an old forties movie. She delighted in catching errors among hospital staff. She had called Marty to say she needed to see him, right away.“Correct me if I’m wrong on the basics,” Marliee Hunter said.“Mr. Weller’s daughter obtains a postmortem paternity test that indicates she and her father do not share DNA. Nevertheless, the widow insists Weller is the father, and demands further testing. You provide me samples of blood, spleen, liver, kidney, and testes, although all have been compromised from funeral home infusation. You are looking for a chimera, obviously.”“Yes. Or an error in the original test,” Marty said.“We don’t know where the daughter took the blood for testing.”“Paternity tests have a nontrivial error rate,” Marilee said.“Especially in online establishments. My lab does not make errors. We will test all these tissues, Marty— as soon as you provide buccal cells from the daughter.”“Right, right.” He had forgotten all about that. They needed cheek cells from the daughter to compare DNA.“She may not cooperate.”“In that case,” Marilee said,“we will test the son and the other daughter. But you realize these tissue tests take time. Weeks.”“Of course, yes.” Marilee opened the:Previous Entities: |Marliee Hunter| ::: obviously.” ",Marilee Hunter.F “Rich fare… Heady stuff.”—Los,111,118,True,257:FRANK HERBERT.?,"Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Frank Herbert The All- Time Bestselling DUNE MASTERWORKS Praise for the Dune Chronicles— the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time DUNE“One of the monuments of modern science fiction.”— Chicago Tribune“I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings.”—Arthur C. Clarke DUNE MESSIAH“Brilliant… It is all that Dune was, and maybe a little more.”—Galaxy Magazine CHILDREN OF DUNE“A major event.”—Los Angeles Times“There is something here for all science fiction fans.”— Publishers Weekly GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE“Rich fare… Heady stuff.”—Los Angeles Times“A fourth visit to distant Arrakis that is every bit as fascinating as the other three— every bit as timely.”—Time HERETICS OF DUNE“A monumental piece of imaginative architecture… indisputably magical.”—Los Angeles Herald Examiner“Appealing and gripping… Fascinating detail, yet cloaked in mystery and mysticism.”—The Milwaukee Journal CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE“Compelling… a worthy addition to this durable and deservedly popular series.”—The New York Times“The vast and fascinating Dune saga sweeps on— as exciting and gripping as ever.”—Kirkus Reviews Books by Frank Herbert THE BOOK OF FRANK HERBERT DESTINATION: VOID(revised edition) DIRECT DESCENT THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT EYE THE EYES OF HEISENBERG THE GODMAKERS THE GREEN BRAIN THE MAKER OF DUNE THE SANTAROGA BARRIER SOUL CATCHER WHIPPING STAR THE WHITE PLAGUE THE WORLDS OF",FRANK HERBERT,"Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT","Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Frank Herbert The All- Time Bestselling DUNE MASTERWORKS Praise for the Dune Chronicles— the Bestselling Science Fiction Adventure of All Time DUNE“One of the monuments of modern science fiction.”— Chicago Tribune“I know nothing comparable to it except Lord of the Rings.”—Arthur C. Clarke DUNE MESSIAH“Brilliant… It is all that Dune was, and maybe a little more.”—Galaxy Magazine CHILDREN OF DUNE“A major event.”—Los Angeles Times“There is something here for all science fiction fans.”— Publishers Weekly GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE“Rich fare… Heady stuff.”—Los Angeles Times“A fourth visit to distant Arrakis that is every bit as fascinating as the other three— every bit as timely.”—Time HERETICS OF DUNE“A monumental piece of imaginative architecture… indisputably magical.”—Los Angeles Herald Examiner“Appealing and gripping… Fascinating detail, yet cloaked in mystery and mysticism.”—The Milwaukee Journal CHAPTERHOUSE: DUNE“Compelling… a worthy addition to this durable and deservedly popular series.”—The New York Times“The vast and fascinating Dune saga sweeps on— as exciting and gripping as ever.”—Kirkus Reviews Books by Frank Herbert THE BOOK OF FRANK HERBERT DESTINATION: VOID(revised edition) DIRECT DESCENT THE DOSADI EXPERIMENT EYE THE EYES OF HEISENBERG THE GODMAKERS THE GREEN BRAIN THE MAKER OF DUNE THE SANTAROGA BARRIER SOUL CATCHER WHIPPING STAR THE WHITE PLAGUE THE WORLDS OF:Previous Entities: |Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT| ::: “Rich fare… Heady stuff.”—Los ",Enore.F "' Devore's tape,'",115169,115174,True,817:Romeo Bissonette.M,"ask you to come away from your lovely lake on such a pleasant morning. Perhaps I was wrong. Now, if—' There was a peremptory knock on the door, followed by your friend and his, George Footman. Today Cleveland Casual had been replaced by a khaki Deputy Sheriff's uniform, complete with Sam Browne belt and sidearm. He helped himself to a good look at the assistant's bustline, displayed in a blue silk blouse, then handed her a folder and a cassette tape recorder. He gave me one brief gander before leaving. I remember you, buddy, that glance said. The smartass writer, the cheap date. Romeo Bissonette tipped his head toward me. He used the side of his hand to bridge the gap between his mouth and my ear.' Devore's tape,' he said. I nodded to show I understood, then turned to Durgin again.' Mr. Noonan, you've met Kyra Devore and her mother, Mary Devore, haven't you?' How did you get Mattie out of Mary, I wondered... and then knew, just as I had known about the white shorts and halter top. Mattie was how Ki had first tried to say Mary.' Mr. Noonan, are we keeping you up?'' There's no need to be sarcastic, is there?' Bissonette asked. His tone was mild, but Elmer Durgin gave him a look which suggested that, should the ELFFS succeed in their goal of world domination, Bissonette would be aboard the first gulag- bound boxcar.' I'm sorry,'",Romeo Bissonette,"the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette","ask you to come away from your lovely lake on such a pleasant morning. Perhaps I was wrong. Now, if—' There was a peremptory knock on the door, followed by your friend and his, George Footman. Today Cleveland Casual had been replaced by a khaki Deputy Sheriff's uniform, complete with Sam Browne belt and sidearm. He helped himself to a good look at the assistant's bustline, displayed in a blue silk blouse, then handed her a folder and a cassette tape recorder. He gave me one brief gander before leaving. I remember you, buddy, that glance said. The smartass writer, the cheap date. Romeo Bissonette tipped his head toward me. He used the side of his hand to bridge the gap between his mouth and my ear.' Devore's tape,' he said. I nodded to show I understood, then turned to Durgin again.' Mr. Noonan, you've met Kyra Devore and her mother, Mary Devore, haven't you?' How did you get Mattie out of Mary, I wondered... and then knew, just as I had known about the white shorts and halter top. Mattie was how Ki had first tried to say Mary.' Mr. Noonan, are we keeping you up?'' There's no need to be sarcastic, is there?' Bissonette asked. His tone was mild, but Elmer Durgin gave him a look which suggested that, should the ELFFS succeed in their goal of world domination, Bissonette would be aboard the first gulag- bound boxcar.' I'm sorry,':Previous Entities: |the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette| ::: ' Devore's tape,' ",Michael Noonan. Romeo Bissonette. Elmer Durgin. George Footman. Kyra Devore. Mary Devore. she’ll pitch right in and do her part.,34655,34702,True,55:Bud Searcy.M,"that everybody’s taken care of while the men are gone, and I think now I’ve got a way figured. I’ll just leave our girl Lisbeth here to help you all out.” Mama said in a surprised voice:“Why, Mr. Searcy, there’s no need for that. It’s mighty kind of you and all, but we’ll make out all right.”“No, now, Mrs. Coates; you got too big a load to carry, all by yourself. My Lisbeth, she’ll be proud to help out.”“But,” Mama argued,“she’s such a little girl, Mr. Searcy. She’s probably never stayed away from home of a night.”“She’s little,” Bud Searcy said,“but she’s stout and willing. She’s like me; when folks are in trouble, she’ll pitch right in and do her part. You just keep her here now. You’ll see what a big help she’ll be.” Mama tried to argue some more, but Bud Searcy wouldn’t listen. He just told Lisbeth to be a good girl and help Mama out, like she was used to helping out at home. Then he mounted and rode on off. THIRTEEN I was like Mama. I didn’t think Lisbeth Searcy would be any help around the place. She was too little and too skinny. I figured she’d just be an extra bother for Mama. But we were wrong. Just like Bud Searcy said, she was a big help. She could tote water from the spring. She could feed the chickens, pack in wood, cook cornbread, wash dishes, wash Little Arliss, and sometimes even change the prickly- pear poultice on my leg. She didn’t have to be",Bud Searcy,"Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa","that everybody’s taken care of while the men are gone, and I think now I’ve got a way figured. I’ll just leave our girl Lisbeth here to help you all out.” Mama said in a surprised voice:“Why, Mr. Searcy, there’s no need for that. It’s mighty kind of you and all, but we’ll make out all right.”“No, now, Mrs. Coates; you got too big a load to carry, all by yourself. My Lisbeth, she’ll be proud to help out.”“But,” Mama argued,“she’s such a little girl, Mr. Searcy. She’s probably never stayed away from home of a night.”“She’s little,” Bud Searcy said,“but she’s stout and willing. She’s like me; when folks are in trouble, she’ll pitch right in and do her part. You just keep her here now. You’ll see what a big help she’ll be.” Mama tried to argue some more, but Bud Searcy wouldn’t listen. He just told Lisbeth to be a good girl and help Mama out, like she was used to helping out at home. Then he mounted and rode on off. THIRTEEN I was like Mama. I didn’t think Lisbeth Searcy would be any help around the place. She was too little and too skinny. I figured she’d just be an extra bother for Mama. But we were wrong. Just like Bud Searcy said, she was a big help. She could tote water from the spring. She could feed the chickens, pack in wood, cook cornbread, wash dishes, wash Little Arliss, and sometimes even change the prickly- pear poultice on my leg. She didn’t have to be:Previous Entities: |Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa| ::: she’ll pitch right in and do her part. ",Lisbeth.F "but as Jeannie had said,",27992,28093,True,1074:a gonnagle.?,"who wuz painting the pretty pictures doon in the valley? I dinnae want to have them Folklore Society bigjobs pokin’ aroound again!’‘ I have an idea, Mister Rob. It’s me, Awf’ly Wee Billy Bigchin Mac Feegle. We could disguise oursels.’ Awf’ly Wee Billy Bigchin Mac Feegle always announced himself in full. He seemed to feel that if he didn’t tell people who he was, they’d forget about him and he’d disappear. When you’re half the size of most grown pictsies you’re really short; much shorter and you’d be a hole in the ground. He was the new gonnagle. A gonnagle is the clan’s bard and battle poet, but they don’t spend all their lives in the same clan. In fact, they’re a sort of clan all by themselves. Gonnagles move around among the other clans, making sure the songs and stories get spread around all the Feegles. Awf’ly Wee Billy had come with Jeannie from the Long Lake clan, which often happens. He was very young for a gonnagle, but as Jeannie had said, there was no age limit to gonnagling. If the talent was in you, you gonnagled. And Awf’ly Wee Billy knew all the songs and could play the mousepipes so sadly that outside it would start to rain.‘ Aye, lad?’ said Rob Anybody kindly.‘ Speak up, then.’‘ Can we get hold o’ some human clothes?’ said Awf’ly Wee Billy.‘ Because there’s an old story about the big feud between the Three Peaks clan and the Windy River clan and the Windy River boys escaped by making a tattie- bogle walk, and the men o’ Three Peaks thought it was a bigjob and kept oot o’ its way.’ The others looked puzzled, and Awf’ly Wee Billy remembered that they were men of the Chalk and had probably never seen a tattie- bogle.‘ A scarecrow?’ he said.‘ It’s like a bigjob made o’ sticks, wi’ clothes on, for to frighten away the birdies fra’",a gonnagle,"The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","who wuz painting the pretty pictures doon in the valley? I dinnae want to have them Folklore Society bigjobs pokin’ aroound again!’‘ I have an idea, Mister Rob. It’s me, Awf’ly Wee Billy Bigchin Mac Feegle. We could disguise oursels.’ Awf’ly Wee Billy Bigchin Mac Feegle always announced himself in full. He seemed to feel that if he didn’t tell people who he was, they’d forget about him and he’d disappear. When you’re half the size of most grown pictsies you’re really short; much shorter and you’d be a hole in the ground. He was the new gonnagle. A gonnagle is the clan’s bard and battle poet, but they don’t spend all their lives in the same clan. In fact, they’re a sort of clan all by themselves. Gonnagles move around among the other clans, making sure the songs and stories get spread around all the Feegles. Awf’ly Wee Billy had come with Jeannie from the Long Lake clan, which often happens. He was very young for a gonnagle, but as Jeannie had said, there was no age limit to gonnagling. If the talent was in you, you gonnagled. And Awf’ly Wee Billy knew all the songs and could play the mousepipes so sadly that outside it would start to rain.‘ Aye, lad?’ said Rob Anybody kindly.‘ Speak up, then.’‘ Can we get hold o’ some human clothes?’ said Awf’ly Wee Billy.‘ Because there’s an old story about the big feud between the Three Peaks clan and the Windy River clan and the Windy River boys escaped by making a tattie- bogle walk, and the men o’ Three Peaks thought it was a bigjob and kept oot o’ its way.’ The others looked puzzled, and Awf’ly Wee Billy remembered that they were men of the Chalk and had probably never seen a tattie- bogle.‘ A scarecrow?’ he said.‘ It’s like a bigjob made o’ sticks, wi’ clothes on, for to frighten away the birdies fra’:Previous Entities: |The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: but as Jeannie had said, ",Awf'ly Wee Billy Bigchin Mac Feegle.> I can not abide to be split and confused– I can not think straight!,32336,32379,True,480:Victoria.?,"if getting into the spirit.‘ Uh… okay,’ Leo said.‘ I can tell you’ve got strong feelings about that. But the real war is against Gaia.’‘ He’s right,’ Hazel said.‘ Nike, you were Zeus’s charioteer in the last war with the giants, weren’t you?’‘ Of course!’‘ Then you know Gaia is the real enemy. We need your help to defeat her. The war isn’t between the Greeks and Romans.’ Victoria roared,‘ The Greeks must perish!’‘ Victory or death!’ Nike wailed.‘ One side must prevail!’ Frank grunted.‘ I get enough of this from my dad screaming in my head.’ Victoria glared down at him.‘ A child of Mars, are you? A praetor of Rome? No true Roman would spare the Greeks. I can not abide to be split and confused– I can not think straight! Kill them! Win!’‘ Not happening,’ Frank said, though Leo noticed Zhang’s right eye was twitching. Leo was struggling, too. Nike was sending off waves of tension, setting his nerves on fire. He felt like he was crouched at the starting line, waiting for someone to yell‘ Go!’ He had the irrational desire to wrap his hands around Frank’s neck, which was stupid, since his hands wouldn’t even fit around Frank’s neck.‘ Look, Miss Victory…’ Percy tried for a smile.‘ We don’t want to interrupt your crazy time. Maybe you can just finish this conversation with yourself and we’ll come back later, with, um, some bigger weapons and possibly some sedatives.’ The goddess brandished her spear.‘ You will",Victoria,"Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria","if getting into the spirit.‘ Uh… okay,’ Leo said.‘ I can tell you’ve got strong feelings about that. But the real war is against Gaia.’‘ He’s right,’ Hazel said.‘ Nike, you were Zeus’s charioteer in the last war with the giants, weren’t you?’‘ Of course!’‘ Then you know Gaia is the real enemy. We need your help to defeat her. The war isn’t between the Greeks and Romans.’ Victoria roared,‘ The Greeks must perish!’‘ Victory or death!’ Nike wailed.‘ One side must prevail!’ Frank grunted.‘ I get enough of this from my dad screaming in my head.’ Victoria glared down at him.‘ A child of Mars, are you? A praetor of Rome? No true Roman would spare the Greeks. I can not abide to be split and confused– I can not think straight! Kill them! Win!’‘ Not happening,’ Frank said, though Leo noticed Zhang’s right eye was twitching. Leo was struggling, too. Nike was sending off waves of tension, setting his nerves on fire. He felt like he was crouched at the starting line, waiting for someone to yell‘ Go!’ He had the irrational desire to wrap his hands around Frank’s neck, which was stupid, since his hands wouldn’t even fit around Frank’s neck.‘ Look, Miss Victory…’ Percy tried for a smile.‘ We don’t want to interrupt your crazy time. Maybe you can just finish this conversation with yourself and we’ll come back later, with, um, some bigger weapons and possibly some sedatives.’ The goddess brandished her spear.‘ You will:Previous Entities: |Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria| ::: I can not abide to be split and confused– I can not think straight! ",Nike.F “I see the City in the distance.,30538,30609,True,284:Sister Chenoeh.?,". The Lord Leto said,“There is my little multitude and they tell me everything. Do not deny my accusation.” Sister Chenoeh said,“I do not deny it.” The Lord Leto looked at her then and said,“Have no fear for your person. It is my wish that you report my words in your Chapter House.” Sister Chenoeh says she could see then that the Lord Leto knew all about her, about her mission, her special training as an oral recorder, everything.“He was like a Reverend Mother,” she said.“I could hide nothing from him.” The Lord Leto then commanded her,“Look toward my Festival City and tell me what you see.” Sister Chenoeh looked toward Onn and said,“I see the City in the distance. It is beautiful in this morning light. There is your forest on the right. It has so many greens in it I could spend all day describing them. On the left and all around the City there are the houses and the gardens of your servitors. Some of them look very rich and some look very poor.” The Lord Leto said,“We have cluttered this landscape! Trees are a clutter. Houses, gardens… You can not exult at new mysteries in such a landscape.” Sister Chenoeh, emboldened by Lord Leto’s assurances, asked,“Does the Lord truly want mysteries?” The Lord Leto said,“There is no outward spiritual freedom in such a landscape. Do you not see it? You have no open universe here with which to share. Everything is closures— doors, latches, locks!” Sister Chenoeh asked,“Has mankind no longer any need for privacy and protection?” The Lord Leto said,“When you return, tell your Sisters that I will restore the outward view. Such a landscape as this one turns you inward in search for",Sister Chenoeh,"Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh",". The Lord Leto said,“There is my little multitude and they tell me everything. Do not deny my accusation.” Sister Chenoeh said,“I do not deny it.” The Lord Leto looked at her then and said,“Have no fear for your person. It is my wish that you report my words in your Chapter House.” Sister Chenoeh says she could see then that the Lord Leto knew all about her, about her mission, her special training as an oral recorder, everything.“He was like a Reverend Mother,” she said.“I could hide nothing from him.” The Lord Leto then commanded her,“Look toward my Festival City and tell me what you see.” Sister Chenoeh looked toward Onn and said,“I see the City in the distance. It is beautiful in this morning light. There is your forest on the right. It has so many greens in it I could spend all day describing them. On the left and all around the City there are the houses and the gardens of your servitors. Some of them look very rich and some look very poor.” The Lord Leto said,“We have cluttered this landscape! Trees are a clutter. Houses, gardens… You can not exult at new mysteries in such a landscape.” Sister Chenoeh, emboldened by Lord Leto’s assurances, asked,“Does the Lord truly want mysteries?” The Lord Leto said,“There is no outward spiritual freedom in such a landscape. Do you not see it? You have no open universe here with which to share. Everything is closures— doors, latches, locks!” Sister Chenoeh asked,“Has mankind no longer any need for privacy and protection?” The Lord Leto said,“When you return, tell your Sisters that I will restore the outward view. Such a landscape as this one turns you inward in search for:Previous Entities: |Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh| ::: “I see the City in the distance. ",Sister Chenoeh.F it’s unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice.,6829,6927,True,907:The ghoul.M,"either shore. And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Keto sent to infest the waters. And of course if the ship got as far as Delphi–’‘ Idiot!’ Antinous lunged across the table and grabbed the ghost’s wrist. A thin crust of dirt spread from the ghoul’s hand, straight up Eurymachus’s spectral arm.‘ No!’ Eurymachus yelped.‘ Please! I– I only meant–’ The ghost screamed as the dirt covered his body like a shell, then cracked apart, leaving nothing but a pile of dust. Eurymachus was gone. Antinous sat back and brushed off his hands. The other suitors at the table watched him in wary silence.‘ Apologies, Iros.’ The ghoul smiled coldly.‘ All you need to know is this– the ways to Athens are well guarded, just as we promised. The demigods would either have to risk the straits, which are impossible, or sail around the entire Peloponnese, which is hardly much safer. In any event, it’s unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice. Once they reach Ithaca, we will know. We will stop them here and Gaia will see how valuable we are. You can take that message back to Athens.’ Jason’s heart hammered against his sternum. He’d never seen anything like the shell of earth that Antinous had summoned to destroy Eurymachus. He didn’t want to find out if that power worked on demigods. Also, Antinous sounded confident that he could detect the Argo II. Hazel’s magic seemed to be obscuring the ship so far, but there was no telling how long that would last. Jason had the intel they’d come for. Their goal was Athens. The safer route, or at least the not impossible route, was around the southern coast. Today was 20 July. They only had twelve days before Gaia planned to wake, on 1 August, the ancient Feast of Hope. Jason and his friends needed to leave while they had the chance. But something else",The ghoul,"Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus","either shore. And the raging storm spirits in the air. And those vicious sea monsters Keto sent to infest the waters. And of course if the ship got as far as Delphi–’‘ Idiot!’ Antinous lunged across the table and grabbed the ghost’s wrist. A thin crust of dirt spread from the ghoul’s hand, straight up Eurymachus’s spectral arm.‘ No!’ Eurymachus yelped.‘ Please! I– I only meant–’ The ghost screamed as the dirt covered his body like a shell, then cracked apart, leaving nothing but a pile of dust. Eurymachus was gone. Antinous sat back and brushed off his hands. The other suitors at the table watched him in wary silence.‘ Apologies, Iros.’ The ghoul smiled coldly.‘ All you need to know is this– the ways to Athens are well guarded, just as we promised. The demigods would either have to risk the straits, which are impossible, or sail around the entire Peloponnese, which is hardly much safer. In any event, it’s unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice. Once they reach Ithaca, we will know. We will stop them here and Gaia will see how valuable we are. You can take that message back to Athens.’ Jason’s heart hammered against his sternum. He’d never seen anything like the shell of earth that Antinous had summoned to destroy Eurymachus. He didn’t want to find out if that power worked on demigods. Also, Antinous sounded confident that he could detect the Argo II. Hazel’s magic seemed to be obscuring the ship so far, but there was no telling how long that would last. Jason had the intel they’d come for. Their goal was Athens. The safer route, or at least the not impossible route, was around the southern coast. Today was 20 July. They only had twelve days before Gaia planned to wake, on 1 August, the ancient Feast of Hope. Jason and his friends needed to leave while they had the chance. But something else:Previous Entities: |Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus| ::: it’s unlikely they will survive long enough to make that choice. ",Antinous.M "Makes you spit,",14824,14833,True,573:the battle machine.?,"I should expect."""" Expect!"" said Marvin,"" oh yes, expect. I'll tell you what they gave me to protect myself with shall I@"""" Yes, alright,"" said the battle machine, bracing itself."" Nothing,"" said Marvin. There was a dangerous pause."" Nothing?"" roared the battle machine."" Nothing at all,"" intoned Marvin dismally,"" not an electronic sausage."" The machine heaved about with fury."" Well, doesn't that just take the biscuit!"" it roared,"" Nothing, eh? Just don't think, do they?"""" And me,"" said Marvin in a soft low voice,"" with this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side."""" Makes you spit, doesn't it?"""" Yes,"" agreed Marvin with feeling."" Hell that makes me angry,"" bellowed the machine,"" think I'll smash that wall down!"" The electron ram stabbed out another searing blaze of light and took out the wall next to the machine."" How do you think I feel?"" said Marvin bitterly."" Just ran off and left you, did they?"" the machine thundered."" Yes,"" said Marvin."" I think I'll shoot down their bloody ceiling as well!"" raged the tank. It took out the ceiling of the bridge."" That's very impressive,"" murmured Marvin."" You ain't seeing nothing yet,"" promised the machine,"" I can take out this floor too, no trouble!""",the battle machine,"his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine","I should expect."""" Expect!"" said Marvin,"" oh yes, expect. I'll tell you what they gave me to protect myself with shall I@"""" Yes, alright,"" said the battle machine, bracing itself."" Nothing,"" said Marvin. There was a dangerous pause."" Nothing?"" roared the battle machine."" Nothing at all,"" intoned Marvin dismally,"" not an electronic sausage."" The machine heaved about with fury."" Well, doesn't that just take the biscuit!"" it roared,"" Nothing, eh? Just don't think, do they?"""" And me,"" said Marvin in a soft low voice,"" with this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left side."""" Makes you spit, doesn't it?"""" Yes,"" agreed Marvin with feeling."" Hell that makes me angry,"" bellowed the machine,"" think I'll smash that wall down!"" The electron ram stabbed out another searing blaze of light and took out the wall next to the machine."" How do you think I feel?"" said Marvin bitterly."" Just ran off and left you, did they?"" the machine thundered."" Yes,"" said Marvin."" I think I'll shoot down their bloody ceiling as well!"" raged the tank. It took out the ceiling of the bridge."" That's very impressive,"" murmured Marvin."" You ain't seeing nothing yet,"" promised the machine,"" I can take out this floor too, no trouble!"":Previous Entities: |his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine| ::: Makes you spit, ",Marvin.M "‘ M’daughter,",67460,67465,True,362:Merope.F,", little snakey, Slither on the floor You be good to Morfin Or he’ll nail you to the door.’ There was a scuffling noise in the corner beside the open window and Harry realised that there was somebody else in the room, a girl whose ragged grey dress was the exact colour of the dirty stone wall behind her. She was standing beside a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, and was fiddling around with the shelf of squalid- looking pots and pans above it. Her hair was lank and dull and she had a plain, pale, rather heavy face. Her eyes, like her brother’s, stared in opposite directions. She looked a little cleaner than the two men, but Harry thought he had never seen a more defeated- looking person.‘ M’daughter, Merope,’ said Gaunt grudgingly, as Ogden looked enquiringly towards her.‘ Good morning,’ said Ogden. She did not answer, but with a frightened glance at her father turned her back on the room and continued shifting the pots on the shelf behind her.‘ Well, Mr Gaunt,’ said Ogden,‘ to get straight to the point, we have reason to believe that your son Morfin performed magic in front of a Muggle late last night.’ There was a deafening clang. Merope had dropped one of the pots.‘ Pick it up!’ Gaunt bellowed at her.‘ That’s it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what’s your wand for, you useless sack of muck?’‘ Mr Gaunt, please!’ said Ogden in",Merope,"Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope",", little snakey, Slither on the floor You be good to Morfin Or he’ll nail you to the door.’ There was a scuffling noise in the corner beside the open window and Harry realised that there was somebody else in the room, a girl whose ragged grey dress was the exact colour of the dirty stone wall behind her. She was standing beside a steaming pot on a grimy black stove, and was fiddling around with the shelf of squalid- looking pots and pans above it. Her hair was lank and dull and she had a plain, pale, rather heavy face. Her eyes, like her brother’s, stared in opposite directions. She looked a little cleaner than the two men, but Harry thought he had never seen a more defeated- looking person.‘ M’daughter, Merope,’ said Gaunt grudgingly, as Ogden looked enquiringly towards her.‘ Good morning,’ said Ogden. She did not answer, but with a frightened glance at her father turned her back on the room and continued shifting the pots on the shelf behind her.‘ Well, Mr Gaunt,’ said Ogden,‘ to get straight to the point, we have reason to believe that your son Morfin performed magic in front of a Muggle late last night.’ There was a deafening clang. Merope had dropped one of the pots.‘ Pick it up!’ Gaunt bellowed at her.‘ That’s it, grub on the floor like some filthy Muggle, what’s your wand for, you useless sack of muck?’‘ Mr Gaunt, please!’ said Ogden in:Previous Entities: |Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope| ::: ‘ M’daughter, ","Gaunt.M Merope.F Ogden.M" Your new leaders have taught you bad habits.”,99750,99773,True,3728:their old Bashar.M,"noon heat of Cerbol’s battle- plowed fields. Completely unarmed in the path of the advancing rebels! Many among the attackers owed him their lives. Most of them had once given him their deepest allegiance. Now, they were in violent disobedience. And Teg’s presence in their path said to those advancing soldiers:“I will not wear the medals that tell what I did for you when we were comrades. I will not be anything that says I am one of you. I wear only the uniform that announces that I am still the Bashar. Kill me if that is how far you will carry your disobedience.” When most of the attacking force threw down their arms and came forward, some of their commanders bent the knee to their old Bashar and he remonstrated:“You never needed to bow to me or get on your knees! Your new leaders have taught you bad habits.” Later, he told the rebels he shared some of their grievances. Cerbol had been badly misused. But he also warned them:“One of the most dangerous things in the universe is an ignorant people with real grievances. That is nowhere near as dangerous, however, as an informed and intelligent society with grievances. The damage that vengeful intelligence can wreak, you can not even imagine. The Tyrant would seem a benevolent father figure by comparison with what you were about to create!” It was all true, of course, but in a Bene Gesserit context, and it helped little with what he was commanded to do to the Duncan Idaho ghola— creating mental and physical agony in an almost helpless victim. Easiest to recall was the look in Duncan’s eyes. They did",their old Bashar,"the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar","noon heat of Cerbol’s battle- plowed fields. Completely unarmed in the path of the advancing rebels! Many among the attackers owed him their lives. Most of them had once given him their deepest allegiance. Now, they were in violent disobedience. And Teg’s presence in their path said to those advancing soldiers:“I will not wear the medals that tell what I did for you when we were comrades. I will not be anything that says I am one of you. I wear only the uniform that announces that I am still the Bashar. Kill me if that is how far you will carry your disobedience.” When most of the attacking force threw down their arms and came forward, some of their commanders bent the knee to their old Bashar and he remonstrated:“You never needed to bow to me or get on your knees! Your new leaders have taught you bad habits.” Later, he told the rebels he shared some of their grievances. Cerbol had been badly misused. But he also warned them:“One of the most dangerous things in the universe is an ignorant people with real grievances. That is nowhere near as dangerous, however, as an informed and intelligent society with grievances. The damage that vengeful intelligence can wreak, you can not even imagine. The Tyrant would seem a benevolent father figure by comparison with what you were about to create!” It was all true, of course, but in a Bene Gesserit context, and it helped little with what he was commanded to do to the Duncan Idaho ghola— creating mental and physical agony in an almost helpless victim. Easiest to recall was the look in Duncan’s eyes. They did:Previous Entities: |the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar| ::: Your new leaders have taught you bad habits.” ",Loschy Teg.M Sarn’t.,26888,26938,True,1035:The four of them.?,"no. S’other stuff. Never mind. Anyway, we don’ take any of, of, of it from anyone.” Vague visions were trotting through his mind, of a room full of criminal types, people that had jeered at him, people whose very existence had offended and taunted him for years, lying around and groaning. He was a little unclear how it had happened, but some almost forgotten part of him, some much younger Vimes with a bright shining breastplate and big hopes, a Vimes he thought the alcohol had long ago drowned, was suddenly restless.“Shallie, shallie, shallie tell you something, Sarn’t?” he said.“Sir?” The four of them bounced gently off another wall and began another slow crabwise waltz across the alley.“This city. This city. This city, Sarn’t. This city is a, is a, is a Woman, Sarn’t. So t’is. A Woman, Sarn’t. Ancient raddled old beauty, Sarn’t. Butifyoufallinlovewithher, then, then, then shekicksyouinnateeth—”“’s woman?” said Colon. He screwed up his sweating face with the effort of thought.“’s eight miles wide, sir.’s got ta river in it. Lots of, of houses and stuff, sir,” he reasoned.“Ah. Ah. Ah.” Vimes waggled an unsteady finger at him.“Never, never, never said it wasa small woman, did I. Be fair.” He waved the bottle. Another random thought exploded in the froth of his mind.“We showed’em, anyway,” he said excitedly, as the four of them began an oblique shuffle back to the opposite wall.“Showed them, dint we? Taught thema forget they won’t lesson inna hurry, eh?”“S’right,”",The four of them,"the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them","no. S’other stuff. Never mind. Anyway, we don’ take any of, of, of it from anyone.” Vague visions were trotting through his mind, of a room full of criminal types, people that had jeered at him, people whose very existence had offended and taunted him for years, lying around and groaning. He was a little unclear how it had happened, but some almost forgotten part of him, some much younger Vimes with a bright shining breastplate and big hopes, a Vimes he thought the alcohol had long ago drowned, was suddenly restless.“Shallie, shallie, shallie tell you something, Sarn’t?” he said.“Sir?” The four of them bounced gently off another wall and began another slow crabwise waltz across the alley.“This city. This city. This city, Sarn’t. This city is a, is a, is a Woman, Sarn’t. So t’is. A Woman, Sarn’t. Ancient raddled old beauty, Sarn’t. Butifyoufallinlovewithher, then, then, then shekicksyouinnateeth—”“’s woman?” said Colon. He screwed up his sweating face with the effort of thought.“’s eight miles wide, sir.’s got ta river in it. Lots of, of houses and stuff, sir,” he reasoned.“Ah. Ah. Ah.” Vimes waggled an unsteady finger at him.“Never, never, never said it wasa small woman, did I. Be fair.” He waved the bottle. Another random thought exploded in the froth of his mind.“We showed’em, anyway,” he said excitedly, as the four of them began an oblique shuffle back to the opposite wall.“Showed them, dint we? Taught thema forget they won’t lesson inna hurry, eh?”“S’right,”:Previous Entities: |the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them| ::: Sarn’t. ",Sarn’t. I am Cleve of Firthmore.”,13216,13226,True,227:Spotted Owl.M,"the Krakish words for the Ga’Hoole term for“punishment,” which was flint mop.“Yes, that’s it in Hoolian. But you speak pretty good Krakish.”“Oh, a little trouble with the passive subjunctive in irregular verbs, but thank you,” Otulissa said modestly and blinked in her most fetching manner.“What’s your name?” he asked.“Otulissa,” she replied.“Otulissa,” the owl said reflectively.“A very traditional name.” Otulissa felt a tingle of joy in her gizzard. Here was an owl of her station, of her background. He recognized that Spotted Owl females were often called by the ancient and distinguished name of Otulissa.“And what is your name, if I may ask?”“Of course. I am Cleve of Firthmore.”“Cleve of Firthmore!” Otulissa gasped.“The Firthmore Passage in the Tridents?” The owl nodded in reply. Otulissa’s eyes were blinking madly as she flew.“From the royal hollow of Snarth?” Once more, the owl called Cleve nodded.“Then you are a prince. For that is where the clan of Krakor comes from.” And, thought Otulissa, the clan of Krakor is the oldest and most aristocratic clan in the land of the Great North Waters. It was, in fact, the clan for which the Krakish language of the Northern Kingdoms was named. This was a clan of words, of stories, of legends. They were writers and tellers of history, of literature. It was the clan of her beloved Strix Struma and",Spotted Owl,"Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl","the Krakish words for the Ga’Hoole term for“punishment,” which was flint mop.“Yes, that’s it in Hoolian. But you speak pretty good Krakish.”“Oh, a little trouble with the passive subjunctive in irregular verbs, but thank you,” Otulissa said modestly and blinked in her most fetching manner.“What’s your name?” he asked.“Otulissa,” she replied.“Otulissa,” the owl said reflectively.“A very traditional name.” Otulissa felt a tingle of joy in her gizzard. Here was an owl of her station, of her background. He recognized that Spotted Owl females were often called by the ancient and distinguished name of Otulissa.“And what is your name, if I may ask?”“Of course. I am Cleve of Firthmore.”“Cleve of Firthmore!” Otulissa gasped.“The Firthmore Passage in the Tridents?” The owl nodded in reply. Otulissa’s eyes were blinking madly as she flew.“From the royal hollow of Snarth?” Once more, the owl called Cleve nodded.“Then you are a prince. For that is where the clan of Krakor comes from.” And, thought Otulissa, the clan of Krakor is the oldest and most aristocratic clan in the land of the Great North Waters. It was, in fact, the clan for which the Krakish language of the Northern Kingdoms was named. This was a clan of words, of stories, of legends. They were writers and tellers of history, of literature. It was the clan of her beloved Strix Struma and:Previous Entities: |Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl| ::: I am Cleve of Firthmore.” ",Cleve of Firthmore.M "“Katie,”",109380,109383,True,548:Alicia.F,", attempting to stem the flow with her sleeve. Harry glanced round at Fred, who was looking anxious and checking his pockets. He saw Fred pull out something purple, examine it for a second and then look round at Katie, evidently horror- struck.“Well, let’s try again,” said Angelina. She was ignoring the Slytherins, who had now set up a chant of“Gryffindor are losers, Gryffindor are losers,” but there was a certain rigidity about her seat on the broom nevertheless. This time they had been flying for barely three minutes when Angelina’s whistle sounded. Harry, who had just sighted the Snitch circling the opposite goalpost, pulled up feeling distinctly aggrieved.“What now?” he said impatiently to Alicia, who was nearest.“Katie,” she said shortly. Harry turned and saw Angelina, Fred and George all flying as fast as they could towards Katie. Harry and Alicia sped towards her, too. It was plain that Angelina had stopped training just in time; Katie was now chalk white and covered in blood.“She needs the hospital wing,” said Angelina.“We’ll take her,” said Fred.“She- er- might have swallowed a Blood Blisterpod by mistake-”“Well, there’s no point continuing with no Beaters and a Chaser gone,” said Angelina glumly as Fred and George zoomed off towards the castle supporting Katie between them.“Come on, let’s go and get changed.” The Slytherins continued to chant as they trailed back into the changing rooms.",Alicia,"Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia",", attempting to stem the flow with her sleeve. Harry glanced round at Fred, who was looking anxious and checking his pockets. He saw Fred pull out something purple, examine it for a second and then look round at Katie, evidently horror- struck.“Well, let’s try again,” said Angelina. She was ignoring the Slytherins, who had now set up a chant of“Gryffindor are losers, Gryffindor are losers,” but there was a certain rigidity about her seat on the broom nevertheless. This time they had been flying for barely three minutes when Angelina’s whistle sounded. Harry, who had just sighted the Snitch circling the opposite goalpost, pulled up feeling distinctly aggrieved.“What now?” he said impatiently to Alicia, who was nearest.“Katie,” she said shortly. Harry turned and saw Angelina, Fred and George all flying as fast as they could towards Katie. Harry and Alicia sped towards her, too. It was plain that Angelina had stopped training just in time; Katie was now chalk white and covered in blood.“She needs the hospital wing,” said Angelina.“We’ll take her,” said Fred.“She- er- might have swallowed a Blood Blisterpod by mistake-”“Well, there’s no point continuing with no Beaters and a Chaser gone,” said Angelina glumly as Fred and George zoomed off towards the castle supporting Katie between them.“Come on, let’s go and get changed.” The Slytherins continued to chant as they trailed back into the changing rooms.:Previous Entities: |Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia| ::: “Katie,” ",Alicia.F “Hmm.,166323,166329,True,4611:the spider.?,"up, Annabeth begged the statue. Mother, help me. Nothing happened, but the cracks seemed to be spreading across the floor more rapidly. According to Arachne, the malicious thoughts of monsters had eaten away at the shrine’s foundations for centuries. If that was true, now that it was free the Athena Parthenos might be attracting even more attention from the monsters in Tartarus.“The design,” Annabeth said.“You should hurry.” She lifted the computer screen for Arachne to see, but the spider snapped,“I’ve memorized it, child. I have an artist’s eye for detail.”“Of course you do. But we should hurry.”“Why?”“Well… so we can introduce your work to the world!”“Hmm. Very well.” Arachne began to weave. It was slow work, turning silk strands into long strips of cloth. The chamber rumbled. The cracks at Annabeth’s feet became wider. If Arachne noticed, she didn’t seem to care. Annabeth considered trying to push the spider into the pit somehow, but she dismissed the idea. There wasn’t a big enough hole, and besides, if the floor gave way, Arachne could probably hang from her silk and escape, while Annabeth and the ancient statue would tumble into Tartarus. Slowly, Arachne finished the long strips of silk and braided them together. Her skill was flawless. Annabeth couldn’t help being impressed. She felt another flicker of doubt about her own mother. What if Arachne was a better weaver than Athena? But Arachne’s skill",the spider,"The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider","up, Annabeth begged the statue. Mother, help me. Nothing happened, but the cracks seemed to be spreading across the floor more rapidly. According to Arachne, the malicious thoughts of monsters had eaten away at the shrine’s foundations for centuries. If that was true, now that it was free the Athena Parthenos might be attracting even more attention from the monsters in Tartarus.“The design,” Annabeth said.“You should hurry.” She lifted the computer screen for Arachne to see, but the spider snapped,“I’ve memorized it, child. I have an artist’s eye for detail.”“Of course you do. But we should hurry.”“Why?”“Well… so we can introduce your work to the world!”“Hmm. Very well.” Arachne began to weave. It was slow work, turning silk strands into long strips of cloth. The chamber rumbled. The cracks at Annabeth’s feet became wider. If Arachne noticed, she didn’t seem to care. Annabeth considered trying to push the spider into the pit somehow, but she dismissed the idea. There wasn’t a big enough hole, and besides, if the floor gave way, Arachne could probably hang from her silk and escape, while Annabeth and the ancient statue would tumble into Tartarus. Slowly, Arachne finished the long strips of silk and braided them together. Her skill was flawless. Annabeth couldn’t help being impressed. She felt another flicker of doubt about her own mother. What if Arachne was a better weaver than Athena? But Arachne’s skill:Previous Entities: |The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider| ::: “Hmm. ",Annabeth.F "“You’re here to work,”",39944,39951,True,1491:the acolyte.F,"No. I was taking a break.”“You’ve only been working for an hour.”“I didn’t realize anyone was timing me.” Nesta allowed every bit of unpleasantness to show in her face. She’d already conversed with one stranger today, fulfilling her quota of basic decency. Being kind to a second one was beyond her. The acolyte remained unimpressed.“It’s not every day we have someone new in our library.” She dumped the books onto Nesta’s cart.“These can be shelved.”“I don’t answer to acolytes.” The priestess drew up to her full height, which was slightly taller than average for Fae females. A crackling sort of energy buzzed around her, and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer.“You’re here to work,” the acolyte said, her voice unruffled.“And not only for Clotho.”“You speak rather informally of your high priestess.”“Clotho does not enforce rank. She encourages us to use her name.”“And what is your name?” She would certainly be complaining to Clotho about this impertinent acolyte’s attitude. The priestess’s eyes glittered with amusement, as if aware of Nesta’s plan.“Gwyneth Berdara.” Unusual, for these Fae to use family names. Even Rhys didn’t use one, as far as Nesta knew.“But most call me Gwyn.” A level above, two priestesses walked by the railing in silence, hooded heads bowed and books in their arms. Nesta could have sworn one of them watched, though.",the acolyte,"a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte","No. I was taking a break.”“You’ve only been working for an hour.”“I didn’t realize anyone was timing me.” Nesta allowed every bit of unpleasantness to show in her face. She’d already conversed with one stranger today, fulfilling her quota of basic decency. Being kind to a second one was beyond her. The acolyte remained unimpressed.“It’s not every day we have someone new in our library.” She dumped the books onto Nesta’s cart.“These can be shelved.”“I don’t answer to acolytes.” The priestess drew up to her full height, which was slightly taller than average for Fae females. A crackling sort of energy buzzed around her, and Nesta’s power grumbled in answer.“You’re here to work,” the acolyte said, her voice unruffled.“And not only for Clotho.”“You speak rather informally of your high priestess.”“Clotho does not enforce rank. She encourages us to use her name.”“And what is your name?” She would certainly be complaining to Clotho about this impertinent acolyte’s attitude. The priestess’s eyes glittered with amusement, as if aware of Nesta’s plan.“Gwyneth Berdara.” Unusual, for these Fae to use family names. Even Rhys didn’t use one, as far as Nesta knew.“But most call me Gwyn.” A level above, two priestesses walked by the railing in silence, hooded heads bowed and books in their arms. Nesta could have sworn one of them watched, though.:Previous Entities: |a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte| ::: “You’re here to work,” ",Clotho.F spare me a bit more down for this Sooty.”,55771,55800,True,175:Matron.?,"it in you and feel you could fly one more mission, do so.” She sheered off downwind.“All this talk about purity and Tytos. Never heard such a bunch of babble in my life.” It was Elsie, a rather bunchy- looking Barred Owl, who seemed to have more feathers than her small body could manage. The bar designs on her wings had almost faded into a blur. But she was a kindly old bird, who, along with Matron, was in charge of the care and feeding of all the newly arrived young owlets at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Never before had the two owls been actually brought out to a gathering station on a search- and- rescue mission, however.“Over here, Twilight,” Matron called.“I have just fluffed up a place. That Sooty will fit in nicely. Elsie dear, spare me a bit more down for this Sooty.” Elsie obliged by plucking out some downy fluff from beneath her primaries. Twilight blinked. It was just as Elsie said. A low babble came in a steady stream from the little owlets, and they were all reciting some kind of poetry, and it made absolutely no sense to Twilight. One little Grass Owl was now chanting in a thin little voice,“Tytos now forever, so pure, so rare! Yet supreme!” A Masked Owl spoke of a Tyto to whom righteousness belonged and still another was crying out,“Oh, Tyto, who is pureness beyond compare, show thyself… Tyto, how long shall the impure triumph?”“Depressing little ditties, aren’t they?” Bubo said as he lighted down next to Twilight.“What are they talking",Matron,"the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech","it in you and feel you could fly one more mission, do so.” She sheered off downwind.“All this talk about purity and Tytos. Never heard such a bunch of babble in my life.” It was Elsie, a rather bunchy- looking Barred Owl, who seemed to have more feathers than her small body could manage. The bar designs on her wings had almost faded into a blur. But she was a kindly old bird, who, along with Matron, was in charge of the care and feeding of all the newly arrived young owlets at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Never before had the two owls been actually brought out to a gathering station on a search- and- rescue mission, however.“Over here, Twilight,” Matron called.“I have just fluffed up a place. That Sooty will fit in nicely. Elsie dear, spare me a bit more down for this Sooty.” Elsie obliged by plucking out some downy fluff from beneath her primaries. Twilight blinked. It was just as Elsie said. A low babble came in a steady stream from the little owlets, and they were all reciting some kind of poetry, and it made absolutely no sense to Twilight. One little Grass Owl was now chanting in a thin little voice,“Tytos now forever, so pure, so rare! Yet supreme!” A Masked Owl spoke of a Tyto to whom righteousness belonged and still another was crying out,“Oh, Tyto, who is pureness beyond compare, show thyself… Tyto, how long shall the impure triumph?”“Depressing little ditties, aren’t they?” Bubo said as he lighted down next to Twilight.“What are they talking:Previous Entities: |the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech| ::: spare me a bit more down for this Sooty.” ",Elsie.F you’ve asked for—”,109230,109238,True,2241:one of the guards.M,"to, didn’t I? I mean, that man could make a melon go rusty!”“Captain Vimes!” He focused on the cleaver.“Oh,” he said.“Yes. Right!” It was a good steel cleaver, and the chains were elderly and rather rusty iron. He hacked away, raising sparks from the masonry. The crowd watched in silence, but several palace guards hurried toward him.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” said one of them, who didn’t have much imagination.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Vimes growled, looking up. They stared at him.“What?” Vimes took another hack at the chains. Several loops tinkled to the ground.“Right, you’ve asked for—” one of the guards began. Vimes’s elbow caught him under his rib cage; before he collapsed, Vimes’s foot kicked savagely at the other one’s kneecaps, bringing his chin down ready for another stab with the other elbow.“Right,” said Vimes absently. He rubbed the elbow. It was sheer agony. He moved the cleaver to his other hand and hammered at the chains again, aware at the back of his mind that more guards were hurrying up, but with that special kind of run that guards had. He knew it well. It was the run that said, there’s a dozen of us, let someone else get there first. It said, he looks ready to kill, no one’s paying me to get killed, maybe if I",one of the guards,"a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat","to, didn’t I? I mean, that man could make a melon go rusty!”“Captain Vimes!” He focused on the cleaver.“Oh,” he said.“Yes. Right!” It was a good steel cleaver, and the chains were elderly and rather rusty iron. He hacked away, raising sparks from the masonry. The crowd watched in silence, but several palace guards hurried toward him.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” said one of them, who didn’t have much imagination.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Vimes growled, looking up. They stared at him.“What?” Vimes took another hack at the chains. Several loops tinkled to the ground.“Right, you’ve asked for—” one of the guards began. Vimes’s elbow caught him under his rib cage; before he collapsed, Vimes’s foot kicked savagely at the other one’s kneecaps, bringing his chin down ready for another stab with the other elbow.“Right,” said Vimes absently. He rubbed the elbow. It was sheer agony. He moved the cleaver to his other hand and hammered at the chains again, aware at the back of his mind that more guards were hurrying up, but with that special kind of run that guards had. He knew it well. It was the run that said, there’s a dozen of us, let someone else get there first. It said, he looks ready to kill, no one’s paying me to get killed, maybe if I:Previous Entities: |a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat| ::: you’ve asked for—” ",Captain Vimes.M Why’re they magical?”,12010,12021,True,420:the Grand Master.M,"forward and prodded one of the other things with his toe.“What,” he said,“is this?”“’s a amulet,” muttered Brother Dunnykin.“’s very powerful. Bought it off a man. Guaranteed. Protects you against crocodile bites.”“Are you sure you can spare it?” said the Supreme Grand Master. There was a dutiful titter from the rest of the Brethren.“Less of that, brothers,” said the Grand Master, spinning around.“Bring magical things, I said. Not cheap jewelry and rubbish! Good grief, this city is lousy with magic!” He reached down.“What are these things, for heaven’s sake?”“They’re stones,” said Brother Plasterer uncertainly.“I can see that. Why’re they magical?” Brother Plasterer began to tremble.“They’ve got holes in them, Supreme Grand Master. Everyone knows that stones with holes in them are magical.” The Supreme Grand Master walked back to his place on the circle. He threw his arms up.“Right, fine, okay,” he said wearily.“If that’s how we’re going to do it, that’s how we’re going to do it. If we get a dragon six inches long we’ll all know the reason why. Won’t we, Brother Plasterer. Brother Plasterer? Sorry. I didn’t hear what you said? Brother Plasterer?”“I said yes, Supreme Grand Master,” whispered Brother Plasterer.“Very well. So long as that’s quite understood.”",the Grand Master,"Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf","forward and prodded one of the other things with his toe.“What,” he said,“is this?”“’s a amulet,” muttered Brother Dunnykin.“’s very powerful. Bought it off a man. Guaranteed. Protects you against crocodile bites.”“Are you sure you can spare it?” said the Supreme Grand Master. There was a dutiful titter from the rest of the Brethren.“Less of that, brothers,” said the Grand Master, spinning around.“Bring magical things, I said. Not cheap jewelry and rubbish! Good grief, this city is lousy with magic!” He reached down.“What are these things, for heaven’s sake?”“They’re stones,” said Brother Plasterer uncertainly.“I can see that. Why’re they magical?” Brother Plasterer began to tremble.“They’ve got holes in them, Supreme Grand Master. Everyone knows that stones with holes in them are magical.” The Supreme Grand Master walked back to his place on the circle. He threw his arms up.“Right, fine, okay,” he said wearily.“If that’s how we’re going to do it, that’s how we’re going to do it. If we get a dragon six inches long we’ll all know the reason why. Won’t we, Brother Plasterer. Brother Plasterer? Sorry. I didn’t hear what you said? Brother Plasterer?”“I said yes, Supreme Grand Master,” whispered Brother Plasterer.“Very well. So long as that’s quite understood.”:Previous Entities: |Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf| ::: Why’re they magical?” ","Supreme Grand Master.M Brother Plasterer.M Brother Dunnykin.M" Fortunately I'm not being asked to do algorithms.,42753,42794,True,386:Barney.?,"worldwide telephone communications for multinational corporations. Often those systems had millions of records. He was used to that. But InGen wanted something so much larger.... Puzzled, Nedry had gone to see Barney Fellows over at Symbolics, near the M.I.T. campus in Cambridge."" What kind of a database has three billion records, Barney?"""" A mistake,"" Barney said, laughing."" They put in an extra zero or two."""" It's not a mistake. I checked. It's what they want."""" But that's crazy,"" Barney said."" It's not workable. Even if you had the fastest processors and blindingly fast algorithms, a search would still take days. Maybe weeks."""" Yeah,"" Nedry said."" I know. Fortunately I'm not being asked to do algorithms. I'm just being asked to reserve storage and memory for the overall system. But still... what could the database be for?"" Barney frowned."" You operating under an ND?"""" Yes,"" Nedry said. Most of his jobs required nondisclosure agreements."" Can you tell me anything?"""" It's a bioengineering firm."""" Bioengineering,"" Barney said."" Well, there's the obvious...."""" Which is?"""" A DNA molecule."""" Oh, come on,"" Nedry said."" Nobody could be analyzing a DNA molecule."" He knew biologists were talking about the Human Genome Project, to analyze a complete human DNA strand. But that would take ten years of coordinated effort, involving laboratories around the world. It was an enormous undertaking, as big as the Manhattan Project, which made the atomic bomb."" This is a",Barney,"Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney","worldwide telephone communications for multinational corporations. Often those systems had millions of records. He was used to that. But InGen wanted something so much larger.... Puzzled, Nedry had gone to see Barney Fellows over at Symbolics, near the M.I.T. campus in Cambridge."" What kind of a database has three billion records, Barney?"""" A mistake,"" Barney said, laughing."" They put in an extra zero or two."""" It's not a mistake. I checked. It's what they want."""" But that's crazy,"" Barney said."" It's not workable. Even if you had the fastest processors and blindingly fast algorithms, a search would still take days. Maybe weeks."""" Yeah,"" Nedry said."" I know. Fortunately I'm not being asked to do algorithms. I'm just being asked to reserve storage and memory for the overall system. But still... what could the database be for?"" Barney frowned."" You operating under an ND?"""" Yes,"" Nedry said. Most of his jobs required nondisclosure agreements."" Can you tell me anything?"""" It's a bioengineering firm."""" Bioengineering,"" Barney said."" Well, there's the obvious...."""" Which is?"""" A DNA molecule."""" Oh, come on,"" Nedry said."" Nobody could be analyzing a DNA molecule."" He knew biologists were talking about the Human Genome Project, to analyze a complete human DNA strand. But that would take ten years of coordinated effort, involving laboratories around the world. It was an enormous undertaking, as big as the Manhattan Project, which made the atomic bomb."" This is a:Previous Entities: |Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney| ::: Fortunately I'm not being asked to do algorithms. ",Nedry.M "now,",6243,6250,True,396:Eurymachus.M,"from Gaia, you must know we are here under orders. Porphyrion decreed it.’ Antinous ran the knife blade across his palm. Instead of blood, dry dirt spilled from the cut.‘ You do know Porphyrion…?’ Jason struggled to keep his nausea under control. He remembered Porphyrion just fine from their battle at the Wolf House.‘ The giant king– green skin, forty feet tall, white eyes, hair braided with weapons. Of course I know him. He’s a lot more impressive than you.’ He decided not to mention that the last time he’d seen the giant king, Jason had blasted him in the head with lightning. For once, Antinous looked speechless, but his bald ghost friend Eurymachus put an arm around Jason’s shoulders.‘ Now, now, friend!’ Eurymachus smelled like sour wine and burning electrical wires. His ghostly touch made Jason’s ribcage tingle.‘ I’m sure we didn’t mean to question your credentials! It’s just, well, if you’ve spoken with Porphyrion in Athens, you know why we’re here. I assure you, we’re doing exactly as he ordered!’ Jason tried to mask his surprise. Porphyrion in Athens. Gaia had promised to pull up the gods by their roots. Chiron, Jason’s mentor at Camp Half- Blood, had assumed that meant that the giants would try to rouse the earth goddess at the original Mount Olympus. But now…‘ The Acropolis,’ Jason said.‘ The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That’s where",Eurymachus,"the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus","from Gaia, you must know we are here under orders. Porphyrion decreed it.’ Antinous ran the knife blade across his palm. Instead of blood, dry dirt spilled from the cut.‘ You do know Porphyrion…?’ Jason struggled to keep his nausea under control. He remembered Porphyrion just fine from their battle at the Wolf House.‘ The giant king– green skin, forty feet tall, white eyes, hair braided with weapons. Of course I know him. He’s a lot more impressive than you.’ He decided not to mention that the last time he’d seen the giant king, Jason had blasted him in the head with lightning. For once, Antinous looked speechless, but his bald ghost friend Eurymachus put an arm around Jason’s shoulders.‘ Now, now, friend!’ Eurymachus smelled like sour wine and burning electrical wires. His ghostly touch made Jason’s ribcage tingle.‘ I’m sure we didn’t mean to question your credentials! It’s just, well, if you’ve spoken with Porphyrion in Athens, you know why we’re here. I assure you, we’re doing exactly as he ordered!’ Jason tried to mask his surprise. Porphyrion in Athens. Gaia had promised to pull up the gods by their roots. Chiron, Jason’s mentor at Camp Half- Blood, had assumed that meant that the giants would try to rouse the earth goddess at the original Mount Olympus. But now…‘ The Acropolis,’ Jason said.‘ The most ancient temples to the gods, in the middle of Athens. That’s where:Previous Entities: |the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus| ::: now, ",Eurymachus.M they do.',32437,32443,True,1966:The lady in question.F,". In addition to that, she had been part of a ladies' sewing circle(afghans were her specialty), and a member in good standing of the Castle County Crafts Co- op. Visits to the sick... helping out with the annual volunteer fire department blood drive... womaning a booth during Summerfest in Castle Rock... and stuff like that was only where she had started. She didn't do it in any ostentatious Lady Bountiful way, either, but unobtrusively and humbly, with her head lowered(often to hide a rather sharp smile, I should add— my Jo had a Biercean sense of humor). Christ, I thought, maybe old Bill had a right to sound reproachful.' People miss her,' I said.' Ayuh, they do.'' I still miss her a lot myself. I think that's why I've stayed away from the lake. That's where a lot of our good times were.'' I s'pose so. But it'll be damned good to see you down this way. I'll get busy. The place is all right— you could move into it this afternoon, if you was a mind— but when a house has stood empty the way Sara has, it gets stale.'' I know.'' I'll get Brenda Meserve to clean the whole shebang from top to bottom. Same gal you always had, don't you know.'' Brenda's a little old for comprehensive spring cleaning, isn't she?' The lady in question was about sixty",The lady in question,"Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question",". In addition to that, she had been part of a ladies' sewing circle(afghans were her specialty), and a member in good standing of the Castle County Crafts Co- op. Visits to the sick... helping out with the annual volunteer fire department blood drive... womaning a booth during Summerfest in Castle Rock... and stuff like that was only where she had started. She didn't do it in any ostentatious Lady Bountiful way, either, but unobtrusively and humbly, with her head lowered(often to hide a rather sharp smile, I should add— my Jo had a Biercean sense of humor). Christ, I thought, maybe old Bill had a right to sound reproachful.' People miss her,' I said.' Ayuh, they do.'' I still miss her a lot myself. I think that's why I've stayed away from the lake. That's where a lot of our good times were.'' I s'pose so. But it'll be damned good to see you down this way. I'll get busy. The place is all right— you could move into it this afternoon, if you was a mind— but when a house has stood empty the way Sara has, it gets stale.'' I know.'' I'll get Brenda Meserve to clean the whole shebang from top to bottom. Same gal you always had, don't you know.'' Brenda's a little old for comprehensive spring cleaning, isn't she?' The lady in question was about sixty:Previous Entities: |Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question| ::: they do.' ",Mike.M And Jurian.”,210910,210919,True,160:the Attor.M,"— Blood shone on the white marble bridge, sparkling like rubies in the sun. There, on one of those towering, elegant lampposts flanking the bridge… Her body was bent, her back arched on the impact, as if she were in the throes of passion. Her golden hair had been shorn to the skull. Her golden eyes had been plucked out. She was twitching where she had been impaled on the post, the metal pole straight through her slim torso, gore clinging to the metal above her. Someone on the bridge vomited, then kept running. But I could not break my stare from the golden queen. Or from the Attor, who swept through the hole it had made and alighted atop the blood- soaked lamppost.“Regards,” it hissed,“of the mortal queens. And Jurian.” Then the Attor leaped into flight, fast and sleek— heading right for the theater district we’d left. Cassian had pressed me back down against the bridge— and he surged toward the Attor. He halted, remembering me, but I rasped,“Go.”“Run home. Now.” That was the final order— and his good- bye as he shot into the sky after the Attor, who had already disappeared into the screaming streets. Around me, hole after hole was punched through that red shield, those winged creatures pouring in, dumping the Hybern soldiers they had carried across the sea. Soldiers of every shape and size— lesser faeries. The golden queen’s gaping mouth was opening and closing like a fish on land. Save her, help her",the Attor,"Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman","— Blood shone on the white marble bridge, sparkling like rubies in the sun. There, on one of those towering, elegant lampposts flanking the bridge… Her body was bent, her back arched on the impact, as if she were in the throes of passion. Her golden hair had been shorn to the skull. Her golden eyes had been plucked out. She was twitching where she had been impaled on the post, the metal pole straight through her slim torso, gore clinging to the metal above her. Someone on the bridge vomited, then kept running. But I could not break my stare from the golden queen. Or from the Attor, who swept through the hole it had made and alighted atop the blood- soaked lamppost.“Regards,” it hissed,“of the mortal queens. And Jurian.” Then the Attor leaped into flight, fast and sleek— heading right for the theater district we’d left. Cassian had pressed me back down against the bridge— and he surged toward the Attor. He halted, remembering me, but I rasped,“Go.”“Run home. Now.” That was the final order— and his good- bye as he shot into the sky after the Attor, who had already disappeared into the screaming streets. Around me, hole after hole was punched through that red shield, those winged creatures pouring in, dumping the Hybern soldiers they had carried across the sea. Soldiers of every shape and size— lesser faeries. The golden queen’s gaping mouth was opening and closing like a fish on land. Save her, help her:Previous Entities: |Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman| ::: And Jurian.” ",Jurian.M "“Please speak plainly,",1711,1726,True,410:the Barn Owl.F,"somehow! Deep within him— Dumpy closed his eyes, trying to remember— there was a dim recollection, a feeling from a time before his time, if that were possible, of an ancient terror. A terror that might have had its very source here in the Ice Narrows, perhaps in this very cave. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the sky- colored owl had wilfed.“Now why have you wilfed on me like that?” the Barn Owl snapped. She flipped her head back to its normal position.“Hagsfiends vanished nearly one thousand years ago,” the blue owl said.“And you think they are gone forever?”“Madame General, what are you suggesting?”“I am suggesting that nothing is forever.”“Please speak plainly, Madame General. I am no good at riddles.”“In three moon cycles.”“In three moon cycles, what?”“It will be Long Night, and a marvelous hatching will occur.”“There is an egg?” Hagsfiends? Eggs? That can’t be good, Dumpy thought. It could mean more hagsfiends. Isn’t that what“eggs” mean? More chicks? Nyra cocked her head. Her eyes glinted darkly.“Not yet. But soon.” She paused, then continued.“You are not the only one who found cracks in the Panqua Palace. How should I put it? There are servants who can be suborned, and dragon owls who have begun to question their pampered existence. Remember, I was taken for dead after the battle in which you helped defeat my",the Barn Owl,"12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl","somehow! Deep within him— Dumpy closed his eyes, trying to remember— there was a dim recollection, a feeling from a time before his time, if that were possible, of an ancient terror. A terror that might have had its very source here in the Ice Narrows, perhaps in this very cave. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the sky- colored owl had wilfed.“Now why have you wilfed on me like that?” the Barn Owl snapped. She flipped her head back to its normal position.“Hagsfiends vanished nearly one thousand years ago,” the blue owl said.“And you think they are gone forever?”“Madame General, what are you suggesting?”“I am suggesting that nothing is forever.”“Please speak plainly, Madame General. I am no good at riddles.”“In three moon cycles.”“In three moon cycles, what?”“It will be Long Night, and a marvelous hatching will occur.”“There is an egg?” Hagsfiends? Eggs? That can’t be good, Dumpy thought. It could mean more hagsfiends. Isn’t that what“eggs” mean? More chicks? Nyra cocked her head. Her eyes glinted darkly.“Not yet. But soon.” She paused, then continued.“You are not the only one who found cracks in the Panqua Palace. How should I put it? There are servants who can be suborned, and dragon owls who have begun to question their pampered existence. Remember, I was taken for dead after the battle in which you helped defeat my:Previous Entities: |12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl| ::: “Please speak plainly, ",Dumpy.M ROLAND!,330400,330425,True,1728:the Crimson King.M,"that buffeted his face this time was like a hurricane. Close. Very close, that time. The Crimson King screamed his frustration—“EEEEEEEEEEE!”—and the cry was followed by multiple approaching whistles. Patrick pressed himself against the pyramid, face- first. Roland, clutching the rose in his bleeding right hand, rolled onto his back, raised his gun, and waited for the sneetches to make their turn. When they did, he took care of them: one and two and three.“STILL HERE!” he cried at the old Red King.“STILL HERE, YOU OLD COCKSUCKER, MAY IT DO YA FINE!” The Crimson King gave another of his terrible howls, but sent no more sneetches.“SO NOW YOU HAVE A ROSE!” he screamed.“LISTEN TO IT, ROLAND! LISTEN WELL, FOR IT SINGS THE SAME SONG! LISTEN AND COMMALA- COME- COME!” Now that song was all but imperative in Roland’s head. It burned furiously along his nerves. He grasped Patrick and turned him around.“Now,” he said.“For my life, Patrick. For the lives of every man and woman who ever died in my place so I could go on.” And child, he thought, seeing Jake in the eye of his memory. Jake first hanging over darkness, then falling into it. He stared into the mute boy’s terrified eyes.“Finish it! Show me that you can.” Ten Now Roland witnessed an amazing thing: when Patrick took the rose, he wasn’t cut. Not so much as scratched. Roland pulled his own lacerated glove off with his teeth and saw that not only was",the Crimson King,"The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip","that buffeted his face this time was like a hurricane. Close. Very close, that time. The Crimson King screamed his frustration—“EEEEEEEEEEE!”—and the cry was followed by multiple approaching whistles. Patrick pressed himself against the pyramid, face- first. Roland, clutching the rose in his bleeding right hand, rolled onto his back, raised his gun, and waited for the sneetches to make their turn. When they did, he took care of them: one and two and three.“STILL HERE!” he cried at the old Red King.“STILL HERE, YOU OLD COCKSUCKER, MAY IT DO YA FINE!” The Crimson King gave another of his terrible howls, but sent no more sneetches.“SO NOW YOU HAVE A ROSE!” he screamed.“LISTEN TO IT, ROLAND! LISTEN WELL, FOR IT SINGS THE SAME SONG! LISTEN AND COMMALA- COME- COME!” Now that song was all but imperative in Roland’s head. It burned furiously along his nerves. He grasped Patrick and turned him around.“Now,” he said.“For my life, Patrick. For the lives of every man and woman who ever died in my place so I could go on.” And child, he thought, seeing Jake in the eye of his memory. Jake first hanging over darkness, then falling into it. He stared into the mute boy’s terrified eyes.“Finish it! Show me that you can.” Ten Now Roland witnessed an amazing thing: when Patrick took the rose, he wasn’t cut. Not so much as scratched. Roland pulled his own lacerated glove off with his teeth and saw that not only was:Previous Entities: |The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip| ::: ROLAND! ",Roland.M ' Indeed.',13493,13496,True,643:the chamberlain.?,", miserably. The duke leaned forward on his throne.' I trust,' he said,' that they do pay taxes?'' Not, exactly pay taxes, my lord,' said the chamberlain. There was silence. Finally the duke prompted,' Go on, man.'' Well, it's more that they don't pay, you see. We never felt, that is, the old king didn't think... Well, they just don't.' The duke laid a hand on his wife's arm.' I see,' he said coldly.' Very well. You may go.' The chamberlain gave him a brief nod of relief and scuttled crabwise from the hall.' Well!' said the duchess.' Indeed.'' That was how your family used to run a kingdom, was it? You had a positive duty to kill your cousin. It was clearly in the interests of the species,' said the duchess.' The weak don't deserve to survive.' The duke shivered. She would keep on reminding him. He didn't, on the whole, object to killing people, or at least ordering them to be killed and then watching it happen. But killing a kinsman rather stuck in the throat or– he recalled– the liver.' Quite so,' he managed.' Of course, there would appear to be many witches, and it might be difficult to find the three that were on the moor.'' That doesn't matter.'' Of",the chamberlain,"the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain",", miserably. The duke leaned forward on his throne.' I trust,' he said,' that they do pay taxes?'' Not, exactly pay taxes, my lord,' said the chamberlain. There was silence. Finally the duke prompted,' Go on, man.'' Well, it's more that they don't pay, you see. We never felt, that is, the old king didn't think... Well, they just don't.' The duke laid a hand on his wife's arm.' I see,' he said coldly.' Very well. You may go.' The chamberlain gave him a brief nod of relief and scuttled crabwise from the hall.' Well!' said the duchess.' Indeed.'' That was how your family used to run a kingdom, was it? You had a positive duty to kill your cousin. It was clearly in the interests of the species,' said the duchess.' The weak don't deserve to survive.' The duke shivered. She would keep on reminding him. He didn't, on the whole, object to killing people, or at least ordering them to be killed and then watching it happen. But killing a kinsman rather stuck in the throat or– he recalled– the liver.' Quite so,' he managed.' Of course, there would appear to be many witches, and it might be difficult to find the three that were on the moor.'' That doesn't matter.'' Of:Previous Entities: |the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain| ::: ' Indeed.' ",Lady Felmet.F "“But’ twas a goodly ship,",21100,21127,True,265:L’Olonnais.M,"the brig contained, at the time it arrived in port, nothing of particular value. Some hides and tobacco were all that were to be found in its hold. Although renowned as a corsair, L’Olonnais was a stupid, brutal man. It did not take much intelligence, of course, to be a privateer. One had only to wait in the proper latitudes until a likely vessel happened along, and then attack it. Standing with his hat in his hands in the governor’s office, L’Olonnais now recited his unlikely tale with childish innocence. He had happened upon the prize vessel, he said, and found it deserted. There were no passengers aboard, and the ship was drifting aimlessly.“Faith, some plague or calamity must have fallen it,” L’Olonnais said.“But’ twas a goodly ship, sire, and I felt a service to the Crown to bring it back to port, sire.”“You found no passengers at all?”“Not a living thing.”“No dead aboard the ship?”“Nay, sire.”“And no clue as to its misfortune?”“Nary a one, sire.”“And the cargo—”“As your own inspectors found it, sire. We’d not touch it, sire. You know that.” Sir James wondered how many innocent people L’Olonnais had murdered to clear the decks of that merchantman. And he wondered where the pirate had landed to hide the valuables of the cargo. There were a thousand islands and small brackish cays throughout the Carib sea that could serve his purposes. Sir James rapped his fingers on his desk. The man was obviously lying but he needed proof. Even",L’Olonnais,"A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais","the brig contained, at the time it arrived in port, nothing of particular value. Some hides and tobacco were all that were to be found in its hold. Although renowned as a corsair, L’Olonnais was a stupid, brutal man. It did not take much intelligence, of course, to be a privateer. One had only to wait in the proper latitudes until a likely vessel happened along, and then attack it. Standing with his hat in his hands in the governor’s office, L’Olonnais now recited his unlikely tale with childish innocence. He had happened upon the prize vessel, he said, and found it deserted. There were no passengers aboard, and the ship was drifting aimlessly.“Faith, some plague or calamity must have fallen it,” L’Olonnais said.“But’ twas a goodly ship, sire, and I felt a service to the Crown to bring it back to port, sire.”“You found no passengers at all?”“Not a living thing.”“No dead aboard the ship?”“Nay, sire.”“And no clue as to its misfortune?”“Nary a one, sire.”“And the cargo—”“As your own inspectors found it, sire. We’d not touch it, sire. You know that.” Sir James wondered how many innocent people L’Olonnais had murdered to clear the decks of that merchantman. And he wondered where the pirate had landed to hide the valuables of the cargo. There were a thousand islands and small brackish cays throughout the Carib sea that could serve his purposes. Sir James rapped his fingers on his desk. The man was obviously lying but he needed proof. Even:Previous Entities: |A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais| ::: “But’ twas a goodly ship, ",L’Olonnais.M ’ she said loudly and confidently.‘,45482,45489,True,296:Romilda Vane.F,"DA! I learned loads with you!’‘ I enjoyed the meetings, too,’ said Luna serenely.‘ It was like having friends.’ This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment. Before he could respond, however, there was a disturbance outside their compartment door; a group of fourth- year girls was whispering and giggling together on the other side of the glass.‘ You ask him!’‘ No, you!’‘ I’ll do it!’ And one of them, a bold- looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin and long black hair, pushed her way through the door.‘ Hi, Harry, I’m Romilda, Romilda Vane,’ she said loudly and confidently.‘ Why don’t you join us in our compartment? You don’t have to sit with them,’ she added in a stage whisper, indicating Neville’s bottom, which was sticking out from under the seat again as he groped around for Trevor, and Luna, who was now wearing her free Spectrespecs, which gave her the look of a demented, multicoloured owl.‘ They’re friends of mine,’ said Harry coldly.‘ Oh,’ said the girl, looking very surprised.‘ Oh. OK.’ And she withdrew, sliding the door closed behind her.‘ People expect you to have cooler friends than us,’ said Luna, once again displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty.‘ You are cool,’ said Harry shortly.‘ None of them",Romilda Vane,"an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane","DA! I learned loads with you!’‘ I enjoyed the meetings, too,’ said Luna serenely.‘ It was like having friends.’ This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment. Before he could respond, however, there was a disturbance outside their compartment door; a group of fourth- year girls was whispering and giggling together on the other side of the glass.‘ You ask him!’‘ No, you!’‘ I’ll do it!’ And one of them, a bold- looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin and long black hair, pushed her way through the door.‘ Hi, Harry, I’m Romilda, Romilda Vane,’ she said loudly and confidently.‘ Why don’t you join us in our compartment? You don’t have to sit with them,’ she added in a stage whisper, indicating Neville’s bottom, which was sticking out from under the seat again as he groped around for Trevor, and Luna, who was now wearing her free Spectrespecs, which gave her the look of a demented, multicoloured owl.‘ They’re friends of mine,’ said Harry coldly.‘ Oh,’ said the girl, looking very surprised.‘ Oh. OK.’ And she withdrew, sliding the door closed behind her.‘ People expect you to have cooler friends than us,’ said Luna, once again displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty.‘ You are cool,’ said Harry shortly.‘ None of them:Previous Entities: |an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane| ::: ’ she said loudly and confidently.‘ ",Romilda Vane.F "The young men say he can not fail,",195026,195102,True,610:Tharthar.F,"” A woman’s voice, and Jessica recognized it: the voice of Tharthar, one of Stilgar’s wives.“What is it, Tharthar?”“There is trouble, Reverend Mother.” Jessica felt a constriction at her heart, an abrupt fear for Paul.“Paul...” she gasped. Tharthar spread the hangings, stepped into the chamber. Jessica glimpsed a press of people in the outer room before the hangings fell. She looked up at Tharthar— a small, dark woman in a red- figured robe of black, the total blue of her eyes trained fixedly on Jessica, the nostrils of her tiny nose dilated to reveal the plug scars.“What is it?” Jessica demanded.“There is word from the sand,” Tharthar said.“Usul meets the maker for his test... it is today. The young men say he can not fail, he will be a sandrider by nightfall. The young men are banding for a razzia. They will raid in the north and meet Usul there. They say they will raise the cry then. They say they will force him to call out Stilgar and assume command of the tribes.” Gathering water, planting the dunes, changing their world slowly but surely— these are no longer enough, Jessica thought. The little raids, the certain raids— these are no longer enough now that Paul and I have trained them. They feel their power. They want to fight. Tharthar shifted from one foot to the other, cleared her throat. We know the need for cautious waiting, Jessica thought, but there’s the core of our frustration. We know also the harm that waiting extended too long can do us. We lose our senses of purpose if the waiting’s prolonged.“The young men say if Usul does not call out Stilgar, then he must be afraid,” Tharthar said. She lowered her gaze.“So that’s the way of it",Tharthar,"Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar","” A woman’s voice, and Jessica recognized it: the voice of Tharthar, one of Stilgar’s wives.“What is it, Tharthar?”“There is trouble, Reverend Mother.” Jessica felt a constriction at her heart, an abrupt fear for Paul.“Paul...” she gasped. Tharthar spread the hangings, stepped into the chamber. Jessica glimpsed a press of people in the outer room before the hangings fell. She looked up at Tharthar— a small, dark woman in a red- figured robe of black, the total blue of her eyes trained fixedly on Jessica, the nostrils of her tiny nose dilated to reveal the plug scars.“What is it?” Jessica demanded.“There is word from the sand,” Tharthar said.“Usul meets the maker for his test... it is today. The young men say he can not fail, he will be a sandrider by nightfall. The young men are banding for a razzia. They will raid in the north and meet Usul there. They say they will raise the cry then. They say they will force him to call out Stilgar and assume command of the tribes.” Gathering water, planting the dunes, changing their world slowly but surely— these are no longer enough, Jessica thought. The little raids, the certain raids— these are no longer enough now that Paul and I have trained them. They feel their power. They want to fight. Tharthar shifted from one foot to the other, cleared her throat. We know the need for cautious waiting, Jessica thought, but there’s the core of our frustration. We know also the harm that waiting extended too long can do us. We lose our senses of purpose if the waiting’s prolonged.“The young men say if Usul does not call out Stilgar, then he must be afraid,” Tharthar said. She lowered her gaze.“So that’s the way of it:Previous Entities: |Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar| ::: The young men say he can not fail, ",Tharthar.F “Agh!”,18438,18441,True,233:Khufu.M,"and a purple shirt came clambering down the stairs. It took me a second to realize it was a baboon wearing an L.A. Lakers jersey. The baboon did a flip and landed in front of us. He showed off his fangs and made a sound that was half roar, half belch. His breath smelled like nacho- flavored Doritos. All I could think to say was,“The Lakers are my home team!” The baboon slapped his head with both hands and belched again.“Oh, Khufu likes you,” Amos said.“You’ll get along famously.”“Right.” Sadie looked dazed.“You’ve got a monkey butler. Why not?” Muffin purred in Sadie’s arms as if the baboon didn’t bother her at all.“Agh!” Khufu grunted at me. Amos chuckled.“He wants to go one- on- one with you, Carter. To, ah, see your game.” I shifted from foot to foot.“Um, yeah. Sure. Maybe tomorrow. But how can you understand—”“Carter, I’m afraid you’ll have a lot to get used to,” Amos said.“But if you’re going to survive and save your father, you have to get some rest.”“Sorry,” Sadie said,“did you say‘ survive and save our father’? Could you expand on that?”“Tomorrow,” Amos said.“We’ll begin your orientation in the morning. Khufu, show them to their rooms, please.",Khufu,"Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu","and a purple shirt came clambering down the stairs. It took me a second to realize it was a baboon wearing an L.A. Lakers jersey. The baboon did a flip and landed in front of us. He showed off his fangs and made a sound that was half roar, half belch. His breath smelled like nacho- flavored Doritos. All I could think to say was,“The Lakers are my home team!” The baboon slapped his head with both hands and belched again.“Oh, Khufu likes you,” Amos said.“You’ll get along famously.”“Right.” Sadie looked dazed.“You’ve got a monkey butler. Why not?” Muffin purred in Sadie’s arms as if the baboon didn’t bother her at all.“Agh!” Khufu grunted at me. Amos chuckled.“He wants to go one- on- one with you, Carter. To, ah, see your game.” I shifted from foot to foot.“Um, yeah. Sure. Maybe tomorrow. But how can you understand—”“Carter, I’m afraid you’ll have a lot to get used to,” Amos said.“But if you’re going to survive and save your father, you have to get some rest.”“Sorry,” Sadie said,“did you say‘ survive and save our father’? Could you expand on that?”“Tomorrow,” Amos said.“We’ll begin your orientation in the morning. Khufu, show them to their rooms, please.:Previous Entities: |Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu| ::: “Agh!” ",Khufu.M Travis?”,15200,15208,True,37:Little Arliss.M,"he was working away at it, pecking and scratching so hard that he was raising a big dust out in the field.“Why, that old rascal,” Mama said.“He’s just clawing those pea vines all to pieces.”“Hush, Mama,” I said.“Don’t scare him.” I lifted my gun and laid the barrel across the top of the rock fence.“I’ll have him ready for the pot in just a minute.” It wasn’t a long shot, and I had him sighted in, dead to rights. I aimed to stick a bullet right where his wings hinged to his back. I was holding my breath and already squeezing off when Little Arliss, who’d gotten behind, came running up.“Whatcha shootin’ at, Travis?” he yelled at the top of his voice.“Whatcha shootin’ at?” Well, that made me and the gobbler both jump. The gun fired, and I saw the gobbler go down. But a second later, he was up again, streaking through the tall corn, dragging a broken wing. For a second, I was so mad at Little Arliss I could have wrung his neck like a frying chicken’s. I said,“Arliss! Why can’t you keep your mouth shut? You’ve made me lose that gobbler!” Well, Little Arliss didn’t have sense enough to know what I was mad about. Right away, he puckered up and went to crying and leaking tears all over the place. Some of them splattered clear down on his",Little Arliss,"Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss","he was working away at it, pecking and scratching so hard that he was raising a big dust out in the field.“Why, that old rascal,” Mama said.“He’s just clawing those pea vines all to pieces.”“Hush, Mama,” I said.“Don’t scare him.” I lifted my gun and laid the barrel across the top of the rock fence.“I’ll have him ready for the pot in just a minute.” It wasn’t a long shot, and I had him sighted in, dead to rights. I aimed to stick a bullet right where his wings hinged to his back. I was holding my breath and already squeezing off when Little Arliss, who’d gotten behind, came running up.“Whatcha shootin’ at, Travis?” he yelled at the top of his voice.“Whatcha shootin’ at?” Well, that made me and the gobbler both jump. The gun fired, and I saw the gobbler go down. But a second later, he was up again, streaking through the tall corn, dragging a broken wing. For a second, I was so mad at Little Arliss I could have wrung his neck like a frying chicken’s. I said,“Arliss! Why can’t you keep your mouth shut? You’ve made me lose that gobbler!” Well, Little Arliss didn’t have sense enough to know what I was mad about. Right away, he puckered up and went to crying and leaking tears all over the place. Some of them splattered clear down on his:Previous Entities: |Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss| ::: Travis?” ",Little Arliss.M "“All I need is one skull,",55795,55833,True,309:Wrightwood.M,"we are unable to show that the theory is wrong— not that we are able to show, beyond doubt, that the theory is right.“A scientific theory may stand for years, even centuries, and it may accumulate hundreds of bits of corroborating evidence to support it. Yet a theory is always vulnerable, and a single conflicting finding is all that is required to throw the hypothesis into disarray, and call for a new theory. One can never know when such conflicting evidence will arise. Perhaps it will happen tomorrow, perhaps never. But the history of science is strewn with the ruins of mighty edifices toppled by an accident, or a triviality.” This is what Geoffrey Wrightwood meant when he said at the Seventh International Symposium on Human Paleontology in Geneva in 1972:“All I need is one skull, or a fragment of a skull, or a bit of jaw. In fact, all I need is one good tooth, and the debate is concluded.” Until that skeletal evidence is found, speculation will continue, and one may adopt whatever stance satisfies an inner sense of the fitness of things. SOURCES I. PRIMARY SOURCE Yakut ibn- Abdallah MS, a geographical lexicon,? A.D. 1400. Nos. 1403A-1589A, Archives University Library, Oslo, Norway. Trans: Blake, Robert, and Frye, Richard; in Byzantina— Metabyzantina: A Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, New York, 1947. Cook, Albert S.; New York, 1947. Fraus- Dolus, Per; Oslo, 1959- 1960. Jorgensen, Olaf, 1971, unpublished Nasir, Seyed Hossein; 1971, unpublished. St. Petersburg MS, a local history, published by the Academy of St. Petersburg, 1823. Nos. 233M-278 M, Archives University",Wrightwood,"Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich","we are unable to show that the theory is wrong— not that we are able to show, beyond doubt, that the theory is right.“A scientific theory may stand for years, even centuries, and it may accumulate hundreds of bits of corroborating evidence to support it. Yet a theory is always vulnerable, and a single conflicting finding is all that is required to throw the hypothesis into disarray, and call for a new theory. One can never know when such conflicting evidence will arise. Perhaps it will happen tomorrow, perhaps never. But the history of science is strewn with the ruins of mighty edifices toppled by an accident, or a triviality.” This is what Geoffrey Wrightwood meant when he said at the Seventh International Symposium on Human Paleontology in Geneva in 1972:“All I need is one skull, or a fragment of a skull, or a bit of jaw. In fact, all I need is one good tooth, and the debate is concluded.” Until that skeletal evidence is found, speculation will continue, and one may adopt whatever stance satisfies an inner sense of the fitness of things. SOURCES I. PRIMARY SOURCE Yakut ibn- Abdallah MS, a geographical lexicon,? A.D. 1400. Nos. 1403A-1589A, Archives University Library, Oslo, Norway. Trans: Blake, Robert, and Frye, Richard; in Byzantina— Metabyzantina: A Journal of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies, New York, 1947. Cook, Albert S.; New York, 1947. Fraus- Dolus, Per; Oslo, 1959- 1960. Jorgensen, Olaf, 1971, unpublished Nasir, Seyed Hossein; 1971, unpublished. St. Petersburg MS, a local history, published by the Academy of St. Petersburg, 1823. Nos. 233M-278 M, Archives University:Previous Entities: |Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich| ::: “All I need is one skull, ",Wrightwood.M "“Ja,",16193,16198,True,676:The serpent.M,"” Martin said.“I mean, pardon.”“What comes you here for?”“Oh… oh, yes… uh… uh… just a minute. Hold on.” Martin turned to Ruby.“Get out that word sheet Otulissa made up for us.” Ruby untied a slender metal tube from her leg and then drew out a piece of paper.“What’s the word for snake?” Martin muttered with exasperation.“Hordo!” the snake said.“Yes,” replied Martin.“Exactly. You are a hordo.” The serpent slid his eyes in contempt. They glittered in an unnerving way.“I know I am snake. Vhat you tink, me stupid?”“You’re a Kielian snake.”“Ja, ja.”“I mean… maybe you know this other Kielian snake we look for. His name is Hoke of Hock.”“Why you need Hoke of Hock?” Well, at least he’s chattier than the other creatures we’ve met, Martin thought.“You good flier, Short- eared.”“You’ve been watching us?” Martin said in a wary voice.“Ja, ja.”“For how long?” Ruby asked.“Two days, maybe three,” the snake replied.“And you— Northern Saw- whet, you spiral dive like… oh, cominzee bisshen?” It was obvious that the snake was searching for a word he needed.“… Like… like a coal diver.” Martin blinked.“",The serpent,"The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent","” Martin said.“I mean, pardon.”“What comes you here for?”“Oh… oh, yes… uh… uh… just a minute. Hold on.” Martin turned to Ruby.“Get out that word sheet Otulissa made up for us.” Ruby untied a slender metal tube from her leg and then drew out a piece of paper.“What’s the word for snake?” Martin muttered with exasperation.“Hordo!” the snake said.“Yes,” replied Martin.“Exactly. You are a hordo.” The serpent slid his eyes in contempt. They glittered in an unnerving way.“I know I am snake. Vhat you tink, me stupid?”“You’re a Kielian snake.”“Ja, ja.”“I mean… maybe you know this other Kielian snake we look for. His name is Hoke of Hock.”“Why you need Hoke of Hock?” Well, at least he’s chattier than the other creatures we’ve met, Martin thought.“You good flier, Short- eared.”“You’ve been watching us?” Martin said in a wary voice.“Ja, ja.”“For how long?” Ruby asked.“Two days, maybe three,” the snake replied.“And you— Northern Saw- whet, you spiral dive like… oh, cominzee bisshen?” It was obvious that the snake was searching for a word he needed.“… Like… like a coal diver.” Martin blinked.“:Previous Entities: |The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent| ::: “Ja, ","Martin.M Ruby.F Otulissa.F Hordo.? Hoke of Hock.? Serpent.? Short-eared.? Northern Saw-whet.?" no errand for the faint- hearted— and stayin’,72027,72057,True,1988:some shouting angry man.?,"she said.‘ Because she likes people,’ said the witch, striding ahead.‘ She cares about‘ em. Even the stupid, mean, dribbling ones, the mothers with the runny babies and no sense, the feckless and the silly and the fools who treat her like some kind of a servant. Now that’s what I call magic— seein’ all that, dealin’ with all that, and still goin’ on. It’s sittin’ up all night with some poor old man who’s leavin’ the world, taking away such pain as you can, comfortin’ their terror, seein’‘ em safely on their way… and then cleanin’‘ em up, layin’‘ em out, making‘ em neat for the funeral, and helpin’ the weeping widow strip the bed and wash the sheets— which is, let me tell you, no errand for the faint- hearted— and stayin’ up the next night to watch over the coffin before the funeral, and then going home and sitting down for five minutes before some shouting angry man comes bangin’ on your door‘ cos his wife’s havin’ difficulty givin’ birth to their first child and the midwife’s at her wits’ end and then getting up and fetching your bag and going out again… We all do that, in our own way, and she does it better’n me, if I was to put my hand on my heart. That is the root and heart and soul and centre of witchcraft, that is. The soul and centre!’ Mistress Weatherwax smacked her fist into her hand, hammering out her words.‘ The… soul… and… centre!’ Echoes came back from the trees",some shouting angry man,"The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man","she said.‘ Because she likes people,’ said the witch, striding ahead.‘ She cares about‘ em. Even the stupid, mean, dribbling ones, the mothers with the runny babies and no sense, the feckless and the silly and the fools who treat her like some kind of a servant. Now that’s what I call magic— seein’ all that, dealin’ with all that, and still goin’ on. It’s sittin’ up all night with some poor old man who’s leavin’ the world, taking away such pain as you can, comfortin’ their terror, seein’‘ em safely on their way… and then cleanin’‘ em up, layin’‘ em out, making‘ em neat for the funeral, and helpin’ the weeping widow strip the bed and wash the sheets— which is, let me tell you, no errand for the faint- hearted— and stayin’ up the next night to watch over the coffin before the funeral, and then going home and sitting down for five minutes before some shouting angry man comes bangin’ on your door‘ cos his wife’s havin’ difficulty givin’ birth to their first child and the midwife’s at her wits’ end and then getting up and fetching your bag and going out again… We all do that, in our own way, and she does it better’n me, if I was to put my hand on my heart. That is the root and heart and soul and centre of witchcraft, that is. The soul and centre!’ Mistress Weatherwax smacked her fist into her hand, hammering out her words.‘ The… soul… and… centre!’ Echoes came back from the trees:Previous Entities: |The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man| ::: no errand for the faint- hearted— and stayin’ ",Mistress Weatherwax.F "Me want to play!""",88413,88424,True,114:Hairball.?,"young woman's saddlebags and start on the pack animal. What if they killed her? What a waste that would be. Could he trade one for the other? That wasn't very nice, especially after the bandit thing, but the android was a machine. She was a person. He knew it wouldn't work, though, not without revealing what he knew— which was a crime punishable by death. Flathead rolled his eyes as unfamiliar hands touched his flanks and tried to pull away. Food, clothing, and camping gear cascaded to the ground. There were tools too, clearly illegal tools, which made holes in the slush. Sister Light saw the objects fall, pointed an accusing finger, and was just about to say something when Hairball bounced into the open."" Hi! Where Corley? Me want to play!"" Sister Light was still processing the situation, still trying to absorb it, when the bullet nicked the side of the cross, tumbled toward her face, and destroyed her skull. There were plenty of targets— but a lot of bystanders. That was a scenario the programmers had anticipated and one for which Doon was prepared. Each Reaper had been evaluated and assigned a threat index. Individuals, based on their position relative to the android, the speed with which their weapons were coming into alignment, or the extent to which they sheltered an important target, were outlined in red. There were never more than three"" reds"" at any given moment, but the moment that Doon shot one of them, another took his place. The object was to drop as many of the Reapers",Hairball,"Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss","young woman's saddlebags and start on the pack animal. What if they killed her? What a waste that would be. Could he trade one for the other? That wasn't very nice, especially after the bandit thing, but the android was a machine. She was a person. He knew it wouldn't work, though, not without revealing what he knew— which was a crime punishable by death. Flathead rolled his eyes as unfamiliar hands touched his flanks and tried to pull away. Food, clothing, and camping gear cascaded to the ground. There were tools too, clearly illegal tools, which made holes in the slush. Sister Light saw the objects fall, pointed an accusing finger, and was just about to say something when Hairball bounced into the open."" Hi! Where Corley? Me want to play!"" Sister Light was still processing the situation, still trying to absorb it, when the bullet nicked the side of the cross, tumbled toward her face, and destroyed her skull. There were plenty of targets— but a lot of bystanders. That was a scenario the programmers had anticipated and one for which Doon was prepared. Each Reaper had been evaluated and assigned a threat index. Individuals, based on their position relative to the android, the speed with which their weapons were coming into alignment, or the extent to which they sheltered an important target, were outlined in red. There were never more than three"" reds"" at any given moment, but the moment that Doon shot one of them, another took his place. The object was to drop as many of the Reapers:Previous Entities: |Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss| ::: Me want to play!"" ",Hairball.M “Three shells on the MK-65 remaining.”,111685,111693,True,124:Edgar.M,"“Take out those boats. Eevi, bring us about. We’re going back in.”“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Eevi replied. There was no response from Layla.“Layla,” Katrina said.“Do you copy?” The electrical storms were messing with the signal. Katrina felt the ship begin banking to the left and heard the crunch of the hull obliterating a Cazador vessel. Ten boats were still out here, firing small arms at the warship. The.50- cal on the bow blazed, riddling another twin- hull craft that was still trying to keep up with the Zion. Then the machine gun fell silent as the last spent casings rained onto the deck.“That’s all the fifty ammo we got,” Edgar reported.“Three shells on the MK-65 remaining.” Katrina opened a channel to Layla again. Please, kid, I need you. Again her hails went unanswered. She started back to the bridge with Sandy, keeping low and out of view of any hostile vessels. They were halfway across the deck when gunfire cracked behind them. Sandy screamed and went sprawling. Heart thumping, Katrina aimed the laser rifle at a team of four Cazador soldiers moving fast toward them. Before she could take them down, they opened fire, forcing her behind a bulkhead. Sandy crawled toward Katrina, trailing a streak of blood.“Captain,” she said.“Captain, help…”“Be still,” Katrina said. Gunfire ricocheted off the deck by Sandy, and Katrina moved her laser rifle around the corner to lay down suppressing",Edgar,"Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge","“Take out those boats. Eevi, bring us about. We’re going back in.”“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Eevi replied. There was no response from Layla.“Layla,” Katrina said.“Do you copy?” The electrical storms were messing with the signal. Katrina felt the ship begin banking to the left and heard the crunch of the hull obliterating a Cazador vessel. Ten boats were still out here, firing small arms at the warship. The.50- cal on the bow blazed, riddling another twin- hull craft that was still trying to keep up with the Zion. Then the machine gun fell silent as the last spent casings rained onto the deck.“That’s all the fifty ammo we got,” Edgar reported.“Three shells on the MK-65 remaining.” Katrina opened a channel to Layla again. Please, kid, I need you. Again her hails went unanswered. She started back to the bridge with Sandy, keeping low and out of view of any hostile vessels. They were halfway across the deck when gunfire cracked behind them. Sandy screamed and went sprawling. Heart thumping, Katrina aimed the laser rifle at a team of four Cazador soldiers moving fast toward them. Before she could take them down, they opened fire, forcing her behind a bulkhead. Sandy crawled toward Katrina, trailing a streak of blood.“Captain,” she said.“Captain, help…”“Be still,” Katrina said. Gunfire ricocheted off the deck by Sandy, and Katrina moved her laser rifle around the corner to lay down suppressing:Previous Entities: |Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge| ::: “Three shells on the MK-65 remaining.” ",Edgar.M “… but if only she hadn’t taken that book.”,2798,2810,True,273:a Burrowing Owl.?,". But it is thought that shattering can happen to almost any owl.”“But look at all the flecks at St. Aggie’s,” Digger said.“When we were there, we weren’t hurt by them. It was the moon blinking that was bad.”“I know it’s very odd. Sometimes I guess one can rub right up against flecks, and it doesn’t cause shattering. Like with Hortense from Ambala. They say that the streams of Ambala have lots of flecks. But she wasn’t shattered. Instead she simply has deformed wings and is small for her age. It’s a very complicated thing. If only that stupid old Burrowing Owl Dewlap— no offense, Digger…,” she apologized because Digger himself was a Burrowing Owl,“… but if only she hadn’t taken that book.”“But aren’t there other books in the library that might tell about it— about shattering?” Primrose asked.“I mean now that nothing is spronk any longer.”“Not so far, and believe me, I have scoured this library.” Books being declared spronk had been the beginning of Otulissa’s problems with Dewlap, indeed the beginning of all of their problems with the strange old Burrowing Owl who was the Ga’Hoolology ryb. Spronk meant forbidden, and nothing, especially books, had ever been forbidden at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Then, for some reason, Dewlap had forbidden the young owls access to certain books. No one had really agreed with her, and Ezylryb had personally delivered the fleckasia book to Otulissa. But then Dewlap had confiscated and lost it",a Burrowing Owl,"Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup",". But it is thought that shattering can happen to almost any owl.”“But look at all the flecks at St. Aggie’s,” Digger said.“When we were there, we weren’t hurt by them. It was the moon blinking that was bad.”“I know it’s very odd. Sometimes I guess one can rub right up against flecks, and it doesn’t cause shattering. Like with Hortense from Ambala. They say that the streams of Ambala have lots of flecks. But she wasn’t shattered. Instead she simply has deformed wings and is small for her age. It’s a very complicated thing. If only that stupid old Burrowing Owl Dewlap— no offense, Digger…,” she apologized because Digger himself was a Burrowing Owl,“… but if only she hadn’t taken that book.”“But aren’t there other books in the library that might tell about it— about shattering?” Primrose asked.“I mean now that nothing is spronk any longer.”“Not so far, and believe me, I have scoured this library.” Books being declared spronk had been the beginning of Otulissa’s problems with Dewlap, indeed the beginning of all of their problems with the strange old Burrowing Owl who was the Ga’Hoolology ryb. Spronk meant forbidden, and nothing, especially books, had ever been forbidden at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Then, for some reason, Dewlap had forbidden the young owls access to certain books. No one had really agreed with her, and Ezylryb had personally delivered the fleckasia book to Otulissa. But then Dewlap had confiscated and lost it:Previous Entities: |Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup| ::: “… but if only she hadn’t taken that book.” ",Otulissa.F "even if at the time you didn’t know what it was you were finding,",108813,108867,True,3110:an old person looking so young.?,"this trouble to tell me I have no talent for witchcraft?’ Tiffany said flatly.‘ That was very kind of you.’ Eskarina laughed. It was her young laugh, which seemed strange when you saw the wrinkles on her face. Tiffany had never seen an old person looking so young.‘ I said you weren’t born with a talent for witchcraft: it didn’t come easily; you worked hard at it because you wanted it. You forced the world to give it to you, no matter the price, and the price is and will always be, high. Have you heard the saying“the reward you get for digging holes is a bigger shovel”?’‘ Yes,’ said Tiffany,‘ I heard Granny Weatherwax say it once.’‘ She invented it. People say you don’t find witchcraft; witchcraft finds you. But you’ve found it, even if at the time you didn’t know what it was you were finding, and you grabbed it by its scrawny neck and made it work for you.’‘ This is all very… interesting,’ said Tiffany,‘ but I have got things I must be doing.’‘ Not in the travelling now,’ said Eskarina firmly.‘ Look, the Cunning Man has found you again.’‘ I think he hides in books and pictures,’ Tiffany volunteered.‘ And tapestries.’ She shuddered.‘ And mirrors,’ said Eskarina,‘ and puddles, and the glint of light on a piece of broken glass, or the gleam on a knife. How many ways can you think of? How frightened are you prepared to be?’‘ I’m going to have to fight him,’ Tiffany said.‘ I think I knew I would have to. He doesn’t seem to me to be",an old person looking so young,"the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young","this trouble to tell me I have no talent for witchcraft?’ Tiffany said flatly.‘ That was very kind of you.’ Eskarina laughed. It was her young laugh, which seemed strange when you saw the wrinkles on her face. Tiffany had never seen an old person looking so young.‘ I said you weren’t born with a talent for witchcraft: it didn’t come easily; you worked hard at it because you wanted it. You forced the world to give it to you, no matter the price, and the price is and will always be, high. Have you heard the saying“the reward you get for digging holes is a bigger shovel”?’‘ Yes,’ said Tiffany,‘ I heard Granny Weatherwax say it once.’‘ She invented it. People say you don’t find witchcraft; witchcraft finds you. But you’ve found it, even if at the time you didn’t know what it was you were finding, and you grabbed it by its scrawny neck and made it work for you.’‘ This is all very… interesting,’ said Tiffany,‘ but I have got things I must be doing.’‘ Not in the travelling now,’ said Eskarina firmly.‘ Look, the Cunning Man has found you again.’‘ I think he hides in books and pictures,’ Tiffany volunteered.‘ And tapestries.’ She shuddered.‘ And mirrors,’ said Eskarina,‘ and puddles, and the glint of light on a piece of broken glass, or the gleam on a knife. How many ways can you think of? How frightened are you prepared to be?’‘ I’m going to have to fight him,’ Tiffany said.‘ I think I knew I would have to. He doesn’t seem to me to be:Previous Entities: |the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young| ::: even if at the time you didn’t know what it was you were finding, ","Eskarina.F Tiffany.F" "' They said the king should maintain his own peace,",22189,22210,True,866:The tax gatherer.?,"ekcetra, and they said why, and I said because of bandits, ekcetra, and they said bandits never bothered them.'' And civil works?'' Ah. Yes. Well, I pointed out the need to build and maintain bridges, ekcetra.'' And?'' They said they didn't use them.'' Ah,' said the duke knowledgeably.' They can't cross running water.'' Not sure about that, sir. I think witches cross anything they like.'' Did they say anything else?' said the duke. The tax gatherer twisted the hem of his robe distractedly.' Well, sir. I mentioned how taxes help to maintain the King's Peace, sir...'' And?'' They said the king should maintain his own peace, sir. And then they gave me a look.'' What sort of look?' The duke sat with his thin face cupped in one hand. He was fascinated.' It's sort of hard to describe,' said the taxman. He tried to avoid Lord Felmet's gaze, which was giving him the distinct impression that the tiled floor was fleeing away in all directions and had already covered several acres. Lord Felmet's fascination was to him what a pin is to a Purple Emperor.' Try,' the duke invited. The taxman blushed.' Well,' he said.' It... wasn't nice.' Which demonstrates that the tax gatherer was much better at figures than words. What he would have said, if embarrassment, fear, poor memory and a complete lack of any kind of",The tax gatherer,"Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman","ekcetra, and they said why, and I said because of bandits, ekcetra, and they said bandits never bothered them.'' And civil works?'' Ah. Yes. Well, I pointed out the need to build and maintain bridges, ekcetra.'' And?'' They said they didn't use them.'' Ah,' said the duke knowledgeably.' They can't cross running water.'' Not sure about that, sir. I think witches cross anything they like.'' Did they say anything else?' said the duke. The tax gatherer twisted the hem of his robe distractedly.' Well, sir. I mentioned how taxes help to maintain the King's Peace, sir...'' And?'' They said the king should maintain his own peace, sir. And then they gave me a look.'' What sort of look?' The duke sat with his thin face cupped in one hand. He was fascinated.' It's sort of hard to describe,' said the taxman. He tried to avoid Lord Felmet's gaze, which was giving him the distinct impression that the tiled floor was fleeing away in all directions and had already covered several acres. Lord Felmet's fascination was to him what a pin is to a Purple Emperor.' Try,' the duke invited. The taxman blushed.' Well,' he said.' It... wasn't nice.' Which demonstrates that the tax gatherer was much better at figures than words. What he would have said, if embarrassment, fear, poor memory and a complete lack of any kind of:Previous Entities: |Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman| ::: ' They said the king should maintain his own peace, ",The tax gatherer.M "“Looks like a row of wooden horses to me,",104089,104102,True,303:Autocue.M,"a way of describing the world in words it couldn’t ignore. He gave a grunt of effort. There was a brief moment of speed. Dil and IIb looked around as long shafts of light sparkled through the mists and dust, turning the landscape into old gold. And the sun came up. The sergeant cautiously opened the hatch in the horse’s belly. When the expected flurry of spears did not materialize he ordered Autocue to let out the rope ladder, climbed down it, and looked across the chill morning desert. The new recruit followed him down and stood, hopping from one sandal to another, on sand that was nearly freezing now and would be frying by lunchtime.“There,” said the sergeant, pointing,“see the Tsortean lines, lad?”“Looks like a row of wooden horses to me, sergeant,” said Autocue.“The one on the end’s on rockers.”“That’ll be the officers. Huh. Those Tsorteans must think we’re simple.” The sergeant stamped some life into his legs, took a few breaths of fresh air, and walked back to the ladder.“Come on, lad,” he said.“Why’ve we got to go back up there?” The sergeant paused, his foot on a rope rung.“Use some common, laddie. They’re not going to come and take our horses if they see us hanging around outside, are they? Stands to reason.”“You sure they’re going to come, then?” said Autocue. The sergeant frowned at him.“Look, soldier,” he",Autocue,"Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy","a way of describing the world in words it couldn’t ignore. He gave a grunt of effort. There was a brief moment of speed. Dil and IIb looked around as long shafts of light sparkled through the mists and dust, turning the landscape into old gold. And the sun came up. The sergeant cautiously opened the hatch in the horse’s belly. When the expected flurry of spears did not materialize he ordered Autocue to let out the rope ladder, climbed down it, and looked across the chill morning desert. The new recruit followed him down and stood, hopping from one sandal to another, on sand that was nearly freezing now and would be frying by lunchtime.“There,” said the sergeant, pointing,“see the Tsortean lines, lad?”“Looks like a row of wooden horses to me, sergeant,” said Autocue.“The one on the end’s on rockers.”“That’ll be the officers. Huh. Those Tsorteans must think we’re simple.” The sergeant stamped some life into his legs, took a few breaths of fresh air, and walked back to the ladder.“Come on, lad,” he said.“Why’ve we got to go back up there?” The sergeant paused, his foot on a rope rung.“Use some common, laddie. They’re not going to come and take our horses if they see us hanging around outside, are they? Stands to reason.”“You sure they’re going to come, then?” said Autocue. The sergeant frowned at him.“Look, soldier,” he:Previous Entities: |Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy| ::: “Looks like a row of wooden horses to me, ",Autocue.M damn you!”,46539,46546,True,252:Lio!rt.M,"reality on the Discworld reasserted itself with a rush of sound. Lio!rt gasped at the sudden turn of speed with which the wizard had dodged his killing stroke and, with that desperation only available to the really terrified, Rincewind uncoiled like a snake and launched himself across the space between them. He locked both hands around the dragonlord’s sword arm, and wrenched. It was at that moment that Rincewind’s one remaining ring, already overburdened, slid out of the rock with a nasty little metal sound. He plunged down, swung wildly, and ended up dangling over a bone- splintering death with his hands gripping the dragonlord’s arm so tightly that the man screamed. Lio!rt looked up at his feet. Small flakes of rock were dropping out of the roof around the ring pitons.“Let go, damn you!” he screamed.“Or we’ll both die!” Rincewind said nothing. He was concentrating on maintaining his grip and keeping his mind closed to the pressing images of his fate on the rocks below.“Shoot him!” bellowed Lio!rt. Out of the corner of his eye Rincewind saw several crossbows leveled at him. Lio!rt chose that moment to flail down with his free hand, and a fistful of rings stabbed into the wizard’s fingers. He let go. Twoflower grabbed the bars and pulled himself up.“See anything?” said Hrun, from the region of his feet.“Just clouds.” Hrun lifted him down again, and sat on the edge of one of the wooden beds that were the only furnishings in the cell.“Bloody hell,”",Lio!rt,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt","reality on the Discworld reasserted itself with a rush of sound. Lio!rt gasped at the sudden turn of speed with which the wizard had dodged his killing stroke and, with that desperation only available to the really terrified, Rincewind uncoiled like a snake and launched himself across the space between them. He locked both hands around the dragonlord’s sword arm, and wrenched. It was at that moment that Rincewind’s one remaining ring, already overburdened, slid out of the rock with a nasty little metal sound. He plunged down, swung wildly, and ended up dangling over a bone- splintering death with his hands gripping the dragonlord’s arm so tightly that the man screamed. Lio!rt looked up at his feet. Small flakes of rock were dropping out of the roof around the ring pitons.“Let go, damn you!” he screamed.“Or we’ll both die!” Rincewind said nothing. He was concentrating on maintaining his grip and keeping his mind closed to the pressing images of his fate on the rocks below.“Shoot him!” bellowed Lio!rt. Out of the corner of his eye Rincewind saw several crossbows leveled at him. Lio!rt chose that moment to flail down with his free hand, and a fistful of rings stabbed into the wizard’s fingers. He let go. Twoflower grabbed the bars and pulled himself up.“See anything?” said Hrun, from the region of his feet.“Just clouds.” Hrun lifted him down again, and sat on the edge of one of the wooden beds that were the only furnishings in the cell.“Bloody hell,”:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt| ::: damn you!” ",Lio!rt.M "‘ I dinnae like this,",61619,61627,True,310:a Feegle.?,"ken what we’re goin’ tae find, so ye tread as light as e’er foot can fall, unnerstan’? Let’s find the big wee hag.’ They nodded, and stepped forward like ghosts. The land rose slightly ahead of them, to some kind of earthworks. They advanced on it carefully, wary of ambush, but nothing stopped them as they climbed two long mounds in the turf which made a sort of cross.‘ Man- made,’ said Big Yan, when they reached the top.‘ Just like in the old days, Rob.’ The silence sucked his speech away.‘ This is deep inside o’ the big wee hag’s head,’ said Rob Anybody, looking around warily.‘ We dinnae know whut made’em.’‘ I dinnae like this, Rob,’ said a Feegle.‘ It’s too quiet.’‘ Aye, Slightly Sane Georgie, it is that—’‘ You are my sunshine, my only su—’‘ Daft Wullie!’ snapped Rob, without taking his eyes off the strange landscape. The singing stopped.‘ Aye, Rob?’ said Daft Wullie from behind him.‘ Ye ken I said I’d tell ye when ye wuz guilty o’ stupid and inna- pro- pre- ate behaviour?’‘ Aye, Rob,’ said Daft Wullie.‘ That wuz another one o’ those times, wuz it?’‘ Aye.’ They moved on again, staring around them. And still there was the hush. It was the pause before an orchestra plays, the quietness",a Feegle,"Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle","ken what we’re goin’ tae find, so ye tread as light as e’er foot can fall, unnerstan’? Let’s find the big wee hag.’ They nodded, and stepped forward like ghosts. The land rose slightly ahead of them, to some kind of earthworks. They advanced on it carefully, wary of ambush, but nothing stopped them as they climbed two long mounds in the turf which made a sort of cross.‘ Man- made,’ said Big Yan, when they reached the top.‘ Just like in the old days, Rob.’ The silence sucked his speech away.‘ This is deep inside o’ the big wee hag’s head,’ said Rob Anybody, looking around warily.‘ We dinnae know whut made’em.’‘ I dinnae like this, Rob,’ said a Feegle.‘ It’s too quiet.’‘ Aye, Slightly Sane Georgie, it is that—’‘ You are my sunshine, my only su—’‘ Daft Wullie!’ snapped Rob, without taking his eyes off the strange landscape. The singing stopped.‘ Aye, Rob?’ said Daft Wullie from behind him.‘ Ye ken I said I’d tell ye when ye wuz guilty o’ stupid and inna- pro- pre- ate behaviour?’‘ Aye, Rob,’ said Daft Wullie.‘ That wuz another one o’ those times, wuz it?’‘ Aye.’ They moved on again, staring around them. And still there was the hush. It was the pause before an orchestra plays, the quietness:Previous Entities: |Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle| ::: ‘ I dinnae like this, ",Rob Anybody.M “from the time your father came round to get you.”,11127,11139,True,815:A police inspector.M,"to me? As I touched pencil to paper, my bedroom door opened.“Miss Kane?” I whirled and dropped the pencil. A police inspector stood frowning in my doorway.“What are you doing?”“Maths,” I said. My ceiling was quite low, so the inspector had to stoop to come in. He wore a lint- colored suit that matched his gray hair and his ashen face.“Now then, Sadie. I’m Chief Inspector Williams. Let’s have a chat, shall we? Sit down.” I didn’t sit, and neither did he, which must’ve annoyed him. It’s hard to look in charge when you’re hunched over like Quasimodo.“Tell me everything, please,” he said,“from the time your father came round to get you.”“I already told the police at the museum.”“Again, if you don’t mind.” So I told him everything. Why not? His left eyebrow crept higher and higher as I told him the strange bits like the glowing letters and serpent staff.“Well, Sadie,” Inspector Williams said.“You’ve got quite an imagination.”“I’m not lying, Inspector. And I think your eyebrow is trying to escape.” He tried to look at his own eyebrows, then scowled.“Now, Sadie, I’m sure this is very hard on you. I understand you want to protect your father’s reputation. But he’s gone now—”“You mean through the floor in a coffin,” I insisted.“",A police inspector,"the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector","to me? As I touched pencil to paper, my bedroom door opened.“Miss Kane?” I whirled and dropped the pencil. A police inspector stood frowning in my doorway.“What are you doing?”“Maths,” I said. My ceiling was quite low, so the inspector had to stoop to come in. He wore a lint- colored suit that matched his gray hair and his ashen face.“Now then, Sadie. I’m Chief Inspector Williams. Let’s have a chat, shall we? Sit down.” I didn’t sit, and neither did he, which must’ve annoyed him. It’s hard to look in charge when you’re hunched over like Quasimodo.“Tell me everything, please,” he said,“from the time your father came round to get you.”“I already told the police at the museum.”“Again, if you don’t mind.” So I told him everything. Why not? His left eyebrow crept higher and higher as I told him the strange bits like the glowing letters and serpent staff.“Well, Sadie,” Inspector Williams said.“You’ve got quite an imagination.”“I’m not lying, Inspector. And I think your eyebrow is trying to escape.” He tried to look at his own eyebrows, then scowled.“Now, Sadie, I’m sure this is very hard on you. I understand you want to protect your father’s reputation. But he’s gone now—”“You mean through the floor in a coffin,” I insisted.“:Previous Entities: |the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector| ::: “from the time your father came round to get you.” ",A police inspector.M "fourteen hours,",74321,74338,True,2259:The hologram.?,"Timothy replied. He unclasped his hands and spread his arms out as if he was about to give praise.“You have accessed the cryogenic chambers of ITC Communal Thirteen.” He pointed at the towers framing the rotunda on both sides.“There are one thousand and twenty capsules containing various species here, all of them slated to be opened in…” Timothy raised his wrist to check an elaborate watch and continued,“Two hundred forty years, two months, five days, twelve hours, forty- five minutes, thirteen seconds.” Rodger nudged Magnolia.“This guy has no idea.” Timothy cocked a bushy brow at Rodger.“How long has it been since the system was accessed?” Magnolia asked. The hologram checked his watch a second time.“One hundred three years, two months, fifteen days, fourteen hours, fifteen—”“Yeah, we get it,” Magnolia said, cutting him off.“Timothy, something’s happened to your facility, and we’re trying to figure out what.”“I’m sorry, but my system has been damaged and I have been dormant since error: time stamp not found.” The hologram flickered, and Timothy said,“Please stand by while I access my archives.” A second later, the apparition vanished, and a loud clicking sounded overhead. Magnolia and Rodger both raised their weapons as banks of lights on the towers switched on, filling the entire room with a bright glow that forced Rodger to shield his visor with his arm.“Something is wrong,” said a voice.“Something terrible has happened.” Rodger’s eyes",The hologram,"The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman","Timothy replied. He unclasped his hands and spread his arms out as if he was about to give praise.“You have accessed the cryogenic chambers of ITC Communal Thirteen.” He pointed at the towers framing the rotunda on both sides.“There are one thousand and twenty capsules containing various species here, all of them slated to be opened in…” Timothy raised his wrist to check an elaborate watch and continued,“Two hundred forty years, two months, five days, twelve hours, forty- five minutes, thirteen seconds.” Rodger nudged Magnolia.“This guy has no idea.” Timothy cocked a bushy brow at Rodger.“How long has it been since the system was accessed?” Magnolia asked. The hologram checked his watch a second time.“One hundred three years, two months, fifteen days, fourteen hours, fifteen—”“Yeah, we get it,” Magnolia said, cutting him off.“Timothy, something’s happened to your facility, and we’re trying to figure out what.”“I’m sorry, but my system has been damaged and I have been dormant since error: time stamp not found.” The hologram flickered, and Timothy said,“Please stand by while I access my archives.” A second later, the apparition vanished, and a loud clicking sounded overhead. Magnolia and Rodger both raised their weapons as banks of lights on the towers switched on, filling the entire room with a bright glow that forced Rodger to shield his visor with his arm.“Something is wrong,” said a voice.“Something terrible has happened.” Rodger’s eyes:Previous Entities: |The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman| ::: fourteen hours, ",Timothy.M We’re where the money is!”,2198,2254,True,1089:the audience.?,"was ruthless enough to acquire a dozen transgenic embryos by illicit means. He probably was. However, at the moment, Watson was cheerleading:“Biotechnology is booming. We are poised to see the greatest growth of any industry since computers thirty years ago. The largest biotech company, Amgen, in Los Angeles, employs seven thousand people. Federal grants to universities exceed four billion a year on campuses from New York to San Francisco, Boston to Miami. Venture capitalists invest in biotech companies at a rate of five billion a year. The lure of magnificent cures made possible by stem cells, cytokines, and proteonomics are drawing the brightest talent to the field. And with a global population growing older by the minute, our future is brighter than ever. And that’s not all!“We’ve reached the point where we can stick it to Big Pharma— and we will. Those massive, bloated companies need us and they know it. They need genes, they need technology. They’re the past. We’re the future. We’re where the money is!” That drew huge applause. Vasco shifted his bulk in his seat. The audience was applauding, even though they knew that this son of a bitch would cut their company to pieces in a second if it suited his bottom line.“Of course, we face obstacles to our progress. Some people— however well intentioned they think they are— choose to stand in the way of human betterment. They don’t want the paralyzed to walk, the cancer patient to thrive, the sick child to live and play. These people have their reasons for objecting. Religious, ethical, or even‘ practical.’ But whatever their reasons, they are on the side of death. And they will not triumph!” More thunderous applause. Vasco glanced at the fugitive, Tolman. The",the audience,"Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell","was ruthless enough to acquire a dozen transgenic embryos by illicit means. He probably was. However, at the moment, Watson was cheerleading:“Biotechnology is booming. We are poised to see the greatest growth of any industry since computers thirty years ago. The largest biotech company, Amgen, in Los Angeles, employs seven thousand people. Federal grants to universities exceed four billion a year on campuses from New York to San Francisco, Boston to Miami. Venture capitalists invest in biotech companies at a rate of five billion a year. The lure of magnificent cures made possible by stem cells, cytokines, and proteonomics are drawing the brightest talent to the field. And with a global population growing older by the minute, our future is brighter than ever. And that’s not all!“We’ve reached the point where we can stick it to Big Pharma— and we will. Those massive, bloated companies need us and they know it. They need genes, they need technology. They’re the past. We’re the future. We’re where the money is!” That drew huge applause. Vasco shifted his bulk in his seat. The audience was applauding, even though they knew that this son of a bitch would cut their company to pieces in a second if it suited his bottom line.“Of course, we face obstacles to our progress. Some people— however well intentioned they think they are— choose to stand in the way of human betterment. They don’t want the paralyzed to walk, the cancer patient to thrive, the sick child to live and play. These people have their reasons for objecting. Religious, ethical, or even‘ practical.’ But whatever their reasons, they are on the side of death. And they will not triumph!” More thunderous applause. Vasco glanced at the fugitive, Tolman. The:Previous Entities: |Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell| ::: We’re where the money is!” ",The Loremaster.M “He wants ten.”,101481,101486,True,1989:another one.?,"had a lot on his mind, with the preparations for the conference. Directly ahead, Evans saw the ground- floor conference room bustling with activity. The banner on the wall read, ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE— THE CATASTROPHE AHEAD. Twenty young people clustered around a large table, on which stood a scale model of the interior of an auditorium, and the surrounding parking lot. Evans paused to watch for a moment. One of the young people was putting wooden blocks in the parking lot, to simulate cars.“He won’t like that,” another one said.“He wants the slots nearest the building reserved for news vans, not buses.”“I left three spaces over here for news,” the first kid said.“Isn’t that enough?”“He wants ten.”“Ten spaces? How many news crews does he think are going to show up for this thing?”“I don’t know, but he wants ten spaces and he’s told us to arrange extra power and phone lines.”“For an academic conference on abrupt climate change? I don’t get it. How much can you say about hurricanes and droughts? He’ll be lucky to have three crews.”“Hey, he’s the boss. Mark off the ten slots and be done with it.”“That means the buses have to go way in the back.”“Ten slots, Jake.”“Okay, okay.”“Next to the building, because the line feeds are very expensive. The auditorium’s charging us an arm",another one,"A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid","had a lot on his mind, with the preparations for the conference. Directly ahead, Evans saw the ground- floor conference room bustling with activity. The banner on the wall read, ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE— THE CATASTROPHE AHEAD. Twenty young people clustered around a large table, on which stood a scale model of the interior of an auditorium, and the surrounding parking lot. Evans paused to watch for a moment. One of the young people was putting wooden blocks in the parking lot, to simulate cars.“He won’t like that,” another one said.“He wants the slots nearest the building reserved for news vans, not buses.”“I left three spaces over here for news,” the first kid said.“Isn’t that enough?”“He wants ten.”“Ten spaces? How many news crews does he think are going to show up for this thing?”“I don’t know, but he wants ten spaces and he’s told us to arrange extra power and phone lines.”“For an academic conference on abrupt climate change? I don’t get it. How much can you say about hurricanes and droughts? He’ll be lucky to have three crews.”“Hey, he’s the boss. Mark off the ten slots and be done with it.”“That means the buses have to go way in the back.”“Ten slots, Jake.”“Okay, okay.”“Next to the building, because the line feeds are very expensive. The auditorium’s charging us an arm:Previous Entities: |A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid| ::: “He wants ten.” ",Jake.M “What?”,54460,54463,True,73:Molly.F,"and steps back so we can see the rankings: 1. Edward 2. Peter 3. Will 4. Christina 5. Molly 6. Tris Sixth? I can’t be sixth. Beating Molly must have boosted my rank more than I thought it would. And losing to me seems to have lowered hers. I skip to the bottom of the list. 7. Drew 8. Al 9. Myra Al isn’t dead last, but unless the Dauntless- born initiates completely failed their version of stage one of initiation, he is factionless. I glance at Christina. She tilts her head and frowns at the board. She isn’t the only one. The quiet in the room is uneasy, like it is rocking back and forth on a ledge. Then it falls.“What?” demands Molly. She points at Christina.“I beat her! I beat her in minutes, and she’s ranked above me?”“Yeah,” says Christina, crossing her arms. She wears a smug smile.“And?”“If you intend to secure yourself a high rank, I suggest you don’t make a habit of losing to low- ranked opponents,” says Four, his voice cutting through the mutters and grumbles of the other initiates. He pockets the chalk and walks past me without glancing in my direction. The words sting a little, reminding me that I am the low- ranked opponent he’s referring to. Apparently they remind Molly, too.“You,” she says, focusing her narrowed eyes on me.“You",Molly,"the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister","and steps back so we can see the rankings: 1. Edward 2. Peter 3. Will 4. Christina 5. Molly 6. Tris Sixth? I can’t be sixth. Beating Molly must have boosted my rank more than I thought it would. And losing to me seems to have lowered hers. I skip to the bottom of the list. 7. Drew 8. Al 9. Myra Al isn’t dead last, but unless the Dauntless- born initiates completely failed their version of stage one of initiation, he is factionless. I glance at Christina. She tilts her head and frowns at the board. She isn’t the only one. The quiet in the room is uneasy, like it is rocking back and forth on a ledge. Then it falls.“What?” demands Molly. She points at Christina.“I beat her! I beat her in minutes, and she’s ranked above me?”“Yeah,” says Christina, crossing her arms. She wears a smug smile.“And?”“If you intend to secure yourself a high rank, I suggest you don’t make a habit of losing to low- ranked opponents,” says Four, his voice cutting through the mutters and grumbles of the other initiates. He pockets the chalk and walks past me without glancing in my direction. The words sting a little, reminding me that I am the low- ranked opponent he’s referring to. Apparently they remind Molly, too.“You,” she says, focusing her narrowed eyes on me.“You:Previous Entities: |the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister| ::: “What?” ",Molly.F "Solly.""",124827,124832,True,201:Dara.F,"ordered the nano- built vanes to deploy, gave thanks when they obeyed, and made minor corrections. Like eternal peace, the impact was only moments away."" Our father, which art in heaven, holy be thy..."" Solly saw a cluster of rocks, pushed Dara in that direction, and threw her down. Death rattled over their heads as the youth ripped at her blouse. The bullet had been pretty well spent by the time it hit her, but still managed to drill its way through. It was high, though, above her vital organs, and clear of bone. Solly pulled the sash free of her waist, tore strips from it, and stuffed them into the holes. The rest would bind the dressings in place. She opened her eye."" Hello, Solly."""" Hello, Dara."""" You shouldn't look at me... not without clothes."""" Why not? You're nice to look at."""" Only my husband should see me— so it is written."""" Then I shall marry you."""" Would you?"" Solly smiled tenderly."" Of course I would— was there ever any doubt?'' Lictor turned, he wasn't sure why, and was thrown to the ground. Something huge roared over his head, hit the ground, and exploded. Shrapnel flew outward, Reapers fell, and the wounded screamed. The Chosen One, surprised to be alive, staggered to his feet. He spoke without meaning to."" What in the name of God was that?"""" Something",Dara,"the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell","ordered the nano- built vanes to deploy, gave thanks when they obeyed, and made minor corrections. Like eternal peace, the impact was only moments away."" Our father, which art in heaven, holy be thy..."" Solly saw a cluster of rocks, pushed Dara in that direction, and threw her down. Death rattled over their heads as the youth ripped at her blouse. The bullet had been pretty well spent by the time it hit her, but still managed to drill its way through. It was high, though, above her vital organs, and clear of bone. Solly pulled the sash free of her waist, tore strips from it, and stuffed them into the holes. The rest would bind the dressings in place. She opened her eye."" Hello, Solly."""" Hello, Dara."""" You shouldn't look at me... not without clothes."""" Why not? You're nice to look at."""" Only my husband should see me— so it is written."""" Then I shall marry you."""" Would you?"" Solly smiled tenderly."" Of course I would— was there ever any doubt?'' Lictor turned, he wasn't sure why, and was thrown to the ground. Something huge roared over his head, hit the ground, and exploded. Shrapnel flew outward, Reapers fell, and the wounded screamed. The Chosen One, surprised to be alive, staggered to his feet. He spoke without meaning to."" What in the name of God was that?"""" Something:Previous Entities: |the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell| ::: Solly."" ",Solly.M Narcissus!”,26396,26402,True,1324:a nymph.?,"n’t make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow… I am so great.”“Yeah,” Leo muttered.“But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here…” He reached in his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle.“I’ll trade you.” Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself.“Even you carry a picture of me? I don’t blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you.” He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond.“But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don’t you think?”“Oh, gods, yes!” a nymph screamed.“Marry me, Narcissus!”“No, me!” another cried.“Would you sign my poster?”“No, sign my shirt!”“No, sign my forehead!”“No, sign my—”“Stop it!” Hazel snapped.“Stop it,” Echo agreed. Leo had lost sight of Echo again, but now he realized she was kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didn’t even blink. The nymph fan club tried to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back.“Snap out of it!” she yelled.“He won’t sign your sword,” the poster nymph complained.“He",a nymph,"Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph","n’t make ripples. That ruins the image. Wow… I am so great.”“Yeah,” Leo muttered.“But if I took the bronze, you could still see yourself in the water. Or here…” He reached in his tool belt and pulled out a simple mirror the size of a monocle.“I’ll trade you.” Narcissus took the mirror, reluctantly, and admired himself.“Even you carry a picture of me? I don’t blame you. I am gorgeous. Thank you.” He set the mirror down and returned his attention to the pond.“But I already have a much better image. The color flatters me, don’t you think?”“Oh, gods, yes!” a nymph screamed.“Marry me, Narcissus!”“No, me!” another cried.“Would you sign my poster?”“No, sign my shirt!”“No, sign my forehead!”“No, sign my—”“Stop it!” Hazel snapped.“Stop it,” Echo agreed. Leo had lost sight of Echo again, but now he realized she was kneeling on the other side of Narcissus, waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to break his concentration. Narcissus didn’t even blink. The nymph fan club tried to shove Hazel out of the way, but she drew her cavalry sword and forced them back.“Snap out of it!” she yelled.“He won’t sign your sword,” the poster nymph complained.“He:Previous Entities: |Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph| ::: Narcissus!” ",Echo.F He’s only five foot.”,8210,8225,True,525:The dwarf.M,"of the world.”“What, for good?”“Oh, no! No. Of course not. Come back and visit whenever you like. But, well, a lad your age, stuck down here… It’s not right. You know. I mean. Not a child anymore. Having to shuffle around on your knees most of the time, and everything. It’s not right.”“What is my own kind, then?” said Carrot, bewildered. The old dwarf took a deep breath.“You’re human,” he said.“What, like Mr. Varneshi?” Mr. Varneshi drove an ox- cart up the mountain trails once a week, to trade things for gold.“One of the Big People?”“You’re six foot six, lad. He’s only five foot.” The dwarf twiddled the loose rivet again.“You see how it is.”“Yes, but— but maybe I’m just tall for my height,” said Carrot desperately.“After all, if you can have short humans, can’t you have tall dwarfs?” His father patted him companionably on the back of the knees.“You’ve got to face facts, boy. You’d be much more at home up on the surface. It’s in your blood. The roof isn’t so low, either.” You can’t keep knocking yourself out on the sky, he told himself.“Hold on,” said Carrot, his honest brow wrinkling with the effort of calculation.“You’re a dwarf, right? And mam’s a",The dwarf,"Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf","of the world.”“What, for good?”“Oh, no! No. Of course not. Come back and visit whenever you like. But, well, a lad your age, stuck down here… It’s not right. You know. I mean. Not a child anymore. Having to shuffle around on your knees most of the time, and everything. It’s not right.”“What is my own kind, then?” said Carrot, bewildered. The old dwarf took a deep breath.“You’re human,” he said.“What, like Mr. Varneshi?” Mr. Varneshi drove an ox- cart up the mountain trails once a week, to trade things for gold.“One of the Big People?”“You’re six foot six, lad. He’s only five foot.” The dwarf twiddled the loose rivet again.“You see how it is.”“Yes, but— but maybe I’m just tall for my height,” said Carrot desperately.“After all, if you can have short humans, can’t you have tall dwarfs?” His father patted him companionably on the back of the knees.“You’ve got to face facts, boy. You’d be much more at home up on the surface. It’s in your blood. The roof isn’t so low, either.” You can’t keep knocking yourself out on the sky, he told himself.“Hold on,” said Carrot, his honest brow wrinkling with the effort of calculation.“You’re a dwarf, right? And mam’s a:Previous Entities: |Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf| ::: He’s only five foot.” ",Carrot.M “Cindy had to go for a drive.,15305,15319,True,549:Gus ’s dad.M,"of both of us in the best possible way, and then I would legs- flailingly hit the water and then come up for air uninjured and the current would bring me back to him as I said again, Daddy, again. I pulled into the driveway right next to an old black Toyota sedan I figured was Isaac’s car. Carting the tank behind me, I walked up to the door. I knocked. Gus’s dad answered.“Just Hazel,” he said.“Nice to see you.”“Augustus said I could come over?”“Yeah, he and Isaac are in the basement.” At which point there was a wail from below.“That would be Isaac,” Gus’s dad said, and shook his head slowly.“Cindy had to go for a drive. The sound...” he said, drifting off.“Anyway, I guess you’re wanted downstairs. Can I carry your, uh, tank?” he asked.“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though, Mr. Waters.”“Mark,” he said. I was kind of scared to go down there. Listening to people howl in misery is not among my favorite pastimes. But I went.“Hazel Grace,” Augustus said as he heard my footsteps.“Isaac, Hazel from Support Group is coming downstairs. Hazel, a gentle reminder: Isaac is in the midst of a psychotic episode.” Augustus and Isaac were sitting on the floor in gaming chairs shaped like lazy Ls, staring up at a gargantuan television. The screen was split between Isaac’s point",Gus ’s dad,"One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom","of both of us in the best possible way, and then I would legs- flailingly hit the water and then come up for air uninjured and the current would bring me back to him as I said again, Daddy, again. I pulled into the driveway right next to an old black Toyota sedan I figured was Isaac’s car. Carting the tank behind me, I walked up to the door. I knocked. Gus’s dad answered.“Just Hazel,” he said.“Nice to see you.”“Augustus said I could come over?”“Yeah, he and Isaac are in the basement.” At which point there was a wail from below.“That would be Isaac,” Gus’s dad said, and shook his head slowly.“Cindy had to go for a drive. The sound...” he said, drifting off.“Anyway, I guess you’re wanted downstairs. Can I carry your, uh, tank?” he asked.“Nah, I’m good. Thanks, though, Mr. Waters.”“Mark,” he said. I was kind of scared to go down there. Listening to people howl in misery is not among my favorite pastimes. But I went.“Hazel Grace,” Augustus said as he heard my footsteps.“Isaac, Hazel from Support Group is coming downstairs. Hazel, a gentle reminder: Isaac is in the midst of a psychotic episode.” Augustus and Isaac were sitting on the floor in gaming chairs shaped like lazy Ls, staring up at a gargantuan television. The screen was split between Isaac’s point:Previous Entities: |One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom| ::: “Cindy had to go for a drive. ",Cindy.F “The very idea.,86157,86164,True,739:the head thief.?,"of policy vis-à- vis dragons, but Wonse looked as though he hadn’t been to sleep in years. His face was the color of a fermented dishcloth. Never particularly well- padded, he now looked like something out of a pyramid.“Ah,” he intoned.“Good. Are you all here? Then perhaps you would step this way, gentlemen.”“Er,” said the head thief,“the note mentioned lunch?”“Yes?” said Wonse.“With a dragon?”“Good grief, you don’t think it would eat you, do you?” said Wonse.“What an idea!”“Never crossed me mind,” said the head thief, relief blowing from his ears like steam.“The very idea. Haha.”“Haha,” said the chief merchant.“Hoho,” said the head assassin.“The very idea.”“No, I expect you’re all far too stringy,” said Wonse.“Haha.”“Haha.”“Ahaha.”“Hoho.” The temperature lowered by several degrees.“So if you would kindly step this way?” The great hall had changed. For one thing, it was a great deal greater. Several walls had been knocked into adjoining rooms, and the ceiling and several storys of upper rooms had been entirely removed. The floor was a mass of rubble except in the middle of the room, which was a heap of gold— Well, goldish. It looked as though someone had scoured the palace for",the head thief,"the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert","of policy vis-à- vis dragons, but Wonse looked as though he hadn’t been to sleep in years. His face was the color of a fermented dishcloth. Never particularly well- padded, he now looked like something out of a pyramid.“Ah,” he intoned.“Good. Are you all here? Then perhaps you would step this way, gentlemen.”“Er,” said the head thief,“the note mentioned lunch?”“Yes?” said Wonse.“With a dragon?”“Good grief, you don’t think it would eat you, do you?” said Wonse.“What an idea!”“Never crossed me mind,” said the head thief, relief blowing from his ears like steam.“The very idea. Haha.”“Haha,” said the chief merchant.“Hoho,” said the head assassin.“The very idea.”“No, I expect you’re all far too stringy,” said Wonse.“Haha.”“Haha.”“Ahaha.”“Hoho.” The temperature lowered by several degrees.“So if you would kindly step this way?” The great hall had changed. For one thing, it was a great deal greater. Several walls had been knocked into adjoining rooms, and the ceiling and several storys of upper rooms had been entirely removed. The floor was a mass of rubble except in the middle of the room, which was a heap of gold— Well, goldish. It looked as though someone had scoured the palace for:Previous Entities: |the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert| ::: “The very idea. ",head thief.M “And that’s for me.”,173026,173033,True,1253:Dani.F,"and Sheemie seeing, Dani Rostov softly called to Jake. Once he was before her she hesitated, as if unsure what she would say or do. He began to ask her, but before he could, she stopped his mouth with a kiss. Her lips were amazingly soft.“That’s for good luck,” she said, and when she saw his look of amazement and understood the power of what she had done, her timidity lessened. She put her arms around his neck(still holding her scuffed Pooh Bear in one hand; he felt it soft against his back) and did it again. He felt the push of her tiny, hard breasts and would remember the sensation for the rest of his life. Would remember her for the rest of his life.“And that’s for me.” She retreated to Ted Brautigan’s side, eyes downcast and cheeks burning red, before he could speak. Not that he could have, even if his life had depended upon it. His throat was locked shut. Ted looked at him and smiled.“You judge the rest of them by the first one,” he said.“Take it from me. I know.” Jake could still say nothing. She might have punched him in the head instead of kissing him on the lips. He was that dazed. Nineteen Fifteen minutes later, four men, one girl, a billy- bumbler, and one dazed, amazed(and very tired) boy stood on the Mall. They seemed to have the grassy quad to themselves; the rest of the Breakers had disappeared",Dani,"Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman","and Sheemie seeing, Dani Rostov softly called to Jake. Once he was before her she hesitated, as if unsure what she would say or do. He began to ask her, but before he could, she stopped his mouth with a kiss. Her lips were amazingly soft.“That’s for good luck,” she said, and when she saw his look of amazement and understood the power of what she had done, her timidity lessened. She put her arms around his neck(still holding her scuffed Pooh Bear in one hand; he felt it soft against his back) and did it again. He felt the push of her tiny, hard breasts and would remember the sensation for the rest of his life. Would remember her for the rest of his life.“And that’s for me.” She retreated to Ted Brautigan’s side, eyes downcast and cheeks burning red, before he could speak. Not that he could have, even if his life had depended upon it. His throat was locked shut. Ted looked at him and smiled.“You judge the rest of them by the first one,” he said.“Take it from me. I know.” Jake could still say nothing. She might have punched him in the head instead of kissing him on the lips. He was that dazed. Nineteen Fifteen minutes later, four men, one girl, a billy- bumbler, and one dazed, amazed(and very tired) boy stood on the Mall. They seemed to have the grassy quad to themselves; the rest of the Breakers had disappeared:Previous Entities: |Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman| ::: “And that’s for me.” ",Dani. "though— we don't wait for anybody.""",82996,83022,True,278:Aoki.M,"opened the catches that secured the lid, and hoped the human wouldn't notice. Most coffins were nailed shut... and for good reason. The trail boss kept the biters where he could watch them as he stepped up onto the travois. There was a body, all right— and a looker too! What a waste. He reached down to touch the side of the woman's neck. There was no pulse. The body was ice cold. The packer stepped down and raised an eyebrow."" So what gives? No offense— but shouldn't she be buried?"" Doon shrugged."" I promised to bury her next to a church. Got ta find one first."" Aoki studied the man for a moment. The story was crazy enough to be true."" All right, seal her up. You can come. Don't fall behind, though— we don't wait for anybody."" The trail boss finished his inspection, Mary watched Doon, and Reno slept. Becka surfaced in time to see the caravan depart. She watched till the last mutimal faded from sight. The next caravan would be hers. The thought felt warm, and she took it to bed. The first day was the worst. Doon and Mary spent the majority of it struggling with the travois. It foundered on rocks, stalled in the snow, and caught on bushes. Then, as if that weren't bad enough, there was the fact that with the exception of a brief lunch break the caravan never stopped moving. That forced them to play catch- up, or try to, since most of the other tail- biters had passed them by. Eventually, the trail boss,",Aoki,"The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss","opened the catches that secured the lid, and hoped the human wouldn't notice. Most coffins were nailed shut... and for good reason. The trail boss kept the biters where he could watch them as he stepped up onto the travois. There was a body, all right— and a looker too! What a waste. He reached down to touch the side of the woman's neck. There was no pulse. The body was ice cold. The packer stepped down and raised an eyebrow."" So what gives? No offense— but shouldn't she be buried?"" Doon shrugged."" I promised to bury her next to a church. Got ta find one first."" Aoki studied the man for a moment. The story was crazy enough to be true."" All right, seal her up. You can come. Don't fall behind, though— we don't wait for anybody."" The trail boss finished his inspection, Mary watched Doon, and Reno slept. Becka surfaced in time to see the caravan depart. She watched till the last mutimal faded from sight. The next caravan would be hers. The thought felt warm, and she took it to bed. The first day was the worst. Doon and Mary spent the majority of it struggling with the travois. It foundered on rocks, stalled in the snow, and caught on bushes. Then, as if that weren't bad enough, there was the fact that with the exception of a brief lunch break the caravan never stopped moving. That forced them to play catch- up, or try to, since most of the other tail- biters had passed them by. Eventually, the trail boss,:Previous Entities: |The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss| ::: though— we don't wait for anybody."" ",Aoki.M There are otherworldly forces at work here.,63335,63406,True,197:Gaspard.M,"not.' Gaspard spoke again, this time with a little iron in his tone.' You think not, Minerva?' Minerva blushed.' Sorry, Papa. I am infuriated, that's all. This Irish boy swans in here with his troops, and just like that, ruins all our work. It is unbearable, no?' Gaspard was seated, as they all were, at a wrought- iron table on the rear patio overlooking the pool. He pushed back his chair and circled the table to his daughter's seat. From her vantage point there was a spectacular view over the wooded gorge and down into Antibes. Nobody was very interested in the view on this evening.' I think, Minerva,' he said, hunkering down beside her,' that we have gone too far in this matter. There are otherworldly forces at work here. Danger follows these creatures, and I can no longer allow you to place yourself, or others, in harm's way. We fought a noble fight, and I am so proud of you that my heart may burst, but now this must become a government matter.'' It can't, Papa,' said Minerva petulantly.' We have no records. No sources. Nothing. All our computer files and disks were destroyed. They even drilled the safe and burned everything in it. I think Artemis Fowl crashed Google and Yahoo. It's hopeless. How would it look, a little girl turning up at the Department of Defence wittering on about monsters in the basement? I need evidence.' Gaspard stood, his knees cracking.' Evidence, little one? These are not criminals. I watched you talk with our visitor. He was alert, intelligent, he had done nothing wrong. He was not an animal. It is one thing to present the Nobel Committee with proof of an invasion through time, but quite another to hound",Gaspard,"Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard","not.' Gaspard spoke again, this time with a little iron in his tone.' You think not, Minerva?' Minerva blushed.' Sorry, Papa. I am infuriated, that's all. This Irish boy swans in here with his troops, and just like that, ruins all our work. It is unbearable, no?' Gaspard was seated, as they all were, at a wrought- iron table on the rear patio overlooking the pool. He pushed back his chair and circled the table to his daughter's seat. From her vantage point there was a spectacular view over the wooded gorge and down into Antibes. Nobody was very interested in the view on this evening.' I think, Minerva,' he said, hunkering down beside her,' that we have gone too far in this matter. There are otherworldly forces at work here. Danger follows these creatures, and I can no longer allow you to place yourself, or others, in harm's way. We fought a noble fight, and I am so proud of you that my heart may burst, but now this must become a government matter.'' It can't, Papa,' said Minerva petulantly.' We have no records. No sources. Nothing. All our computer files and disks were destroyed. They even drilled the safe and burned everything in it. I think Artemis Fowl crashed Google and Yahoo. It's hopeless. How would it look, a little girl turning up at the Department of Defence wittering on about monsters in the basement? I need evidence.' Gaspard stood, his knees cracking.' Evidence, little one? These are not criminals. I watched you talk with our visitor. He was alert, intelligent, he had done nothing wrong. He was not an animal. It is one thing to present the Nobel Committee with proof of an invasion through time, but quite another to hound:Previous Entities: |Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard| ::: There are otherworldly forces at work here. ",Minerva.F It’s a contest.,123300,123317,True,4065:the cowboys.?,"One of the cowboys raised his stick. A gigantic rattlesnake, easily five feet long and as thick as a forearm, was wriggling on the end of it, making a sizzling sound with its rattle.“You can come out now, if you want.” He swung the snake away. She opened the door cautiously.“It’s the heat of your engine,” one of them said.“Draws’em under the car in the mornings.” She saw that there were six men altogether. They each had sticks, and carried large sacks with squirming contents.“What’re you doing?”“We’re collecting rattlers.”“Why?” she said.“For the Rattlesnake Roundup next week. In Yuma.”“Uh- huh…”“Do it every year. It’s a contest. Who brings the most snakes.”“I see.”“It’s by weight, so you want the big’ uns. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”“Thank you.” The group of men was moving off. The man talking to her lagged behind.“Ma’am, you oughtn’t to be out here alone,” he said.“Though I see you got yourself a weapon.” He nodded to the backseat of the car.“Yes,” she said,“but I don’t have any ammo.”“Well, that won’t do you,” the man said. He started toward his car, parked across the road.“Is that a twelve- gauge you got?”“Yes, it is.”“These’ll serve.”",the cowboys,"McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys","One of the cowboys raised his stick. A gigantic rattlesnake, easily five feet long and as thick as a forearm, was wriggling on the end of it, making a sizzling sound with its rattle.“You can come out now, if you want.” He swung the snake away. She opened the door cautiously.“It’s the heat of your engine,” one of them said.“Draws’em under the car in the mornings.” She saw that there were six men altogether. They each had sticks, and carried large sacks with squirming contents.“What’re you doing?”“We’re collecting rattlers.”“Why?” she said.“For the Rattlesnake Roundup next week. In Yuma.”“Uh- huh…”“Do it every year. It’s a contest. Who brings the most snakes.”“I see.”“It’s by weight, so you want the big’ uns. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”“Thank you.” The group of men was moving off. The man talking to her lagged behind.“Ma’am, you oughtn’t to be out here alone,” he said.“Though I see you got yourself a weapon.” He nodded to the backseat of the car.“Yes,” she said,“but I don’t have any ammo.”“Well, that won’t do you,” the man said. He started toward his car, parked across the road.“Is that a twelve- gauge you got?”“Yes, it is.”“These’ll serve.”:Previous Entities: |McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys| ::: It’s a contest. ",the cowboys.M "Husband,”",32520,32523,True,119:Angola.?,"our people over six centuries of use.""“Oh,"" I said, embarrassed."" I’m, sorry. How does it go?""""' Don't make assumptions, idiot,'"" Mallo quoted with a reverent voice."" Nice proverb."""" Mokian philosophers like to get to the point,"" Mallo said."" Either way, if we are going to surrender, we need to do it now. Those terrible machines of theirs will begin throwing rocks soon, and the Defender's Glass will not last much longer against the assault."""" If you give up,” Bastille said,"" that is the end of Mokia."""" Please,"" I said."" Give us more time. Wait just a little longer!"""" Husband,” Angola said, laying a hand on his arm,"" most of our people would rather die than be taken by the Librarians."""" Yes,"" Mallo said,"" but sometimes you need to protect people even when they do not wish it. Our warriors think only of honor. But I must consider the future, and what is best for all of our people."" King Mallo's face adopted a thoughtful expression. He folded a pair of beefy arms, one of his soldiers holding his spear for him. He stared out over the top of the wooden wall, looking at the Librarian forces. Now, perhaps some of you reading might be thinking of Mallo as a coward for even considering surrender. That's great. Next time you're in charge of the",Angola,"One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights","our people over six centuries of use.""“Oh,"" I said, embarrassed."" I’m, sorry. How does it go?""""' Don't make assumptions, idiot,'"" Mallo quoted with a reverent voice."" Nice proverb."""" Mokian philosophers like to get to the point,"" Mallo said."" Either way, if we are going to surrender, we need to do it now. Those terrible machines of theirs will begin throwing rocks soon, and the Defender's Glass will not last much longer against the assault."""" If you give up,” Bastille said,"" that is the end of Mokia."""" Please,"" I said."" Give us more time. Wait just a little longer!"""" Husband,” Angola said, laying a hand on his arm,"" most of our people would rather die than be taken by the Librarians."""" Yes,"" Mallo said,"" but sometimes you need to protect people even when they do not wish it. Our warriors think only of honor. But I must consider the future, and what is best for all of our people."" King Mallo's face adopted a thoughtful expression. He folded a pair of beefy arms, one of his soldiers holding his spear for him. He stared out over the top of the wooden wall, looking at the Librarian forces. Now, perhaps some of you reading might be thinking of Mallo as a coward for even considering surrender. That's great. Next time you're in charge of the:Previous Entities: |One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights| ::: Husband,” ",Angola.F "And if she’s not your daughter,",104022,104068,True,770:Beverly.F,"Bennett was thinking back.“Twenty- eight, you say? No, no. Impossible.” He had had his share of affairs in college, and even in medical school. But he’d married Emily almost thirty years ago, and since then the only times he had been unfaithful had been at medical conferences. True, that was at least twice a year, in Cancún, in Switzerland, somewhere exotic. But he’d only started that about ten, fifteen years ago. He just didn’t think it was possible he’d have a child that old. Beverly said,“I guess you never know for sure… Will you see her?”“No.”“I’ll tell her,” Beverly said. She dropped her voice to a whisper.“But we don’t want her making a scene in front of the patients. She seems like she might be a little, uh, unstable. And if she’s not your daughter, maybe you should set her straight in private.” Bennett nodded slowly. He dropped back into his chair.“Okay,” he said.“Show her in.”“Big surprise, huh?” The woman standing in the doorway, bouncing a child in her arms, was an unattractive blonde of medium height, wearing jeans and a T- shirt, grunge clothes. Her baby’s face was dirty, dripping snot.“Sorry I didn’t dress for the occasion, but you know how it is.” Bennett stood behind his desk.“Please come in, Miss, uh…”“Murphy. Elizabeth Murphy.” She nodded to the baby.“This is Bess.”“I’m Dr. Bennett.” He waved her to the seat on the other side of the desk. He looked",Beverly,"Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly","Bennett was thinking back.“Twenty- eight, you say? No, no. Impossible.” He had had his share of affairs in college, and even in medical school. But he’d married Emily almost thirty years ago, and since then the only times he had been unfaithful had been at medical conferences. True, that was at least twice a year, in Cancún, in Switzerland, somewhere exotic. But he’d only started that about ten, fifteen years ago. He just didn’t think it was possible he’d have a child that old. Beverly said,“I guess you never know for sure… Will you see her?”“No.”“I’ll tell her,” Beverly said. She dropped her voice to a whisper.“But we don’t want her making a scene in front of the patients. She seems like she might be a little, uh, unstable. And if she’s not your daughter, maybe you should set her straight in private.” Bennett nodded slowly. He dropped back into his chair.“Okay,” he said.“Show her in.”“Big surprise, huh?” The woman standing in the doorway, bouncing a child in her arms, was an unattractive blonde of medium height, wearing jeans and a T- shirt, grunge clothes. Her baby’s face was dirty, dripping snot.“Sorry I didn’t dress for the occasion, but you know how it is.” Bennett stood behind his desk.“Please come in, Miss, uh…”“Murphy. Elizabeth Murphy.” She nodded to the baby.“This is Bess.”“I’m Dr. Bennett.” He waved her to the seat on the other side of the desk. He looked:Previous Entities: |Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly| ::: And if she’s not your daughter, ",Beverly.F "Those who doubt my claim can examine his plow.""",16537,16604,True,143:Mother Orlono.F,"most ragged dress in a transparent attempt to impress the council with her clan's righteous poverty. Her words, like the process itself, had been formulated by the founder."" I come in the name of God."" Parly nodded dutifully."" Welcome. Being that you are known to those present, please bear witness."" Mother Orlono bowed submissively and turned toward the benches. Her arm rose until a thick, stubby finger pointed straight at Solly."" Brother Solly meets with the Devil at the end of each day. After they come together, all manner of hammering, screeching, and grinding can be heard."" Parly nodded encouragingly."" Please comment on the significance of such noises."" The question was a setup, and Mother Orlono's answer was ready."" The rotes command that we listen for the hammers, shapers, and grinders.' For they work the Devil's will, and once loosed to their evil tasks, enslave those who would take them up.' For reasons unknown to me, Solly Raswa has chosen to violate our tenets. Those who doubt my claim can examine his plow."" Mother Orlono stopped at that point, as if confident that the necessary information had been imparted and punishment could now be rendered. And, had Solly's grandfather not been present and in possession of certain facts regarding the supposedly celibate monk, her accusation might have been accepted as proof. Parly, who felt the full weight of the oldster's stare, cleared his throat."" Yes, well, thank you. These are serious allegations indeed. Lever, pick, shovel, hoe, plow, hammer, saw, axe, chisel, awl, drill, trowel, knife, and broom. These, plus a few more granted by special dispensation, are the tools of God. To invent others, or to change the ones we have, constitutes a crime against God. However",Mother Orlono,"the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono","most ragged dress in a transparent attempt to impress the council with her clan's righteous poverty. Her words, like the process itself, had been formulated by the founder."" I come in the name of God."" Parly nodded dutifully."" Welcome. Being that you are known to those present, please bear witness."" Mother Orlono bowed submissively and turned toward the benches. Her arm rose until a thick, stubby finger pointed straight at Solly."" Brother Solly meets with the Devil at the end of each day. After they come together, all manner of hammering, screeching, and grinding can be heard."" Parly nodded encouragingly."" Please comment on the significance of such noises."" The question was a setup, and Mother Orlono's answer was ready."" The rotes command that we listen for the hammers, shapers, and grinders.' For they work the Devil's will, and once loosed to their evil tasks, enslave those who would take them up.' For reasons unknown to me, Solly Raswa has chosen to violate our tenets. Those who doubt my claim can examine his plow."" Mother Orlono stopped at that point, as if confident that the necessary information had been imparted and punishment could now be rendered. And, had Solly's grandfather not been present and in possession of certain facts regarding the supposedly celibate monk, her accusation might have been accepted as proof. Parly, who felt the full weight of the oldster's stare, cleared his throat."" Yes, well, thank you. These are serious allegations indeed. Lever, pick, shovel, hoe, plow, hammer, saw, axe, chisel, awl, drill, trowel, knife, and broom. These, plus a few more granted by special dispensation, are the tools of God. To invent others, or to change the ones we have, constitutes a crime against God. However:Previous Entities: |the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono| ::: Those who doubt my claim can examine his plow."" ","Mother Orlono.F Parly.M Solly.M Solly's grandfather.M" "“Fine,”",80635,80638,True,163:Shelly.?,"mouth grows stronger. David can’t walk. And what they’ve been doing all this time is caring for the injured. All this destruction, and for what? I don’t even know. I don’t know the truth. What did I do?“Do they have a casualty count?” Shelly asks.“Not yet,” Tris replies.“Thanks for letting us know.”“Listen.” She shifts her weight to one foot.“I need to talk to him.” She jerks her head toward me.“We can’t really—” Shelly starts.“Just for a second, I promise,” Tris says.“Please.”“Let her,” the other guard says.“What could it hurt?”“Fine,” Shelly says.“I’ll give you two minutes.” She nods to me, and I use the wall to push myself to my feet, my hands still bound in front of me. Tris comes closer, but not that close— the space, and her folded arms, form a barrier between us that may as well be a wall. She looks somewhere south of my eyes.“Tris, I—”“Want to know what your friends did?” she says. Her voice shakes, and I do not make the mistake of thinking it’s from tears. It’s from anger.“They weren’t after the memory serum. They were after poison— death serum. So that they could kill a bunch of important government people and start a war",Shelly,"your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly","mouth grows stronger. David can’t walk. And what they’ve been doing all this time is caring for the injured. All this destruction, and for what? I don’t even know. I don’t know the truth. What did I do?“Do they have a casualty count?” Shelly asks.“Not yet,” Tris replies.“Thanks for letting us know.”“Listen.” She shifts her weight to one foot.“I need to talk to him.” She jerks her head toward me.“We can’t really—” Shelly starts.“Just for a second, I promise,” Tris says.“Please.”“Let her,” the other guard says.“What could it hurt?”“Fine,” Shelly says.“I’ll give you two minutes.” She nods to me, and I use the wall to push myself to my feet, my hands still bound in front of me. Tris comes closer, but not that close— the space, and her folded arms, form a barrier between us that may as well be a wall. She looks somewhere south of my eyes.“Tris, I—”“Want to know what your friends did?” she says. Her voice shakes, and I do not make the mistake of thinking it’s from tears. It’s from anger.“They weren’t after the memory serum. They were after poison— death serum. So that they could kill a bunch of important government people and start a war:Previous Entities: |your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly| ::: “Fine,” ","Tris.F Shelly.F the other guard.? me.? Tris.F" “The Pioneer Hotel!”,13673,13678,True,73:Wilmer.?,"of astonishment.“Look— something white floating in the sky!”“Did you see that little animal with the big tail?”“Do you feel that? The air is moving!” Children darted every which way, daring each other to touch the broad sides of the oxen, plucking blossoms from the brambles at the edge of the road, jumping onto the trucks for a quick ride until they were shooed off again. And the sun shone down on everyone. The people of Ember loved the strange feeling of heat on the tops of their heads. They put their hands up often to touch their warm hair. The road went up a gentle rise and around a clump of trees.“Here we are!” cried Wilmer, sweeping his arm out proudly.“The Pioneer Hotel!” At the crest of the slope stood a building bigger than any Doon had ever seen. It was three stories high and very long, with a wing at each end perpendicular to the main part. Windows marched in three rows across its walls. In the center, overlooking a long field that sloped down to the river, was what must once have been a grand entrance— wide steps, a roof held up by columns, a double doorway. But the building was grand no more. It was very old, Doon could tell; its walls were gray and stained, and most of the windows were no more than dark holes. The roof had sagged inward in some places. Grass grew right up to the steps, and far down at the other end, Doon could see",Wilmer,"the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy","of astonishment.“Look— something white floating in the sky!”“Did you see that little animal with the big tail?”“Do you feel that? The air is moving!” Children darted every which way, daring each other to touch the broad sides of the oxen, plucking blossoms from the brambles at the edge of the road, jumping onto the trucks for a quick ride until they were shooed off again. And the sun shone down on everyone. The people of Ember loved the strange feeling of heat on the tops of their heads. They put their hands up often to touch their warm hair. The road went up a gentle rise and around a clump of trees.“Here we are!” cried Wilmer, sweeping his arm out proudly.“The Pioneer Hotel!” At the crest of the slope stood a building bigger than any Doon had ever seen. It was three stories high and very long, with a wing at each end perpendicular to the main part. Windows marched in three rows across its walls. In the center, overlooking a long field that sloped down to the river, was what must once have been a grand entrance— wide steps, a roof held up by columns, a double doorway. But the building was grand no more. It was very old, Doon could tell; its walls were gray and stained, and most of the windows were no more than dark holes. The roof had sagged inward in some places. Grass grew right up to the steps, and far down at the other end, Doon could see:Previous Entities: |the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy| ::: “The Pioneer Hotel!” ",Wilmer.M “This guy tell you anything else?”,9571,9579,True,805:The American.M,"Cable(Unshielded).” And printed specifications.“Let’s see one,” the American said. Mallory opened a box. Inside was a jumble of fist- sized coils of very thin wire, each in shrink- wrap plastic.“As you see,” he said,“it’s guide wire. For anti- tank missiles.”“Is it?”“That’s what they told me. That’s why it’s wrapped that way. One coil of wire for each missile.”“I wouldn’t know,” the American said.“I’m just the delivery man.” He went and opened the back of his van. Then he began to transfer the boxes, one at a time. Mallory helped. The American said,“This guy tell you anything else?”“Actually, he did,” Mallory said.“He said somebody bought five hundred surplus Warsaw Pact rockets. Called Hotfire or Hotwire or something. No warheads or anything. Just the rocket bodies. The story is they were sold with defective guide wire.”“I haven’t heard that.”“That’s what he said. Missiles were bought in Sweden. Gothenburg, I think. Shipped out from there.”“Sounds like you’re worried.”“I’m not worried,” Mallory said.“Like you’re afraid you’re mixed up in something.”“Not me.”“Sure about that?” the American said.“Yes, of course I’m sure.” Most of the boxes were transferred to the van. Mallory",The American,"Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend","Cable(Unshielded).” And printed specifications.“Let’s see one,” the American said. Mallory opened a box. Inside was a jumble of fist- sized coils of very thin wire, each in shrink- wrap plastic.“As you see,” he said,“it’s guide wire. For anti- tank missiles.”“Is it?”“That’s what they told me. That’s why it’s wrapped that way. One coil of wire for each missile.”“I wouldn’t know,” the American said.“I’m just the delivery man.” He went and opened the back of his van. Then he began to transfer the boxes, one at a time. Mallory helped. The American said,“This guy tell you anything else?”“Actually, he did,” Mallory said.“He said somebody bought five hundred surplus Warsaw Pact rockets. Called Hotfire or Hotwire or something. No warheads or anything. Just the rocket bodies. The story is they were sold with defective guide wire.”“I haven’t heard that.”“That’s what he said. Missiles were bought in Sweden. Gothenburg, I think. Shipped out from there.”“Sounds like you’re worried.”“I’m not worried,” Mallory said.“Like you’re afraid you’re mixed up in something.”“Not me.”“Sure about that?” the American said.“Yes, of course I’m sure.” Most of the boxes were transferred to the van. Mallory:Previous Entities: |Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend| ::: “This guy tell you anything else?” ",The American.M look.”,84023,84032,True,479:Czigo.M,", if he fails.... The’ thopter touched sand with a soft lurch, and Jessica, looking north back across the Shield Wall, saw a shadow of wings settle out of sight up there. Someone’s following us! she thought. Who? Then: The ones the Baron set to watch this pair. And there’ll be watchers for the watchers, too. Czigo shut off his wing rotors. Silence flooded in upon them. Jessica turned her head. She could see out the window beyond Scarface a dim glow of light from a rising moon, a frosted rim of rock rising from the desert. Sandblast ridges streaked its sides. Paul cleared his throat. The pilot said:“Now, Kinet?”“I dunno, Czigo.” Czigo turned, said:“Ah- h- h, look.” He reached out for Jessica’s skirt.“Remove her gag,” Paul commanded. Jessica felt the words rolling in the air. The tone, the timbre excellent— imperative, very sharp. A slightly lower pitch would have been better, but it could still fall within this man’s spectrum. Czigo shifted his hand up to the band around Jessica’s mouth, slipped the knot on the gag.“Stop that!” Kinet ordered.“Ah, shut your trap,” Czigo said.“Her hands’re tied.” He freed the knot and the binding dropped. His eyes glittered as he studied Jessica. Kinet put a hand on the pilot’s arm.“Look, Czigo, no need to....” Jessica twisted her neck, spat out the gag.",Czigo,"the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo",", if he fails.... The’ thopter touched sand with a soft lurch, and Jessica, looking north back across the Shield Wall, saw a shadow of wings settle out of sight up there. Someone’s following us! she thought. Who? Then: The ones the Baron set to watch this pair. And there’ll be watchers for the watchers, too. Czigo shut off his wing rotors. Silence flooded in upon them. Jessica turned her head. She could see out the window beyond Scarface a dim glow of light from a rising moon, a frosted rim of rock rising from the desert. Sandblast ridges streaked its sides. Paul cleared his throat. The pilot said:“Now, Kinet?”“I dunno, Czigo.” Czigo turned, said:“Ah- h- h, look.” He reached out for Jessica’s skirt.“Remove her gag,” Paul commanded. Jessica felt the words rolling in the air. The tone, the timbre excellent— imperative, very sharp. A slightly lower pitch would have been better, but it could still fall within this man’s spectrum. Czigo shifted his hand up to the band around Jessica’s mouth, slipped the knot on the gag.“Stop that!” Kinet ordered.“Ah, shut your trap,” Czigo said.“Her hands’re tied.” He freed the knot and the binding dropped. His eyes glittered as he studied Jessica. Kinet put a hand on the pilot’s arm.“Look, Czigo, no need to....” Jessica twisted her neck, spat out the gag.:Previous Entities: |the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo| ::: look.” ",Czigo.M My only regret is that I did not realize it sooner.,109417,109449,True,2210:The old magician.M,"“No, my dear. It wasn’t your fault. It was simply the right time.”“It was horrible timing!” My surprise and sadness abruptly turned to anger.“You left us before we got trained or anything, and now Desjardins is after us and—”“My dear, look how far you’ve come. Look how well you have done. You didn’t need me, nor would more training have helped. My brethren would have found out the truth about you soon enough. They are excellent at sniffing out godlings, I fear, and they would not have understood.”“You knew, didn’t you? You knew we were possessed by gods.”“Hosts of the gods.”“Whatever! You knew.”“After our second meeting, yes. My only regret is that I did not realize it sooner. I could not protect you and your brother as much as—”“As much as who?” Iskandar’s eyes became sad and distant.“I made choices, Sadie. Some seemed wise at the time. Some, in retrospect...”“Your decision to forbid the gods. My mum convinced you it was a bad idea, didn’t she?” His spectral wings fluttered.“You must understand, Sadie. When Egypt fell to the Romans, my spirit was crushed. Thousands of years of Egyptian power and tradition toppled by that foolish Queen Cleopatra, who thought she could host a goddess. The blood of the pharaohs seemed weak and diluted— lost forever. At the time I blamed everyone— the gods who used men to act out their petty quarrels, the Ptolemaic rulers who had driven Egypt into the ground, my own",The old magician,"a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician","“No, my dear. It wasn’t your fault. It was simply the right time.”“It was horrible timing!” My surprise and sadness abruptly turned to anger.“You left us before we got trained or anything, and now Desjardins is after us and—”“My dear, look how far you’ve come. Look how well you have done. You didn’t need me, nor would more training have helped. My brethren would have found out the truth about you soon enough. They are excellent at sniffing out godlings, I fear, and they would not have understood.”“You knew, didn’t you? You knew we were possessed by gods.”“Hosts of the gods.”“Whatever! You knew.”“After our second meeting, yes. My only regret is that I did not realize it sooner. I could not protect you and your brother as much as—”“As much as who?” Iskandar’s eyes became sad and distant.“I made choices, Sadie. Some seemed wise at the time. Some, in retrospect...”“Your decision to forbid the gods. My mum convinced you it was a bad idea, didn’t she?” His spectral wings fluttered.“You must understand, Sadie. When Egypt fell to the Romans, my spirit was crushed. Thousands of years of Egyptian power and tradition toppled by that foolish Queen Cleopatra, who thought she could host a goddess. The blood of the pharaohs seemed weak and diluted— lost forever. At the time I blamed everyone— the gods who used men to act out their petty quarrels, the Ptolemaic rulers who had driven Egypt into the ground, my own:Previous Entities: |a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician| ::: My only regret is that I did not realize it sooner. ",The old magician.M "Did Captain Chang say anything else?""",17250,17258,True,607:The stewardess.F,"the relief crew before."""" I see. And when you went to the cockpit?"""" Captain Chang had the plane in control. The crew was shaken, but not injured. Captain Chang told me that he had requested an emergency landing at Los Angeles."""" You've flown with Captain Chang before?"""" Yes. He is a very good captain. Excellent captain. I like him very much."" Protesting too much, Casey thought. The stewardess, previously calm, now appeared uneasy. Liang glanced at Casey, then looked away."" Did there appear to be any damage to the flight deck?"" Casey asked. The stewardess frowned, thinking."" No,"" she said."" The flight deck appeared normal in every respect."""" Did Captain Chang say anything else?"""" Yes. He said they had an uncommanded slats deployment,"" she said."" He said that had caused the upset, and the situation was now under control."" Uh- oh, Casey thought. This was not going to make the engineers happy. But Casey was troubled by the stewardess's technical phrasing. She thought it unlikely that a flight attendant would know about uncommanded slats deployment. But perhaps she was just repeating what the captain had said."" Did Captain Chang say why the slats deployed?"""" He just said, uncommanded slats deployment."""" I see,"" Casey said."" And do you know where the slats control is located?"" Kay Liang nodded."" It is a lever in the center pillar, between the chairs.""",The stewardess,"Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess","the relief crew before."""" I see. And when you went to the cockpit?"""" Captain Chang had the plane in control. The crew was shaken, but not injured. Captain Chang told me that he had requested an emergency landing at Los Angeles."""" You've flown with Captain Chang before?"""" Yes. He is a very good captain. Excellent captain. I like him very much."" Protesting too much, Casey thought. The stewardess, previously calm, now appeared uneasy. Liang glanced at Casey, then looked away."" Did there appear to be any damage to the flight deck?"" Casey asked. The stewardess frowned, thinking."" No,"" she said."" The flight deck appeared normal in every respect."""" Did Captain Chang say anything else?"""" Yes. He said they had an uncommanded slats deployment,"" she said."" He said that had caused the upset, and the situation was now under control."" Uh- oh, Casey thought. This was not going to make the engineers happy. But Casey was troubled by the stewardess's technical phrasing. She thought it unlikely that a flight attendant would know about uncommanded slats deployment. But perhaps she was just repeating what the captain had said."" Did Captain Chang say why the slats deployed?"""" He just said, uncommanded slats deployment."""" I see,"" Casey said."" And do you know where the slats control is located?"" Kay Liang nodded."" It is a lever in the center pillar, between the chairs."":Previous Entities: |Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess| ::: Did Captain Chang say anything else?"" ",The stewardess.F Transport is being sent for you.,8277,8296,True,266:the Levenbrech.M,"to run. The children, intent on climbing through the rocky terrain, still had not seen their peril. One of them laughed, a high and piping sound in the clear air. The other child stumbled and, recovering balance, turned and saw the cats. The child pointed."" Look!"" Both children stopped and stared at the interesting intrusion into their lives. They were still standing when the Laza tigers hit them, one cat to each child. The children died with a casual abruptness, necks broken swiftly. The cats began to feed."" Shall I recall them?"" the Levenbrech asked."" Let them finish. They did well. I knew they would; this pair is superb."""" Best I've ever seen,"" the Levenbrech agreed."" Very good, then. Transport is being sent for you. We will sign off now."" The Levenbrech stood and stretched. He refrained from looking directly off to the high ground on his left where a telltale glitter had revealed the location of the transeye, which had relayed his fine performance to his Bashar far away in the green lands of the Capitol. The Levenbrech smiled. There would be a promotion for this day's work. Already he could feel a Bator's insignia at his neck-- and someday, Burseg... Even, one day, Bashar. People who served well in the corps of Farad'n, grandson of the late Shaddam IV, earned rich promotions. One day, when the Prince was seated on his rightful throne, there would be even greater promotions. A Bashar's rank might not be the end of it. There were Baronies and Earldoms to",the Levenbrech,"Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech","to run. The children, intent on climbing through the rocky terrain, still had not seen their peril. One of them laughed, a high and piping sound in the clear air. The other child stumbled and, recovering balance, turned and saw the cats. The child pointed."" Look!"" Both children stopped and stared at the interesting intrusion into their lives. They were still standing when the Laza tigers hit them, one cat to each child. The children died with a casual abruptness, necks broken swiftly. The cats began to feed."" Shall I recall them?"" the Levenbrech asked."" Let them finish. They did well. I knew they would; this pair is superb."""" Best I've ever seen,"" the Levenbrech agreed."" Very good, then. Transport is being sent for you. We will sign off now."" The Levenbrech stood and stretched. He refrained from looking directly off to the high ground on his left where a telltale glitter had revealed the location of the transeye, which had relayed his fine performance to his Bashar far away in the green lands of the Capitol. The Levenbrech smiled. There would be a promotion for this day's work. Already he could feel a Bator's insignia at his neck-- and someday, Burseg... Even, one day, Bashar. People who served well in the corps of Farad'n, grandson of the late Shaddam IV, earned rich promotions. One day, when the Prince was seated on his rightful throne, there would be even greater promotions. A Bashar's rank might not be the end of it. There were Baronies and Earldoms to:Previous Entities: |Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech| ::: Transport is being sent for you. ",Levenbrech.M "how's it hanging?""",20272,20282,True,157:Ahl.F,"Michael so much that he generated peals of artificial laughter, beamed the sound toward the Eye of God, and waited for a reaction. None came. The Mothribuilt machine had been built for aliens by aliens and was impervious to humanlike head games. Too bad— since the Angel sat felt sure that he could beat the other AI in satelliteto- satellite combat, and thereby end the matter. An alarm reminded Michael of the scheduled surveillance scan. He brought his optical imaging system on- line, scanned the area around Flat Top for any sign of intruders, repeated the process via both radar and infrared, and made his report. Doing so involved human contact and was one of the most pleasurable moments of his day. Abby Ahl was waiting— and her voice made him happy."" Hey, Michael, how's it hanging?"""" If I had one, it would be floating,"" the satellite replied. Ahl laughed."" Roger that— how's our three- sixty?"""" You've got a couple of Mothri surveillance units hanging around, and Zid spies in all the usual places, but nothing to get excited about."""" Good,"" Ahl replied."" Keep us advised."""" As always,"" the satellite replied. How's your love life?"""" Completely nonexistent,"" Ahl lied."" But what else is new?"""" Those guys don't know what they're missing,"" Michael said, without having any idea himself."" Take care."""" You too,"" Ahl replied."" Catch you next shift."""" Roger that",Ahl,"Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl","Michael so much that he generated peals of artificial laughter, beamed the sound toward the Eye of God, and waited for a reaction. None came. The Mothribuilt machine had been built for aliens by aliens and was impervious to humanlike head games. Too bad— since the Angel sat felt sure that he could beat the other AI in satelliteto- satellite combat, and thereby end the matter. An alarm reminded Michael of the scheduled surveillance scan. He brought his optical imaging system on- line, scanned the area around Flat Top for any sign of intruders, repeated the process via both radar and infrared, and made his report. Doing so involved human contact and was one of the most pleasurable moments of his day. Abby Ahl was waiting— and her voice made him happy."" Hey, Michael, how's it hanging?"""" If I had one, it would be floating,"" the satellite replied. Ahl laughed."" Roger that— how's our three- sixty?"""" You've got a couple of Mothri surveillance units hanging around, and Zid spies in all the usual places, but nothing to get excited about."""" Good,"" Ahl replied."" Keep us advised."""" As always,"" the satellite replied. How's your love life?"""" Completely nonexistent,"" Ahl lied."" But what else is new?"""" Those guys don't know what they're missing,"" Michael said, without having any idea himself."" Take care."""" You too,"" Ahl replied."" Catch you next shift."""" Roger that:Previous Entities: |Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl| ::: how's it hanging?"" ",Michael.M "“You’ll have to be my stunt double,",82977,83022,True,327:Sammy.?,"?” Hazel whispered.“That— that’s you? What is bisabuelo?” Leo couldn’t find his voice. Great- grandfather, he wanted to say. The old man took baby Leo in his arms, chuckling with appreciation and tickling the baby’s chin— and Ghost Leo finally realized what he was seeing. Somehow, Hazel’s power to revisit the past had found the one event that connected both of their lives— where Leo’s time line touched Hazel’s. This old man…“Oh…” Hazel seemed to realize who he was at the same moment. Her voice became very small, on the verge of tears.“Oh, Sammy, no…”“Ah, little Leo,” said Sammy Valdez, aged well into his seventies.“You’ll have to be my stunt double, eh? That’s what they call it, I think. Tell her for me. I hoped I would be alive, but, ay, the curse won’t have it!” Hazel sobbed.“Gaea… Gaea told me that he died of a heart attack, in the 1960s. But this isn’t— this can’t be…” Sammy Valdez kept talking to the baby, while Leo’s mother, Esperanza, looked on with a pained smile— perhaps a little worried that Leo’s bisabuelo was rambling, a little sad that he was speaking nonsense.“That lady, Doña Callida, she warned me.” Sammy shook his head sadly.“She said Hazel’s great danger would not happen in my lifetime. But I promised I would be there for her. You will have to tell her I’m sorry, Leo. Help her if you can.”“Bisabeulo,” Esperanza said,“you must be tired.” She extended",Sammy,"my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy","?” Hazel whispered.“That— that’s you? What is bisabuelo?” Leo couldn’t find his voice. Great- grandfather, he wanted to say. The old man took baby Leo in his arms, chuckling with appreciation and tickling the baby’s chin— and Ghost Leo finally realized what he was seeing. Somehow, Hazel’s power to revisit the past had found the one event that connected both of their lives— where Leo’s time line touched Hazel’s. This old man…“Oh…” Hazel seemed to realize who he was at the same moment. Her voice became very small, on the verge of tears.“Oh, Sammy, no…”“Ah, little Leo,” said Sammy Valdez, aged well into his seventies.“You’ll have to be my stunt double, eh? That’s what they call it, I think. Tell her for me. I hoped I would be alive, but, ay, the curse won’t have it!” Hazel sobbed.“Gaea… Gaea told me that he died of a heart attack, in the 1960s. But this isn’t— this can’t be…” Sammy Valdez kept talking to the baby, while Leo’s mother, Esperanza, looked on with a pained smile— perhaps a little worried that Leo’s bisabuelo was rambling, a little sad that he was speaking nonsense.“That lady, Doña Callida, she warned me.” Sammy shook his head sadly.“She said Hazel’s great danger would not happen in my lifetime. But I promised I would be there for her. You will have to tell her I’m sorry, Leo. Help her if you can.”“Bisabeulo,” Esperanza said,“you must be tired.” She extended:Previous Entities: |my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy| ::: “You’ll have to be my stunt double, ",Sammy Valdez.M “This island is not bare.,31561,31574,True,1065:The others.?,"owls noticed that Hoole was experiencing something more than just a rest in a long flight. He seemed to be in some sort of trance.“A gizzard dream,” Grank whispered to himself. Hoole continued to look down. He peered harder as he spied infinitesimally small movements in the dirt. The kind of movements one might find in the N’yrthghar in a pile of snow when the ice worms stirred in late winter or in the Southern Kingdoms when an anthill is disturbed and the grains of dirt begin their minute writhing as the ants flee. But this movement was not that of ice worms or ants. It was a seedling pushing from the ground.“Uncle Grank.”“Yes, lad?”“You’re wrong.”“Wrong about what, Hoole?”“This island is not bare. There are living things here.”“What?” Grank, Theo, and Phineas all asked at once.“A tree is starting to grow. Right here.” The others came to where Hoole was standing and peered down. Between his feet a small green sprout pushed up from the earth. As soon as it was clear of the dirt, its top sprung up.“By Glaux! I believe it’s a seedling tree,” Grank murmured.“Look, it’s growing so fast!” Phineas said.“It’s almost as tall as I am.”“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Grank gasped.“I don’t know how it’s possible for a tree to grow so quickly. Oh, dear. I hope it’s not some nachtmagen.”",The others,"a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath","owls noticed that Hoole was experiencing something more than just a rest in a long flight. He seemed to be in some sort of trance.“A gizzard dream,” Grank whispered to himself. Hoole continued to look down. He peered harder as he spied infinitesimally small movements in the dirt. The kind of movements one might find in the N’yrthghar in a pile of snow when the ice worms stirred in late winter or in the Southern Kingdoms when an anthill is disturbed and the grains of dirt begin their minute writhing as the ants flee. But this movement was not that of ice worms or ants. It was a seedling pushing from the ground.“Uncle Grank.”“Yes, lad?”“You’re wrong.”“Wrong about what, Hoole?”“This island is not bare. There are living things here.”“What?” Grank, Theo, and Phineas all asked at once.“A tree is starting to grow. Right here.” The others came to where Hoole was standing and peered down. Between his feet a small green sprout pushed up from the earth. As soon as it was clear of the dirt, its top sprung up.“By Glaux! I believe it’s a seedling tree,” Grank murmured.“Look, it’s growing so fast!” Phineas said.“It’s almost as tall as I am.”“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Grank gasped.“I don’t know how it’s possible for a tree to grow so quickly. Oh, dear. I hope it’s not some nachtmagen.”:Previous Entities: |a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath| ::: “This island is not bare. ",Grank.M “A fellow can’t sleep with all this religion going on.,9512,9549,True,154:Cheesewright.M,"ever seen. When they were completed to his satisfaction he placed the candles at strategic points and lit them; they spluttered and gave off a smell that suggested that you really wouldn’t want to know what they were made of. He drew a short, red- handled knife from the jumble on the bed and advanced toward the goat— A pillow hit him on the back of the head.“Garn! Pious little bastard!” Arthur dropped the knife and burst into tears. Chidder sat up in bed.“That was you, Cheesewright!” he said.“I saw you!” Cheesewright, a skinny young man with red hair and a face that was one large freckle, glared at him.“Well, it’s too much,” he said.“A fellow can’t sleep with all this religion going on. I mean, only little kids say their prayers at bedtime these days, we’re supposed to be learning to be assassins—”“You can jolly well shut up, Cheesewright,” shouted Chidder.“It’d be a better world if more people said their prayers, you know. I know I don’t say mine as often as I should—” A pillow cut him off in mid- sentence. He bounded out of bed and vaulted at the red- haired boy, fists flailing. As the rest of the dormitory gathered around the scuffling pair Teppic slid out of bed and padded over to Arthur, who was sitting on the edge of his bed and sobbing. He patted him uncertainly on the shoulder, on the basis that this sort of thing was supposed to reassure people.“I shouldn’t cry about it, youngster,” he said, gruffly.“But— but all the",Cheesewright,"his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright","ever seen. When they were completed to his satisfaction he placed the candles at strategic points and lit them; they spluttered and gave off a smell that suggested that you really wouldn’t want to know what they were made of. He drew a short, red- handled knife from the jumble on the bed and advanced toward the goat— A pillow hit him on the back of the head.“Garn! Pious little bastard!” Arthur dropped the knife and burst into tears. Chidder sat up in bed.“That was you, Cheesewright!” he said.“I saw you!” Cheesewright, a skinny young man with red hair and a face that was one large freckle, glared at him.“Well, it’s too much,” he said.“A fellow can’t sleep with all this religion going on. I mean, only little kids say their prayers at bedtime these days, we’re supposed to be learning to be assassins—”“You can jolly well shut up, Cheesewright,” shouted Chidder.“It’d be a better world if more people said their prayers, you know. I know I don’t say mine as often as I should—” A pillow cut him off in mid- sentence. He bounded out of bed and vaulted at the red- haired boy, fists flailing. As the rest of the dormitory gathered around the scuffling pair Teppic slid out of bed and padded over to Arthur, who was sitting on the edge of his bed and sobbing. He patted him uncertainly on the shoulder, on the basis that this sort of thing was supposed to reassure people.“I shouldn’t cry about it, youngster,” he said, gruffly.“But— but all the:Previous Entities: |his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright| ::: “A fellow can’t sleep with all this religion going on. ",Cheesewright.M "“Well,",2946,2951,True,689:the statue.?,". She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies— a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape just like Jason’s— the mark of a praetor. Annabeth’s heart did a gymnastics routine.“Leo, stop the ship,” she ordered.“What?”“You heard me. Keep us right where we are.” Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.“Terminus,” Annabeth said,“there’s no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?” The statue frowned.“Well, no…”“We can keep the ship aloft,” Annabeth said.“We’ll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won’t be on Roman soil. Not technically.” The statue seemed to ponder this. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands.“I like technicalities,” he admitted.“Still…”“All our weapons will stay aboard the ship,” Annabeth promised.“I assume the Romans— even those reinforcements marching toward us— will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?”“Of course!” Terminus said.“Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?”“Uh, Annabeth…” Leo said.“You sure this is",the statue,"Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus",". She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies— a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape just like Jason’s— the mark of a praetor. Annabeth’s heart did a gymnastics routine.“Leo, stop the ship,” she ordered.“What?”“You heard me. Keep us right where we are.” Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.“Terminus,” Annabeth said,“there’s no rule against hovering over New Rome, is there?” The statue frowned.“Well, no…”“We can keep the ship aloft,” Annabeth said.“We’ll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won’t be on Roman soil. Not technically.” The statue seemed to ponder this. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands.“I like technicalities,” he admitted.“Still…”“All our weapons will stay aboard the ship,” Annabeth promised.“I assume the Romans— even those reinforcements marching toward us— will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?”“Of course!” Terminus said.“Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?”“Uh, Annabeth…” Leo said.“You sure this is:Previous Entities: |Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus| ::: “Well, ","Annabeth.F Leo.M Terminus.? Percy.M Jason.M" 12- 1.,17399,17422,True,502:the other owl.?,"“Question alarm! Question alarm!” Two ferocious, darkly feathered owls, their glaring yellow eyes framed above by dark red eye tufts, swooped down and plucked up Soren.“How could you, Soren?” Gylfie nearly cried out, but luckily the question died on her beak. Soren felt as if his gizzard were dropping to his talons as the two owls soared with him dangling between them. They were transporting him in a most painful manner. Each one held a wing in his talons and it was as if he were being torn in half! And as they spiraled upward in the pelletorium, Soren felt beneath him not the cushion of captured air of which his father had often spoken, but instead a surge of noisy vibrations that seem to pummel him from below.“They are laughing at you, 12- 1. They laugh so hard the air is tossed with their chuckles!” said one of the owls.“You, 12- 1,” the other owl was speaking now.“You are our first object of the day for laughter therapy.” Soren remained mute. No matter how many questions might batter his brain, his imagination, or dance on the tip of his beak, he would never ask them. The two owls had now alighted with him on a very high ledge that was visible to the entire pelletorium below. The laughter of the owlets and the scores of monitors and guards ricocheted off the stone walls. It filled Soren’s head with a terrible clatter. He thought he would go yoicks right there and start screaming.“And now for the best moment of all in laughter therapy!” There was a shrill screech. The",the other owl,"Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","“Question alarm! Question alarm!” Two ferocious, darkly feathered owls, their glaring yellow eyes framed above by dark red eye tufts, swooped down and plucked up Soren.“How could you, Soren?” Gylfie nearly cried out, but luckily the question died on her beak. Soren felt as if his gizzard were dropping to his talons as the two owls soared with him dangling between them. They were transporting him in a most painful manner. Each one held a wing in his talons and it was as if he were being torn in half! And as they spiraled upward in the pelletorium, Soren felt beneath him not the cushion of captured air of which his father had often spoken, but instead a surge of noisy vibrations that seem to pummel him from below.“They are laughing at you, 12- 1. They laugh so hard the air is tossed with their chuckles!” said one of the owls.“You, 12- 1,” the other owl was speaking now.“You are our first object of the day for laughter therapy.” Soren remained mute. No matter how many questions might batter his brain, his imagination, or dance on the tip of his beak, he would never ask them. The two owls had now alighted with him on a very high ledge that was visible to the entire pelletorium below. The laughter of the owlets and the scores of monitors and guards ricocheted off the stone walls. It filled Soren’s head with a terrible clatter. He thought he would go yoicks right there and start screaming.“And now for the best moment of all in laughter therapy!” There was a shrill screech. The:Previous Entities: |Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: 12- 1. ",Soren.M "Got lucky,",135977,136009,True,634:Krios.M,".“Make your choice, brother. Fight us or help us. I don’t have time for your lectures.” Bob glanced at Annabeth and Percy. Percy thought he might start a fight, but instead he raised the point of his spear.“Very well. I will take guard duty. Which of you wants a break first?”“Me, of course,” Hyperion said.“Me!” Krios snapped.“I’ve been holding that button so long my thumb is going to fall off.”“I’ve been standing here longer,” Hyperion grumbled.“You two guard the Doors while I go up to the mortal world. I have some Greek heroes to wreak vengeance upon!”“Oh, no!” Krios complained.“That Roman boy is on his way to Epirus— the one who killed me on Mount Othrys. Got lucky, he did. Now it’s my turn.”“Bah!” Hyperion drew his sword.“I’ll gut you first, Ram- head!” Krios raised his own blade.“You can try, but I won’t be stuck in this stinking pit any longer!” Annabeth caught Percy’s eyes. She mouthed: One, two— Before he could strike the chains, a high- pitched whine pierced his ears, like the sound of an incoming rocket. Percy just had time to think: Uh- oh. Then an explosion rocked the hillside. A wave of heat knocked Percy backward. Dark shrapnel ripped through Krios and Hyperion, shredding them as easily as wood in a chipper. STINKING PIT. A hollow voice rolled across the plains, shaking the warm fleshy ground. Bob staggered to his feet.",Krios,"Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios",".“Make your choice, brother. Fight us or help us. I don’t have time for your lectures.” Bob glanced at Annabeth and Percy. Percy thought he might start a fight, but instead he raised the point of his spear.“Very well. I will take guard duty. Which of you wants a break first?”“Me, of course,” Hyperion said.“Me!” Krios snapped.“I’ve been holding that button so long my thumb is going to fall off.”“I’ve been standing here longer,” Hyperion grumbled.“You two guard the Doors while I go up to the mortal world. I have some Greek heroes to wreak vengeance upon!”“Oh, no!” Krios complained.“That Roman boy is on his way to Epirus— the one who killed me on Mount Othrys. Got lucky, he did. Now it’s my turn.”“Bah!” Hyperion drew his sword.“I’ll gut you first, Ram- head!” Krios raised his own blade.“You can try, but I won’t be stuck in this stinking pit any longer!” Annabeth caught Percy’s eyes. She mouthed: One, two— Before he could strike the chains, a high- pitched whine pierced his ears, like the sound of an incoming rocket. Percy just had time to think: Uh- oh. Then an explosion rocked the hillside. A wave of heat knocked Percy backward. Dark shrapnel ripped through Krios and Hyperion, shredding them as easily as wood in a chipper. STINKING PIT. A hollow voice rolled across the plains, shaking the warm fleshy ground. Bob staggered to his feet.:Previous Entities: |Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios| ::: Got lucky, ",Krios.M ' What happened to her?',3448,3454,True,1248:the other one.?,"right here, and a man as well,' the attendant said. He tried to pull away, but Wyzer held on.' Never mind them right now,' he said.' They're basically okay. The woman over there isn't.' The woman over there was dead, and I'm pretty sure Joe Wyzer knew it... but he had his priorities straight. Give him that. And he was convincing enough to get both paramedics moving away from the tangle of truck and Toyota, in spite of Esther Easterling's cries of pain and the rumbles of protest from the Greek chorus. When they got to my wife, one of the paramedics was quick to confirm what Joe Wyzer had already suspected.' Holy shit,' the other one said.' What happened to her?'' Heart, most likely,' the first one said.' She got excited and it just blew out on her.' But it wasn't her heart. The autopsy revealed a brain aneurysm which she might have been living with, all unknown, for as long as five years. As she sprinted across the parking lot toward the accident, that weak vessel in her cerebral cortex had blown like a tire, drowning her control- centers in blood and killing her. Death had probably not been instantaneous, the assistant medical examiner told me, but it had still come swiftly enough... and she wouldn't have suffered. Just one big black nova, all sensation and thought gone even before she hit the pavement.' Can I help you in any way, Mr.",the other one,"a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three","right here, and a man as well,' the attendant said. He tried to pull away, but Wyzer held on.' Never mind them right now,' he said.' They're basically okay. The woman over there isn't.' The woman over there was dead, and I'm pretty sure Joe Wyzer knew it... but he had his priorities straight. Give him that. And he was convincing enough to get both paramedics moving away from the tangle of truck and Toyota, in spite of Esther Easterling's cries of pain and the rumbles of protest from the Greek chorus. When they got to my wife, one of the paramedics was quick to confirm what Joe Wyzer had already suspected.' Holy shit,' the other one said.' What happened to her?'' Heart, most likely,' the first one said.' She got excited and it just blew out on her.' But it wasn't her heart. The autopsy revealed a brain aneurysm which she might have been living with, all unknown, for as long as five years. As she sprinted across the parking lot toward the accident, that weak vessel in her cerebral cortex had blown like a tire, drowning her control- centers in blood and killing her. Death had probably not been instantaneous, the assistant medical examiner told me, but it had still come swiftly enough... and she wouldn't have suffered. Just one big black nova, all sensation and thought gone even before she hit the pavement.' Can I help you in any way, Mr.:Previous Entities: |a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three| ::: ' What happened to her?' ",Joe Wyzer. “And I say that my son shall go to Unseen University and wear the Archchancellor’s hat and the wizards of the world shall bow to him!,1151,1217,True,131:Ipslore.M,"said, softly,“no. I will make his destiny for him.” I ADVISE AGAINST IT.“Be quiet! And listen when I tell you that they drove me out, with their books and their rituals and their Lore! They called themselves wizards, and they had less magic in their whole fat bodies than I have in my little finger! Banished! Me! For showing that I was human! And what would humans be without love?” RARE, said Death. NEVERTHELESS—“Listen! They drove us here, to the ends of the world, and that killed her! They tried to take my staff away!” Ipslore was screaming above the noise of the wind.“Well, I still have some power left,” he snarled.“And I say that my son shall go to Unseen University and wear the Archchancellor’s hat and the wizards of the world shall bow to him! And he shall show them what lies in their deepest hearts. Their craven, greedy hearts. He’ll show the world its true destiny, and there will be no magic greater than his.” NO. And the strange thing about the quiet way Death spoke the word was this: it was louder than the roaring of the storm. It jerked Ipslore back to momentary sanity. Ipslore rocked back and forth uncertainly.“What?” he said. I SAID NO. NOTHING IS FINAL. NOTHING IS ABSOLUTE. EXCEPT ME, OF COURSE. SUCH TINKERING WITH DESTINY COULD MEAN THE DOWNFALL OF THE WORLD. THERE MUST BE A CHANCE, HOWEVER SMALL. THE LAWYERS OF FATE DEMAND A LOOPHOLE IN EVERY PROPHECY. Ipslore stared at Death’s implacable face.“I must give them a chance?” YES. Tap, tap, tap went Ipslore’s fingers on the metal of the staff.“Then they shall have their chance,” he said,“when hell freezes",Ipslore,"Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore","said, softly,“no. I will make his destiny for him.” I ADVISE AGAINST IT.“Be quiet! And listen when I tell you that they drove me out, with their books and their rituals and their Lore! They called themselves wizards, and they had less magic in their whole fat bodies than I have in my little finger! Banished! Me! For showing that I was human! And what would humans be without love?” RARE, said Death. NEVERTHELESS—“Listen! They drove us here, to the ends of the world, and that killed her! They tried to take my staff away!” Ipslore was screaming above the noise of the wind.“Well, I still have some power left,” he snarled.“And I say that my son shall go to Unseen University and wear the Archchancellor’s hat and the wizards of the world shall bow to him! And he shall show them what lies in their deepest hearts. Their craven, greedy hearts. He’ll show the world its true destiny, and there will be no magic greater than his.” NO. And the strange thing about the quiet way Death spoke the word was this: it was louder than the roaring of the storm. It jerked Ipslore back to momentary sanity. Ipslore rocked back and forth uncertainly.“What?” he said. I SAID NO. NOTHING IS FINAL. NOTHING IS ABSOLUTE. EXCEPT ME, OF COURSE. SUCH TINKERING WITH DESTINY COULD MEAN THE DOWNFALL OF THE WORLD. THERE MUST BE A CHANCE, HOWEVER SMALL. THE LAWYERS OF FATE DEMAND A LOOPHOLE IN EVERY PROPHECY. Ipslore stared at Death’s implacable face.“I must give them a chance?” YES. Tap, tap, tap went Ipslore’s fingers on the metal of the staff.“Then they shall have their chance,” he said,“when hell freezes:Previous Entities: |Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore| ::: “And I say that my son shall go to Unseen University and wear the Archchancellor’s hat and the wizards of the world shall bow to him! ",Ipslore.M "“The occupancy has historically been one hundred percent and it is a cash cow,",87056,87082,True,3833:the broker.M,"a growing school where 60 percent of the student body lived off campus. He also learned that it would be prohibitively expensive— if not physically impossible— to buy land nearby and build a similar building. In the last five years no one had built on the street because of historic preservation rules. Even if they could buy land, the broker said a similar building would cost$ 2.5 million just in construction.“The building is in great shape, especially compared to the other options available to students,” the broker said.“It seems like this building functions more as a glorified dormitory than a classic multifamily building,” my student said, using a label to extract more information. And he got it.“Fortunately and unfortunately, yes,” the broker said.“The occupancy has historically been one hundred percent and it is a cash cow, but the students act like college students...” A lightbulb went on in my student’s head: there was something strange afoot. If it were such a cash cow, why would someone sell a 100 percent occupied building located next to a growing campus in an affluent city? That was irrational by any measure. A little befuddled but still in the negotiation mindset, my student constructed a label. Inadvertently he mislabeled the situation, triggering the broker to correct him and reveal a Black Swan.“If he or she is selling such a cash cow, it seems like the seller must have doubts about future market fundamentals,” he said.“Well,” he said,“the seller has some tougher properties in Atlanta and Savannah, so he has to get out of this property to pay back the other mortgages.”",the broker,"Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker","a growing school where 60 percent of the student body lived off campus. He also learned that it would be prohibitively expensive— if not physically impossible— to buy land nearby and build a similar building. In the last five years no one had built on the street because of historic preservation rules. Even if they could buy land, the broker said a similar building would cost$ 2.5 million just in construction.“The building is in great shape, especially compared to the other options available to students,” the broker said.“It seems like this building functions more as a glorified dormitory than a classic multifamily building,” my student said, using a label to extract more information. And he got it.“Fortunately and unfortunately, yes,” the broker said.“The occupancy has historically been one hundred percent and it is a cash cow, but the students act like college students...” A lightbulb went on in my student’s head: there was something strange afoot. If it were such a cash cow, why would someone sell a 100 percent occupied building located next to a growing campus in an affluent city? That was irrational by any measure. A little befuddled but still in the negotiation mindset, my student constructed a label. Inadvertently he mislabeled the situation, triggering the broker to correct him and reveal a Black Swan.“If he or she is selling such a cash cow, it seems like the seller must have doubts about future market fundamentals,” he said.“Well,” he said,“the seller has some tougher properties in Atlanta and Savannah, so he has to get out of this property to pay back the other mortgages.”:Previous Entities: |Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker| ::: “The occupancy has historically been one hundred percent and it is a cash cow, ",my student.M "“Well… well,",10714,10735,True,708:The wolf.F,"Sveep stopped short. She had heard that the dire wolves of the Beyond had strange ways, but this beat all. They were scraping on their bellies toward Sveep. What in the name of Ursa was going on?“We have heard of your kind from Namara,” the she- wolf said.“Yes, yes, I am an old friend of Gyll… Namara. I have important news for her. I must see her right away. Point me in the right direction.” The she- wolf stopped groveling.“Point you in right direction!” she almost shrieked.“You think ye can just barge into her den?” The wolf had an odd accent, a sing- songy voice that Sveep now remembered was similar to that of Gyllbane.“Well… well, let her know I’m here. But I’ve got to see her immediately.” The wolf now drew herself up to her full height. The sun was setting, washing the land with a soft pink- orange light. Her silvery fur seemed to shimmer.“My name is Blair. How do ye call yourself?”“Sveep.”“Ah!” she replied. She nodded her head slightly.“You know me?”“I know of ye. I know that you are the bear that Namara, when she was still Gyllbane, shared a cave with somewhere far north of here. It was the time when she be sick with grief for her son, Cody. I know you were a great comfort to her and that she done poured out her grief until she was left so weak she could not eat and that you fed her",The wolf,"The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf","Sveep stopped short. She had heard that the dire wolves of the Beyond had strange ways, but this beat all. They were scraping on their bellies toward Sveep. What in the name of Ursa was going on?“We have heard of your kind from Namara,” the she- wolf said.“Yes, yes, I am an old friend of Gyll… Namara. I have important news for her. I must see her right away. Point me in the right direction.” The she- wolf stopped groveling.“Point you in right direction!” she almost shrieked.“You think ye can just barge into her den?” The wolf had an odd accent, a sing- songy voice that Sveep now remembered was similar to that of Gyllbane.“Well… well, let her know I’m here. But I’ve got to see her immediately.” The wolf now drew herself up to her full height. The sun was setting, washing the land with a soft pink- orange light. Her silvery fur seemed to shimmer.“My name is Blair. How do ye call yourself?”“Sveep.”“Ah!” she replied. She nodded her head slightly.“You know me?”“I know of ye. I know that you are the bear that Namara, when she was still Gyllbane, shared a cave with somewhere far north of here. It was the time when she be sick with grief for her son, Cody. I know you were a great comfort to her and that she done poured out her grief until she was left so weak she could not eat and that you fed her:Previous Entities: |The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf| ::: “Well… well, ",Blair.F ’ said Rob.,62233,62244,True,1814:The young gonnagle.?,"old fleeces and feed sacks.‘ D’ye have the unnerstandin’ of this, Awf’ly Wee Billy?’ said Rob.‘ Can ye tell us where the big wee hag is?’ The young gonnagle looked worried.‘ Er, Mister Rob, ye ken I’ve only just been made a gonnagle? I mean, I know the songs an’ a’, but I’m no’ verra experienced at this...’‘ Aye?’ said Rob Anybody.‘ An’ just how many gonnagles afore ye ha’ walked through the dreams o’ a hag?’‘ Er... none I’ve ever heard of, Mister Rob,’ Billy confessed.‘ Aye. So you already know more aboot it than any o’ them big men,’ said Rob. He gave the boy a smile.‘ Do yer best, laddie. I dinnae expect any more of you than that.’ Billy looked out of the shed door, and took a deep breath:‘ Then I’ll tell ye I think she’s hidin’ somewhere close like a hunted creature, Mr Rob. This is a wee bit o’ her memory, the place o’ her granny, the place where she’s always felt safe. I’ll tell ye I think that we’re in the soul and centre o’ her. The bit o’ her that is her. And I’m frightened for her. Frightened to mah boots.’‘ Why?’‘ Because I’ve been watchin’ the shadows, Mr Rob,’ said Billy.‘ The sun is movin’. It’s slippin",The young gonnagle,"the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle","old fleeces and feed sacks.‘ D’ye have the unnerstandin’ of this, Awf’ly Wee Billy?’ said Rob.‘ Can ye tell us where the big wee hag is?’ The young gonnagle looked worried.‘ Er, Mister Rob, ye ken I’ve only just been made a gonnagle? I mean, I know the songs an’ a’, but I’m no’ verra experienced at this...’‘ Aye?’ said Rob Anybody.‘ An’ just how many gonnagles afore ye ha’ walked through the dreams o’ a hag?’‘ Er... none I’ve ever heard of, Mister Rob,’ Billy confessed.‘ Aye. So you already know more aboot it than any o’ them big men,’ said Rob. He gave the boy a smile.‘ Do yer best, laddie. I dinnae expect any more of you than that.’ Billy looked out of the shed door, and took a deep breath:‘ Then I’ll tell ye I think she’s hidin’ somewhere close like a hunted creature, Mr Rob. This is a wee bit o’ her memory, the place o’ her granny, the place where she’s always felt safe. I’ll tell ye I think that we’re in the soul and centre o’ her. The bit o’ her that is her. And I’m frightened for her. Frightened to mah boots.’‘ Why?’‘ Because I’ve been watchin’ the shadows, Mr Rob,’ said Billy.‘ The sun is movin’. It’s slippin:Previous Entities: |the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle| ::: ’ said Rob. ","Rob Anybody. M Awf’ly Wee Billy. M" "“You know what little you must,”",45560,45568,True,69:Jean.F,"should have seen what they fed us at my orphanage. I don’t even think it was food half the time.” Jean instructed us on the proper way to hold a tray and how to serve or retrieve dishes on the table. She showed us how to pour a drink, and even let us sample a taste of Conner’s best wine. I was interested in a detached sort of way and so was Roden. It was nice to know, but did me little good. However, Tobias leaned over to us at one point and whispered,“If Conner hadn’t pulled us from the orphanages, this would likely have been our futures.”“Not mine,” I said firmly. Nothing in me could accept a life like this. Roden quickly agreed.“You know what little you must,” Jean finally said.“Now make yourselves useful in here. There is always too much to do, and if we have you on loan, we’ll use you.” She showed us a pile of dishes that needed to be washed. I pointed out there was really only room for two dishwashers and assigned myself the job of kneading dough at the other side of the room. Roden and Tobias didn’t seem to care, so Jean gave in and waved me away. I wandered over to the wood counter in the corner and picked up a lump of dough. After a minute, Imogen entered the kitchen, and Jean directed her to come over and help me. To my surprise, she didn’t seem to object, and only moved a set of kitchen knives out",Jean,"the second man, Amos Diggory, Basil, the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean","should have seen what they fed us at my orphanage. I don’t even think it was food half the time.” Jean instructed us on the proper way to hold a tray and how to serve or retrieve dishes on the table. She showed us how to pour a drink, and even let us sample a taste of Conner’s best wine. I was interested in a detached sort of way and so was Roden. It was nice to know, but did me little good. However, Tobias leaned over to us at one point and whispered,“If Conner hadn’t pulled us from the orphanages, this would likely have been our futures.”“Not mine,” I said firmly. Nothing in me could accept a life like this. Roden quickly agreed.“You know what little you must,” Jean finally said.“Now make yourselves useful in here. There is always too much to do, and if we have you on loan, we’ll use you.” She showed us a pile of dishes that needed to be washed. I pointed out there was really only room for two dishwashers and assigned myself the job of kneading dough at the other side of the room. Roden and Tobias didn’t seem to care, so Jean gave in and waved me away. I wandered over to the wood counter in the corner and picked up a lump of dough. After a minute, Imogen entered the kitchen, and Jean directed her to come over and help me. To my surprise, she didn’t seem to object, and only moved a set of kitchen knives out:Previous Entities: |the second man, Amos Diggory, Basil, the other, the old wizard, his friend, everyone, Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean| ::: “You know what little you must,” ",Jean.F "“I bought this in a Muggle shop,”",27599,27608,True,1233:the old wizard.?,".“Who cares what he looks like? He’s unbelievable. He’s really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He’s a genius, you wait until tonight, you’ll see.” There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown. The other was clearly a Ministry wizard; he was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.“Just put them on, Archie, there’s a good chap. You can’t walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate’s already getting suspicious—”“I bought this in a Muggle shop,” said the old wizard stubbornly.“Muggles wear them.”“Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these,” said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.“I’m not putting them on,” said old Archie in indignation.“I like a healthy breeze’ round my privates, thanks.” Hermione was overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles at this point that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when Archie had collected his water and moved away. Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old",the old wizard,the old wizard,".“Who cares what he looks like? He’s unbelievable. He’s really young too. Only just eighteen or something. He’s a genius, you wait until tonight, you’ll see.” There was already a small queue for the tap in the corner of the field. Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined it, right behind a pair of men who were having a heated argument. One of them was a very old wizard who was wearing a long flowery nightgown. The other was clearly a Ministry wizard; he was holding out a pair of pinstriped trousers and almost crying with exasperation.“Just put them on, Archie, there’s a good chap. You can’t walk around like that, the Muggle at the gate’s already getting suspicious—”“I bought this in a Muggle shop,” said the old wizard stubbornly.“Muggles wear them.”“Muggle women wear them, Archie, not the men, they wear these,” said the Ministry wizard, and he brandished the pinstriped trousers.“I’m not putting them on,” said old Archie in indignation.“I like a healthy breeze’ round my privates, thanks.” Hermione was overcome with such a strong fit of the giggles at this point that she had to duck out of the queue and only returned when Archie had collected his water and moved away. Walking more slowly now, because of the weight of the water, they made their way back through the campsite. Here and there, they saw more familiar faces: other Hogwarts students with their families. Oliver Wood, the old:Previous Entities: |the old wizard| ::: “I bought this in a Muggle shop,” ",Harry. Ron. Hermione. Archie. Ministry wizard. Now you’ve asked…”,74150,74164,True,162:the Bone Carver.M,". I wanted it badly enough I didn’t have room for fear. The worst had happened, and the darkness was calm and quiet. It did not seem like a bad thing to fade into. But I wanted to go home. So I followed the bond home.”“There was no other world,” the Bone Carver pushed.“If there was or is, I did not see it.”“No light, no portal?” Where is it that you want to go? The question almost leaped off my tongue.“It was only peace and darkness.”“Did you have a body?”“No.”“Did—”“That’s enough from you,” Rhysand purred— the sound like velvet over sharpest steel.“You said a question for a question. Now you’ve asked…” He did a tally on his fingers.“Six.” The Bone Carver leaned back against the wall and slid to a sitting position.“It is a rare day when I meet someone who comes back from true death. Forgive me for wanting to peer behind the curtain.” He waved a delicate hand in my direction.“Ask it, girl.”“If there was no body— nothing but perhaps a bit of bone,” I said as solidly as I could,“would there be a way to resurrect that person? To grow them a new body, put their soul into it.” Those eyes flashed.“Was the soul somehow preserved? Contained?” I tried not to think about the eye ring Amarantha had worn, the soul she",the Bone Carver,the Bone Carver,". I wanted it badly enough I didn’t have room for fear. The worst had happened, and the darkness was calm and quiet. It did not seem like a bad thing to fade into. But I wanted to go home. So I followed the bond home.”“There was no other world,” the Bone Carver pushed.“If there was or is, I did not see it.”“No light, no portal?” Where is it that you want to go? The question almost leaped off my tongue.“It was only peace and darkness.”“Did you have a body?”“No.”“Did—”“That’s enough from you,” Rhysand purred— the sound like velvet over sharpest steel.“You said a question for a question. Now you’ve asked…” He did a tally on his fingers.“Six.” The Bone Carver leaned back against the wall and slid to a sitting position.“It is a rare day when I meet someone who comes back from true death. Forgive me for wanting to peer behind the curtain.” He waved a delicate hand in my direction.“Ask it, girl.”“If there was no body— nothing but perhaps a bit of bone,” I said as solidly as I could,“would there be a way to resurrect that person? To grow them a new body, put their soul into it.” Those eyes flashed.“Was the soul somehow preserved? Contained?” I tried not to think about the eye ring Amarantha had worn, the soul she:Previous Entities: |the Bone Carver| ::: Now you’ve asked…” ",The Bone Carver.> and we’ll start on the combinations.”,165372,165410,True,"3440:the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye.?","twisted in her chest.“The Valkyries fought when even the bravest males would not. The Illyrians tried to forget that. I fought against males who were my superiors, arguing to help the Valkyries. They beat me senseless, chained me to a supply wagon, and left me there. When I came to, the battle was over, the Valkyries slain.” This was the male she’d taken to her bed, who’d left again last night without kissing her good- bye.“Why didn’t you mention this when you saw the pages about them on my desk?”“You didn’t ask.” He unsheathed his Illyrian blade.“Enough history.” He drew four lines in the dirt, all intersecting to form an eight- pointed star.“This is your map for striking with a sword. These eight maneuvers. You’ve learned six of them. You’ll learn the other two today, and we’ll start on the combinations.” Gwyn asked,“Why don’t we use the Valkyrie techniques, if you admired them so much?”“Because I don’t know them.” Nesta smirked.“If we are to be Valkyries born again,” she said,“maybe we should combine the Illyrian and Valkyrie techniques.” She’d meant it in jest, but the words rumbled through the space, as if she’d spoken some great truth, something that made fate sit up. Azriel turned to them fully this time, eyes narrowed. Like those shadows had whispered something to him. A chill breathed down Nesta’s spine. Cassian stared into their faces. Like he beheld something he hadn’t seen there before. At last, he said thickly,“Today, we learn Illyrian techniques.","the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye","The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye","twisted in her chest.“The Valkyries fought when even the bravest males would not. The Illyrians tried to forget that. I fought against males who were my superiors, arguing to help the Valkyries. They beat me senseless, chained me to a supply wagon, and left me there. When I came to, the battle was over, the Valkyries slain.” This was the male she’d taken to her bed, who’d left again last night without kissing her good- bye.“Why didn’t you mention this when you saw the pages about them on my desk?”“You didn’t ask.” He unsheathed his Illyrian blade.“Enough history.” He drew four lines in the dirt, all intersecting to form an eight- pointed star.“This is your map for striking with a sword. These eight maneuvers. You’ve learned six of them. You’ll learn the other two today, and we’ll start on the combinations.” Gwyn asked,“Why don’t we use the Valkyrie techniques, if you admired them so much?”“Because I don’t know them.” Nesta smirked.“If we are to be Valkyries born again,” she said,“maybe we should combine the Illyrian and Valkyrie techniques.” She’d meant it in jest, but the words rumbled through the space, as if she’d spoken some great truth, something that made fate sit up. Azriel turned to them fully this time, eyes narrowed. Like those shadows had whispered something to him. A chill breathed down Nesta’s spine. Cassian stared into their faces. Like he beheld something he hadn’t seen there before. At last, he said thickly,“Today, we learn Illyrian techniques.:Previous Entities: |The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye| ::: and we’ll start on the combinations.” ",Cassian.M "“They want you to go and find out what’s in that building,",1862,1887,True,357:Fong.M,"lawyer, Willy Fong. But Willy wasn’t the client, and he wouldn’t say who was. Rodriguez had his suspicions. Nanigen had supposedly spent millions of dollars on electronics from Shanghai and Osaka. Some of those suppliers probably wanted to know what was being done with their products.“Is that who it is, Willy? The Chinese or the Japanese?” Willy Fong shrugged.“You know I can’t say, Marcos.”“But it makes no sense,” Rodriguez had said.“The place got no security, your clients can pick the lock and walk in any night and see for themselves. They don’t need me.”“You talking yourself out of a job?”“I just want to know what this is about.”“They want you to go and find out what’s in that building, and bring them some pictures. That’s all.”“I don’t like it. I think it’s a scam.”“Probably is.” Willy gave him a tired look as if to say, But what do you care?“At least nobody’s going to get up from the dinner table and hit you in the mouth.”“True.” Willy pushed back his chair, folded his arms over his ample belly.“So tell me, Marcos. Are you going, or what?” Now, walking toward the front door at midnight, Rodriguez felt suddenly nervous. They don’t need any security. What the hell did that mean? In this day and age, everybody had security— lots of security— especially around Honolulu. You had no choice. There were no windows on the building",Fong,"the receptionist, Fong","lawyer, Willy Fong. But Willy wasn’t the client, and he wouldn’t say who was. Rodriguez had his suspicions. Nanigen had supposedly spent millions of dollars on electronics from Shanghai and Osaka. Some of those suppliers probably wanted to know what was being done with their products.“Is that who it is, Willy? The Chinese or the Japanese?” Willy Fong shrugged.“You know I can’t say, Marcos.”“But it makes no sense,” Rodriguez had said.“The place got no security, your clients can pick the lock and walk in any night and see for themselves. They don’t need me.”“You talking yourself out of a job?”“I just want to know what this is about.”“They want you to go and find out what’s in that building, and bring them some pictures. That’s all.”“I don’t like it. I think it’s a scam.”“Probably is.” Willy gave him a tired look as if to say, But what do you care?“At least nobody’s going to get up from the dinner table and hit you in the mouth.”“True.” Willy pushed back his chair, folded his arms over his ample belly.“So tell me, Marcos. Are you going, or what?” Now, walking toward the front door at midnight, Rodriguez felt suddenly nervous. They don’t need any security. What the hell did that mean? In this day and age, everybody had security— lots of security— especially around Honolulu. You had no choice. There were no windows on the building:Previous Entities: |the receptionist, Fong| ::: “They want you to go and find out what’s in that building, ","Willy Fong.M Rodriguez.M" but we have never learned to talk to them.,86086,86191,True,577:Berensky.M,"IN 1975, THE MATHEMATICIAN S. L. BERENSKY reviewed the literature on primate language and reached a startling conclusion.“There is no doubt,” he announced,“that primates are far superior in intelligence to man.” In Berensky’s mind,“The salient question— which every human visitor to the zoo intuitively asks— is, who is behind the bars? Who is caged, and who is free?... On both sides of the bars primates can be observed making faces at each other. It is too facile to say that man is superior because he has made the zoo. We impose our special horror of barred captivity— a form of punishment among our species— and assume that other primates feel as we do.” Berensky likened primates to foreign ambassadors.“Apes have for centuries managed to get along with human beings, as ambassadors from their species. In recent years, they have even learned to communicate with human beings using sign language. But it is a one- sided diplomatic exchange; no human being has attempted to live in ape society, to master their language and customs, to eat their food, to live as they do. The apes have learned to talk to us, but we have never learned to talk to them. Who, then, should be judged the greater intellect?” Berensky added a prediction.“The time will come,” he said,“when circumstances may force some human beings to communicate with a primate society on its own terms. Only then human beings will become aware of their complacent egotism with regard to other animals.” The ERTS expedition, isolated deep in the Congo rain forest, now faced just such a problem. Confronted by a new species of gorilla- like animal, they somehow had to deal with it on its own terms. During the evening, Elliot transmitted the taped breath sounds to Houston, and from there they were relayed to San Francisco. The transcript which followed the transmission was brief: Seamans Wrote: RECVD TRNSMISN. SHLD HELP. IMPORTNT- NEED TRNSLATION SOON, Elliot typed back. WHN HAVE? COMPUTR ANALYSS",Berensky,"the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky","IN 1975, THE MATHEMATICIAN S. L. BERENSKY reviewed the literature on primate language and reached a startling conclusion.“There is no doubt,” he announced,“that primates are far superior in intelligence to man.” In Berensky’s mind,“The salient question— which every human visitor to the zoo intuitively asks— is, who is behind the bars? Who is caged, and who is free?... On both sides of the bars primates can be observed making faces at each other. It is too facile to say that man is superior because he has made the zoo. We impose our special horror of barred captivity— a form of punishment among our species— and assume that other primates feel as we do.” Berensky likened primates to foreign ambassadors.“Apes have for centuries managed to get along with human beings, as ambassadors from their species. In recent years, they have even learned to communicate with human beings using sign language. But it is a one- sided diplomatic exchange; no human being has attempted to live in ape society, to master their language and customs, to eat their food, to live as they do. The apes have learned to talk to us, but we have never learned to talk to them. Who, then, should be judged the greater intellect?” Berensky added a prediction.“The time will come,” he said,“when circumstances may force some human beings to communicate with a primate society on its own terms. Only then human beings will become aware of their complacent egotism with regard to other animals.” The ERTS expedition, isolated deep in the Congo rain forest, now faced just such a problem. Confronted by a new species of gorilla- like animal, they somehow had to deal with it on its own terms. During the evening, Elliot transmitted the taped breath sounds to Houston, and from there they were relayed to San Francisco. The transcript which followed the transmission was brief: Seamans Wrote: RECVD TRNSMISN. SHLD HELP. IMPORTNT- NEED TRNSLATION SOON, Elliot typed back. WHN HAVE? COMPUTR ANALYSS:Previous Entities: |the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky| ::: but we have never learned to talk to them. ",Benson.M Ha!,207507,207542,True,2796:a boy.?,"the man Susannah had called Daddy Mose didn’t fall. He put his loosely clenched, arthritic fist to his forehead, then bent his right knee, taking all of his weight on his trembling right leg.“Hile you last gunslinger, Roland Deschain out of Gilead, son of Steven and true descendent of Arthur Eld. I, the last of what was called among ourselves the Ka- Tet of the Rose, salute you.” Roland put his own fisted hand to his forehead and did more than make a leg; he went to his knee.“Hile Daddy Mose, godfather of Susannah, dinh of the Ka- Tet of the Rose, I salute you with my heart.”“Thankee,” said the old man, and then laughed like a boy.“We’re well met in the House of the Rose! What was once meant to be the Grave of the Rose! Ha! Tell me we’re not! Can you?”“Nay, for it would be a lie.”“Speak it!” the old man cried, then uttered that cheery go- to- hell laugh once again.“But I’m f’gettin my manners in my awe, gunslinger. This handsome stretch of woman standing beside me, it’d be natural for you to call her my granddaughter,’cause I was sem’ty in the year she was born, which was nineteen- and- sixty- nine. But the truth is”—But’na troof is was what reached Roland’s ear—“that sometimes the best things in life are started late, and having children”—Chirrun—“is one of’m, in my opinion. Which is a long- winded way of saying this is my daughter, Marian Odetta Carver, President of the Tet Corporation since I stepped down in’",a boy,"Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy","the man Susannah had called Daddy Mose didn’t fall. He put his loosely clenched, arthritic fist to his forehead, then bent his right knee, taking all of his weight on his trembling right leg.“Hile you last gunslinger, Roland Deschain out of Gilead, son of Steven and true descendent of Arthur Eld. I, the last of what was called among ourselves the Ka- Tet of the Rose, salute you.” Roland put his own fisted hand to his forehead and did more than make a leg; he went to his knee.“Hile Daddy Mose, godfather of Susannah, dinh of the Ka- Tet of the Rose, I salute you with my heart.”“Thankee,” said the old man, and then laughed like a boy.“We’re well met in the House of the Rose! What was once meant to be the Grave of the Rose! Ha! Tell me we’re not! Can you?”“Nay, for it would be a lie.”“Speak it!” the old man cried, then uttered that cheery go- to- hell laugh once again.“But I’m f’gettin my manners in my awe, gunslinger. This handsome stretch of woman standing beside me, it’d be natural for you to call her my granddaughter,’cause I was sem’ty in the year she was born, which was nineteen- and- sixty- nine. But the truth is”—But’na troof is was what reached Roland’s ear—“that sometimes the best things in life are started late, and having children”—Chirrun—“is one of’m, in my opinion. Which is a long- winded way of saying this is my daughter, Marian Odetta Carver, President of the Tet Corporation since I stepped down in’:Previous Entities: |Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy| ::: Ha! ","Roland M Daddy Mose M Susannah F Marian Odetta Carver F" Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?”,9144,9165,True,880:Harry ’s uncle.M,"oddly distorted by the rippling glass in the front door.“Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite- quite-Diddy, what’s the matter!” Harry looked sideways at Dudley and ducked out from under his arm just in time. Dudley swayed on the spot for a moment, his face pale green… then he opened his mouth and vomited all over the doormat.“DIDDY! Diddy, what’s the matter with you? Vernon? VERNON!” Harry’s uncle came galumphing out of the living room, walrus moustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. He hurried forwards to help Aunt Petunia negotiate a weak- kneed Dudley over the threshold while avoiding stepping in the pool of sick.“He’s ill, Vernon!”“What is it, son? What’s happened? Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?”“Why are you all covered in dirt, darling? Have you been lying on the ground?”“Hang on- you haven’t been mugged, have you, son?” Aunt Petunia screamed.“Phone the police, Vernon! Phone the police! Diddy, darling, speak to Mummy! What did they do to you?” In all the kerfuffle nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly. He managed to slip inside just before Uncle Vernon slammed the door and, while the Dursleys made their noisy progress down the hall towards the kitchen, Harry moved carefully and quietly towards the stairs.“Who did it, son? Give us names. We’ll get them, don’t worry.”“Shh! He’s trying to say something",Harry ’s uncle,"A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle","oddly distorted by the rippling glass in the front door.“Diddy! About time too, I was getting quite- quite-Diddy, what’s the matter!” Harry looked sideways at Dudley and ducked out from under his arm just in time. Dudley swayed on the spot for a moment, his face pale green… then he opened his mouth and vomited all over the doormat.“DIDDY! Diddy, what’s the matter with you? Vernon? VERNON!” Harry’s uncle came galumphing out of the living room, walrus moustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. He hurried forwards to help Aunt Petunia negotiate a weak- kneed Dudley over the threshold while avoiding stepping in the pool of sick.“He’s ill, Vernon!”“What is it, son? What’s happened? Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?”“Why are you all covered in dirt, darling? Have you been lying on the ground?”“Hang on- you haven’t been mugged, have you, son?” Aunt Petunia screamed.“Phone the police, Vernon! Phone the police! Diddy, darling, speak to Mummy! What did they do to you?” In all the kerfuffle nobody seemed to have noticed Harry, which suited him perfectly. He managed to slip inside just before Uncle Vernon slammed the door and, while the Dursleys made their noisy progress down the hall towards the kitchen, Harry moved carefully and quietly towards the stairs.“Who did it, son? Give us names. We’ll get them, don’t worry.”“Shh! He’s trying to say something:Previous Entities: |A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle| ::: Did Mrs. Polkiss give you something foreign for tea?” ",Mrs. Polkiss. F "' Oh,",64092,64097,True,2941:a trembling old man.M,"hammers whanged and the air- compressor chugged. A regular. And if something happened out there on Highway 68, eye- God, he was there to see it.' I hear Mattie Devore can be quite a dear,' he said heah, Devoah, deeah— and one of his crusty eyelids drooped. I have seen a fair number of salacious winks in my time, but none that was a patch on the one tipped me by that old man with the gold- headed cane. I felt a strong urge to knock his waxy beak of a nose off. The sound of it parting company from his face would be like the crack of a dead branch broken over a bent knee.' Do you hear a lot, old- timer?' I asked.' Oh, ayuh!' he said. His lips— dark as strips of liver— parted in a grin. His gums swarmed with white patches. He had a couple of yellow teeth still planted in the top one, and a couple more on the bottom.' And she gut that little one— cunnin, she is! Ayuh!'' Cunnin as a cat a- runnin,' I agreed. He blinked at me, a little surprised to hear such an old one out of my presumably newfangled mouth, and then that reprehensible grin widened.' Her don't mind her, though,' he said.' Baby gut the run of the place, don'tcha know.' I became aware— better belated than never— that half a dozen people were watching and listening to us.",a trembling old man,"Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man","hammers whanged and the air- compressor chugged. A regular. And if something happened out there on Highway 68, eye- God, he was there to see it.' I hear Mattie Devore can be quite a dear,' he said heah, Devoah, deeah— and one of his crusty eyelids drooped. I have seen a fair number of salacious winks in my time, but none that was a patch on the one tipped me by that old man with the gold- headed cane. I felt a strong urge to knock his waxy beak of a nose off. The sound of it parting company from his face would be like the crack of a dead branch broken over a bent knee.' Do you hear a lot, old- timer?' I asked.' Oh, ayuh!' he said. His lips— dark as strips of liver— parted in a grin. His gums swarmed with white patches. He had a couple of yellow teeth still planted in the top one, and a couple more on the bottom.' And she gut that little one— cunnin, she is! Ayuh!'' Cunnin as a cat a- runnin,' I agreed. He blinked at me, a little surprised to hear such an old one out of my presumably newfangled mouth, and then that reprehensible grin widened.' Her don't mind her, though,' he said.' Baby gut the run of the place, don'tcha know.' I became aware— better belated than never— that half a dozen people were watching and listening to us.:Previous Entities: |Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man| ::: ' Oh, ",Ralph.M "never sorry,",181211,181231,True,954:Lila.F,"eyes you are!' she said, and began ringing up my purchases.' I was awfully sorry to hear about Johanna. Got to get that right up front. Jo was a pet.'' Thanks, Lila.'' Welcome. Don't need to say any more about it, but with a thing like that it's best to put it right up front. I've always believed it, always will believe it. Right up front. Going to do a little gardening, are you?' Gointer do a little ga'adnin, aaa you?' If it ever cools off.'' Ayuh! Isn't it wicked?' She flapped the top of her blouse again to show me how wicked it was, then pointed at one of my purchases.' Want this one in a special bag? Always safe, never sorry, that's my motto.' I nodded, then looked at the little blackboard tilted against the counter. fresh bluberrys, the chalked message read. the crops is in!' I'll have a pint of berries, too,' I said.' As long as they're not Friday's. I can do better than Friday.' She nodded vigorously, as if to say she knew damned well I could.' These were on the bush yest'y. That fresh enough for you?'' Good as gold,' I said.' Blueberry's the name of Kenny's dog, isn't it?'' Ain't he a funny one? God, I love a big dog, if he's behaved.' She turned, got a pint of berries from her little fridge, and",Lila,"his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila","eyes you are!' she said, and began ringing up my purchases.' I was awfully sorry to hear about Johanna. Got to get that right up front. Jo was a pet.'' Thanks, Lila.'' Welcome. Don't need to say any more about it, but with a thing like that it's best to put it right up front. I've always believed it, always will believe it. Right up front. Going to do a little gardening, are you?' Gointer do a little ga'adnin, aaa you?' If it ever cools off.'' Ayuh! Isn't it wicked?' She flapped the top of her blouse again to show me how wicked it was, then pointed at one of my purchases.' Want this one in a special bag? Always safe, never sorry, that's my motto.' I nodded, then looked at the little blackboard tilted against the counter. fresh bluberrys, the chalked message read. the crops is in!' I'll have a pint of berries, too,' I said.' As long as they're not Friday's. I can do better than Friday.' She nodded vigorously, as if to say she knew damned well I could.' These were on the bush yest'y. That fresh enough for you?'' Good as gold,' I said.' Blueberry's the name of Kenny's dog, isn't it?'' Ain't he a funny one? God, I love a big dog, if he's behaved.' She turned, got a pint of berries from her little fridge, and:Previous Entities: |his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila| ::: never sorry, ",Lila.F and legends are timeless.,52849,52931,True,1459:The old ryb.?,"have survived.“Well, dead is dead,” Otulissa said,“and extinct is even more dead than dead.”“So they say,” a voice croaked from behind a high stack of books. Otulissa was so startled that she rose up in a sudden hover from where she had been perched reading.“Ezylryb!” she exclaimed. The ancient ryb of the great tree had been concealed behind his stack of books.“What are you doing here?” she asked.“I might ask the same of you,” he replied.“Oh, I’m just reading up on dire wolves. They’re extinct, you know.”“So they say,” he repeated.“No, they really are!” Otulissa said forcefully.“Extinct perhaps in books of science but, of course, poetry, literature, and legends are timeless. Is it not the purpose of legends to transcend the humdrum rhythms of our lives, the ordinary, crude borders that confine us to the present, that we may live instead in the ever- gleaming light of knowledge? I direct you to the third canto of the second book of the Fire Cycle, lines 47–99.” The old ryb, now almost as white with age as a Snowy, raised his foot to point, the same foot with only three talons that had so intimidated Otulissa when she had been a youngster.“Yes, sir, I have a copy of the Fire Cycle in my hollow. I think I’ll read it there.” The words Ezylryb had spoken had deeply agitated Otulissa. Ezylryb was known for his devotion to science, but here he was saying that she should go read the Cycles— as if this would provide evidence of dire wolves. She could not shake the feeling that Ezylryb was aware of the deeper disturbance in her— which had something to do with the dreams that had been robbing her of sleep. Well, if she was going to read these legends",The old ryb,"Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb","have survived.“Well, dead is dead,” Otulissa said,“and extinct is even more dead than dead.”“So they say,” a voice croaked from behind a high stack of books. Otulissa was so startled that she rose up in a sudden hover from where she had been perched reading.“Ezylryb!” she exclaimed. The ancient ryb of the great tree had been concealed behind his stack of books.“What are you doing here?” she asked.“I might ask the same of you,” he replied.“Oh, I’m just reading up on dire wolves. They’re extinct, you know.”“So they say,” he repeated.“No, they really are!” Otulissa said forcefully.“Extinct perhaps in books of science but, of course, poetry, literature, and legends are timeless. Is it not the purpose of legends to transcend the humdrum rhythms of our lives, the ordinary, crude borders that confine us to the present, that we may live instead in the ever- gleaming light of knowledge? I direct you to the third canto of the second book of the Fire Cycle, lines 47–99.” The old ryb, now almost as white with age as a Snowy, raised his foot to point, the same foot with only three talons that had so intimidated Otulissa when she had been a youngster.“Yes, sir, I have a copy of the Fire Cycle in my hollow. I think I’ll read it there.” The words Ezylryb had spoken had deeply agitated Otulissa. Ezylryb was known for his devotion to science, but here he was saying that she should go read the Cycles— as if this would provide evidence of dire wolves. She could not shake the feeling that Ezylryb was aware of the deeper disturbance in her— which had something to do with the dreams that had been robbing her of sleep. Well, if she was going to read these legends:Previous Entities: |Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb| ::: and legends are timeless. ",Ezylryb.M “I see.,14029,14048,True,919:The saleslady.F,"knew where he didn’t belong. He was dumb, but not that dumb. The saleslady asked if he needed help. Blaze said he did. He had been unable to think of everything he needed no matter how hard he tried, and so resorted to the only form of subterfuge with which he was familiar: the con.“I been out of state,” he said, and bared his teeth at the saleslady in a grin that would have frightened a cougar. The saleslady smiled back bravely. The top of her head almost reached the midpoint of his ribcage.“I just found out my sister- in- law had a kid a baby while I was gone, see, and I want to outfit him. The whole works.” She lit up.“I see. How generous of you. How sweet. What would you like in particular?”“I don’t know. I don’t know nothing anything about babies.”“How old is your nephew?”“Huh?”“Your sister- in- law’s child?”“Oh! Gotcha! Six months.”“Isn’t that dear.” She twinkled professionally.“What’s his name?” Blaze was stumped for a moment. Then he blurted,“George.”“Lovely name! From the Greek. It means,‘to work the earth.’”“Yeah? That’s pretty far out.” She kept smiling.“Isn’t it. Well, what does she have for him now?” Blaze was ready for this one.“None of the stuff they got now is too good, that’s",The saleslady,"Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady","knew where he didn’t belong. He was dumb, but not that dumb. The saleslady asked if he needed help. Blaze said he did. He had been unable to think of everything he needed no matter how hard he tried, and so resorted to the only form of subterfuge with which he was familiar: the con.“I been out of state,” he said, and bared his teeth at the saleslady in a grin that would have frightened a cougar. The saleslady smiled back bravely. The top of her head almost reached the midpoint of his ribcage.“I just found out my sister- in- law had a kid a baby while I was gone, see, and I want to outfit him. The whole works.” She lit up.“I see. How generous of you. How sweet. What would you like in particular?”“I don’t know. I don’t know nothing anything about babies.”“How old is your nephew?”“Huh?”“Your sister- in- law’s child?”“Oh! Gotcha! Six months.”“Isn’t that dear.” She twinkled professionally.“What’s his name?” Blaze was stumped for a moment. Then he blurted,“George.”“Lovely name! From the Greek. It means,‘to work the earth.’”“Yeah? That’s pretty far out.” She kept smiling.“Isn’t it. Well, what does she have for him now?” Blaze was ready for this one.“None of the stuff they got now is too good, that’s:Previous Entities: |Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady| ::: “I see. ",Blaze.M ‘ Cheese is good for leopard heads.’,86727,86735,True,635:Ella.F,"pavilion at Camp Half- Blood with the Hunters of Artemis. She smiled and laughed with her new group of friends. Then Bianca changed into Hazel, who kissed Nico on the cheek and said,‘ I want you to be an exception.’ He saw the harpy Ella with her shaggy red hair and red feathers, her eyes like dark coffee. She perched on the couch of the Big House’s living room. Propped next to her was the magical stuffed leopard head Seymour. Ella rocked back and forth, feeding the leopard Cheetos.‘ Cheese is not good for harpies,’ she muttered. Then she scrunched up her face and chanted one of her memorized lines of prophecy:‘ The fall of the sun, the final verse.’ She fed Seymour more Cheetos.‘ Cheese is good for leopard heads.’ Seymour roared in agreement. Ella changed into a dark- haired, extremely pregnant cloud nymph, writhing in pain on a camp bunk bed. Clarisse La Rue sat next to her, wiping the nymph’s head with a cool cloth.‘ Mellie, you’ll be fine,’ Clarisse said, though she sounded worried.‘ No, nothing is fine!’ Mellie wailed.‘ Gaia is rising!’ The scene shifted. Nico stood with Hades in the Berkeley Hills on the day Hades first led him to Camp Jupiter.‘ Go to them,’ said the god.‘ Introduce yourself as a child of Pluto. It is important you make this connection.’‘ Why?’ Nico asked. Hades dissolved. Nico found himself back in Tartarus, standing before Akhlys",Ella,"Polybotes, Ella","pavilion at Camp Half- Blood with the Hunters of Artemis. She smiled and laughed with her new group of friends. Then Bianca changed into Hazel, who kissed Nico on the cheek and said,‘ I want you to be an exception.’ He saw the harpy Ella with her shaggy red hair and red feathers, her eyes like dark coffee. She perched on the couch of the Big House’s living room. Propped next to her was the magical stuffed leopard head Seymour. Ella rocked back and forth, feeding the leopard Cheetos.‘ Cheese is not good for harpies,’ she muttered. Then she scrunched up her face and chanted one of her memorized lines of prophecy:‘ The fall of the sun, the final verse.’ She fed Seymour more Cheetos.‘ Cheese is good for leopard heads.’ Seymour roared in agreement. Ella changed into a dark- haired, extremely pregnant cloud nymph, writhing in pain on a camp bunk bed. Clarisse La Rue sat next to her, wiping the nymph’s head with a cool cloth.‘ Mellie, you’ll be fine,’ Clarisse said, though she sounded worried.‘ No, nothing is fine!’ Mellie wailed.‘ Gaia is rising!’ The scene shifted. Nico stood with Hades in the Berkeley Hills on the day Hades first led him to Camp Jupiter.‘ Go to them,’ said the god.‘ Introduce yourself as a child of Pluto. It is important you make this connection.’‘ Why?’ Nico asked. Hades dissolved. Nico found himself back in Tartarus, standing before Akhlys:Previous Entities: |Polybotes, Ella| ::: ‘ Cheese is good for leopard heads.’ ",Ella.F "ah,",39134,39149,True,1801:their host.M,"” Frank demanded.“What did they do to her?”“Katoblepones,” said their host.“Singular: katobleps. In English, it means down- looker. Called that because—”“They’re always looking down.” Nico smacked his forehead.“Right. I remember reading about them.” Frank glared at him.“Now you remember?” Nico hung his head almost as low as a katobleps.“I, uh… used to play this stupid card game when I was younger. Mythomagic. The katobleps was one of the monster cards.” Frank blinked.“I played Mythomagic. I never saw that card.”“It was in the Africanus Extreme expansion deck.”“Oh.” Their host cleared his throat.“Are you two done, ah, geeking out, as they say?”“Right, sorry,” Nico muttered.“Anyway, katoblepones have poison breath and a poison gaze. I thought they only lived in Africa.” The man in denim shrugged.“That’s their native land. They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago. You’ve heard of Saint Mark?” Frank wanted to scream with frustration. He didn’t see how any of this was relevant, but if their host could heal Hazel, Frank decided maybe it would be best not to make him angry.“Saints? They’re not part of Greek mythology.” The man in denim chuckled.“No, but Saint Mark is the patron saint of this city. He died in Egypt, oh, a long time ago. When the Venetians became powerful",their host,"the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host","” Frank demanded.“What did they do to her?”“Katoblepones,” said their host.“Singular: katobleps. In English, it means down- looker. Called that because—”“They’re always looking down.” Nico smacked his forehead.“Right. I remember reading about them.” Frank glared at him.“Now you remember?” Nico hung his head almost as low as a katobleps.“I, uh… used to play this stupid card game when I was younger. Mythomagic. The katobleps was one of the monster cards.” Frank blinked.“I played Mythomagic. I never saw that card.”“It was in the Africanus Extreme expansion deck.”“Oh.” Their host cleared his throat.“Are you two done, ah, geeking out, as they say?”“Right, sorry,” Nico muttered.“Anyway, katoblepones have poison breath and a poison gaze. I thought they only lived in Africa.” The man in denim shrugged.“That’s their native land. They were accidentally imported to Venice hundreds of years ago. You’ve heard of Saint Mark?” Frank wanted to scream with frustration. He didn’t see how any of this was relevant, but if their host could heal Hazel, Frank decided maybe it would be best not to make him angry.“Saints? They’re not part of Greek mythology.” The man in denim chuckled.“No, but Saint Mark is the patron saint of this city. He died in Egypt, oh, a long time ago. When the Venetians became powerful:Previous Entities: |the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host| ::: ah, ","Frank.M Nico.M their host.M the man in denim.M" ' He knows all the numbers.,66497,66512,True,2089:the mystery caller.?,"away now, little girl. Watch and remember who's boss.' Minerva could not avert her eyes. Her gaze was trapped by this terrible tableau. It was like a scene from a scary movie, complete with its own soundtrack. Minerva frowned. Real life did not have a soundtrack. There was music coming from somewhere. The somewhere proved to be Kong's trouser pocket. His polyphonic phone was playing' TheToreador Song' from Carmen. Kong pulled the phone from his pocket.' Who is this?' he snapped.' My name is not important,' said a youthful voice.' The important thing is that I have something you want.'' How did you get this number?'' I have a friend,' replied the mystery caller.' He knows all the numbers. Now, to business. I believe you're in the market for a demon?' Minutes earlier Butler had pulled off the motorway at the airport exit, and crammed himself into the back seat beside Artemis and Holly. They had watched the drama unfold in the Chateau Paradizo on their tiny laptop. Artemis gripped his knees tight.' I can't allow this. I won't allow it.' Holly placed a hand over his.' We have no choice, Artemis. We're clear now. This is not our fight. I can't risk exposing Number One.' Artemis's frown cut a furrow from his hairline to the bridge of his nose.' I know. Of course. But, still, how can this not be my fight?' He glanced sharply at Butler.' Will Kong kill that",the mystery caller,"Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller","away now, little girl. Watch and remember who's boss.' Minerva could not avert her eyes. Her gaze was trapped by this terrible tableau. It was like a scene from a scary movie, complete with its own soundtrack. Minerva frowned. Real life did not have a soundtrack. There was music coming from somewhere. The somewhere proved to be Kong's trouser pocket. His polyphonic phone was playing' TheToreador Song' from Carmen. Kong pulled the phone from his pocket.' Who is this?' he snapped.' My name is not important,' said a youthful voice.' The important thing is that I have something you want.'' How did you get this number?'' I have a friend,' replied the mystery caller.' He knows all the numbers. Now, to business. I believe you're in the market for a demon?' Minutes earlier Butler had pulled off the motorway at the airport exit, and crammed himself into the back seat beside Artemis and Holly. They had watched the drama unfold in the Chateau Paradizo on their tiny laptop. Artemis gripped his knees tight.' I can't allow this. I won't allow it.' Holly placed a hand over his.' We have no choice, Artemis. We're clear now. This is not our fight. I can't risk exposing Number One.' Artemis's frown cut a furrow from his hairline to the bridge of his nose.' I know. Of course. But, still, how can this not be my fight?' He glanced sharply at Butler.' Will Kong kill that:Previous Entities: |Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller| ::: ' He knows all the numbers. ",the mystery caller.M I have a wife.,117715,117747,True,222:Cohen.?,""" What would be the point of that?"""" Well, I'm in a sort of a dispute with Meredith now, and-"""" I know you are."""" Yes, and you see, I would like to-"""" Look. Tom. I left DigiCom two years ago. Whatever happened is ancient history now."""" Well, actually,"" Sanders said,"" it's not, because I'm trying to establish a pattern of behavior and-"""" I know what you're trying to do. But this is very touchy stuff, Tom. I don't want to get into it."""" If we could just talk,"" Sanders said."" Just for a few minutes."""" Tom."" Cohen's voice was flat."" Tom, I'm married now. I have a wife. She's pregnant. I don't have anything to say about Meredith Johnson. Nothing at all."""" But"""" I'm sorry. I've got to go."" Click. Cindy came back in as he was hanging up the phone. She pushed a cup of coffee in front of him."" Everything okay?"""" No,"" he said."" Everything is terrible."" He was reluctant to admit, even to himself, that he had no more moves left. He had approached three men, and they had each refused to establish a pattern of behavior for him. He doubted that the other men on the list would behave differently. He found himself thinking of what his wife, Susan, had said two days before. You have no moves. Now, after all this effort, it turned out to be true. He was finished.""",Cohen,"a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen",""" What would be the point of that?"""" Well, I'm in a sort of a dispute with Meredith now, and-"""" I know you are."""" Yes, and you see, I would like to-"""" Look. Tom. I left DigiCom two years ago. Whatever happened is ancient history now."""" Well, actually,"" Sanders said,"" it's not, because I'm trying to establish a pattern of behavior and-"""" I know what you're trying to do. But this is very touchy stuff, Tom. I don't want to get into it."""" If we could just talk,"" Sanders said."" Just for a few minutes."""" Tom."" Cohen's voice was flat."" Tom, I'm married now. I have a wife. She's pregnant. I don't have anything to say about Meredith Johnson. Nothing at all."""" But"""" I'm sorry. I've got to go."" Click. Cindy came back in as he was hanging up the phone. She pushed a cup of coffee in front of him."" Everything okay?"""" No,"" he said."" Everything is terrible."" He was reluctant to admit, even to himself, that he had no more moves left. He had approached three men, and they had each refused to establish a pattern of behavior for him. He doubted that the other men on the list would behave differently. He found himself thinking of what his wife, Susan, had said two days before. You have no moves. Now, after all this effort, it turned out to be true. He was finished."":Previous Entities: |a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen| ::: I have a wife. ",Cohen.M son of Hades!’,48495,48504,True,456:Lycaon.M,"a pole- vaulter. She landed next to Nico.‘ What’s the plan?’ she asked, not even out of breath.‘ Show- off,’ he grumbled. A knotted rope fell from above.‘ Climb, ya silly non- goats!’ Hedge yelled.‘ Go,’ Nico told her.‘ Once you’re up there, hang on tight to the rope.’‘ Nico–’‘ Do it!’ Her javelin shrank back into a sword. Reyna sheathed it and began to climb, scaling the column despite her armour and her supplies. Down in the plaza, Aurum and Argentum were nowhere to be seen. Either they’d retreated or they’d been destroyed. Lycaon broke free of his bone cage with a triumphant howl.‘ You will suffer, son of Hades!’ What else is new? Nico thought. He palmed the pocketknife.‘ Come get me, you mutt! Or do you have to stay like a good dog until your master shows up?’ Lycaon sprang through the air, his claws extended, his fangs bared. Nico wrapped his free hand around the rope and concentrated, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck. As the wolf king fell on him, Nico thrust the silver knife into Lycaon’s chest. All around the temple, wolves howled as one. The wolf king sank his claws into Nico’s arms. His fangs stopped less than an inch from Nico’s face. Nico ignored his own pain and jabbed the pocketknife to the hilt between Lycaon’s ribs.‘ Be useful, dog,’ he snarled.",Lycaon,Lycaon,"a pole- vaulter. She landed next to Nico.‘ What’s the plan?’ she asked, not even out of breath.‘ Show- off,’ he grumbled. A knotted rope fell from above.‘ Climb, ya silly non- goats!’ Hedge yelled.‘ Go,’ Nico told her.‘ Once you’re up there, hang on tight to the rope.’‘ Nico–’‘ Do it!’ Her javelin shrank back into a sword. Reyna sheathed it and began to climb, scaling the column despite her armour and her supplies. Down in the plaza, Aurum and Argentum were nowhere to be seen. Either they’d retreated or they’d been destroyed. Lycaon broke free of his bone cage with a triumphant howl.‘ You will suffer, son of Hades!’ What else is new? Nico thought. He palmed the pocketknife.‘ Come get me, you mutt! Or do you have to stay like a good dog until your master shows up?’ Lycaon sprang through the air, his claws extended, his fangs bared. Nico wrapped his free hand around the rope and concentrated, a bead of sweat trickling down his neck. As the wolf king fell on him, Nico thrust the silver knife into Lycaon’s chest. All around the temple, wolves howled as one. The wolf king sank his claws into Nico’s arms. His fangs stopped less than an inch from Nico’s face. Nico ignored his own pain and jabbed the pocketknife to the hilt between Lycaon’s ribs.‘ Be useful, dog,’ he snarled.:Previous Entities: |Lycaon| ::: son of Hades!’ ",Lycaon.M "Abomination;""",129700,129703,True,5329:the Lady Jessica.F,"to Ghanima as the embodiment of that apparition which threatened her future. She stood at the edge of the roof garden atop the Keep, the setting sun at her back. The sun held a deep orange glow from intervening dust clouds, a color as rich as the rim of a worm's mouth. She sighed, thinking: Alia... Alia... Is your fate to be my fate? The inner lives had grown increasingly clamorous of late. There was something about female conditioning in a Fremen society-- perhaps it was a real sexual difference, but whatever-- the female was more susceptible to that inner tide. Her grandmother had warned about it as they'd schemed, drawing on the accumulated wisdom of the Bene Gesserit but awakening that wisdom's threats within Ghanima."" Abomination;"" the Lady Jessica had said,"" our term for the pre- born, has a long history of bitter experiences behind it. The way of it seems to be that the inner lives divide. They split into the benign and the malignant. The benign remain tractable, useful. The malignant appear to unite in one powerful psyche, trying to take over the living flesh and its consciousness. The process is known to take considerable time, but its signs are well known."""" Why did you abandon Alia?"" Ghanima asked."" I fled in terror of what I'd created,"" Jessica said, her voice low."" I gave up. And my burden now is that... perhaps I gave up too soon."""" What do you mean?",the Lady Jessica,"Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica","to Ghanima as the embodiment of that apparition which threatened her future. She stood at the edge of the roof garden atop the Keep, the setting sun at her back. The sun held a deep orange glow from intervening dust clouds, a color as rich as the rim of a worm's mouth. She sighed, thinking: Alia... Alia... Is your fate to be my fate? The inner lives had grown increasingly clamorous of late. There was something about female conditioning in a Fremen society-- perhaps it was a real sexual difference, but whatever-- the female was more susceptible to that inner tide. Her grandmother had warned about it as they'd schemed, drawing on the accumulated wisdom of the Bene Gesserit but awakening that wisdom's threats within Ghanima."" Abomination;"" the Lady Jessica had said,"" our term for the pre- born, has a long history of bitter experiences behind it. The way of it seems to be that the inner lives divide. They split into the benign and the malignant. The benign remain tractable, useful. The malignant appear to unite in one powerful psyche, trying to take over the living flesh and its consciousness. The process is known to take considerable time, but its signs are well known."""" Why did you abandon Alia?"" Ghanima asked."" I fled in terror of what I'd created,"" Jessica said, her voice low."" I gave up. And my burden now is that... perhaps I gave up too soon."""" What do you mean?:Previous Entities: |Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica| ::: Abomination;"" ",Jessica.F “Think no more on these matters.”,50406,50414,True,261:Rothgar.M,"signs did I know full well, and so, too, did the North people. A bowl of onion broth was brought for him, and he refused it, saying,“I have the soup illness; do not trouble yourselves on my account.” Then he called for a celebration, and insisted that he preside over it, sitting propped up on a stone couch at the side of King Rothgar, and he drank mead and he was merry. I was near to him when he said to King Rothgar, in the midst of the festivities,“I have no slaves.”“All of my slaves are your slaves,” Rothgar said. Then Buliwyf said,“I have no horses.”“All of my horses are yours,” Rothgar answered.“Think no more on these matters.” And Buliwyf, his wounds bound, was happy, and he smiled, and the color returned to his cheeks that evening, and indeed he seemed to grow stronger with each passing minute of the night. And although I would not have thought it possible, he ravished a slave girl, and afterward he said to me, as a joke,“A dead man is no use to anyone.” And then Buliwyf fell into a sleep, and his color became more pale and his breathing more shallow; I feared he should never awake from this sleep. He may also have thought this, for as he slept he held his sword gripped tight in his hand. THE DEATH THROES OF THE WENDOL SO ALSO I FELL INTO A SLEEP. HERGER AWAKENED ME with these words:“",Rothgar,"the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol","signs did I know full well, and so, too, did the North people. A bowl of onion broth was brought for him, and he refused it, saying,“I have the soup illness; do not trouble yourselves on my account.” Then he called for a celebration, and insisted that he preside over it, sitting propped up on a stone couch at the side of King Rothgar, and he drank mead and he was merry. I was near to him when he said to King Rothgar, in the midst of the festivities,“I have no slaves.”“All of my slaves are your slaves,” Rothgar said. Then Buliwyf said,“I have no horses.”“All of my horses are yours,” Rothgar answered.“Think no more on these matters.” And Buliwyf, his wounds bound, was happy, and he smiled, and the color returned to his cheeks that evening, and indeed he seemed to grow stronger with each passing minute of the night. And although I would not have thought it possible, he ravished a slave girl, and afterward he said to me, as a joke,“A dead man is no use to anyone.” And then Buliwyf fell into a sleep, and his color became more pale and his breathing more shallow; I feared he should never awake from this sleep. He may also have thought this, for as he slept he held his sword gripped tight in his hand. THE DEATH THROES OF THE WENDOL SO ALSO I FELL INTO A SLEEP. HERGER AWAKENED ME with these words:“:Previous Entities: |the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol| ::: “Think no more on these matters.” ",Rothgar.M “He sounds quite ill.,102754,102767,True,766:Zanger.M,"Zanger arrived, the ape had developed laryngitis, and no longer spoke, except for a raspy whisper.“What the hell good is that?” Zanger said.“You can’t hear him.”“It won’t matter,” Gorevitch said.“We’ll tape him and then dub in his voice later. You know, lip- synch him.”“You’ll dub in his voice?”“Nobody will know.”“Are you out of your mind? Everybody will know. Every lab in the world will go over this video with sophisticated equipment. They’ll spot a dub in five minutes.”“All right,” Gorevitch said,“then we’ll wait until he gets better.” Zanger didn’t like that, either.“He sounds quite ill. Did he catch a cold somewhere?”“Possible,” Gorevitch said. In fact, he was almost certain the ape had caught his own cold, during the mouth- to- mouth resuscitation. It was a mild cold for Gorevitch, but appeared to be serious for the orang, who was now bent over in spasms of coughing.“He needs a vet.”“Can’t,” Gorevitch said.“He’s a protected animal, and we stole him, remember?”“You stole him,” Zanger said.“And if you’re not careful, you’ll kill him as well.”“He’s young. He’ll recover.” And, indeed, the following day, the ape was talking again, but coughing spasmodically and spitting up ugly, yellow- green gobs.",Zanger,"the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger","Zanger arrived, the ape had developed laryngitis, and no longer spoke, except for a raspy whisper.“What the hell good is that?” Zanger said.“You can’t hear him.”“It won’t matter,” Gorevitch said.“We’ll tape him and then dub in his voice later. You know, lip- synch him.”“You’ll dub in his voice?”“Nobody will know.”“Are you out of your mind? Everybody will know. Every lab in the world will go over this video with sophisticated equipment. They’ll spot a dub in five minutes.”“All right,” Gorevitch said,“then we’ll wait until he gets better.” Zanger didn’t like that, either.“He sounds quite ill. Did he catch a cold somewhere?”“Possible,” Gorevitch said. In fact, he was almost certain the ape had caught his own cold, during the mouth- to- mouth resuscitation. It was a mild cold for Gorevitch, but appeared to be serious for the orang, who was now bent over in spasms of coughing.“He needs a vet.”“Can’t,” Gorevitch said.“He’s a protected animal, and we stole him, remember?”“You stole him,” Zanger said.“And if you’re not careful, you’ll kill him as well.”“He’s young. He’ll recover.” And, indeed, the following day, the ape was talking again, but coughing spasmodically and spitting up ugly, yellow- green gobs.:Previous Entities: |the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger| ::: “He sounds quite ill. ",Zanger.M and… yes… Scrab has fumbled it!,68700,68795,True,2311:the high priest of Cephut.M,"whistling noise, the distant crump of an explosion, and a long hissing. A few tendrils of steam curled into the room. The priests rushed to the balcony, leaving Dios in his unnerving pool of trauma, and found that the crowds around the palace were staring at the sky.“It would appear,” said the high priest of Cephut, God of Cutlery, who felt that he could take a more relaxed view of the immediate situation,“that Thrrp has fumbled it and has fallen to a surprise tackle from Jeht, Boatman of the Solar Orb.” There was a distant buzzing, as of several billion blue- bottles taking off in a panic, and a huge dark shape passed over the palace.“But,” said the high priest of Cephut,“here comes Scrab again… yes, he’s gaining height… Jeht hasn’t seen him yet, he’s progressing confidently toward the meridian… and here comes Sessifet, Goddess of the Afternoon! This is a surprise! What a surprise this is! A young goddess, yet to make her mark, but my word, what a lot of promise there, this is an astonishing bid, eunuchs and gentlemen, and… yes… Scrab has fumbled it! He’s fumbled it!…” The shadows danced and spun on the stones of the balcony.“… and… what’s this? The elder gods are, there’s no other word for it, they’re cooperating against these brash newcomers! But plucky young Sessifet is hanging in there, she’s exploiting the weakness… she’s in!… and pulling away now, pulling away, Gil and Scrab appear to be fighting, she’s got a clear sky and, yes, yes… yes!… it’s noon! It’s noon! It’s noon!” Silence. The priest was aware that everyone was staring at him. Then someone said,“Why are you shouting into that bulrush?”“Sorry. Don’t know what came over me there.” The priestess of Sarduk, Goddess of",the high priest of Cephut,"The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut","whistling noise, the distant crump of an explosion, and a long hissing. A few tendrils of steam curled into the room. The priests rushed to the balcony, leaving Dios in his unnerving pool of trauma, and found that the crowds around the palace were staring at the sky.“It would appear,” said the high priest of Cephut, God of Cutlery, who felt that he could take a more relaxed view of the immediate situation,“that Thrrp has fumbled it and has fallen to a surprise tackle from Jeht, Boatman of the Solar Orb.” There was a distant buzzing, as of several billion blue- bottles taking off in a panic, and a huge dark shape passed over the palace.“But,” said the high priest of Cephut,“here comes Scrab again… yes, he’s gaining height… Jeht hasn’t seen him yet, he’s progressing confidently toward the meridian… and here comes Sessifet, Goddess of the Afternoon! This is a surprise! What a surprise this is! A young goddess, yet to make her mark, but my word, what a lot of promise there, this is an astonishing bid, eunuchs and gentlemen, and… yes… Scrab has fumbled it! He’s fumbled it!…” The shadows danced and spun on the stones of the balcony.“… and… what’s this? The elder gods are, there’s no other word for it, they’re cooperating against these brash newcomers! But plucky young Sessifet is hanging in there, she’s exploiting the weakness… she’s in!… and pulling away now, pulling away, Gil and Scrab appear to be fighting, she’s got a clear sky and, yes, yes… yes!… it’s noon! It’s noon! It’s noon!” Silence. The priest was aware that everyone was staring at him. Then someone said,“Why are you shouting into that bulrush?”“Sorry. Don’t know what came over me there.” The priestess of Sarduk, Goddess of:Previous Entities: |The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut| ::: and… yes… Scrab has fumbled it! ",The high priest of Cephut.M "this is your new owner speaking to...""",42193,42202,True,1171:A computer voice.?,". If it is what I think it is, and if it's saying what I think it's saying, then we've already gone too far back into the past. Maybe as much as two million years before our own time."" Zaphod shrugged."" Time is bunk,"" he said."" I wonder who this ship belongs to anyway,"" said Arthur."" Me,"" said Zaphod."" No. Who it really belongs to."""" Really me,"" insisted Zaphod,"" look, property is theft, right? Therefore theft is property. Therefore this ship is mine, OK?"""" Tell the ship that,"" said Arthur. Zaphod strode over to the console."" Ship,"" he said, banging on the panels,"" this is your new owner speaking to..."" He got no further. Several things happened at once. The ship dropped out fo time travel mode and re- emerged into real space. All the controls on the console, which had been shut down for the time trip now lit up. A large vision screen above the console winked into life revealing a wide starscape and a single very large sun dead ahead of them. None of these things, however, were responsible for the fact that Zaphod was at the same moment hurled bodily backwards against the rear of the cabin, as were all the others. They were hurled back by a single thunderous clap of noise that thuddered out of the monitor speakers surrounding the vision screen. Section 20 Down on the dry, red world of Kakrafoon, in the middle of the vast Rudlit Desert",A computer voice,"the computer, the animal, A computer voice",". If it is what I think it is, and if it's saying what I think it's saying, then we've already gone too far back into the past. Maybe as much as two million years before our own time."" Zaphod shrugged."" Time is bunk,"" he said."" I wonder who this ship belongs to anyway,"" said Arthur."" Me,"" said Zaphod."" No. Who it really belongs to."""" Really me,"" insisted Zaphod,"" look, property is theft, right? Therefore theft is property. Therefore this ship is mine, OK?"""" Tell the ship that,"" said Arthur. Zaphod strode over to the console."" Ship,"" he said, banging on the panels,"" this is your new owner speaking to..."" He got no further. Several things happened at once. The ship dropped out fo time travel mode and re- emerged into real space. All the controls on the console, which had been shut down for the time trip now lit up. A large vision screen above the console winked into life revealing a wide starscape and a single very large sun dead ahead of them. None of these things, however, were responsible for the fact that Zaphod was at the same moment hurled bodily backwards against the rear of the cabin, as were all the others. They were hurled back by a single thunderous clap of noise that thuddered out of the monitor speakers surrounding the vision screen. Section 20 Down on the dry, red world of Kakrafoon, in the middle of the vast Rudlit Desert:Previous Entities: |the computer, the animal, A computer voice| ::: this is your new owner speaking to..."" ",Zaphod. "Mr. Donadio seemed to take my point.""",86336,86469,True,1821:a woman in her mid - fifties.F,"suit not very different from Meredith's."" Good morning,"" she said."" I'm Barbara Murphy. Please refer to me as judge Murphy, or Ms. Murphy."" She moved around the room, shaking hands with everyone, then took a seat at the head of the table. She opened her briefcase and took out her notes."" Let me tell you the ground rules for our sessions here,"" Judge Murphy said."" This is not a court of law, and our proceedings won't be recorded. I encourage everyone to maintain a civil and courteous tone. We're not here to make wild accusations or to fix blame. Our goal is to define the nature of the dispute between the parties, and to determine how best to resolve that dispute."" I want to remind everyone that the allegations made on both sides are extremely serious and may have legal consequences for all parties. I urge you to treat these sessions confidentially. I particularly caution you against discussing what is said here with any outside person or with the press. l have taken the liberty of speaking privately to Mr. Donadio, the editor of the Post- Intelligencer, about the article that appeared today by Ms. Walsh. I reminded Mr. Donadio that all parties in` Company X' are private individuals and that Ms. Walsh is a paid employee of the paper. The risk of a defamation suit against the P- I is very real. Mr. Donadio seemed to take my point."" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table."" Now then. The parties have agreed that Mr. Sanders will speak first, and he will then be questioned by Mr. Heller. Ms. Johnson will speak next, and will be questioned by Ms. Fernandez. In the interest of time, I alone will have the right to ask questions during the testimony of the principals, and I will set limits on the questions of opposing attorneys. I'm open to some discussion, but I ask your cooperation in letting me exercise judgment and keep things moving. Before we begin, does anybody have any questions?"" Nobody did."" All right. Then let's get started. Mr. Sanders, why don't you tell us what happened, from your point of view."" Sanders",a woman in her mid - fifties,"Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties","suit not very different from Meredith's."" Good morning,"" she said."" I'm Barbara Murphy. Please refer to me as judge Murphy, or Ms. Murphy."" She moved around the room, shaking hands with everyone, then took a seat at the head of the table. She opened her briefcase and took out her notes."" Let me tell you the ground rules for our sessions here,"" Judge Murphy said."" This is not a court of law, and our proceedings won't be recorded. I encourage everyone to maintain a civil and courteous tone. We're not here to make wild accusations or to fix blame. Our goal is to define the nature of the dispute between the parties, and to determine how best to resolve that dispute."" I want to remind everyone that the allegations made on both sides are extremely serious and may have legal consequences for all parties. I urge you to treat these sessions confidentially. I particularly caution you against discussing what is said here with any outside person or with the press. l have taken the liberty of speaking privately to Mr. Donadio, the editor of the Post- Intelligencer, about the article that appeared today by Ms. Walsh. I reminded Mr. Donadio that all parties in` Company X' are private individuals and that Ms. Walsh is a paid employee of the paper. The risk of a defamation suit against the P- I is very real. Mr. Donadio seemed to take my point."" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table."" Now then. The parties have agreed that Mr. Sanders will speak first, and he will then be questioned by Mr. Heller. Ms. Johnson will speak next, and will be questioned by Ms. Fernandez. In the interest of time, I alone will have the right to ask questions during the testimony of the principals, and I will set limits on the questions of opposing attorneys. I'm open to some discussion, but I ask your cooperation in letting me exercise judgment and keep things moving. Before we begin, does anybody have any questions?"" Nobody did."" All right. Then let's get started. Mr. Sanders, why don't you tell us what happened, from your point of view."" Sanders:Previous Entities: |Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties| ::: Mr. Donadio seemed to take my point."" ",Judge Murphy.F "' It was a very good play,",57474,57488,True,97:Lady Felmet.?,", then the Fool watched them bound cheerfully away into the flamethrower of the duchess's glare.' Not where?' she said.' Anywhere,' said the Fool hastily.' Stupid man! Everyone is somewhere.'' I mean, you were everywhere but at the top of the stairs,' said the Fool.' Which stairs?'' Any stairs,' said the Fool, who was beginning to sweat.' I distinctly remember not seeing you!' The duchess eyed him for a while.' So long as you remember it,' she said. The duchess rubbed her chin, which made an audible rasping noise.' Reality is only weak words, you say. Therefore, words are reality. But how can words become history?'' It was a very good play, the play that I saw,' said Felmet dreamily.' There were fights, and no- one really died. Some very good speeches, I thought.' There was another sandpapery sound from the duchess.' Fool?' she said.' Lady?'' Can you write a play? A play that will go around the world, a play that will be remembered long after rumour has died?'' No, lady. It is a special talent.'' But can you find someone who has it?'' There are such people, lady.'' Find one,' murmured the duke.' Find the best. Find the best. The truth will out. Find one.' The storm was resting. It didn't want to be, but it was. It",Lady Felmet,"Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards",", then the Fool watched them bound cheerfully away into the flamethrower of the duchess's glare.' Not where?' she said.' Anywhere,' said the Fool hastily.' Stupid man! Everyone is somewhere.'' I mean, you were everywhere but at the top of the stairs,' said the Fool.' Which stairs?'' Any stairs,' said the Fool, who was beginning to sweat.' I distinctly remember not seeing you!' The duchess eyed him for a while.' So long as you remember it,' she said. The duchess rubbed her chin, which made an audible rasping noise.' Reality is only weak words, you say. Therefore, words are reality. But how can words become history?'' It was a very good play, the play that I saw,' said Felmet dreamily.' There were fights, and no- one really died. Some very good speeches, I thought.' There was another sandpapery sound from the duchess.' Fool?' she said.' Lady?'' Can you write a play? A play that will go around the world, a play that will be remembered long after rumour has died?'' No, lady. It is a special talent.'' But can you find someone who has it?'' There are such people, lady.'' Find one,' murmured the duke.' Find the best. Find the best. The truth will out. Find one.' The storm was resting. It didn't want to be, but it was. It:Previous Entities: |Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards| ::: ' It was a very good play, ",Fool. M "poor Lucius… what with Voldemort’s fury about the fact that he threw away the Horcrux for his own gain,",170028,170288,True,3102:a few of them.?,"know when a Horcrux is destroyed, sir? Can he feel it?’ Harry asked, ignoring the portraits.‘ A very interesting question, Harry. I believe not. I believe that Voldemort is now so immersed in evil, and these crucial parts of himself have been detached for so long, he does not feel as we do. Perhaps, at the point of death, he might be aware of his loss… but he was not aware, for instance, that the diary had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy. When Voldemort discovered that the diary had been mutilated and robbed of all its powers, I am told that his anger was terrible to behold.’‘ But I thought he meant Lucius Malfoy to smuggle it into Hogwarts?’‘ Yes he did, years ago, when he was sure he would be able to create more Horcruxes, but still Lucius was supposed to wait for Voldemort’s say- so, and he never received it, for Voldemort vanished shortly after giving him the diary. No doubt he thought that Lucius would not dare do anything with the Horcrux other than guard it carefully, but he was counting too much upon Lucius’s fear of a master who had been gone for years and whom Lucius believed dead. Of course, Lucius did not know what the diary really was. I understand that Voldemort had told him the diary would cause the Chamber of Secrets to reopen, because it was cleverly enchanted. Had Lucius known he held a portion of his master’s soul in his hands he would undoubtedly have treated it with more reverence– but instead he went ahead and carried out the old plan for his own ends: by planting the diary upon Arthur Weasley’s daughter, he hoped to discredit Arthur, have me thrown out of Hogwarts and get rid of a highly incriminating object in one stroke. Ah, poor Lucius… what with Voldemort’s fury about the fact that he threw away the Horcrux for his own gain, and the fiasco at the Ministry last year, I would not be surprised if he is secretly glad to be safe in Azkaban at the moment.’ Harry sat in thought for a moment, then asked,‘ So if all of his Horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort could be killed?’‘ Yes, I think so,’ said Dumbledore.‘ Without his Horcruxes, Voldemort will be a mortal man with a maimed and diminished soul. Never forget, though, that while his soul may be damaged beyond repair, his brain and his magical power remain intact. It will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort, even without his Horcruxes.’‘ But I haven’t got uncommon skill and power,’ said Harry, before he could stop himself.‘ Yes, you have,’ said Dumbledore firmly.‘ You have a power that Voldemort has never had. You can–’‘ I know",a few of them,"the Chosen One, a few of them","know when a Horcrux is destroyed, sir? Can he feel it?’ Harry asked, ignoring the portraits.‘ A very interesting question, Harry. I believe not. I believe that Voldemort is now so immersed in evil, and these crucial parts of himself have been detached for so long, he does not feel as we do. Perhaps, at the point of death, he might be aware of his loss… but he was not aware, for instance, that the diary had been destroyed until he forced the truth out of Lucius Malfoy. When Voldemort discovered that the diary had been mutilated and robbed of all its powers, I am told that his anger was terrible to behold.’‘ But I thought he meant Lucius Malfoy to smuggle it into Hogwarts?’‘ Yes he did, years ago, when he was sure he would be able to create more Horcruxes, but still Lucius was supposed to wait for Voldemort’s say- so, and he never received it, for Voldemort vanished shortly after giving him the diary. No doubt he thought that Lucius would not dare do anything with the Horcrux other than guard it carefully, but he was counting too much upon Lucius’s fear of a master who had been gone for years and whom Lucius believed dead. Of course, Lucius did not know what the diary really was. I understand that Voldemort had told him the diary would cause the Chamber of Secrets to reopen, because it was cleverly enchanted. Had Lucius known he held a portion of his master’s soul in his hands he would undoubtedly have treated it with more reverence– but instead he went ahead and carried out the old plan for his own ends: by planting the diary upon Arthur Weasley’s daughter, he hoped to discredit Arthur, have me thrown out of Hogwarts and get rid of a highly incriminating object in one stroke. Ah, poor Lucius… what with Voldemort’s fury about the fact that he threw away the Horcrux for his own gain, and the fiasco at the Ministry last year, I would not be surprised if he is secretly glad to be safe in Azkaban at the moment.’ Harry sat in thought for a moment, then asked,‘ So if all of his Horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort could be killed?’‘ Yes, I think so,’ said Dumbledore.‘ Without his Horcruxes, Voldemort will be a mortal man with a maimed and diminished soul. Never forget, though, that while his soul may be damaged beyond repair, his brain and his magical power remain intact. It will take uncommon skill and power to kill a wizard like Voldemort, even without his Horcruxes.’‘ But I haven’t got uncommon skill and power,’ said Harry, before he could stop himself.‘ Yes, you have,’ said Dumbledore firmly.‘ You have a power that Voldemort has never had. You can–’‘ I know:Previous Entities: |the Chosen One, a few of them| ::: poor Lucius… what with Voldemort’s fury about the fact that he threw away the Horcrux for his own gain, ",Lucius.M ‘ LIES!’,77558,77561,True,597:Polybotes.M,"‘– and feared by both Greeks and Romans. You’ll be famous!’‘ STOP TALKING!’ Polybotes swung his trident like a baseball bat. Jason ducked. Kym did not. The giant slammed her in the ribcage so hard that strands of her jellyfish hair came loose and drifted through the poisoned water. Polybotes’s eyes widened.‘ I’m sorry, Kymopoleia. You shouldn’t have been in the way!’‘ IN THE WAY?’ The goddess straightened.‘ I am in the way?’‘ You heard him,’ Jason said.‘ You’re nothing but a tool for the giants. They’ll cast you aside as soon as they’re through destroying the mortals. Then no demigods, no shrines, no fear, no respect.’‘ LIES!’ Polybotes tried to stab him, but Jason hid behind the goddess’s dress.‘ Kymopoleia, when Gaia rules, you will rage and storm without restraint!’‘ Will there be mortals to terrorize?’ Kym asked.‘ Well… no.’‘ Ships to destroy? Demigods to cower in awe?’‘ Um…’‘ Help me,’ Jason urged.‘ Together, a goddess and a demigod can kill a giant.’‘ No!’ Polybotes suddenly looked very nervous.‘ No, that’s a terrible idea. Gaia will be most displeased!’‘ If Gaia wakes,’ Jason said.‘ The mighty Kymopoleia can help us make sure that never happens. Then all demigods will honour you big- time!’‘ Will they cower",Polybotes,"A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes","‘– and feared by both Greeks and Romans. You’ll be famous!’‘ STOP TALKING!’ Polybotes swung his trident like a baseball bat. Jason ducked. Kym did not. The giant slammed her in the ribcage so hard that strands of her jellyfish hair came loose and drifted through the poisoned water. Polybotes’s eyes widened.‘ I’m sorry, Kymopoleia. You shouldn’t have been in the way!’‘ IN THE WAY?’ The goddess straightened.‘ I am in the way?’‘ You heard him,’ Jason said.‘ You’re nothing but a tool for the giants. They’ll cast you aside as soon as they’re through destroying the mortals. Then no demigods, no shrines, no fear, no respect.’‘ LIES!’ Polybotes tried to stab him, but Jason hid behind the goddess’s dress.‘ Kymopoleia, when Gaia rules, you will rage and storm without restraint!’‘ Will there be mortals to terrorize?’ Kym asked.‘ Well… no.’‘ Ships to destroy? Demigods to cower in awe?’‘ Um…’‘ Help me,’ Jason urged.‘ Together, a goddess and a demigod can kill a giant.’‘ No!’ Polybotes suddenly looked very nervous.‘ No, that’s a terrible idea. Gaia will be most displeased!’‘ If Gaia wakes,’ Jason said.‘ The mighty Kymopoleia can help us make sure that never happens. Then all demigods will honour you big- time!’‘ Will they cower:Previous Entities: |A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes| ::: ‘ LIES!’ ",Polybotes.M “How could we have known?”,19243,19250,True,186:Withel.M,"the other end of the table Ymor watched with mild amusement, occasionally feeding one of his ravens with scraps from his plate. Beside him Withel paced up and down.“You fret too much,” said Ymor, without taking his eyes from the two men opposite him.“I can feel it, Stren. Who would dare attack us here? And the gutter wizard will come. He’s too much of a coward not to. And he’ll try to bargain. And we shall have him. And the gold. And the chest.” Withel’s one eye glared, and he smacked a fist into the palm of a black- gloved hand.“Who would have thought there was so much sapient pearwood in the whole of the Disc?” he said.“How could we have known?”“You fret too much, Stren. I’m sure you can do better this time,” said Ymor pleasantly. The lieutenant snorted in disgust, and strode off around the room to bully his men. Ymor carried on watching the tourist. It was strange, but the little man didn’t seem to realize the seriousness of his position. Ymor had on several occasions seen him look around the room with an expression of deep satisfaction. He had also been talking for ages to Broadman, and Ymor had seen a piece of paper change hands. And Broadman had given the foreigner some coins. It was strange. When Broadman got up and waddled past Ymor’s chair the thiefmaster’s arm shot out like a steel spring and grabbed the fat man by his apron.“What was",Withel,"The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp","the other end of the table Ymor watched with mild amusement, occasionally feeding one of his ravens with scraps from his plate. Beside him Withel paced up and down.“You fret too much,” said Ymor, without taking his eyes from the two men opposite him.“I can feel it, Stren. Who would dare attack us here? And the gutter wizard will come. He’s too much of a coward not to. And he’ll try to bargain. And we shall have him. And the gold. And the chest.” Withel’s one eye glared, and he smacked a fist into the palm of a black- gloved hand.“Who would have thought there was so much sapient pearwood in the whole of the Disc?” he said.“How could we have known?”“You fret too much, Stren. I’m sure you can do better this time,” said Ymor pleasantly. The lieutenant snorted in disgust, and strode off around the room to bully his men. Ymor carried on watching the tourist. It was strange, but the little man didn’t seem to realize the seriousness of his position. Ymor had on several occasions seen him look around the room with an expression of deep satisfaction. He had also been talking for ages to Broadman, and Ymor had seen a piece of paper change hands. And Broadman had given the foreigner some coins. It was strange. When Broadman got up and waddled past Ymor’s chair the thiefmaster’s arm shot out like a steel spring and grabbed the fat man by his apron.“What was:Previous Entities: |The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp| ::: “How could we have known?” ",Withel.M "They found her in the gutter,""",17232,17240,True,207:Gaffen.M,"of death seems to be around midnight."" To Hendricks he said,"" Does that suggest anything?"" Hendricks shook his head and bit his lip. Gaffen was giving him the business. I would have objected but this was standard procedure. Browbeating often passes for teaching in medicine. Hendricks knew it. I knew it. Gaffen knew it."" Where,"" Gaffen said,"" do you suppose she was for those five hours after death?"""" I don't know,"" Hendricks said miserably."" Guess."""" Lying in bed."""" Impossible. Look at the lividity.5 She wasn't ly ing flat anywhere. She was half seated, half rolled over on her side."" Hendricks looked at the body again, then shook his head again."" They found her in the gutter,"" Gaffen said."" On Charleston Street, two blocks from the Combat Zone. In the gutter."""" Oh."""" So,"" Gaffen said,"" what would you call those marks now?"" Hendricks shook his head. I knew this could go on forever; Gaffen could play it for all it was worth. I cleared my throat and said,"" Actually, Hendricks, they're rat bites. Very characteristic: an initial puncture, and then a wedge- shaped tear."" 5 The seeping of blood to the lowest portions of the body after death. It of ten helps establish the position of the body."" Rat bites,"" he said in a low voice."" Live and learn,"" Gaffen said. He checked his watch.""",Gaffen,"Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen","of death seems to be around midnight."" To Hendricks he said,"" Does that suggest anything?"" Hendricks shook his head and bit his lip. Gaffen was giving him the business. I would have objected but this was standard procedure. Browbeating often passes for teaching in medicine. Hendricks knew it. I knew it. Gaffen knew it."" Where,"" Gaffen said,"" do you suppose she was for those five hours after death?"""" I don't know,"" Hendricks said miserably."" Guess."""" Lying in bed."""" Impossible. Look at the lividity.5 She wasn't ly ing flat anywhere. She was half seated, half rolled over on her side."" Hendricks looked at the body again, then shook his head again."" They found her in the gutter,"" Gaffen said."" On Charleston Street, two blocks from the Combat Zone. In the gutter."""" Oh."""" So,"" Gaffen said,"" what would you call those marks now?"" Hendricks shook his head. I knew this could go on forever; Gaffen could play it for all it was worth. I cleared my throat and said,"" Actually, Hendricks, they're rat bites. Very characteristic: an initial puncture, and then a wedge- shaped tear."" 5 The seeping of blood to the lowest portions of the body after death. It of ten helps establish the position of the body."" Rat bites,"" he said in a low voice."" Live and learn,"" Gaffen said. He checked his watch."":Previous Entities: |Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen| ::: They found her in the gutter,"" ",Gaffen.M ' Yeah.,73859,73868,True,2293:one of his assistants.?,"' It's a clown!' said Hwel.' They've mugged a clown!''“Theft Licence”?' said Tomjon, holding the card up to the light.' That's right,' said the leader of the three.' Only don't expect us to do you too,'cos we're on our way home.'' S'right,' said one of his assistants.' It's the thingy, the quota.'' But you were kicking him!'' Worl, not a lot. Not what you'd call actual kicking.'' More foot nudging, sort of thing,' said the third thief.' Fair's fair. He bloody well went and fetched Ron here a right thump, didn't he?'' Yeah. Some people have no idea.'' Why, you heartless—' Hwel began, but Tomjon laid a cautioning hand on his head. The boy turned the card over. The obverse read: J. H.' Flannelfoot' Boggis and Nephews Bespoke Thieves' The Old Firm'(Estblshd AM 1789) All type Theft carryed out Professionly and with Disgression Houses cleared. 24- hr service. No job too small. LET US QUOTE YOU FOR OUR FAMILY RATE' It seems to be in order,' he said reluctantly. Hwel paused in the act of helping the dazed victim to his feet.' In order?' he shouted.' To rob someone?'' We'll give him a chitty, of course,' said Boggis.' Lucky we found him first, really. Some of these newcomers",one of his assistants,"The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants","' It's a clown!' said Hwel.' They've mugged a clown!''“Theft Licence”?' said Tomjon, holding the card up to the light.' That's right,' said the leader of the three.' Only don't expect us to do you too,'cos we're on our way home.'' S'right,' said one of his assistants.' It's the thingy, the quota.'' But you were kicking him!'' Worl, not a lot. Not what you'd call actual kicking.'' More foot nudging, sort of thing,' said the third thief.' Fair's fair. He bloody well went and fetched Ron here a right thump, didn't he?'' Yeah. Some people have no idea.'' Why, you heartless—' Hwel began, but Tomjon laid a cautioning hand on his head. The boy turned the card over. The obverse read: J. H.' Flannelfoot' Boggis and Nephews Bespoke Thieves' The Old Firm'(Estblshd AM 1789) All type Theft carryed out Professionly and with Disgression Houses cleared. 24- hr service. No job too small. LET US QUOTE YOU FOR OUR FAMILY RATE' It seems to be in order,' he said reluctantly. Hwel paused in the act of helping the dazed victim to his feet.' In order?' he shouted.' To rob someone?'' We'll give him a chitty, of course,' said Boggis.' Lucky we found him first, really. Some of these newcomers:Previous Entities: |The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants| ::: ' Yeah. ",Tomjon.M "“Well,",19073,19097,True,219:her mum.F,". No, once she flew over The Beaks and neared the hollow, all her concerns and worries simply melted away. And her mum was always so proud of her, especially her reading and her writing skills. Her mum saved every little paper Eglantine brought her and praised her fine penmanship. She always showed such interest in the books that Eglantine was reading.“There’s one, Mum, that tells all about flecks and how to make more flecks from flecks.” At this her mum grew very excited.“Oh, darling! I would love to know about that. Please copy that one down.”“Oh, Mum, I don’t know. It’s in a very big book with a lot of writing on each page and very complicated diagrams.”“Well, darling, I think if you would just tear out a couple of the pages, no one would notice.” Eglantine blinked. Did something perhaps prick at the back of her mind? Did her gizzard perhaps flinch ever so slightly? Although it hardly stirred at all anymore. She simply said,“Sure, I’ll get it next time.” And she did. CHAPTER ELEVEN Primrose’s Last Thought But Eglantine, I was in the infirmary for two weeks and never once did you come to visit me. Not one time.” Primrose peered at her friend in genuine confoundment. Eglantine blinked.“I’m sorry, it just slipped my mind.” But she didn’t look the least bit sorry. She did look different, though. Her usually lustrous black eyes had a dull gaze to them. Primrose didn’t know what to think.“I’ve been so busy,",her mum,"the man with the paper cup, her mum",". No, once she flew over The Beaks and neared the hollow, all her concerns and worries simply melted away. And her mum was always so proud of her, especially her reading and her writing skills. Her mum saved every little paper Eglantine brought her and praised her fine penmanship. She always showed such interest in the books that Eglantine was reading.“There’s one, Mum, that tells all about flecks and how to make more flecks from flecks.” At this her mum grew very excited.“Oh, darling! I would love to know about that. Please copy that one down.”“Oh, Mum, I don’t know. It’s in a very big book with a lot of writing on each page and very complicated diagrams.”“Well, darling, I think if you would just tear out a couple of the pages, no one would notice.” Eglantine blinked. Did something perhaps prick at the back of her mind? Did her gizzard perhaps flinch ever so slightly? Although it hardly stirred at all anymore. She simply said,“Sure, I’ll get it next time.” And she did. CHAPTER ELEVEN Primrose’s Last Thought But Eglantine, I was in the infirmary for two weeks and never once did you come to visit me. Not one time.” Primrose peered at her friend in genuine confoundment. Eglantine blinked.“I’m sorry, it just slipped my mind.” But she didn’t look the least bit sorry. She did look different, though. Her usually lustrous black eyes had a dull gaze to them. Primrose didn’t know what to think.“I’ve been so busy,:Previous Entities: |the man with the paper cup, her mum| ::: “Well, ",Eglantine.F "According to the Harvamal,‘ No one should trust the words of a girl or a married woman,",62618,62693,True,375:Cantrell.?,"transport dead warriors to Paradise. It was believed that there were three Valkyries, as there were three Norns, or Fates, which were present at the birth of every man, and determined the outcome of his life. The Norns were named Urth, the past; Verthandi, the present; and Skuld, the future. The Norns‘ wove’ a man’s fate, and weaving was a woman’s work; in popular representations they were shown as young maidens. Wyrd, an Anglo- Saxon deity which ruled fate, was also a goddess. Presumably the association of women with man’s fate was a permutation of earlier concepts of women as fertility symbols; the goddesses of fertility controlled the growing and flowering of crops and living things on the earth.” Cantrell also notes that“in practice, we know that divination, spellcasting, and other shamanistic functions were reserved to elderly women in Norse society. Furthermore, popular ideas of women contained a heavy element of suspicion. According to the Harvamal,‘ No one should trust the words of a girl or a married woman, for their hearts have been shaped on a turning wheel and they are inconstant by nature.’” Bendixon says,“Among the early Scandinavians there was a kind of division of power according to sex. Men ruled physical affairs; women, psychological matters.”[ 40] This is a paraphrase of a sentiment among the Northmen, expressed fully as:“Praise not the day until evening has come; a woman until she is burnt; a sword until it is tried; a maiden until she is married; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk.” This prudent, realistic, and somewhat cynical view of human nature and the world was something the Scandinavians and the Arabs shared. And like the Scandinavians, the Arabs often express it in mundane or satiric terms. There is a Sufi story about a man who asked a sage:“Suppose",Cantrell,"the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell","transport dead warriors to Paradise. It was believed that there were three Valkyries, as there were three Norns, or Fates, which were present at the birth of every man, and determined the outcome of his life. The Norns were named Urth, the past; Verthandi, the present; and Skuld, the future. The Norns‘ wove’ a man’s fate, and weaving was a woman’s work; in popular representations they were shown as young maidens. Wyrd, an Anglo- Saxon deity which ruled fate, was also a goddess. Presumably the association of women with man’s fate was a permutation of earlier concepts of women as fertility symbols; the goddesses of fertility controlled the growing and flowering of crops and living things on the earth.” Cantrell also notes that“in practice, we know that divination, spellcasting, and other shamanistic functions were reserved to elderly women in Norse society. Furthermore, popular ideas of women contained a heavy element of suspicion. According to the Harvamal,‘ No one should trust the words of a girl or a married woman, for their hearts have been shaped on a turning wheel and they are inconstant by nature.’” Bendixon says,“Among the early Scandinavians there was a kind of division of power according to sex. Men ruled physical affairs; women, psychological matters.”[ 40] This is a paraphrase of a sentiment among the Northmen, expressed fully as:“Praise not the day until evening has come; a woman until she is burnt; a sword until it is tried; a maiden until she is married; ice until it has been crossed; beer until it has been drunk.” This prudent, realistic, and somewhat cynical view of human nature and the world was something the Scandinavians and the Arabs shared. And like the Scandinavians, the Arabs often express it in mundane or satiric terms. There is a Sufi story about a man who asked a sage:“Suppose:Previous Entities: |the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell| ::: According to the Harvamal,‘ No one should trust the words of a girl or a married woman, ",Cantrell.F Artemis the hunter.,73753,73822,True,1248:the boss.M,"never here. The tapes will prove it.'' But you are here!' roared Spiro, his nerves shot. His whole body vibrated and spittle sprayed from his lips in a wide arc.' Your dead body will prove it. Give me the gun, Arno. I'm going to shoot him.' Blunt could not hide his disappointment, but he did as he was told. Spiro pointed the weapon with shaky hands. Pex and Chips stepped rapidly to one side. The boss was not known for his marksmanship.' You have taken everything from me,' he shouted.' Everything.' Artemis was strangely calm.' You don't understand, Jon. It's like I told you. I am not here.' He paused for breath.' And one more thing. About my name--Artemis-you were right. In London, it is generally a female name, after the Greek goddess of archery. But every now and then a male comes along with such a talent for hunting that he earns the right to use the name. I am that male. Artemis the hunter. I hunted you.' And just like that, he disappeared. Holly had been hovering above Spiro and Co. all the way from the Spiro Needle to the Phonetix building. She had got permission to enter the facility minutes earlier when Juliet had called to enquire about the public tours. Juliet had put on her best cutesy voice for the security guide.' Hey, mister, is it OK if I bring my invisible friend?'' Sure it is, honey,' replied the guide.' Bring your security blanket too, if it makes you happy.' They were in. Holly hovered at ceiling level, following Artemis's progress below. The Mud Boy's plan was fraught with risk. If Spiro decided to shoot him in the Needle, then it was all over. But no, just",the boss,"the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin","never here. The tapes will prove it.'' But you are here!' roared Spiro, his nerves shot. His whole body vibrated and spittle sprayed from his lips in a wide arc.' Your dead body will prove it. Give me the gun, Arno. I'm going to shoot him.' Blunt could not hide his disappointment, but he did as he was told. Spiro pointed the weapon with shaky hands. Pex and Chips stepped rapidly to one side. The boss was not known for his marksmanship.' You have taken everything from me,' he shouted.' Everything.' Artemis was strangely calm.' You don't understand, Jon. It's like I told you. I am not here.' He paused for breath.' And one more thing. About my name--Artemis-you were right. In London, it is generally a female name, after the Greek goddess of archery. But every now and then a male comes along with such a talent for hunting that he earns the right to use the name. I am that male. Artemis the hunter. I hunted you.' And just like that, he disappeared. Holly had been hovering above Spiro and Co. all the way from the Spiro Needle to the Phonetix building. She had got permission to enter the facility minutes earlier when Juliet had called to enquire about the public tours. Juliet had put on her best cutesy voice for the security guide.' Hey, mister, is it OK if I bring my invisible friend?'' Sure it is, honey,' replied the guide.' Bring your security blanket too, if it makes you happy.' They were in. Holly hovered at ceiling level, following Artemis's progress below. The Mud Boy's plan was fraught with risk. If Spiro decided to shoot him in the Needle, then it was all over. But no, just:Previous Entities: |the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin| ::: Artemis the hunter. ",Jon Spiro.M “The public is tired of serial killers?,32612,32629,True,1527:the producer.?,"it justworked out that way.”“Worked out that way my ass,” the anchorman said. The anchorwoman was a gorgeous redhead with a killer figure. She was taking a long time to shuffle through her notes, making sure she stayed to overhear the conversation between Bob and her co anchor“Look,” the anchorman said.“It’s in my contract. Half the lead- ins and half the wraps. It’s contractual.”“But Jim,” the producer said.“The lead tonight was Paris fashions and the Nakamoto party. That’s human interest stuff.”“It should have been the serial killer.” Bob sighed.“His arraignment was postponed. Anyway, the public is tired of serial killers.” The anchorman looked incredulous.“The public is tired of serial killers? Now, where’d you get that?”“You can read it yourself in the focus groups, Jim. Serial killers are overexposed. Our audience is worried about the economy. They don’t want any more serial killers.”“Our audience is worried about the economy so we lead off with Nakamoto and Paris fashions?”“That’s right, Jim,” Bob Arthur said.“In hard times, you do star parties. That’s what people want to see: fashion and fantasy.” The anchor looked sullen.“I’m a journalist, I’m here to do hard news, not fashion.”“Right, Jim,” the producer said.“That’s why Liz did the intros tonight. We want to keep your image hard news.”“When Teddy Roosevelt led this country",the producer,"the anchorman, the producer","it justworked out that way.”“Worked out that way my ass,” the anchorman said. The anchorwoman was a gorgeous redhead with a killer figure. She was taking a long time to shuffle through her notes, making sure she stayed to overhear the conversation between Bob and her co anchor“Look,” the anchorman said.“It’s in my contract. Half the lead- ins and half the wraps. It’s contractual.”“But Jim,” the producer said.“The lead tonight was Paris fashions and the Nakamoto party. That’s human interest stuff.”“It should have been the serial killer.” Bob sighed.“His arraignment was postponed. Anyway, the public is tired of serial killers.” The anchorman looked incredulous.“The public is tired of serial killers? Now, where’d you get that?”“You can read it yourself in the focus groups, Jim. Serial killers are overexposed. Our audience is worried about the economy. They don’t want any more serial killers.”“Our audience is worried about the economy so we lead off with Nakamoto and Paris fashions?”“That’s right, Jim,” Bob Arthur said.“In hard times, you do star parties. That’s what people want to see: fashion and fantasy.” The anchor looked sullen.“I’m a journalist, I’m here to do hard news, not fashion.”“Right, Jim,” the producer said.“That’s why Liz did the intros tonight. We want to keep your image hard news.”“When Teddy Roosevelt led this country:Previous Entities: |the anchorman, the producer| ::: “The public is tired of serial killers? ",Jim.M I will make it known where I have delivered you.”,165053,165081,True,5587:The ruined man.?,"tempting to say“yes” but the driver had said to make haste.“Thank you, but I must go.”“You have not been here,” the man said. When they were once more back on the main road, Teg sat back against the groundcar’s cushions and reflected on the curious echoing quality of what the ruined man had said. The same words the farmer had used:“You have not been here.” It had the feeling of a common response and it said something about changes in Gammu since Teg had surveyed the place. They entered the outskirts of Ysai presently and Teg wondered if he should attempt a disguise. The ruined man had recognized him quickly.“Where do the Honored Matres hunt for me now?” Teg asked.“Everywhere, Bashar. We can not guarantee your safety but steps are being taken. I will make it known where I have delivered you.”“Do they say why they hunt me?”“They never explain, Bashar.”“How long have they been on Gammu?”“Too long, sir. Since I was a child and I was a baltern at Renditai.” A hundred years at least, Teg thought. Time to gather many forces into their hands… if Taraza’s fears were to be credited. Teg credited them.“Trust no one those whores can influence,” Taraza had said. Teg sensed no threat to him in his present position, though. He could only absorb the secrecy that obviously enclosed him now. He did not press for more details. They were well into Ysai and he glimpsed the black bulk of the ancient Harkonnen seat of Barony through occasional gaps between the walls",The ruined man,"the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man","tempting to say“yes” but the driver had said to make haste.“Thank you, but I must go.”“You have not been here,” the man said. When they were once more back on the main road, Teg sat back against the groundcar’s cushions and reflected on the curious echoing quality of what the ruined man had said. The same words the farmer had used:“You have not been here.” It had the feeling of a common response and it said something about changes in Gammu since Teg had surveyed the place. They entered the outskirts of Ysai presently and Teg wondered if he should attempt a disguise. The ruined man had recognized him quickly.“Where do the Honored Matres hunt for me now?” Teg asked.“Everywhere, Bashar. We can not guarantee your safety but steps are being taken. I will make it known where I have delivered you.”“Do they say why they hunt me?”“They never explain, Bashar.”“How long have they been on Gammu?”“Too long, sir. Since I was a child and I was a baltern at Renditai.” A hundred years at least, Teg thought. Time to gather many forces into their hands… if Taraza’s fears were to be credited. Teg credited them.“Trust no one those whores can influence,” Taraza had said. Teg sensed no threat to him in his present position, though. He could only absorb the secrecy that obviously enclosed him now. He did not press for more details. They were well into Ysai and he glimpsed the black bulk of the ancient Harkonnen seat of Barony through occasional gaps between the walls:Previous Entities: |the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man| ::: I will make it known where I have delivered you.” ",The ruined man.M “How do you do it?”,222931,222938,True,266:Petunia.F,"” Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves and, though the girls did not know it, Snape. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind which Snape lurked. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals, like some bizarre, many- lipped oyster.“Stop it!” shrieked Petunia.“It’s not hurting you,” said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground.“It’s not right,” said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower’s flight to the ground and lingered upon it.“How do you do it?” she added, and there was definite longing in her voice.“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily.“What’s obvious?” asked Lily. Snape had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said,“I know what you are.”“What do you mean?”“You’re… you’re a witch,” whispered Snape. She looked affronted",Petunia,"Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick","” Petunia glanced around. The playground was deserted apart from themselves and, though the girls did not know it, Snape. Lily had picked up a fallen flower from the bush behind which Snape lurked. Petunia advanced, evidently torn between curiosity and disapproval. Lily waited until Petunia was near enough to have a clear view, then held out her palm. The flower sat there, opening and closing its petals, like some bizarre, many- lipped oyster.“Stop it!” shrieked Petunia.“It’s not hurting you,” said Lily, but she closed her hand on the blossom and threw it back to the ground.“It’s not right,” said Petunia, but her eyes had followed the flower’s flight to the ground and lingered upon it.“How do you do it?” she added, and there was definite longing in her voice.“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Snape could no longer contain himself, but had jumped out from behind the bushes. Petunia shrieked and ran backward toward the swings, but Lily, though clearly startled, remained where she was. Snape seemed to regret his appearance. A dull flush of color mounted the sallow cheeks as he looked at Lily.“What’s obvious?” asked Lily. Snape had an air of nervous excitement. With a glance at the distant Petunia, now hovering beside the swings, he lowered his voice and said,“I know what you are.”“What do you mean?”“You’re… you’re a witch,” whispered Snape. She looked affronted:Previous Entities: |Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick| ::: “How do you do it?” ","""How do you do it?"" Lily asked. F" "and the house was empty,",54034,54063,True,129:Scawgo.M,"raced away. Doon took a long breath. He would have to find his pack and then hide somewhere until the Troggs gave up their search. That might take a long time. Disappointment drained his energy. He had wanted so badly to get out now. Overhead, he heard a sound— a scrape, then a pause, then a scrape and a thump. A moment later, uneven footsteps on the stairs next door: ka- bump, ka- bump. Doon peered from his doorway and saw Scawgo come out into the square.“Doon!” Scawgo whispered.“I’m here,” Doon whispered back. Scawgo limped over to him, going as fast as he could, carrying something.“I heard you get up,” Scawgo said breathlessly,“and I watched you from the window. Then she yelled and they all left, and the house was empty, so I got you this.” He handed Doon a small yellow- wrapped bundle.“Take it, quick.” Doon’s heart leapt. He knew what this was. But he hesitated.“You’ll get in trouble,” he said.“No, I won’t,” said Scawgo.“He’ll think you took it.” He smiled and handed Doon the bundle.“Thank you for getting my treasures,” he said. Doon laid a hand briefly on Scawgo’s shoulder.“I’ll be back for you.” Then at last he ran. At top speed, with the metal cuffs bouncing and scraping against his ankles, he ran up Gilly Street, around the corner onto Rockbellow Road, and into the deep shadow at the back of the Gathering Hall. Light",Scawgo,"Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo","raced away. Doon took a long breath. He would have to find his pack and then hide somewhere until the Troggs gave up their search. That might take a long time. Disappointment drained his energy. He had wanted so badly to get out now. Overhead, he heard a sound— a scrape, then a pause, then a scrape and a thump. A moment later, uneven footsteps on the stairs next door: ka- bump, ka- bump. Doon peered from his doorway and saw Scawgo come out into the square.“Doon!” Scawgo whispered.“I’m here,” Doon whispered back. Scawgo limped over to him, going as fast as he could, carrying something.“I heard you get up,” Scawgo said breathlessly,“and I watched you from the window. Then she yelled and they all left, and the house was empty, so I got you this.” He handed Doon a small yellow- wrapped bundle.“Take it, quick.” Doon’s heart leapt. He knew what this was. But he hesitated.“You’ll get in trouble,” he said.“No, I won’t,” said Scawgo.“He’ll think you took it.” He smiled and handed Doon the bundle.“Thank you for getting my treasures,” he said. Doon laid a hand briefly on Scawgo’s shoulder.“I’ll be back for you.” Then at last he ran. At top speed, with the metal cuffs bouncing and scraping against his ankles, he ran up Gilly Street, around the corner onto Rockbellow Road, and into the deep shadow at the back of the Gathering Hall. Light:Previous Entities: |Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo| ::: and the house was empty, ",Scawgo.M "“Not with the dragon,",128146,128156,True,597:Michael Corner.M,"at him, smiling; his stomach did another somersault)“all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year- getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromantula and things…” There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the table. Harry’s insides were squirming. He was trying to arrange his face so that he did not look too pleased with himself. The fact that Cho had just praised him made it much, much harder for him to say the thing he had sworn to himself he would tell them.“Look,” he said, and everyone fell silent at once,“I… I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be modest or anything, but… I had a lot of help with all that stuff…”“Not with the dragon, you didn’t,” said Michael Corner at once.“That was a seriously cool bit of flying…”“Yeah, well-” said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.“And nobody helped you get rid of those Dementors this summer,” said Susan Bones.“No,” said Harry,“no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I’m trying to make is-”“Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?” said Zacharias Smith.“Here’s an idea,” said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak,“why don’t you shut your mouth?” Perhaps the word‘ weasel’ had affected Ron particularly strongly. In any case, he was now",Michael Corner,"This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia","at him, smiling; his stomach did another somersault)“all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year- getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromantula and things…” There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the table. Harry’s insides were squirming. He was trying to arrange his face so that he did not look too pleased with himself. The fact that Cho had just praised him made it much, much harder for him to say the thing he had sworn to himself he would tell them.“Look,” he said, and everyone fell silent at once,“I… I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be modest or anything, but… I had a lot of help with all that stuff…”“Not with the dragon, you didn’t,” said Michael Corner at once.“That was a seriously cool bit of flying…”“Yeah, well-” said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.“And nobody helped you get rid of those Dementors this summer,” said Susan Bones.“No,” said Harry,“no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I’m trying to make is-”“Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?” said Zacharias Smith.“Here’s an idea,” said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak,“why don’t you shut your mouth?” Perhaps the word‘ weasel’ had affected Ron particularly strongly. In any case, he was now:Previous Entities: |This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia| ::: “Not with the dragon, ",Harry.M I would beat you to a pulp.”,13834,13853,True,218:Gramps.M,"interrupted. Then he frowned as if baffled by his own actions.“I— I must be going.” This made no sense, and the inspector seemed to realize it, but he walked to the front door anyway. When he opened it, I almost jumped out of my chair, because the man in black, Amos, was standing there. He’d lost his trench coat and hat somewhere, but was still wearing the same pinstripe suit and round glasses. His braided hair glittered with gold beads. I thought the inspector would say something, or express surprise, but he didn’t even acknowledge Amos. He walked right past him and into the night. Amos came inside and closed the door. Gran and Gramps stood up.“You,” Gramps growled.“I should’ve known. If I was younger, I would beat you to a pulp.”“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Faust,” Amos said. He looked at Carter and me as if we were problems to be solved.“It’s time we had a talk.” Amos made himself right at home. He flopped onto the sofa and poured himself tea. He munched on a biscuit, which was quite dangerous, because Gran’s biscuits are horrid. I thought Gramps’s head would explode. His face went bright red. He came up behind Amos and raised his hand as if he were about to smack him, but Amos kept munching his biscuit.“Please, sit down,” he told us. And we all sat. It was the strangest thing— as if we’d been waiting for his order. Even Gramps dropped his hand and moved",Gramps,"GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps","interrupted. Then he frowned as if baffled by his own actions.“I— I must be going.” This made no sense, and the inspector seemed to realize it, but he walked to the front door anyway. When he opened it, I almost jumped out of my chair, because the man in black, Amos, was standing there. He’d lost his trench coat and hat somewhere, but was still wearing the same pinstripe suit and round glasses. His braided hair glittered with gold beads. I thought the inspector would say something, or express surprise, but he didn’t even acknowledge Amos. He walked right past him and into the night. Amos came inside and closed the door. Gran and Gramps stood up.“You,” Gramps growled.“I should’ve known. If I was younger, I would beat you to a pulp.”“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Faust,” Amos said. He looked at Carter and me as if we were problems to be solved.“It’s time we had a talk.” Amos made himself right at home. He flopped onto the sofa and poured himself tea. He munched on a biscuit, which was quite dangerous, because Gran’s biscuits are horrid. I thought Gramps’s head would explode. His face went bright red. He came up behind Amos and raised his hand as if he were about to smack him, but Amos kept munching his biscuit.“Please, sit down,” he told us. And we all sat. It was the strangest thing— as if we’d been waiting for his order. Even Gramps dropped his hand and moved:Previous Entities: |GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps| ::: I would beat you to a pulp.” ","Amos Gramps Gran Carter " Yes.”,46216,46224,True,478:Hardin.M,"driver’s license.”“Of course.” The aide blew into the breatholyzer and handed me his driver’s license. It was a Texas license. Gerrold D. Hardin, thirty- four years old. Address in Austin, Texas. I wrote down the details, and gave it back.“All right, Mr. Hardin. I’m going to release the senator into your custody tonight.”“Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate it.” The man in the bathrobe said,“You’re going to let him go“Just a minute, sir.” I said to Hardin,“I want you to give this man your business card, and stay in contact with him. I expect the damage to his yard to be resolved to his satisfaction.”“Absolutely. Of course. Yes.” Hardin reached into his pocket for a card. He brought out something white in his hand, like a handkerchief. He stuffed it hastily back in his pocket, and then walked over to give his card to the man in the bathrobe.“You’re going to have to replace all her begonias.”“Fine, sir,” Hardin said.“All of‘ em.”“Yes. That’s fine, sir.” Senator Rowe pushed off the front fender, standing unsteadily in the night.“Fucking begonias,” he said.“Christ, what a fucking night this is. You got a wife?”“No,” I said.“I do,” Rowe said.“Fucking begonias. Fuck.”“This way, Senator",Hardin,"The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe","driver’s license.”“Of course.” The aide blew into the breatholyzer and handed me his driver’s license. It was a Texas license. Gerrold D. Hardin, thirty- four years old. Address in Austin, Texas. I wrote down the details, and gave it back.“All right, Mr. Hardin. I’m going to release the senator into your custody tonight.”“Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate it.” The man in the bathrobe said,“You’re going to let him go“Just a minute, sir.” I said to Hardin,“I want you to give this man your business card, and stay in contact with him. I expect the damage to his yard to be resolved to his satisfaction.”“Absolutely. Of course. Yes.” Hardin reached into his pocket for a card. He brought out something white in his hand, like a handkerchief. He stuffed it hastily back in his pocket, and then walked over to give his card to the man in the bathrobe.“You’re going to have to replace all her begonias.”“Fine, sir,” Hardin said.“All of‘ em.”“Yes. That’s fine, sir.” Senator Rowe pushed off the front fender, standing unsteadily in the night.“Fucking begonias,” he said.“Christ, what a fucking night this is. You got a wife?”“No,” I said.“I do,” Rowe said.“Fucking begonias. Fuck.”“This way, Senator:Previous Entities: |The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe| ::: Yes.” ",Hardin.M "“They’re all dead,",126424,126433,True,482:E ric Jansen.M,"de- encryption program, the one he’d downloaded from Nanigen’s VPN. It took a minute to unscramble the call, and then he began to listen as voices came out of the laptop.“You say you’re at Tantalus Base?”“Not exactly. We’re in Ben Rourke’s fortress.”“What?”“He’s got all kinds of equip—”“You’re telling me Ben Rourke is alive?”“Absolutely. And he doesn’t like you, Mr. Drake.” Eric leaned over the dresser, listening more intently. This had been an emergency call made through the videoconference link with Tantalus. He couldn’t get the image, but he could get the sound. The voices went on.“What about the others?”“They’re all dead, Mr. Drake.”“Peter Jansen is dead, too?”“Yes.”“Are you sure he’s dead?”“He got shot. His chest exploded. I saw it.” Eric gasped as if he’d been punched.“No,” he said. He closed his eyes.“No,” he said again. He made a fist and slammed it on the dresser.“No!” He turned around and pounded the bed with both fists, and picked up a chair and threw it against the wall, and sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands.“Peter… oh, Peter… God damn you Drake… God damn you.” Eric Jansen didn’t cry for long. He didn’t have time right now.",E ric Jansen,"factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen","de- encryption program, the one he’d downloaded from Nanigen’s VPN. It took a minute to unscramble the call, and then he began to listen as voices came out of the laptop.“You say you’re at Tantalus Base?”“Not exactly. We’re in Ben Rourke’s fortress.”“What?”“He’s got all kinds of equip—”“You’re telling me Ben Rourke is alive?”“Absolutely. And he doesn’t like you, Mr. Drake.” Eric leaned over the dresser, listening more intently. This had been an emergency call made through the videoconference link with Tantalus. He couldn’t get the image, but he could get the sound. The voices went on.“What about the others?”“They’re all dead, Mr. Drake.”“Peter Jansen is dead, too?”“Yes.”“Are you sure he’s dead?”“He got shot. His chest exploded. I saw it.” Eric gasped as if he’d been punched.“No,” he said. He closed his eyes.“No,” he said again. He made a fist and slammed it on the dresser.“No!” He turned around and pounded the bed with both fists, and picked up a chair and threw it against the wall, and sat down on the bed and buried his face in his hands.“Peter… oh, Peter… God damn you Drake… God damn you.” Eric Jansen didn’t cry for long. He didn’t have time right now.:Previous Entities: |factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen| ::: “They’re all dead, ",Eric Jansen.M Duncan Idaho?”,163274,163285,True,406:Garun.?,"ledge about two- thirds of the way up the face. He knew that an unconscious part of him, an ancient and dependable part, was making the necessary measurements, scaling them to his own body— so many Duncan- lengths to that place, a handgrip here, another there. His own hands. He could already feel himself climbing. Siona’s voice came from near his right shoulder as he stood in that first examination.“What’re you doing?” She had come up soundlessly, looking now where he looked.“I can climb that Wall,” Idaho said.“If I carried a light rope, I could pull up a heavier rope. The rest of you could climb it easily then.” Garun joined them in time to hear this.“Why would you climb the Wall, Duncan Idaho?” Siona answered for him, smiling at Garun.“To provide a suitable greeting for the God Emperor.” This had been before her doubts, before her own eyes and the ignorance of such a climb, had begun to erode that first confidence. With that first elation, Idaho asked:“How wide is the Royal Road up there?”“I have never seen it,” Garun said.“But I am told it is very wide. A great troop can march abreast along it, so they say. And there are bridges, places to view the river and… and… oh, it is a marvel.”“Why have you never gone up there to see it yourself?” Idaho asked. Garun merely shrugged and pointed at the Wall. Nayla",Garun,"al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor","ledge about two- thirds of the way up the face. He knew that an unconscious part of him, an ancient and dependable part, was making the necessary measurements, scaling them to his own body— so many Duncan- lengths to that place, a handgrip here, another there. His own hands. He could already feel himself climbing. Siona’s voice came from near his right shoulder as he stood in that first examination.“What’re you doing?” She had come up soundlessly, looking now where he looked.“I can climb that Wall,” Idaho said.“If I carried a light rope, I could pull up a heavier rope. The rest of you could climb it easily then.” Garun joined them in time to hear this.“Why would you climb the Wall, Duncan Idaho?” Siona answered for him, smiling at Garun.“To provide a suitable greeting for the God Emperor.” This had been before her doubts, before her own eyes and the ignorance of such a climb, had begun to erode that first confidence. With that first elation, Idaho asked:“How wide is the Royal Road up there?”“I have never seen it,” Garun said.“But I am told it is very wide. A great troop can march abreast along it, so they say. And there are bridges, places to view the river and… and… oh, it is a marvel.”“Why have you never gone up there to see it yourself?” Idaho asked. Garun merely shrugged and pointed at the Wall. Nayla:Previous Entities: |al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor| ::: Duncan Idaho?” ",Nayla.F I could take a look.”,2649,2673,True,274:Terminus.?,"Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn’t making it easy to be diplomatic.“What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what’s so scandalous about—”“Right!” Jason interrupted.“Anyway, Terminus, we’re here on a mission of peace. We’d love permission to land so we can—”“Impossible!” the god squeaked.“Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!”“Which is it?” Leo asked.“Surrender, or leave?”“Both!” Terminus said.“Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?”“Wow.” Leo studied Terminus with professional interest.“You’re wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look.” He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue’s pedestal.“Stop that!” Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver.“Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line.”“The what?” Piper asked.“City limits,” Jason translated.“And this entire ship is a weapon!” Terminus said.“You can not land!” Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Annabeth scanned the faces and… oh, gods. She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies— a stout boy with",Terminus,"the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus","Annabeth clenched her jaw. This statue wasn’t making it easy to be diplomatic.“What exactly do you mean, that goddess? And what’s so scandalous about—”“Right!” Jason interrupted.“Anyway, Terminus, we’re here on a mission of peace. We’d love permission to land so we can—”“Impossible!” the god squeaked.“Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!”“Which is it?” Leo asked.“Surrender, or leave?”“Both!” Terminus said.“Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?”“Wow.” Leo studied Terminus with professional interest.“You’re wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look.” He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue’s pedestal.“Stop that!” Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver.“Weapons are not allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line.”“The what?” Piper asked.“City limits,” Jason translated.“And this entire ship is a weapon!” Terminus said.“You can not land!” Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Annabeth scanned the faces and… oh, gods. She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies— a stout boy with:Previous Entities: |the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus| ::: I could take a look.” ",Leo.M That’s what the Ouroboros shows all who look into it,217664,217771,True,2045:the Carver.M,"long had passed. Time— it had been different inside the mirror. But even a few hours might have been too many— I pointed to the door.“You have your mirror. Now uphold your end. Battle awaits.” The Bone Carver glanced between me and the mirror. And he smiled.“It would be my pleasure.” And the way he said it… I was wrung dry, my soul new and trembling, and yet I asked,“What do you mean?” The Carver simply straightened his clothes.“I have little need for that thing,” he said, gesturing to the mirror.“But you did.” I blinked slowly.“I wanted to see if you were worth helping,” the Carver went on.“It’s a rare person to face who they truly are and not run from it— not be broken by it. That’s what the Ouroboros shows all who look into it: who they are, every despicable and unholy inch. Some gaze upon it and don’t even realize that the horror they’re seeing is them— even as the terror of it drives them mad. Some swagger in and are shattered by the small, sorry creature they find instead. But you… Yes, rare indeed. I could risk leaving here for nothing less.” Rage— blistering rage started to fill in the holes left by what I’d beheld in that mirror.“You wanted to see if I was worthy?” That innocent people were worthy of being helped. A nod.“I did. And you are. And now I shall help you.” I debated slamming that cell door in his face. But I only said quietly,“Good.” I walked over to him. And I was not afraid as I grabbed the Bone Carver’s cold hand.“Then let’s begin.” CHAPTER 69 Dawn broke, gilding the low- lying mists snaking over the plains of the mortal land. Hybern had razed everything from the Spring Court down to the few miles before the sea. Including my village. There was",the Carver,"Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan","long had passed. Time— it had been different inside the mirror. But even a few hours might have been too many— I pointed to the door.“You have your mirror. Now uphold your end. Battle awaits.” The Bone Carver glanced between me and the mirror. And he smiled.“It would be my pleasure.” And the way he said it… I was wrung dry, my soul new and trembling, and yet I asked,“What do you mean?” The Carver simply straightened his clothes.“I have little need for that thing,” he said, gesturing to the mirror.“But you did.” I blinked slowly.“I wanted to see if you were worth helping,” the Carver went on.“It’s a rare person to face who they truly are and not run from it— not be broken by it. That’s what the Ouroboros shows all who look into it: who they are, every despicable and unholy inch. Some gaze upon it and don’t even realize that the horror they’re seeing is them— even as the terror of it drives them mad. Some swagger in and are shattered by the small, sorry creature they find instead. But you… Yes, rare indeed. I could risk leaving here for nothing less.” Rage— blistering rage started to fill in the holes left by what I’d beheld in that mirror.“You wanted to see if I was worthy?” That innocent people were worthy of being helped. A nod.“I did. And you are. And now I shall help you.” I debated slamming that cell door in his face. But I only said quietly,“Good.” I walked over to him. And I was not afraid as I grabbed the Bone Carver’s cold hand.“Then let’s begin.” CHAPTER 69 Dawn broke, gilding the low- lying mists snaking over the plains of the mortal land. Hybern had razed everything from the Spring Court down to the few miles before the sea. Including my village. There was:Previous Entities: |Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan| ::: That’s what the Ouroboros shows all who look into it ",The Bone Carver.M “Didn’t I tell you to just let,65856,65864,True,2479:this man.M,".”“You can go in, but your knives stay here,” the man says. His voice is higher, lighter than I expected. He could be a gentle man, maybe, if this were a different kind of place. As it is, I see that he isn’t gentle, doesn’t even know what that means. Even though I myself have discarded any kind of softness as useless, I find myself thinking that something important is lost if this man has been forced to deny his own nature.“Not a chance,” Nita says.“Nita, is that you?” says a voice from inside. It is expressive, musical. The man to whom it belongs is short, with a wide smile. He comes to the doorway.“Didn’t I tell you to just let them in? Come in, come in.”“Hi, Rafi,” she says, her relief obvious.“Four, this is Rafi. He’s an important man in the fringe.”“Nice to meet you,” Rafi says, and he beckons for us to follow him. Inside is a large, open room lit by rows of candles and lanterns. There is wooden furniture strewn everywhere, all the tables empty but one. A woman sits in the back of the room, and Rafi slides into the chair beside her. Though they don’t look the same— she has red hair and a generous frame; his features are dark and his body, spare as wire— they have the same sort of look, like two stones hewn by the",this man,"the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man",".”“You can go in, but your knives stay here,” the man says. His voice is higher, lighter than I expected. He could be a gentle man, maybe, if this were a different kind of place. As it is, I see that he isn’t gentle, doesn’t even know what that means. Even though I myself have discarded any kind of softness as useless, I find myself thinking that something important is lost if this man has been forced to deny his own nature.“Not a chance,” Nita says.“Nita, is that you?” says a voice from inside. It is expressive, musical. The man to whom it belongs is short, with a wide smile. He comes to the doorway.“Didn’t I tell you to just let them in? Come in, come in.”“Hi, Rafi,” she says, her relief obvious.“Four, this is Rafi. He’s an important man in the fringe.”“Nice to meet you,” Rafi says, and he beckons for us to follow him. Inside is a large, open room lit by rows of candles and lanterns. There is wooden furniture strewn everywhere, all the tables empty but one. A woman sits in the back of the room, and Rafi slides into the chair beside her. Though they don’t look the same— she has red hair and a generous frame; his features are dark and his body, spare as wire— they have the same sort of look, like two stones hewn by the:Previous Entities: |the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man| ::: “Didn’t I tell you to just let ",Rafi.M "“We do apologize for that,”",242236,242243,True,143:Miryam.?,"”“Know of her,” I said, and glanced toward the tent flaps as if she’d come striding right in.“I— it’s a long story.”“We have time to hear it,” Miryam said, then added,“Or… a bit of time, I suppose.” For there were indeed many, many things to sort out. Including— I shook my head.“Later,” I said to Miryam, to her mate. The proof that a world could exist without a wall, without a Treaty.“There’s something…” I relayed my thought down the bond to Rhys, earning a nod of approval before I said,“Is your island still secret?” Miryam and Drakon exchanged a guilty look.“We do apologize for that,” Miryam offered.“It seems that the glamour worked too well, if it kept well- meaning messengers away.” She shook her head, those beautiful curls moving with her.“We would have come sooner— we left the moment we realized what trouble you all were in.”“No,” I said, shaking my own head, scrambling for the words.“No— I don’t blame you. Mother above, we owe you…” I blew out a breath.“We are in your debt.” Drakon and Miryam objected to that, but I went on,“What I mean is… If there was an object of terrible power that now needed to be hidden… Would Cretea remain a good place to conceal it?” Again that",Miryam,"Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam","”“Know of her,” I said, and glanced toward the tent flaps as if she’d come striding right in.“I— it’s a long story.”“We have time to hear it,” Miryam said, then added,“Or… a bit of time, I suppose.” For there were indeed many, many things to sort out. Including— I shook my head.“Later,” I said to Miryam, to her mate. The proof that a world could exist without a wall, without a Treaty.“There’s something…” I relayed my thought down the bond to Rhys, earning a nod of approval before I said,“Is your island still secret?” Miryam and Drakon exchanged a guilty look.“We do apologize for that,” Miryam offered.“It seems that the glamour worked too well, if it kept well- meaning messengers away.” She shook her head, those beautiful curls moving with her.“We would have come sooner— we left the moment we realized what trouble you all were in.”“No,” I said, shaking my own head, scrambling for the words.“No— I don’t blame you. Mother above, we owe you…” I blew out a breath.“We are in your debt.” Drakon and Miryam objected to that, but I went on,“What I mean is… If there was an object of terrible power that now needed to be hidden… Would Cretea remain a good place to conceal it?” Again that:Previous Entities: |Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam| ::: “We do apologize for that,” ",Miryam.F ‘ Weak mortals!’,60563,60567,True,569:Mimas.M,"for right now concentrate on revenge for Damasen. Revenge for Bob.’ A moment of silence.‘ I’m good now.’‘ Great, because I need your help. We’re going to run out there together.’‘ Then what?’‘ I have no idea.’‘ Gods, I hate it when you lead.’ Piper laughed, which surprised even her. Fear and love really were related. At that moment she clung to the love she had for her friend.‘ Come on!’ They ran in no particular direction and found themselves back in the shrine room, right behind the giant Mimas. They each slashed one of his legs and brought him to his knees. The giant howled. More chunks of stone tumbled from the ceiling.‘ Weak mortals!’ Mimas struggled to stand.‘ No plan of yours can defeat me!’‘ That’s good,’ Piper said.‘ Because I don’t have a plan.’ She ran towards the statue of Ares.‘ Annabeth, keep our friend occupied!’‘ Oh, he’s occupied!’‘ GAHHHHH!’ Piper stared at the cruel bronze face of the war god. The statue thrummed with a low metallic pulse. The spirits of battle, she thought. They’re inside, waiting to be freed. But they weren’t hers to unleash– not until she’d proven herself. The chamber shook again. More cracks appeared in the walls. Piper glanced at the stone carvings above the doorways: the scowling twin faces of Fear and Panic.‘ My brothers",Mimas,"The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas","for right now concentrate on revenge for Damasen. Revenge for Bob.’ A moment of silence.‘ I’m good now.’‘ Great, because I need your help. We’re going to run out there together.’‘ Then what?’‘ I have no idea.’‘ Gods, I hate it when you lead.’ Piper laughed, which surprised even her. Fear and love really were related. At that moment she clung to the love she had for her friend.‘ Come on!’ They ran in no particular direction and found themselves back in the shrine room, right behind the giant Mimas. They each slashed one of his legs and brought him to his knees. The giant howled. More chunks of stone tumbled from the ceiling.‘ Weak mortals!’ Mimas struggled to stand.‘ No plan of yours can defeat me!’‘ That’s good,’ Piper said.‘ Because I don’t have a plan.’ She ran towards the statue of Ares.‘ Annabeth, keep our friend occupied!’‘ Oh, he’s occupied!’‘ GAHHHHH!’ Piper stared at the cruel bronze face of the war god. The statue thrummed with a low metallic pulse. The spirits of battle, she thought. They’re inside, waiting to be freed. But they weren’t hers to unleash– not until she’d proven herself. The chamber shook again. More cracks appeared in the walls. Piper glanced at the stone carvings above the doorways: the scowling twin faces of Fear and Panic.‘ My brothers:Previous Entities: |The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas| ::: ‘ Weak mortals!’ ",Mimas.M "And you too,",13679,13715,True,97:Mr Aching.M,"strangely– there was no giveaway reply from above. To her surprise, a lack of Feegle was suddenly almost as distressing as an overdose. And then, to her delight, a small voice said,‘ Ha ha ha, she didnae catch us oot that time, aye, lads? We kept as quiet as little mices! The big wee hag didnae suspect a thing! Lads? Lads?’‘ Daft Wullie, I swear ye dinnae have enough brains to blow your nose,’ said a similar but angry voice.‘ What part o’“nae one is tae say one wee word” did ye nae understand? Och, crivens!’ This last remark was followed by the sounds of a scuffle. Mr Aching glanced nervously at the roof and leaned closer.‘ You know your mother is very worried about you? You know she’s just been a grandma again. She’s very proud of them all. And you too, of course,’ he added hurriedly.‘ But all this witchy business, well, that’s not the sort of thing a young man looks for in a wife. And now that you and young Roland…’ Tiffany dealt with this. Dealing was part of witchcraft too. Her father looked so miserable that she put on her cheerful face and said,‘ If I was you, Dad, I would go home and get a decent night’s sleep. I’ll sort things out. Actually, there’s a coil of rope over there, but I’m certain I won’t need to use it now.’ He looked relieved at this. The Nac Mac Feegle could be pretty worrying to those who did not know them very well, although now she thought about it, they could be",Mr Aching,"the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father","strangely– there was no giveaway reply from above. To her surprise, a lack of Feegle was suddenly almost as distressing as an overdose. And then, to her delight, a small voice said,‘ Ha ha ha, she didnae catch us oot that time, aye, lads? We kept as quiet as little mices! The big wee hag didnae suspect a thing! Lads? Lads?’‘ Daft Wullie, I swear ye dinnae have enough brains to blow your nose,’ said a similar but angry voice.‘ What part o’“nae one is tae say one wee word” did ye nae understand? Och, crivens!’ This last remark was followed by the sounds of a scuffle. Mr Aching glanced nervously at the roof and leaned closer.‘ You know your mother is very worried about you? You know she’s just been a grandma again. She’s very proud of them all. And you too, of course,’ he added hurriedly.‘ But all this witchy business, well, that’s not the sort of thing a young man looks for in a wife. And now that you and young Roland…’ Tiffany dealt with this. Dealing was part of witchcraft too. Her father looked so miserable that she put on her cheerful face and said,‘ If I was you, Dad, I would go home and get a decent night’s sleep. I’ll sort things out. Actually, there’s a coil of rope over there, but I’m certain I won’t need to use it now.’ He looked relieved at this. The Nac Mac Feegle could be pretty worrying to those who did not know them very well, although now she thought about it, they could be:Previous Entities: |the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father| ::: And you too, ",Tiffany.F “Why?”,37700,37703,True,1897:the messenger.M,"is extremely curious,” Stiros said.“The Oral Histories claim that Siona was instrumental in His translation from the One into the Many. Sheeana. Do you think…”“Let us not forget the Hadi Benotto translation of God’s own holy words,” another priest interrupted.“Shai- hulud referred many times to Siona.”“Not always with favor,” Stiros reminded them.“Remember her full name: Siona Ibn Fuad al- Seyefa Atreides.”“Atreides,” another priest whispered.“We must study her with care,” Dromind said. A young acolyte- messenger hurried up the hallway to the group and sought among them until he spied Stiros.“Stiros,” the messenger said,“you must clear this hallway immediately.”“Why?” It was an indignant voice from the press of the rejected priests.“She is to be moved into the High Priest’s quarters,” the messenger said.“By whose orders?” Stiros demanded.“High Priest Tuek himself says this,” the messenger said.“They have been listening.” He waved a hand vaguely toward the direction from which he had come. All of the group in the hall understood. Rooms could be shaped to send voices from them into other places. There were always listeners.“What have they heard?” Stiros demanded. His old voice quavered.“She asked if her quarters were the best. They are about to move her and she must not find any of you out here.”“But what are we to",the messenger,"Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind","is extremely curious,” Stiros said.“The Oral Histories claim that Siona was instrumental in His translation from the One into the Many. Sheeana. Do you think…”“Let us not forget the Hadi Benotto translation of God’s own holy words,” another priest interrupted.“Shai- hulud referred many times to Siona.”“Not always with favor,” Stiros reminded them.“Remember her full name: Siona Ibn Fuad al- Seyefa Atreides.”“Atreides,” another priest whispered.“We must study her with care,” Dromind said. A young acolyte- messenger hurried up the hallway to the group and sought among them until he spied Stiros.“Stiros,” the messenger said,“you must clear this hallway immediately.”“Why?” It was an indignant voice from the press of the rejected priests.“She is to be moved into the High Priest’s quarters,” the messenger said.“By whose orders?” Stiros demanded.“High Priest Tuek himself says this,” the messenger said.“They have been listening.” He waved a hand vaguely toward the direction from which he had come. All of the group in the hall understood. Rooms could be shaped to send voices from them into other places. There were always listeners.“What have they heard?” Stiros demanded. His old voice quavered.“She asked if her quarters were the best. They are about to move her and she must not find any of you out here.”“But what are we to:Previous Entities: |Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind| ::: “Why?” ",Stiros.M "A big one!""",30748,30762,True,180:Becka.F,"ample bosom, shuffled toward the escape route, and prayed there was time. The robot, one of many permanently assigned to the surface, had been three standard units away from the point of incursion when the call came in. Moving as quickly as it could, the machine made its way through an icy arroyo, over a flood- ravaged gravel bar, and up an embankment. The hunter- killer unit saw the intruders the moment it came over the rise. They appeared as objects, sources of heat and, in one case, minimal electromagnetic activity. The machine could have neutralized the fugitives right then... but an egg was at risk, and eggs had priority. Becka looked back over her shoulder, saw the insectoid robot, and urged her mentor to greater speed."" Hurry, Annie... I see a robot. A big one!"" The older woman was in excellent shape for someone of her age, but saw no reason to expend energy looking backwards."" Don't worry, scrap. I can handle up to three of the blasted things. Get ready to take the egg. We'll switch on the far side of the big rock.'' The girl gritted her teeth against the pain in her legs, rounded the boulder, and took the egg. The top surface was covered with sleet. Becka put her head down and shuffled forward. Mucus ran over her mouth, tears trickled across her cheeks, and her socks were squishy with blood. Annie watched the girl depart and marveled at her courage. She had heart, Becka did... and that meant a lot. So much that there could be no",Becka,"the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka","ample bosom, shuffled toward the escape route, and prayed there was time. The robot, one of many permanently assigned to the surface, had been three standard units away from the point of incursion when the call came in. Moving as quickly as it could, the machine made its way through an icy arroyo, over a flood- ravaged gravel bar, and up an embankment. The hunter- killer unit saw the intruders the moment it came over the rise. They appeared as objects, sources of heat and, in one case, minimal electromagnetic activity. The machine could have neutralized the fugitives right then... but an egg was at risk, and eggs had priority. Becka looked back over her shoulder, saw the insectoid robot, and urged her mentor to greater speed."" Hurry, Annie... I see a robot. A big one!"" The older woman was in excellent shape for someone of her age, but saw no reason to expend energy looking backwards."" Don't worry, scrap. I can handle up to three of the blasted things. Get ready to take the egg. We'll switch on the far side of the big rock.'' The girl gritted her teeth against the pain in her legs, rounded the boulder, and took the egg. The top surface was covered with sleet. Becka put her head down and shuffled forward. Mucus ran over her mouth, tears trickled across her cheeks, and her socks were squishy with blood. Annie watched the girl depart and marveled at her courage. She had heart, Becka did... and that meant a lot. So much that there could be no:Previous Entities: |the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka| ::: A big one!"" ",Becka.F "' Downtown Haven,'",17774,17778,True,864:the reporter.M,"a cell,' said Holly.' Still bitter, Captain Short? Can't we wipe the slate clean?' Holly's glare was all the answer he needed. Artemis sighed.' Very well. I shall guess. There are humans trading with the Lower Elements. And you need Butler to track these merchants down. Close enough?' The fairies were silent for a moment. Hearing it from Fowl suddenly brought the reality home to them.' Close enough,' admitted Root.' OK, Foaly, bring Mud Boy up to speed.' The consultant loaded a file from the LEP central server. A series of Network News clips flashed up on the plasma screen. The reporter was a middle- aged elf with a quiff the size of a Honolulu roller.' Downtown Haven,' crooned the reporter.' Another contraband seizure by the LEP. Hollywood laser disks with an estimated street value of five hundred gold grams. The B'wa Kell goblin triad is suspected.'' It gets worse,' said Root grimly. Artemis smiled.' There's worse?' The reporter appeared again. This time flames billowed from the windows of a warehouse behind him. His quiff looked a bit crispy.' Tonight the B'wa Kell has staked its claim to the East Bank by torching a warehouse used by Koboi Laboratories. Apparently the pixie with the golden touch refused to pay the triad's protection fee.' The flames were replaced by another news bite, this time featuring an angry mob.' Controversy today outside Police Plaza as the public protest at the LEP's failure to",the reporter,"the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl","a cell,' said Holly.' Still bitter, Captain Short? Can't we wipe the slate clean?' Holly's glare was all the answer he needed. Artemis sighed.' Very well. I shall guess. There are humans trading with the Lower Elements. And you need Butler to track these merchants down. Close enough?' The fairies were silent for a moment. Hearing it from Fowl suddenly brought the reality home to them.' Close enough,' admitted Root.' OK, Foaly, bring Mud Boy up to speed.' The consultant loaded a file from the LEP central server. A series of Network News clips flashed up on the plasma screen. The reporter was a middle- aged elf with a quiff the size of a Honolulu roller.' Downtown Haven,' crooned the reporter.' Another contraband seizure by the LEP. Hollywood laser disks with an estimated street value of five hundred gold grams. The B'wa Kell goblin triad is suspected.'' It gets worse,' said Root grimly. Artemis smiled.' There's worse?' The reporter appeared again. This time flames billowed from the windows of a warehouse behind him. His quiff looked a bit crispy.' Tonight the B'wa Kell has staked its claim to the East Bank by torching a warehouse used by Koboi Laboratories. Apparently the pixie with the golden touch refused to pay the triad's protection fee.' The flames were replaced by another news bite, this time featuring an angry mob.' Controversy today outside Police Plaza as the public protest at the LEP's failure to:Previous Entities: |the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl| ::: ' Downtown Haven,' ",The reporter. "“Uh,",126341,126346,True,636:HotCock007.M,"first caller’s avatar appeared in front of me in my support chat room. His name and stats also appeared, floating in the air above him. He had the astoundingly clever name of“HotCock007.” I could see that it was going to be another fabulous day. HotCock007 was a hulking bald barbarian with studded black leather armor and lots of demon tattoos covering his arms and face. He was holding a gigantic bastard sword nearly twice as long as his avatar’s body.“Good morning, Mr. HotCock007,” I droned.“Thank you for calling technical support. I’m tech rep number 338645. How may I help you this evening?” The customer courtesy software filtered my voice, altering its tone and inflection to ensure that I always sounded cheerful and upbeat.“Uh, yeah…” HotCock007 began.“I just bought this bad- ass sword, and now I can’t even use it! I can’t even attack nothing with it. What the hell is wrong with this piece of shit? Is it broke?”“Sir, the only problem is that you’re a complete fucking moron,” I said. I heard a familiar warning buzzer and a message flashed on my display: COURTESY VIOLATION— FLAGS: FUCKING, MORON LAST RESPONSE MUTED— VIOLATION LOGGED IOI’s patented customer courtesy software had detected the inappropriate nature of my response and muted it, so the customer didn’t hear what I’d said. The software also logged my“courtesy violation” and forwarded it to Trevor, my section supervisor, so that he could bring it up during",HotCock007,"Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007","first caller’s avatar appeared in front of me in my support chat room. His name and stats also appeared, floating in the air above him. He had the astoundingly clever name of“HotCock007.” I could see that it was going to be another fabulous day. HotCock007 was a hulking bald barbarian with studded black leather armor and lots of demon tattoos covering his arms and face. He was holding a gigantic bastard sword nearly twice as long as his avatar’s body.“Good morning, Mr. HotCock007,” I droned.“Thank you for calling technical support. I’m tech rep number 338645. How may I help you this evening?” The customer courtesy software filtered my voice, altering its tone and inflection to ensure that I always sounded cheerful and upbeat.“Uh, yeah…” HotCock007 began.“I just bought this bad- ass sword, and now I can’t even use it! I can’t even attack nothing with it. What the hell is wrong with this piece of shit? Is it broke?”“Sir, the only problem is that you’re a complete fucking moron,” I said. I heard a familiar warning buzzer and a message flashed on my display: COURTESY VIOLATION— FLAGS: FUCKING, MORON LAST RESPONSE MUTED— VIOLATION LOGGED IOI’s patented customer courtesy software had detected the inappropriate nature of my response and muted it, so the customer didn’t hear what I’d said. The software also logged my“courtesy violation” and forwarded it to Trevor, my section supervisor, so that he could bring it up during:Previous Entities: |Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007| ::: “Uh, ","“Uh, yeah…” HotCock007.M" "Where you headed?""",91932,91949,True,4017:The sentry.M,"through a trough while the other climbed onto a shoulder. The coffin started to list, but the lashings held. The gate, which had been scorched during an attack, was guarded but open. A sentry waited for the twosome to approach, aimed some spit at a spot in front of them, and grinned as it struck. His hair was long and greasy, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face wore a three- day growth of beard. An auto thrower hung low across his chest. It at least was clean."" Howdy.... What can I do for you?"" Doon pulled Leadbutt to a halt and did his best to sound casual."" We're looking for a hot meal and a place to stay."" The sentry nodded."" Shouldn't be a problem... long as you can pay. Where you headed?"" Leadbutt shook himself, and the android patted the side of his neck."" Up north... to visit my mother."" The sentry laughed and rubbed thumb on finger."" And the Mothri fly like birds! We got an entry tax... fifty guilders a head."" Doon frowned."" Kinda steep, ain't it?"" The sentry grinned."" Yup, it sure as hell is."" It was Doon's turn to laugh. He pulled a wad of scrip, small so it wouldn't attract attention, and peeled some off. One of the fifties was new... the other was greasy from use. The sentry accepted the bills, checked the watermarks, and wrote a receipt along the bottom of page 37 of a Colonist's Guide to Zuul.""",The sentry,The sentry,"through a trough while the other climbed onto a shoulder. The coffin started to list, but the lashings held. The gate, which had been scorched during an attack, was guarded but open. A sentry waited for the twosome to approach, aimed some spit at a spot in front of them, and grinned as it struck. His hair was long and greasy, his eyes were bloodshot, and his face wore a three- day growth of beard. An auto thrower hung low across his chest. It at least was clean."" Howdy.... What can I do for you?"" Doon pulled Leadbutt to a halt and did his best to sound casual."" We're looking for a hot meal and a place to stay."" The sentry nodded."" Shouldn't be a problem... long as you can pay. Where you headed?"" Leadbutt shook himself, and the android patted the side of his neck."" Up north... to visit my mother."" The sentry laughed and rubbed thumb on finger."" And the Mothri fly like birds! We got an entry tax... fifty guilders a head."" Doon frowned."" Kinda steep, ain't it?"" The sentry grinned."" Yup, it sure as hell is."" It was Doon's turn to laugh. He pulled a wad of scrip, small so it wouldn't attract attention, and peeled some off. One of the fifties was new... the other was greasy from use. The sentry accepted the bills, checked the watermarks, and wrote a receipt along the bottom of page 37 of a Colonist's Guide to Zuul."":Previous Entities: |The sentry| ::: Where you headed?"" ",The sentry.M "sir,”",99094,99100,True,189:Nelson.M,"Accountant.” He sat behind a desk, gray wispy hair falling over his forehead as he checked a column of numbers.“Ten, fifteen, nineteen,” he muttered.“Not fifteen. Fourteen.” Jordan snapped his fingers, drawing Nelson’s attention. The thin man shot out of his chair and threw a salute. Grubby brown overalls covered his grubby body.“Hello, sir,” Nelson said.“I wasn’t expecting visitors, but it’s a pleasure to see you. How can I assist?”“I’m here to see the new pods,” Jordan said. The accountant gave a toothless grin and limped around the desk. Nelson never let anything go to waste, not even the metal post that served as his prosthetic leg.“Follow me, sir,” he said. Jordan motioned for the guards to remain at the stairwell. Ryan and Hunt joined him as he followed Nelson through the massive space, navigating mountains of scrap that had been neatly sorted using a system Jordan couldn’t begin to understand. A blue glow came from the other side of the mounds, and the sound of grinding metal filled the space. The air reeked of grease and oil, and it was hot enough to make Jordan sweat through his uniform. He hated this place, but he wanted to see what Samson had built for him. When they rounded the next pyramid of scrap, he finally laid eyes on the two metal cylinders, tapered to a rounded point on one end and with four longitudinal fins at the other. A pair of engineers stopped their work",Nelson,"the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson","Accountant.” He sat behind a desk, gray wispy hair falling over his forehead as he checked a column of numbers.“Ten, fifteen, nineteen,” he muttered.“Not fifteen. Fourteen.” Jordan snapped his fingers, drawing Nelson’s attention. The thin man shot out of his chair and threw a salute. Grubby brown overalls covered his grubby body.“Hello, sir,” Nelson said.“I wasn’t expecting visitors, but it’s a pleasure to see you. How can I assist?”“I’m here to see the new pods,” Jordan said. The accountant gave a toothless grin and limped around the desk. Nelson never let anything go to waste, not even the metal post that served as his prosthetic leg.“Follow me, sir,” he said. Jordan motioned for the guards to remain at the stairwell. Ryan and Hunt joined him as he followed Nelson through the massive space, navigating mountains of scrap that had been neatly sorted using a system Jordan couldn’t begin to understand. A blue glow came from the other side of the mounds, and the sound of grinding metal filled the space. The air reeked of grease and oil, and it was hot enough to make Jordan sweat through his uniform. He hated this place, but he wanted to see what Samson had built for him. When they rounded the next pyramid of scrap, he finally laid eyes on the two metal cylinders, tapered to a rounded point on one end and with four longitudinal fins at the other. A pair of engineers stopped their work:Previous Entities: |the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson| ::: sir,” ",Nelson.M "We’ve been looking at this volcanic signature here,”",29963,29991,True,445:Jensen.M,"five in the morning, San Francisco time. He had slept only two hours since calling Seamans. He yawned and glanced down at Amy, curled up in her nest of blankets on the floor. Amy snored loudly. The other bunks were unoccupied. He heard soft voices again, and looked toward the computer console. Jensen and Irving were staring at a screen and talking quietly.“Dangerous signature. We got a computer projection on that?”“Coming. It’ll take a while. I asked for a five- year run- back, as well as the other pissups.” Elliot climbed out of his cot and looked at the screen.“What’s pissups?” he said.“PSOPs are prior significant orbital passes by the satellite,” Jensen explained.“They’re called pissups because we usually ask for them when we’re already pissing upwind. We’ve been looking at this volcanic signature here,” Jensen said, pointing to the screen.“It’s not too promising.”“What volcanic signature?” Elliot asked. They showed him the billowing plumes of smoke— dark green in artificial computer- generated colors— which belched from the mouth of Mukenko, one of the active volcanoes of the Virunga range.“Mukenko erupts on the average of once every three years,” Irving said.“The last eruption was March, 1977, but it looks like it’s gearing up for another full eruption in the next week or so. We’re waiting now for the probability assessment.”“Does Ross know about this?” They shrugged.“She knows, but she doesn’t seem worried. She got an urgent GPU— geopolitical update— from Houston about two",Jensen,"his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE","five in the morning, San Francisco time. He had slept only two hours since calling Seamans. He yawned and glanced down at Amy, curled up in her nest of blankets on the floor. Amy snored loudly. The other bunks were unoccupied. He heard soft voices again, and looked toward the computer console. Jensen and Irving were staring at a screen and talking quietly.“Dangerous signature. We got a computer projection on that?”“Coming. It’ll take a while. I asked for a five- year run- back, as well as the other pissups.” Elliot climbed out of his cot and looked at the screen.“What’s pissups?” he said.“PSOPs are prior significant orbital passes by the satellite,” Jensen explained.“They’re called pissups because we usually ask for them when we’re already pissing upwind. We’ve been looking at this volcanic signature here,” Jensen said, pointing to the screen.“It’s not too promising.”“What volcanic signature?” Elliot asked. They showed him the billowing plumes of smoke— dark green in artificial computer- generated colors— which belched from the mouth of Mukenko, one of the active volcanoes of the Virunga range.“Mukenko erupts on the average of once every three years,” Irving said.“The last eruption was March, 1977, but it looks like it’s gearing up for another full eruption in the next week or so. We’re waiting now for the probability assessment.”“Does Ross know about this?” They shrugged.“She knows, but she doesn’t seem worried. She got an urgent GPU— geopolitical update— from Houston about two:Previous Entities: |his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE| ::: We’ve been looking at this volcanic signature here,” ",Jensen.M “Look there!”,14238,14242,True,1489:The tourists.?,"teenager with spots on his face. He was looking to his mother, a largish matron in a broad straw hat.“Are we almost there?” the kid whined. Hagar put his finger to his lips.“Quiet!”“My feet hurt.” The other tourists were standing around, a cluster of bright- colored clothing. Staring at the kid.“Look,” Hagar whispered,“if you make noise, you won’t see them.”“I don’t see them anyhow.” The kid pouted, but he fell into line as the group moved on. Today they were mostly Americans. Hagar didn’t like Americans, but they weren’t the worst. The worst, he had to admit, were the—“There!”“Look there!” The tourists were pointing ahead, excited, chattering. About fifty yards up the trail and off to the right, a juvenile male orangutan stood upright in the branches that swayed gently with his weight. Magnificent creature, reddish fur, roughly forty pounds, distinctive white streak in the fur above his ear. Hagar had not seen him in weeks. Hagar gestured for the others to be quiet, and moved up the trail. The tourists were close behind him now, stumbling, banging into one another in their excitement.“Ssssh!” he hissed.“What’s the big deal?” one said.“I thought this was a sanctuary.”“Ssssh!”“But they’re protected here—”“Ssssh!” Hagar needed it quiet. He reached into",The tourists,"The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists","teenager with spots on his face. He was looking to his mother, a largish matron in a broad straw hat.“Are we almost there?” the kid whined. Hagar put his finger to his lips.“Quiet!”“My feet hurt.” The other tourists were standing around, a cluster of bright- colored clothing. Staring at the kid.“Look,” Hagar whispered,“if you make noise, you won’t see them.”“I don’t see them anyhow.” The kid pouted, but he fell into line as the group moved on. Today they were mostly Americans. Hagar didn’t like Americans, but they weren’t the worst. The worst, he had to admit, were the—“There!”“Look there!” The tourists were pointing ahead, excited, chattering. About fifty yards up the trail and off to the right, a juvenile male orangutan stood upright in the branches that swayed gently with his weight. Magnificent creature, reddish fur, roughly forty pounds, distinctive white streak in the fur above his ear. Hagar had not seen him in weeks. Hagar gestured for the others to be quiet, and moved up the trail. The tourists were close behind him now, stumbling, banging into one another in their excitement.“Ssssh!” he hissed.“What’s the big deal?” one said.“I thought this was a sanctuary.”“Ssssh!”“But they’re protected here—”“Ssssh!” Hagar needed it quiet. He reached into:Previous Entities: |The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists| ::: “Look there!” ",Hagar.M hem”,78202,78206,True,2211:this woman.F,"talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout’s eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall’s mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.“Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge simpered,“for those kind words of welcome.” Her voice was high- pitched, breathy and little- girlish and, again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan. She gave another little throat- clearing cough(“hem, hem”) and continued.“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth.“And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!” Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken- aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!” Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.“I’ll be her friend as long as I don’t have to borrow that cardigan,” Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles",this woman,"the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider","talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout’s eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall’s mouth was as thin as Harry had ever seen it. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.“Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge simpered,“for those kind words of welcome.” Her voice was high- pitched, breathy and little- girlish and, again, Harry felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all he knew was that he loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan. She gave another little throat- clearing cough(“hem, hem”) and continued.“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth.“And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!” Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy. On the contrary, they all looked rather taken- aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!” Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.“I’ll be her friend as long as I don’t have to borrow that cardigan,” Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles:Previous Entities: |the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider| ::: hem” ",Umbridge.F “What’d that cost?”,8238,8244,True,378:Irving.M,"units for shipment in less than a hundred and sixty hours,” Cameron, the logistics man said.“We can postpone the Himalaya team, and use their units,” Travis said.“But that’s a mountain expedition.”“You can modify the units in nine hours,” Travis said.“But we can’t get equipment to fly it out,” Lewis, the transport master, said.“Korean Airlines has a 747 cargo jet available at SFX. They tell me it can be down here in nine hours.”“They have a plane just sitting there?” Lewis said, incredulous.“I believe,” Travis said,“that they had a last- minute cancellation from another customer.” Irwin, the accountant, groaned.“What’d that cost?”“We can’t get visas from the Zaire Embassy in Washington in time,” Martin, the diplomatic man, said.“And there is serious doubt they’d issue them to us at all. As you know, the first set of Congo visas were based on our mineral exploration rights with the Zaire government, and our MERs are non- exclusive. We were granted permission to go in, and so were the Japanese, the Germans, and the Dutch, who’ve formed a mining consortium. The first ore- body strike takes the contract. If Zaire suspects that our expedition is in trouble, they’ll just cancel us out and let the Euro- Japanese consortium try their luck. There are thirty Japanese trade officials in Kinshasa right now, spending yen like water.",Irving,"Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving","units for shipment in less than a hundred and sixty hours,” Cameron, the logistics man said.“We can postpone the Himalaya team, and use their units,” Travis said.“But that’s a mountain expedition.”“You can modify the units in nine hours,” Travis said.“But we can’t get equipment to fly it out,” Lewis, the transport master, said.“Korean Airlines has a 747 cargo jet available at SFX. They tell me it can be down here in nine hours.”“They have a plane just sitting there?” Lewis said, incredulous.“I believe,” Travis said,“that they had a last- minute cancellation from another customer.” Irwin, the accountant, groaned.“What’d that cost?”“We can’t get visas from the Zaire Embassy in Washington in time,” Martin, the diplomatic man, said.“And there is serious doubt they’d issue them to us at all. As you know, the first set of Congo visas were based on our mineral exploration rights with the Zaire government, and our MERs are non- exclusive. We were granted permission to go in, and so were the Japanese, the Germans, and the Dutch, who’ve formed a mining consortium. The first ore- body strike takes the contract. If Zaire suspects that our expedition is in trouble, they’ll just cancel us out and let the Euro- Japanese consortium try their luck. There are thirty Japanese trade officials in Kinshasa right now, spending yen like water.:Previous Entities: |Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving| ::: “What’d that cost?” ",Irwin.M yes.,10407,10442,True,731:the pup.?,"course, it wouldn’t do to eat a wolf pup. But she wondered now what she would do for food. She was far from the sea. The salt tang had faded and with it her customary food choices— fish, the occasional seal, otter. All the delicious choices of the Northern Kingdoms. What in the name of Ursa did one eat around here? Trees? She plodded on, hoping the pup would keep its distance. She didn’t want to deal with the temptation. It was a curious little critter, all fluff, and yapping now.“Are you real? I mean really real?” the pup asked Sveep. Sveep kept going and tried not to look at the pup.“Of course I’m real. Aren’t you?”“Oh, yes. You bet. Almost six moons old. Another moon and I get to go on my first byrrgis. You’re a polar bear, aren’t you?”“Indeed.” Sveep said as little as possible.“You’re bigger than a grizzly. We’d have a hard time taking you down to eat. I think we’d need two clans to do it. So don’t worry.” Me, worry? Sveep thought.“Crannog!” A beautiful silver she- wolf exploded from some brush. It ran straight toward Sveep then immediately lowered her body. Pressing her belly to the ground, she flattened her ears and flashed the whites of her eyes.“Show some manners, Crannog,” she growled to her pup. The little pup immediately crouched down. Sveep stopped short. She had heard that the dire wolves of the Beyond had strange ways, but this beat all. They were scraping on their bellies",the pup,"the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup","course, it wouldn’t do to eat a wolf pup. But she wondered now what she would do for food. She was far from the sea. The salt tang had faded and with it her customary food choices— fish, the occasional seal, otter. All the delicious choices of the Northern Kingdoms. What in the name of Ursa did one eat around here? Trees? She plodded on, hoping the pup would keep its distance. She didn’t want to deal with the temptation. It was a curious little critter, all fluff, and yapping now.“Are you real? I mean really real?” the pup asked Sveep. Sveep kept going and tried not to look at the pup.“Of course I’m real. Aren’t you?”“Oh, yes. You bet. Almost six moons old. Another moon and I get to go on my first byrrgis. You’re a polar bear, aren’t you?”“Indeed.” Sveep said as little as possible.“You’re bigger than a grizzly. We’d have a hard time taking you down to eat. I think we’d need two clans to do it. So don’t worry.” Me, worry? Sveep thought.“Crannog!” A beautiful silver she- wolf exploded from some brush. It ran straight toward Sveep then immediately lowered her body. Pressing her belly to the ground, she flattened her ears and flashed the whites of her eyes.“Show some manners, Crannog,” she growled to her pup. The little pup immediately crouched down. Sveep stopped short. She had heard that the dire wolves of the Beyond had strange ways, but this beat all. They were scraping on their bellies:Previous Entities: |the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup| ::: yes. ",Sveep.F “Roth paints her canvas with the same,140406,140413,True,4807:YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS.?,"but Roth’s career is clearly just getting started.”— THE TODAY SHOW“Veronica Roth is the current rave among teen readers.”— ASSOCIATED PRESS“Veronica Roth is already beyond hot but could become the next young adult author to blast off into orbit.”— NEW YORK POST“The imaginative action and glimpses of a sprawling conspiracy are serious attention- grabbers, and the portrait of a shattered, derelict, overgrown, and abandoned Chicago is evocative as ever.”— HOLLYWOODCRUSH.MTV.COM“Promising author Roth tells the riveting and complex story of a teenage girl forced to choose between her routinized, selfless family and the adventurous, unrestrained future she longs for. A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to look away.”— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY(STARRED REVIEW)“Roth paints her canvas with the same brush as Suzanne Collins. The plot, scenes, and characters are different but the colors are the same and just as rich. Fans of Collins, dystopias, and strong female characters will love this novel.”— SLJ“With brisk pacing and lavish flights of imagination, DIVERGENT clearly has thrills, but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety— the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind, both ideologically and physically.”— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW“Nonstop, adrenaline- heavy action. Packed with stunning twists and devastating betrayals.”— BCCB“DIVERGENT is really an extended metaphor about the trials of modern adolescence: constantly having to take tests that sort and rank you among your peers, facing separation from your family, agonizing",YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS,"Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS","but Roth’s career is clearly just getting started.”— THE TODAY SHOW“Veronica Roth is the current rave among teen readers.”— ASSOCIATED PRESS“Veronica Roth is already beyond hot but could become the next young adult author to blast off into orbit.”— NEW YORK POST“The imaginative action and glimpses of a sprawling conspiracy are serious attention- grabbers, and the portrait of a shattered, derelict, overgrown, and abandoned Chicago is evocative as ever.”— HOLLYWOODCRUSH.MTV.COM“Promising author Roth tells the riveting and complex story of a teenage girl forced to choose between her routinized, selfless family and the adventurous, unrestrained future she longs for. A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to look away.”— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY(STARRED REVIEW)“Roth paints her canvas with the same brush as Suzanne Collins. The plot, scenes, and characters are different but the colors are the same and just as rich. Fans of Collins, dystopias, and strong female characters will love this novel.”— SLJ“With brisk pacing and lavish flights of imagination, DIVERGENT clearly has thrills, but it also movingly explores a more common adolescent anxiety— the painful realization that coming into one’s own sometimes means leaving family behind, both ideologically and physically.”— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW“Nonstop, adrenaline- heavy action. Packed with stunning twists and devastating betrayals.”— BCCB“DIVERGENT is really an extended metaphor about the trials of modern adolescence: constantly having to take tests that sort and rank you among your peers, facing separation from your family, agonizing:Previous Entities: |Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS| ::: “Roth paints her canvas with the same ",Reggie.M "fetch the oath bone,",38978,38991,True,1764:the chieftain.M,", and bring the Ember of Hoole to you in this very Gadderheal.” A stunned silence fell upon the wolves.“You mean that, Madame General?” MacHeath growled.“My word is as solid as my gizzard.” Gyllbane raised a paw.“Yes, Gyllbane?” The chieftain turned to the creamcolored wolf.“The talking bone, if you please.” A wolf picked up the bone and brought it to Gyllbane. She turned to Nyra.“This, Madame General, is a grave promise, one that could endanger you. It is most noble of you to do this.” There was chuffing and growls of agreement.“A pledge such as this is usually undertaken with a blood oath.” Again there were noises of agreement.“By all means, fetch the oath bone, Lord Fleance,” the chieftain ordered. Lord Fleance quickly returned with a bone that had been gnawed to a deadly point. More scars, Nyra thought. Well, she had been wounded in battle before. She could endure this scratch. The chieftain trotted forward. He was quick about it. Taking the oath bone in his mouth, he stabbed it quickly but not deeply into his front paw. There was a trickle of blood. He then dropped the bone in front of Nyra. It was finely honed, sharp as battle claws! If she could get these wolves to gnaw weapons like this! Nyra picked up the bone. Her hesitation was nothing to do with fear. There simply was not that much blood in owls’ feet. But between her talons she might be able to get a",the chieftain,"Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf",", and bring the Ember of Hoole to you in this very Gadderheal.” A stunned silence fell upon the wolves.“You mean that, Madame General?” MacHeath growled.“My word is as solid as my gizzard.” Gyllbane raised a paw.“Yes, Gyllbane?” The chieftain turned to the creamcolored wolf.“The talking bone, if you please.” A wolf picked up the bone and brought it to Gyllbane. She turned to Nyra.“This, Madame General, is a grave promise, one that could endanger you. It is most noble of you to do this.” There was chuffing and growls of agreement.“A pledge such as this is usually undertaken with a blood oath.” Again there were noises of agreement.“By all means, fetch the oath bone, Lord Fleance,” the chieftain ordered. Lord Fleance quickly returned with a bone that had been gnawed to a deadly point. More scars, Nyra thought. Well, she had been wounded in battle before. She could endure this scratch. The chieftain trotted forward. He was quick about it. Taking the oath bone in his mouth, he stabbed it quickly but not deeply into his front paw. There was a trickle of blood. He then dropped the bone in front of Nyra. It was finely honed, sharp as battle claws! If she could get these wolves to gnaw weapons like this! Nyra picked up the bone. Her hesitation was nothing to do with fear. There simply was not that much blood in owls’ feet. But between her talons she might be able to get a:Previous Entities: |Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf| ::: fetch the oath bone, ",Nyra.F "' That's quite a forecast,",187981,187994,True,968:Earl.M,"the posted temperatures were fifteen degrees cooler.' We'll see temps in the mid- nineties today and can't look for much relief tonight or tomorrow morning. But tomorrow afternoon these frontal storms will reach western Maine, and I think most of you are going to want to keep updated on weather conditions. Before we get back to cooler air and bright clear skies on Wednesday, we're probably going to see violent thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail in some locations. Tornados are rare in Maine, but some towns in western and central Maine could see them tomorrow. Back to you, Earl.' Earl, the morning news guy, had the innocent beefy look of a recent retiree from the Chippendales and read off the Teleprompter like one.' Wow,' he said.' That's quite a forecast, Vince. Tornados a possibility.'' Wow,' I said.' Say wow again, Earl. Do it' til I'm satisfied.'' Holy cow,' Earl said just to spite me, and the telephone rang. I went to answer it, giving the waggy clock a look as I went by. The night had been quiet— no sobbing, no screaming, no nocturnal adventures— but the clock was disquieting, just the same. It hung there On the wall eyeless and dead, like a message full of bad news.' Hello?'' Mr. Noonan?' I knew the voice, but for a moment couldn't place it. It was because she had called me Mr. Noonan. To Brenda Meserve I'd been Mike for almost fifteen years.' Mrs M.?",Earl,"his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl","the posted temperatures were fifteen degrees cooler.' We'll see temps in the mid- nineties today and can't look for much relief tonight or tomorrow morning. But tomorrow afternoon these frontal storms will reach western Maine, and I think most of you are going to want to keep updated on weather conditions. Before we get back to cooler air and bright clear skies on Wednesday, we're probably going to see violent thunderstorms, heavy rain, hail in some locations. Tornados are rare in Maine, but some towns in western and central Maine could see them tomorrow. Back to you, Earl.' Earl, the morning news guy, had the innocent beefy look of a recent retiree from the Chippendales and read off the Teleprompter like one.' Wow,' he said.' That's quite a forecast, Vince. Tornados a possibility.'' Wow,' I said.' Say wow again, Earl. Do it' til I'm satisfied.'' Holy cow,' Earl said just to spite me, and the telephone rang. I went to answer it, giving the waggy clock a look as I went by. The night had been quiet— no sobbing, no screaming, no nocturnal adventures— but the clock was disquieting, just the same. It hung there On the wall eyeless and dead, like a message full of bad news.' Hello?'' Mr. Noonan?' I knew the voice, but for a moment couldn't place it. It was because she had called me Mr. Noonan. To Brenda Meserve I'd been Mike for almost fifteen years.' Mrs M.?:Previous Entities: |his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl| ::: ' That's quite a forecast, ",Earl.M "It's just standing there.""",76468,76483,True,1897:the tyrannosaur.?,"upward- He saw the huge head of the tyrannosaurus. Just standing there, looking over the fence at the two Land Cruisers. The lightning flashed again, and the big animal rolled its head and bellowed in the glaring light. Then darkness, and silence again, and the pounding rain."" Tim?"""" Yes, Dr. Grant."""" You see what it is?"""" Yes, Dr. Grant."" Tim had the sense that Dr. Grant was trying to talk in a way that wouldn't upset his sister."" What's going on right now?"""" Nothing,"" Tim said, watching the tyrannosaur through his night goggles."" Just standing on the other side of the fence."""" I can't see much from here, Tim."""" I can see fine, Dr. Grant. It's just standing there."""" Okay."" Lex continued to cry, snuffling. There was another pause. Tim watched the tyrannosaur. The head was huge! The animal looked from one vehicle to another. Then back again. It seemed to stare right at Tim. In the goggles, the eyes glowed bright green. Tim felt a chill, but then, as he looked down the animal's body, moving down from the massive head and jaws, he saw the smaller, muscular forelimb. It waved in the air and then it gripped the fence."" Jesus Christ,"" Ed Regis said, staring out the window. The greatest preditor the world has ever known. The most fearsome attack in human history. Somewhere in the back of his publicist's brain, Ed Regis was still writing copy",the tyrannosaur,"Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur","upward- He saw the huge head of the tyrannosaurus. Just standing there, looking over the fence at the two Land Cruisers. The lightning flashed again, and the big animal rolled its head and bellowed in the glaring light. Then darkness, and silence again, and the pounding rain."" Tim?"""" Yes, Dr. Grant."""" You see what it is?"""" Yes, Dr. Grant."" Tim had the sense that Dr. Grant was trying to talk in a way that wouldn't upset his sister."" What's going on right now?"""" Nothing,"" Tim said, watching the tyrannosaur through his night goggles."" Just standing on the other side of the fence."""" I can't see much from here, Tim."""" I can see fine, Dr. Grant. It's just standing there."""" Okay."" Lex continued to cry, snuffling. There was another pause. Tim watched the tyrannosaur. The head was huge! The animal looked from one vehicle to another. Then back again. It seemed to stare right at Tim. In the goggles, the eyes glowed bright green. Tim felt a chill, but then, as he looked down the animal's body, moving down from the massive head and jaws, he saw the smaller, muscular forelimb. It waved in the air and then it gripped the fence."" Jesus Christ,"" Ed Regis said, staring out the window. The greatest preditor the world has ever known. The most fearsome attack in human history. Somewhere in the back of his publicist's brain, Ed Regis was still writing copy:Previous Entities: |Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur| ::: It's just standing there."" ",Tim.M “Is it safe to leave the classroom right now?,42330,42350,True,114:Professor Lana.?,",” Professor Lana said.“Like a living creature losing too much blood, if the ship loses too much helium, it will die.” She looked at the red oval clock behind her desk and stood.“Looks like it’s time for our next class, everyone. Finish your lessons and pack up. Oh, and don’t forget to read lesson three- point- one tonight on helium and how we keep a steady supply. It’s very important.” Tin shot out of his chair. His next class wasn’t a class. It was a field trip! He stuffed his books into his bag and followed the other kids into the hallway, where two senior engineers in light- blue coveralls were waiting. Professor Lana approached them and murmured softly,“Is it safe to leave the classroom right now? The ship’s been rocking a lot lately.” The older of the two said,“Safe as safe can be. I’ll keep’em close. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.” He was probably too thick in the middle to maneuver in the crawl spaces anymore. The other engineer was short and wiry— the ideal body type for someone who had to spend most of his time in cramped spaces. He had a thick silver beard with a mustache that curled at the ends. The bent bill of a ball cap covered his eyes. Professor Lana smiled and said,“Kids, this is Eli, and this is…” She looked to the larger engineer.“Ned.” He grinned and took it from there.“So you kids want to be engineers?”“That is why we",Professor Lana,"the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana",",” Professor Lana said.“Like a living creature losing too much blood, if the ship loses too much helium, it will die.” She looked at the red oval clock behind her desk and stood.“Looks like it’s time for our next class, everyone. Finish your lessons and pack up. Oh, and don’t forget to read lesson three- point- one tonight on helium and how we keep a steady supply. It’s very important.” Tin shot out of his chair. His next class wasn’t a class. It was a field trip! He stuffed his books into his bag and followed the other kids into the hallway, where two senior engineers in light- blue coveralls were waiting. Professor Lana approached them and murmured softly,“Is it safe to leave the classroom right now? The ship’s been rocking a lot lately.” The older of the two said,“Safe as safe can be. I’ll keep’em close. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.” He was probably too thick in the middle to maneuver in the crawl spaces anymore. The other engineer was short and wiry— the ideal body type for someone who had to spend most of his time in cramped spaces. He had a thick silver beard with a mustache that curled at the ends. The bent bill of a ball cap covered his eyes. Professor Lana smiled and said,“Kids, this is Eli, and this is…” She looked to the larger engineer.“Ned.” He grinned and took it from there.“So you kids want to be engineers?”“That is why we:Previous Entities: |the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana| ::: “Is it safe to leave the classroom right now? ",Professor Lana.F to act as a hero to repel the menace of the North.,14135,14195,True,1051:my interpreter.M,", but he did not attend me. Then Buliwyf stood and raised his cup of strong drink, and called to the assembled earls and warriors, making a speech of some good length. One by one, several warriors stood at their places to face him. Not all stood; I counted eleven, and Buliwyf pronounced himself satisfied with this. Now also I saw that Thorkel appeared much pleased by the proceedings and assumed a more kingly bearing, while Buliwyf paid him no heed, or showed any hatred of him, or even any interest, although they were formerly enemies a few minutes past. Then the angel of death, this same crone, pointed to me and made some utterance, and then she departed the hall. Now at last my interpreter spoke, and he said:“Buliwyf is called by the gods to leave this place and swiftly, putting behind him all his cares and concerns, to act as a hero to repel the menace of the North. This is fitting, and he must also take eleven warriors with him. And so, also, must he take you.” I said that I was on a mission to the Bulgars, and must follow the instructions of my Caliph, with no delay.“The angel of death has spoken,” my interpreter said.“The party of Buliwyf must be thirteen, and of these one must be no Northman, and so you shall be the thirteenth.” I protested I was not a warrior. Verily I made all the excuses and pleadings that I could imagine might have effect upon this rude company of beings. I demanded that the interpreter convey my words to Buliwyf, and yet he turned away and left the hall, saying this last speech:“Prepare yourself as you think best. You shall leave on the morning light.” THE JOURNEY TO THE FAR COUNTRY IN THIS MANNER WAS I PREVENTED",my interpreter,"Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter",", but he did not attend me. Then Buliwyf stood and raised his cup of strong drink, and called to the assembled earls and warriors, making a speech of some good length. One by one, several warriors stood at their places to face him. Not all stood; I counted eleven, and Buliwyf pronounced himself satisfied with this. Now also I saw that Thorkel appeared much pleased by the proceedings and assumed a more kingly bearing, while Buliwyf paid him no heed, or showed any hatred of him, or even any interest, although they were formerly enemies a few minutes past. Then the angel of death, this same crone, pointed to me and made some utterance, and then she departed the hall. Now at last my interpreter spoke, and he said:“Buliwyf is called by the gods to leave this place and swiftly, putting behind him all his cares and concerns, to act as a hero to repel the menace of the North. This is fitting, and he must also take eleven warriors with him. And so, also, must he take you.” I said that I was on a mission to the Bulgars, and must follow the instructions of my Caliph, with no delay.“The angel of death has spoken,” my interpreter said.“The party of Buliwyf must be thirteen, and of these one must be no Northman, and so you shall be the thirteenth.” I protested I was not a warrior. Verily I made all the excuses and pleadings that I could imagine might have effect upon this rude company of beings. I demanded that the interpreter convey my words to Buliwyf, and yet he turned away and left the hall, saying this last speech:“Prepare yourself as you think best. You shall leave on the morning light.” THE JOURNEY TO THE FAR COUNTRY IN THIS MANNER WAS I PREVENTED:Previous Entities: |Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter| ::: to act as a hero to repel the menace of the North. ","Buliwyf.M my interpreter.M" We will blow a hole right through this prison.,7075,7096,True,529:The goblin.?,"' You there, in the wagon. Cease fire. The vehicle will collapse and you will be trapped.' For several moments, smoke billowed from the vents. Then the vehicle settled on its axles. A face appeared at the grille, forked tongue slithering through the mesh.' You think we're stupid, elf? We're gonna burn clean through this pile of junk.' Holly stepped closer, turning up the speakers.' Listen to me, goblin. You are stupid, let's just accept that and move on. If you continue to fireball that vehicle, the roof will melt and fall on you like shells from a human gun. You may be fireproof, but are you bulletproof?' The goblin licked his lidless eyes, thinking it over.' You lie, elf! We will blow a hole right through this prison. You will be next.' The wagon's panels began to lurch and buckle as the goblins renewed their attack.' Not to worry,' said Grub, from a safe distance.' The fire extinguishers will get them.'' They would,' corrected Holly,' if the fire extinguishers weren't connected to the main power grid, which is shut down.' A mobile food- preparation wagon such as this one would have to adhere to the strictest fire regulations before setting one magna wheel on the strip. In this case, several foam- packed extinguishers, which could submerge the entire interior in flame- retardant foam in a matter of seconds. The nice thing about the flame foam was that it hardened on contact with air, but the not- so- nice thing about flame foam was",The goblin,"the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin","' You there, in the wagon. Cease fire. The vehicle will collapse and you will be trapped.' For several moments, smoke billowed from the vents. Then the vehicle settled on its axles. A face appeared at the grille, forked tongue slithering through the mesh.' You think we're stupid, elf? We're gonna burn clean through this pile of junk.' Holly stepped closer, turning up the speakers.' Listen to me, goblin. You are stupid, let's just accept that and move on. If you continue to fireball that vehicle, the roof will melt and fall on you like shells from a human gun. You may be fireproof, but are you bulletproof?' The goblin licked his lidless eyes, thinking it over.' You lie, elf! We will blow a hole right through this prison. You will be next.' The wagon's panels began to lurch and buckle as the goblins renewed their attack.' Not to worry,' said Grub, from a safe distance.' The fire extinguishers will get them.'' They would,' corrected Holly,' if the fire extinguishers weren't connected to the main power grid, which is shut down.' A mobile food- preparation wagon such as this one would have to adhere to the strictest fire regulations before setting one magna wheel on the strip. In this case, several foam- packed extinguishers, which could submerge the entire interior in flame- retardant foam in a matter of seconds. The nice thing about the flame foam was that it hardened on contact with air, but the not- so- nice thing about flame foam was:Previous Entities: |the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin| ::: We will blow a hole right through this prison. ",The goblin.M Just imagine.”,19465,19524,True,224:Svall.M,"Oh, definitely,” Soren said.“It is even more than an offense.” Soren took a deep breath. How would he say what needed to be said next? Moss and Snorri lived far away from the Pure Ones and flecks. It might be hard for them to grasp the urgency of the situation. Soren plunged into a history of the siege and the fall of St. Aggie’s to the Pure Ones.“They will consolidate their power,” he went on.“They will bring in thousands of hireclaws from the territory known as Beyond the Beyond, and they will launch another attack, first against the great tree, and then against every other owl kingdom on Earth. And they will not stop at owls.” Soren now looked over at Svall.“I know it is hard to believe that a creature as huge as Svall could be affected by something as infinitesimally small as a magnetic fleck, but he could be. Imagine if animals as big as Svall became the witless instruments of one of the greatest forces of evil in the universe. Just imagine.”“So Ezylryb wants the Glauxspeed division and the Frost Beaks.” Moss unfolded the paper again and regarded it.“Ja, ja, and he wants ach, hordo.”“Hordo?” Snorri repeated.“Ja, ja.” Moss nodded.“And,” he said, looking up from the paper at the young owls again,“he wants that you should be trained in the art of the ice sword.”“Ice sword!” Twilight nearly jumped out of his feathers.“Great Glaux, ice swords! I can’t wait. He really said that?” Twilight craned his head so he might better see the paper that Moss held.“Ja, ja, and he said that the Great Gray would be particularly excited, he",Svall,"the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall","Oh, definitely,” Soren said.“It is even more than an offense.” Soren took a deep breath. How would he say what needed to be said next? Moss and Snorri lived far away from the Pure Ones and flecks. It might be hard for them to grasp the urgency of the situation. Soren plunged into a history of the siege and the fall of St. Aggie’s to the Pure Ones.“They will consolidate their power,” he went on.“They will bring in thousands of hireclaws from the territory known as Beyond the Beyond, and they will launch another attack, first against the great tree, and then against every other owl kingdom on Earth. And they will not stop at owls.” Soren now looked over at Svall.“I know it is hard to believe that a creature as huge as Svall could be affected by something as infinitesimally small as a magnetic fleck, but he could be. Imagine if animals as big as Svall became the witless instruments of one of the greatest forces of evil in the universe. Just imagine.”“So Ezylryb wants the Glauxspeed division and the Frost Beaks.” Moss unfolded the paper again and regarded it.“Ja, ja, and he wants ach, hordo.”“Hordo?” Snorri repeated.“Ja, ja.” Moss nodded.“And,” he said, looking up from the paper at the young owls again,“he wants that you should be trained in the art of the ice sword.”“Ice sword!” Twilight nearly jumped out of his feathers.“Great Glaux, ice swords! I can’t wait. He really said that?” Twilight craned his head so he might better see the paper that Moss held.“Ja, ja, and he said that the Great Gray would be particularly excited, he:Previous Entities: |the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall| ::: Just imagine.” ","Soren.M Snorri.M Moss.M Svall.M Twilight.M " Like the Unreal Estate?’,108246,108261,True,3107:the same voice behind her.?,"urgent but quite friendly– and it belonged to Eskarina Smith. The wind was silver and cold. Tiffany, lying on her back, looked up into a white sky; at the edge of her vision, dried grasses shook and rattled in the wind but, curiously, behind this little bit of countryside there was the big fireplace and the battling knights.‘ It is really quite important that you don’t move,’ said the same voice behind her.‘ The place where you are now has been, as we say, cobbled together for this conversation and did not exist until you arrived here, and will cease to exist the moment you leave. Strictly speaking, by the standards of most philosophical disciplines, it can not be said to have any existence at all.’‘ So it’s a magic place, yes? Like the Unreal Estate?’‘ Very sensible way of putting it,’ said the voice of Eskarina.‘ Those of us who know about it call it the travelling now. It’s an easy way to talk to you in private; when it closes, you will be exactly where you were and no time will have passed. Do you understand?’‘ No!’ Eskarina sat down on the grass next to her.‘ Thank goodness for that. It would be rather disturbing if you did. You are, you know, an extremely unusual witch. As far as I can tell, you have a natural talent for making cheese, and as talents go, it is a pretty good talent to have. The world needs cheese- makers. A good cheese- maker is worth her weight",the same voice behind her,"the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her","urgent but quite friendly– and it belonged to Eskarina Smith. The wind was silver and cold. Tiffany, lying on her back, looked up into a white sky; at the edge of her vision, dried grasses shook and rattled in the wind but, curiously, behind this little bit of countryside there was the big fireplace and the battling knights.‘ It is really quite important that you don’t move,’ said the same voice behind her.‘ The place where you are now has been, as we say, cobbled together for this conversation and did not exist until you arrived here, and will cease to exist the moment you leave. Strictly speaking, by the standards of most philosophical disciplines, it can not be said to have any existence at all.’‘ So it’s a magic place, yes? Like the Unreal Estate?’‘ Very sensible way of putting it,’ said the voice of Eskarina.‘ Those of us who know about it call it the travelling now. It’s an easy way to talk to you in private; when it closes, you will be exactly where you were and no time will have passed. Do you understand?’‘ No!’ Eskarina sat down on the grass next to her.‘ Thank goodness for that. It would be rather disturbing if you did. You are, you know, an extremely unusual witch. As far as I can tell, you have a natural talent for making cheese, and as talents go, it is a pretty good talent to have. The world needs cheese- makers. A good cheese- maker is worth her weight:Previous Entities: |the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her| ::: Like the Unreal Estate?’ ",Eskarina Smith.F Who knows?,27600,27685,True,176:Rota.?,"The mean ground temperature has fallen below optimum levels and continues to drop."" In the meantime the Zid continue to expand the size of what they refer to as the' holy lands.' Though focused on the humans for the moment, our turn will come soon enough."" The Blues have taken the throne— and with it control of the fleet. Repeated requests for evacuation have fallen on deaf receptors."" Rota whistled respectfully."" No offense, Enore, but we are well acquainted with the extent of our misery."" Enore used her antennae to request patience."" I will come to the point. Extreme circumstances justify extreme measures. No one is willing to help us— so we must help ourselves. I recommend what some would describe as a radical plan."" In spite of the fact that the free humans are in a state of disarray— and cut off from their hive— they possess technology as sophisticated as ours. By joining forces with the aliens, we could limit Zid expansion, explore the possibility of a mutual evacuation strategy, and foster technological collaboration. Who knows? By combining the skills of both species, we might be able to repair the atmosphere. It's worth a try."" There was a moment of silence while the other Mothri absorbed what Enore had said— followed by a storm of countervailing static. The debate had begun. The woman known as Android Annie blew a wisp of gray hair away from her eyes and scanned the terrain ahead. The"" bring'em nears,"" as she liked to call them, were of her own design. A pair of zoom lenses salvaged from a model fifteen had been wired to a makeshift power supply and control system. The result was a nonstandard but efficient pair of electronic binoculars. According to her map, the best that trade tech could buy, they were approximately fifty miles north of the holy lands, and well inside bug territory. Visibility was limited by the steady drive of dirty brown sleet, but Annie was",Rota,"the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth","The mean ground temperature has fallen below optimum levels and continues to drop."" In the meantime the Zid continue to expand the size of what they refer to as the' holy lands.' Though focused on the humans for the moment, our turn will come soon enough."" The Blues have taken the throne— and with it control of the fleet. Repeated requests for evacuation have fallen on deaf receptors."" Rota whistled respectfully."" No offense, Enore, but we are well acquainted with the extent of our misery."" Enore used her antennae to request patience."" I will come to the point. Extreme circumstances justify extreme measures. No one is willing to help us— so we must help ourselves. I recommend what some would describe as a radical plan."" In spite of the fact that the free humans are in a state of disarray— and cut off from their hive— they possess technology as sophisticated as ours. By joining forces with the aliens, we could limit Zid expansion, explore the possibility of a mutual evacuation strategy, and foster technological collaboration. Who knows? By combining the skills of both species, we might be able to repair the atmosphere. It's worth a try."" There was a moment of silence while the other Mothri absorbed what Enore had said— followed by a storm of countervailing static. The debate had begun. The woman known as Android Annie blew a wisp of gray hair away from her eyes and scanned the terrain ahead. The"" bring'em nears,"" as she liked to call them, were of her own design. A pair of zoom lenses salvaged from a model fifteen had been wired to a makeshift power supply and control system. The result was a nonstandard but efficient pair of electronic binoculars. According to her map, the best that trade tech could buy, they were approximately fifty miles north of the holy lands, and well inside bug territory. Visibility was limited by the steady drive of dirty brown sleet, but Annie was:Previous Entities: |the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth| ::: Who knows? ",Enore.F “What makes us feel strange when we are in our battle claws around flecks?,24860,24883,True,221:Spoorn.?,"Otulissa swiveled her head toward Uklah and carefully began to phrase her question as a statement.“Turnfeather to the Pure Ones,” she began slowly.“No need for that,” Skench interrupted, sensing what Otulissa was about to do.“You can ask questions here. But not yet. We have some questions. Higher magnetics— what is it? Why, on that terrible night when those owls escaped more than a year ago, did I go yeep? It was the magic of higher magnetics.”“No, it wasn’t magic,” Otulissa replied.“It was science. Magic and science aren’t the same thing. I don’t know anything about magic. Higher magnetics is science.”“Tell us about it,” Spoorn urged.“What makes us feel strange when we are in our battle claws around flecks? Where do flecks get their power?” Otulissa was debating with herself just how much she should tell them. This was different from giving them information about the Northern Kingdoms. They could do real damage with what they might find out about flecks. Uklah stepped forward.“There was a terrible battle in the woods,” she said,“between the High Tyto, Kludd, and his brother, and owls from the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Those owls did something to the bags of flecks that destroyed their power. What was it? We need to know.” That was when it clicked in Otulissa’s mind. Owls like this did not need to know. They needed to be kept ignorant. She would feed them false information— just for a little while, just long enough so she could gain their confidence and",Spoorn,"the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah","Otulissa swiveled her head toward Uklah and carefully began to phrase her question as a statement.“Turnfeather to the Pure Ones,” she began slowly.“No need for that,” Skench interrupted, sensing what Otulissa was about to do.“You can ask questions here. But not yet. We have some questions. Higher magnetics— what is it? Why, on that terrible night when those owls escaped more than a year ago, did I go yeep? It was the magic of higher magnetics.”“No, it wasn’t magic,” Otulissa replied.“It was science. Magic and science aren’t the same thing. I don’t know anything about magic. Higher magnetics is science.”“Tell us about it,” Spoorn urged.“What makes us feel strange when we are in our battle claws around flecks? Where do flecks get their power?” Otulissa was debating with herself just how much she should tell them. This was different from giving them information about the Northern Kingdoms. They could do real damage with what they might find out about flecks. Uklah stepped forward.“There was a terrible battle in the woods,” she said,“between the High Tyto, Kludd, and his brother, and owls from the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Those owls did something to the bags of flecks that destroyed their power. What was it? We need to know.” That was when it clicked in Otulissa’s mind. Owls like this did not need to know. They needed to be kept ignorant. She would feed them false information— just for a little while, just long enough so she could gain their confidence and:Previous Entities: |the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah| ::: “What makes us feel strange when we are in our battle claws around flecks? ",Otulissa.F "“as you are a geneticist,",60407,60457,True,2531:the teacher.F,"** CH032 M adame Bond,” the first- grade teacher said,“your son is a delightful boy, but he is having trouble with his math. Addition comes slowly to him; subtraction is even more difficult. However, his French is much improved.”“I am glad to know that,” Gail Bond said.“The move here from London was hard for him. But I must admit, I’m surprised about his difficulty with math.”“Because you are a scientist, you mean?”“I suppose so, yes. I work at the Institut National here in Paris,” she said,“and Evan’s father is an investment banker; he works all day with numbers.”“Well,” the teacher replied,“as you are a geneticist, I am sure you know everything is not in the genes. Sometimes the child of a great artist can not draw. But I must tell you that it does your son no good if you do his homework for him.”“Sorry?” Gail Bond said.“Do his homework?”“Well, this must be the case,” the teacher said.“You or someone else in the household.”“I don’t understand.”“Evan’s homework is always perfect. But when there is a quiz in class, he does poorly. Evidently, someone is doing his homework for him.” Gail Bond shook her head.“But I don’t know who it could be,” she said.“My son comes home from school and only the housekeeper is there when he does his homework. She doesn’t speak much French. I return at five, and by then his homework is finished. Or so he tells me.”“You do not review it",the teacher,"Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists","** CH032 M adame Bond,” the first- grade teacher said,“your son is a delightful boy, but he is having trouble with his math. Addition comes slowly to him; subtraction is even more difficult. However, his French is much improved.”“I am glad to know that,” Gail Bond said.“The move here from London was hard for him. But I must admit, I’m surprised about his difficulty with math.”“Because you are a scientist, you mean?”“I suppose so, yes. I work at the Institut National here in Paris,” she said,“and Evan’s father is an investment banker; he works all day with numbers.”“Well,” the teacher replied,“as you are a geneticist, I am sure you know everything is not in the genes. Sometimes the child of a great artist can not draw. But I must tell you that it does your son no good if you do his homework for him.”“Sorry?” Gail Bond said.“Do his homework?”“Well, this must be the case,” the teacher said.“You or someone else in the household.”“I don’t understand.”“Evan’s homework is always perfect. But when there is a quiz in class, he does poorly. Evidently, someone is doing his homework for him.” Gail Bond shook her head.“But I don’t know who it could be,” she said.“My son comes home from school and only the housekeeper is there when he does his homework. She doesn’t speak much French. I return at five, and by then his homework is finished. Or so he tells me.”“You do not review it:Previous Entities: |Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists| ::: “as you are a geneticist, ",Gail Bond.F "Yes,",62175,62193,True,177:Number Two.M,"he said,"" have none of you done anything?"" As if in answer to his question there was a sudden clamour of noise from the entrance to the clearing. The crowd couldn't believe the amount of entertainment they were getting this afternoon: in marched a squad of about a dozen men dressed in the remnants of their Golgafrincham 3rd Regiment dress uniforms. About half of them still carried Kill- O- Zap guns, the rest now carried spears which they struck together as they marched. They looked bronzed, healthy, and utterly exhausted and bedraggled. They clattered to a halt and banged to attention. One of them fell over and never moved again."" Captain, sir!"" cried Number Two- for he was their leader-"" Permission to report sir!"""" Yes, alright Number Two, welcome back and all that. Find any hot springs?"" said the Captain despondently."" No sir!"""" Thought you wouldn't."" Number Two strode through the crowd and presented arms before the bath."" We have discovered another continent!"""" When was this?"""" It lies across the sea..."" said Number Two, narrowing his eyes significantly,"" to the east!"""" Ah."" Number Two turned to face the crowd. He raised his gun above his head. This is going to be great, thought the crowd."" We have declared war on it!"" Wild abandoned cheering broke out in all corners of the clearing- this was beyond all expectation."" Wait a minute,"" shouted Ford Prefect,"" wait a minute!"" He leapt to his feet and demanded silence.",Number Two,"the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl","he said,"" have none of you done anything?"" As if in answer to his question there was a sudden clamour of noise from the entrance to the clearing. The crowd couldn't believe the amount of entertainment they were getting this afternoon: in marched a squad of about a dozen men dressed in the remnants of their Golgafrincham 3rd Regiment dress uniforms. About half of them still carried Kill- O- Zap guns, the rest now carried spears which they struck together as they marched. They looked bronzed, healthy, and utterly exhausted and bedraggled. They clattered to a halt and banged to attention. One of them fell over and never moved again."" Captain, sir!"" cried Number Two- for he was their leader-"" Permission to report sir!"""" Yes, alright Number Two, welcome back and all that. Find any hot springs?"" said the Captain despondently."" No sir!"""" Thought you wouldn't."" Number Two strode through the crowd and presented arms before the bath."" We have discovered another continent!"""" When was this?"""" It lies across the sea..."" said Number Two, narrowing his eyes significantly,"" to the east!"""" Ah."" Number Two turned to face the crowd. He raised his gun above his head. This is going to be great, thought the crowd."" We have declared war on it!"" Wild abandoned cheering broke out in all corners of the clearing- this was beyond all expectation."" Wait a minute,"" shouted Ford Prefect,"" wait a minute!"" He leapt to his feet and demanded silence.:Previous Entities: |the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl| ::: Yes, ",Ford Prefect.M "He's the boss.""",17006,17016,True,788:The first corpsman.M,"his nostrils, a mouthpiece between his teeth."" This is to measure your CO²,"" the corpsman said."" Just exhale. That's right. Big breath, now exhale..."" Norman exhaled. He watched a rubber diaphragm inflate, pushing a needle up a scale."" Try it again, sir. I'm sure you can do better than that."" Norman didn't think he could, but he tried again anyway. Another corpsman entered the room, with a sheet of paper covered with figures."" Here are his BC's,"" he said. The first corpsman frowned."" Has Barnes seen this?"""" Yes."""" And what'd he say?"""" He said it was okay. He said to continue."""" Okay, fine. He's the boss."" The first corpsman turned back to Norman."" Let's try one more big breath, Dr. Johnson, if you would..."" METAL CALIPERS TOUCHED his chin and his forehead. A tape went around his head. Now the calipers measured from his ear to his chin."" What's this for?"" Norman said."" Fitting you with a helmet, sir."""" Shouldn't I be trying one on?"""" This is the way we do it, sir."" DINNER WAS MACARONI and cheese, burned underneath. Norman pushed it aside after a few bites. The corpsman appeared at his door."" Time for the seventeen- hundred- hours briefing, sir."""" I'm not going anywhere,"" Norman said,"" until I get",The first corpsman,"Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman","his nostrils, a mouthpiece between his teeth."" This is to measure your CO²,"" the corpsman said."" Just exhale. That's right. Big breath, now exhale..."" Norman exhaled. He watched a rubber diaphragm inflate, pushing a needle up a scale."" Try it again, sir. I'm sure you can do better than that."" Norman didn't think he could, but he tried again anyway. Another corpsman entered the room, with a sheet of paper covered with figures."" Here are his BC's,"" he said. The first corpsman frowned."" Has Barnes seen this?"""" Yes."""" And what'd he say?"""" He said it was okay. He said to continue."""" Okay, fine. He's the boss."" The first corpsman turned back to Norman."" Let's try one more big breath, Dr. Johnson, if you would..."" METAL CALIPERS TOUCHED his chin and his forehead. A tape went around his head. Now the calipers measured from his ear to his chin."" What's this for?"" Norman said."" Fitting you with a helmet, sir."""" Shouldn't I be trying one on?"""" This is the way we do it, sir."" DINNER WAS MACARONI and cheese, burned underneath. Norman pushed it aside after a few bites. The corpsman appeared at his door."" Time for the seventeen- hundred- hours briefing, sir."""" I'm not going anywhere,"" Norman said,"" until I get:Previous Entities: |Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman| ::: He's the boss."" ",The first corpsman.M "bad prime contractor when we are done,”",24605,24624,True,304:Anna.F,"to extract concessions while improving the relationship at the same time. No easy task, right? To prepare, the first thing Anna did was sit down with her negotiating partner, Mark, and list every negative charge that ABC could level at them. The relationship had gone sour long before, so the list was huge. But the biggest possible accusations were easy to spot:“You are the typical prime contractor trying to force out the small guy.”“You promised us we would have all this work and you reneged on your promise.”“You could have told us about this issue weeks ago to help us prepare.” Anna and Mark then took turns role- playing the two sides, with one playing ABC and the other disarming these accusations with anticipatory labels.“You’re going to think we are a big, bad prime contractor when we are done,” Anna practiced saying slowly and naturally.“It seems you feel this work was promised to you from the beginning,” Mark said. They trained in front of an observer, honing their pacing; deciding at what point they would label each fear; and planning when to include meaningful pauses. It was theater. When the day of the meeting arrived, Anna opened by acknowledging ABC’s biggest gripes.“We understand that we brought you on board with the shared goal of having you lead this work,” she said.“You may feel like we have treated you unfairly, and that we changed the deal significantly since then. We acknowledge that you believe you were promised this work.” This received an emphatic nod from the ABC representatives, so Anna continued by outlining the",Anna,"the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna","to extract concessions while improving the relationship at the same time. No easy task, right? To prepare, the first thing Anna did was sit down with her negotiating partner, Mark, and list every negative charge that ABC could level at them. The relationship had gone sour long before, so the list was huge. But the biggest possible accusations were easy to spot:“You are the typical prime contractor trying to force out the small guy.”“You promised us we would have all this work and you reneged on your promise.”“You could have told us about this issue weeks ago to help us prepare.” Anna and Mark then took turns role- playing the two sides, with one playing ABC and the other disarming these accusations with anticipatory labels.“You’re going to think we are a big, bad prime contractor when we are done,” Anna practiced saying slowly and naturally.“It seems you feel this work was promised to you from the beginning,” Mark said. They trained in front of an observer, honing their pacing; deciding at what point they would label each fear; and planning when to include meaningful pauses. It was theater. When the day of the meeting arrived, Anna opened by acknowledging ABC’s biggest gripes.“We understand that we brought you on board with the shared goal of having you lead this work,” she said.“You may feel like we have treated you unfairly, and that we changed the deal significantly since then. We acknowledge that you believe you were promised this work.” This received an emphatic nod from the ABC representatives, so Anna continued by outlining the:Previous Entities: |the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna| ::: bad prime contractor when we are done,” ",Anna.F "' Sorry about all that,",107136,107148,True,3117:the invisible sergeant.?,"'m sorry.'' You could at least let me buff it up for you.'' No!'' Well, couldn't I just set fire to the privy—?'' Absolutely not!'' That chicken house over there looks as if it would go up like-'' Sergeant!'' Sire!'' Go back to the castle!'' What, and leave you all alone, sire?'' This is a matter of extreme delicacy, sergeant. I am sure you are a man of sterling qualities, but there are times when even a king needs to be alone. It concerns a young woman, you understand.'' Ah. Point taken, sire,'' Thank you. Help me dismount, please.'' Sorry about all that, sire. Tactless of me.'' Don't mention it.'' If you need any help getting her alight—'' Please go back to the castle, sergeant.'' Yes, sire. If you're sure, sire. Thank you, sire.'' Sergeant?'' Yes, sire?'' I shall need someone to take my cap and bells back to the Fools' Guild in Ankh- Morpork now I'm leaving. It seems to me you're the ideal man.'' Thank you, sire. Much obliged.'' It's your, ah, burning desire to be of service.'' Yes, sire?'' Make sure they put you up in one of the guest rooms.'' Yes, sire. Thank you, sire.",the invisible sergeant,"the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant","'m sorry.'' You could at least let me buff it up for you.'' No!'' Well, couldn't I just set fire to the privy—?'' Absolutely not!'' That chicken house over there looks as if it would go up like-'' Sergeant!'' Sire!'' Go back to the castle!'' What, and leave you all alone, sire?'' This is a matter of extreme delicacy, sergeant. I am sure you are a man of sterling qualities, but there are times when even a king needs to be alone. It concerns a young woman, you understand.'' Ah. Point taken, sire,'' Thank you. Help me dismount, please.'' Sorry about all that, sire. Tactless of me.'' Don't mention it.'' If you need any help getting her alight—'' Please go back to the castle, sergeant.'' Yes, sire. If you're sure, sire. Thank you, sire.'' Sergeant?'' Yes, sire?'' I shall need someone to take my cap and bells back to the Fools' Guild in Ankh- Morpork now I'm leaving. It seems to me you're the ideal man.'' Thank you, sire. Much obliged.'' It's your, ah, burning desire to be of service.'' Yes, sire?'' Make sure they put you up in one of the guest rooms.'' Yes, sire. Thank you, sire.:Previous Entities: |the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant| ::: ' Sorry about all that, ",Sergeant. M “Now!”,23323,23326,True,814:Scowther.M,"his mates to know the link between her and Mia had been broken; part was genuine sorrow. She had lost a woman who had become, in a way, her true sister. Susannah! Suze, are you there? She started up on her elbows at this new voice, for a moment almost forgetting the woman beside her. That had been— Jake? Is it you, honey? It is, isn’t it? Can you hear me? YES! he cried. Finally! God, who’ve you been talking to? Keep yelling so I can home in on y— The voice broke off, but not before she heard a ghostly rattle of distant gunfire. Jake shooting at someone? She thought not. She thought someone was shooting at him. Two“Now!” Scowther shouted.“Now, Mia! Push! For your life! Give it all you have! PUSH!” Susannah tried to roll closer to the other woman— Oh, I’m concerned and wanting comfort, see how concerned I am, concern and wanting comfort is all it is— but the one called Straw pulled her back. The segmented steel cable swung and stretched out between them.“Keep your distance, bitch,” Straw said, and for the first time Susannah faced the possibility that they weren’t going to let her get hold of Scowther’s gun. Or any gun. Mia screamed again, crying out to a strange god in a strange language. When she tried to raise her midsection from the table, the nurse— Alia, Susannah thought the",Scowther,"Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia","his mates to know the link between her and Mia had been broken; part was genuine sorrow. She had lost a woman who had become, in a way, her true sister. Susannah! Suze, are you there? She started up on her elbows at this new voice, for a moment almost forgetting the woman beside her. That had been— Jake? Is it you, honey? It is, isn’t it? Can you hear me? YES! he cried. Finally! God, who’ve you been talking to? Keep yelling so I can home in on y— The voice broke off, but not before she heard a ghostly rattle of distant gunfire. Jake shooting at someone? She thought not. She thought someone was shooting at him. Two“Now!” Scowther shouted.“Now, Mia! Push! For your life! Give it all you have! PUSH!” Susannah tried to roll closer to the other woman— Oh, I’m concerned and wanting comfort, see how concerned I am, concern and wanting comfort is all it is— but the one called Straw pulled her back. The segmented steel cable swung and stretched out between them.“Keep your distance, bitch,” Straw said, and for the first time Susannah faced the possibility that they weren’t going to let her get hold of Scowther’s gun. Or any gun. Mia screamed again, crying out to a strange god in a strange language. When she tried to raise her midsection from the table, the nurse— Alia, Susannah thought the:Previous Entities: |Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia| ::: “Now!” ",Scowther.M "“Get him in here,”",6135,6141,True,117:Pinky.?,"down his chin. He said the kid had deliberately cut Anderson’s ankle when they collided at the plate. Said Blakely must have done it with his fingernails, and the kid should be put out of the game for it. This was pretty rich, coming from a man whose motto was,“Spikes high and let em die!” I was sitting in Joe’s office drinking a beer, so the two of us listened to Pinky’s rant together. I thought the guy was nuts, and I could see from Joe’s face that I wasn’t alone. Joe waited until Pinky ran down, then said:“I wasn’t watching Anderson’s foot. I was watching to see if Blakely made the tag and held onto the ball. Which he did.”“Get him in here,” Pinky fumes.“I want to say it to his face.”“Be reasonable, Pink,” Joe says.“Would I be in your office doing a tantrum if it had been Blakely all cut up?”“It wasn’t spikes!” Pinky yells.“Spikes are a part of the game! Scratching someone up like a… a girl at a kickball match… that ain’t! And Anderson’s in the game seven years! He’s got a family to support!”“So you’re saying what? My catcher ripped your pinch- runner’s ankle open while he was tagging him out— and tossing him over his goddam shoulder, don’t forget— and he did it with his nails?”“That’s what Anderson says,",Pinky,"Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky","down his chin. He said the kid had deliberately cut Anderson’s ankle when they collided at the plate. Said Blakely must have done it with his fingernails, and the kid should be put out of the game for it. This was pretty rich, coming from a man whose motto was,“Spikes high and let em die!” I was sitting in Joe’s office drinking a beer, so the two of us listened to Pinky’s rant together. I thought the guy was nuts, and I could see from Joe’s face that I wasn’t alone. Joe waited until Pinky ran down, then said:“I wasn’t watching Anderson’s foot. I was watching to see if Blakely made the tag and held onto the ball. Which he did.”“Get him in here,” Pinky fumes.“I want to say it to his face.”“Be reasonable, Pink,” Joe says.“Would I be in your office doing a tantrum if it had been Blakely all cut up?”“It wasn’t spikes!” Pinky yells.“Spikes are a part of the game! Scratching someone up like a… a girl at a kickball match… that ain’t! And Anderson’s in the game seven years! He’s got a family to support!”“So you’re saying what? My catcher ripped your pinch- runner’s ankle open while he was tagging him out— and tossing him over his goddam shoulder, don’t forget— and he did it with his nails?”“That’s what Anderson says,:Previous Entities: |Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky| ::: “Get him in here,” ",Pinky.M Got potted straight into a black hole.,67531,67569,True,189:Agda.?,"'d you get this idea from?"""" It really doesn't matter. It's just like a dream from the past, or the future."" Arthur smiled and looked away."" Does it worry you that you don't talk any kind of sense?"" asked Agda."" Listen, forget it,"" said Ford,"" forget all of it. Nothing matters. Look, it's a beautiful day, enjoy it. The sun, the green of the hills, the river down in the valley, the burning trees."""" Even if it's only a dream, it's a pretty horrible idea,"" said Mella,"" destroying a world just to make a bypass."""" Oh, I've heard of worse,"" said Ford,"" I read of one planet off in the seventh dimension that got used as a ball in a game of intergalactic bar billiards. Got potted straight into a black hole. Killed ten billion people."""" That's mad,"" said Mella."" Yes, only scored thirty points too."" Agda and Mella exchanged glances."" Look,"" said Agda,"" there's a party after the committee meeting tonight. You can come along if you like."""" Yeah, OK,"" said Ford."" I'd like to,"" said Arthur. Many hours later Arthur and Mella sat and watched the moon rise over the dull red glow of the trees."" That story about the world being destroyed..."" began Mella."" In two million years, yes."""" You say it as if you really think it's true."""" Yes, I think it is. I think I was there."" She shook her head in puzzlement.",Agda,"Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda","'d you get this idea from?"""" It really doesn't matter. It's just like a dream from the past, or the future."" Arthur smiled and looked away."" Does it worry you that you don't talk any kind of sense?"" asked Agda."" Listen, forget it,"" said Ford,"" forget all of it. Nothing matters. Look, it's a beautiful day, enjoy it. The sun, the green of the hills, the river down in the valley, the burning trees."""" Even if it's only a dream, it's a pretty horrible idea,"" said Mella,"" destroying a world just to make a bypass."""" Oh, I've heard of worse,"" said Ford,"" I read of one planet off in the seventh dimension that got used as a ball in a game of intergalactic bar billiards. Got potted straight into a black hole. Killed ten billion people."""" That's mad,"" said Mella."" Yes, only scored thirty points too."" Agda and Mella exchanged glances."" Look,"" said Agda,"" there's a party after the committee meeting tonight. You can come along if you like."""" Yeah, OK,"" said Ford."" I'd like to,"" said Arthur. Many hours later Arthur and Mella sat and watched the moon rise over the dull red glow of the trees."" That story about the world being destroyed..."" began Mella."" In two million years, yes."""" You say it as if you really think it's true."""" Yes, I think it is. I think I was there."" She shook her head in puzzlement.:Previous Entities: |Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda| ::: Got potted straight into a black hole. ",Ford.M “Would you allow your priestesses to train with me every morning in the ring at the top of the House?,70074,70107,True,139:Clotho.F,"time she looked at her sister’s face?“All right,” Cassian repeated.“Not Feyre. But I need to give her and Rhys a heads- up. You should probably ask Clotho for permission, too.” A warm hand clasped her shoulder and squeezed.“I like this idea, Nes.” His hazel eyes shone bright.“I like it a lot.” And for some reason, the words meant everything. CHAPTER 17“I have a proposition for you.” Stomach muscles throbbing, legs aching, Nesta stood before Clotho’s desk as the priestess finished writing on whatever manuscript she was annotating, her enchanted pen scratching along. Clotho lifted her head when the pen dotted its last mark and wrote on a scrap of paper, Yes?“Would you allow your priestesses to train with me every morning in the ring at the top of the House? Not all of them— just whoever might be interested.” Clotho sat perfectly still. Then the pen moved. Train for what?“To strengthen their bodies, to defend themselves, to attack, if they wish. But also to clear their minds. Help steady them.” Who will oversee this training? You?“No. I’m not qualified for that. I’ll be training with them.” Her heart pounded. She wasn’t sure why.“Cassian will be overseeing it. He’s not handsy— I mean, he’s respectful and…” Nesta shook her head. She sounded a proper fool. Beneath the shadows of her hood, Nesta could sense Clotho’s gaze lingering upon her. The pen moved again. Not many will come, I am afraid.“I know. But even one or",Clotho,"Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him","time she looked at her sister’s face?“All right,” Cassian repeated.“Not Feyre. But I need to give her and Rhys a heads- up. You should probably ask Clotho for permission, too.” A warm hand clasped her shoulder and squeezed.“I like this idea, Nes.” His hazel eyes shone bright.“I like it a lot.” And for some reason, the words meant everything. CHAPTER 17“I have a proposition for you.” Stomach muscles throbbing, legs aching, Nesta stood before Clotho’s desk as the priestess finished writing on whatever manuscript she was annotating, her enchanted pen scratching along. Clotho lifted her head when the pen dotted its last mark and wrote on a scrap of paper, Yes?“Would you allow your priestesses to train with me every morning in the ring at the top of the House? Not all of them— just whoever might be interested.” Clotho sat perfectly still. Then the pen moved. Train for what?“To strengthen their bodies, to defend themselves, to attack, if they wish. But also to clear their minds. Help steady them.” Who will oversee this training? You?“No. I’m not qualified for that. I’ll be training with them.” Her heart pounded. She wasn’t sure why.“Cassian will be overseeing it. He’s not handsy— I mean, he’s respectful and…” Nesta shook her head. She sounded a proper fool. Beneath the shadows of her hood, Nesta could sense Clotho’s gaze lingering upon her. The pen moved again. Not many will come, I am afraid.“I know. But even one or:Previous Entities: |Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him| ::: “Would you allow your priestesses to train with me every morning in the ring at the top of the House? ",Nesta.F "Hunter,",93661,93674,True,353:Foster.M,". Hunter and Foster stared at each other. Foster looked from the pistol to Hunter, and back again. Finally, Foster raised a finger in the air, and gently eased out of bed. His wife still slept. In his nightgown, Foster padded across the room to a chest.“I shall pay you well,” he whispered.“See here, look.” He opened a false compartment and withdrew a sack of gold, very heavy.“There is more, Hunter. I shall pay you whatever you want.” Hunter said nothing. Foster, in his nightshirt, extended his arm with the sack of gold. His arm trembled.“Please,” he whispered.“Please, please...” He got down on his knees.“Please, Hunter, I pray you, please...” Hunter shot him in the face. The body was knocked back, the legs thrown up in the air, the bare feet kicking space. In the bed nearby, the wife never awoke, but turned sleepily and groaned. Hunter picked up the sack of gold and left as silently as he had come.... POORMAN, BELYING HIS name, was a rich trader in silver and pewter. His house was on High Street. Hunter found him asleep at a table in the kitchen, a half- empty bottle of wine before him. Hunter took a kitchen knife and slashed both Poorman’s wrists. Poorman awoke groggily, saw Hunter, and then saw the blood pouring over the table. He raised his bleeding hands, but could not move them; the tendons had all",Foster,"Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster",". Hunter and Foster stared at each other. Foster looked from the pistol to Hunter, and back again. Finally, Foster raised a finger in the air, and gently eased out of bed. His wife still slept. In his nightgown, Foster padded across the room to a chest.“I shall pay you well,” he whispered.“See here, look.” He opened a false compartment and withdrew a sack of gold, very heavy.“There is more, Hunter. I shall pay you whatever you want.” Hunter said nothing. Foster, in his nightshirt, extended his arm with the sack of gold. His arm trembled.“Please,” he whispered.“Please, please...” He got down on his knees.“Please, Hunter, I pray you, please...” Hunter shot him in the face. The body was knocked back, the legs thrown up in the air, the bare feet kicking space. In the bed nearby, the wife never awoke, but turned sleepily and groaned. Hunter picked up the sack of gold and left as silently as he had come.... POORMAN, BELYING HIS name, was a rich trader in silver and pewter. His house was on High Street. Hunter found him asleep at a table in the kitchen, a half- empty bottle of wine before him. Hunter took a kitchen knife and slashed both Poorman’s wrists. Poorman awoke groggily, saw Hunter, and then saw the blood pouring over the table. He raised his bleeding hands, but could not move them; the tendons had all:Previous Entities: |Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster| ::: Hunter, ",Foster.M "“Hello,",1519,1524,True,254:the policeman.M,"The trees thinned out, and the rain fell harder. They passed a few storage sheds, a collapsing barn, and a lumberyard. After that, houses began to appear on the side of the road— small, tired- looking wooden houses, their roofs dripping. Many of them had rockers or couches on the front porch, where people would no doubt be sitting if it weren’t the dead of winter. From a small brick shelter at the side of the road, a policeman stepped out holding a red stop sign. He held it up and waved it at them. Crystal slowed down, stopped, and opened her window. The policeman bent down. He had on a rain jacket with the hood up, and rain dripped off the hood and onto his nose.“Hello, ma’am,” he said.“Are you a resident?”“No,” said Crystal.“Is that a problem?”“Just doing a routine entry check, ma’am,” the man said.“Part of our safety program. Had some evidence lately of possible terrorist activity in the woods. Your purpose here?”“My grandfather has died,” Crystal said.“My sister and I have inherited his house. I’ve come to fix the house up and sell it.” The man glanced at Nickie.“This is your sister?”“This is my niece,” said Crystal.“My sister’s daughter.”“And your grandfather’s name?” said the man.“Arthur Green,” said Crystal.“Ah, yes",the policeman,"the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman","The trees thinned out, and the rain fell harder. They passed a few storage sheds, a collapsing barn, and a lumberyard. After that, houses began to appear on the side of the road— small, tired- looking wooden houses, their roofs dripping. Many of them had rockers or couches on the front porch, where people would no doubt be sitting if it weren’t the dead of winter. From a small brick shelter at the side of the road, a policeman stepped out holding a red stop sign. He held it up and waved it at them. Crystal slowed down, stopped, and opened her window. The policeman bent down. He had on a rain jacket with the hood up, and rain dripped off the hood and onto his nose.“Hello, ma’am,” he said.“Are you a resident?”“No,” said Crystal.“Is that a problem?”“Just doing a routine entry check, ma’am,” the man said.“Part of our safety program. Had some evidence lately of possible terrorist activity in the woods. Your purpose here?”“My grandfather has died,” Crystal said.“My sister and I have inherited his house. I’ve come to fix the house up and sell it.” The man glanced at Nickie.“This is your sister?”“This is my niece,” said Crystal.“My sister’s daughter.”“And your grandfather’s name?” said the man.“Arthur Green,” said Crystal.“Ah, yes:Previous Entities: |the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman| ::: “Hello, ",The policeman.M “So what?”,102432,102436,True,121:Jaideep.M,"out any enemy vessels. Deliverance will target other defenses to buy the Hell Divers more time. The Hive will remain at a safe distance just in case the plan fails.”“Just the divers?” Edgar asked.“What about the militia and the prisoners we freed from the container ship?”“Deliverance will drop them off as soon as any aerial defenses are taken out,” Katrina replied.“And what about the message from Magnolia?” Jaideep asked.“My brother is on Deliverance, and I don’t want him diving into a trap.”“The message confirms that Magnolia is still alive, and that’s it,” Katrina said.“We already know they have warships, but neither of the ships we sank had antiaircraft weapons.”“So what?” Jaideep said.“None of us know what’s waiting there.”“No, we don’t. That’s why I’m sending a Hell Diver team to the surface before Deliverance drops off our other soldiers.” The answer seemed to satisfy the rest of the group, but Jaideep shook his bandaged head.“Any other questions?” Katrina asked.“I don’t have a question, but I do have something I want to say,” Sandy said. She stepped away from her station and looked at each crew member.“With the loss of Jed, this journey has been heartbreaking for me, and while I don’t know what’s going to happen an hour from now, I know in my heart this is the right thing to do. Our",Jaideep,"ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge","out any enemy vessels. Deliverance will target other defenses to buy the Hell Divers more time. The Hive will remain at a safe distance just in case the plan fails.”“Just the divers?” Edgar asked.“What about the militia and the prisoners we freed from the container ship?”“Deliverance will drop them off as soon as any aerial defenses are taken out,” Katrina replied.“And what about the message from Magnolia?” Jaideep asked.“My brother is on Deliverance, and I don’t want him diving into a trap.”“The message confirms that Magnolia is still alive, and that’s it,” Katrina said.“We already know they have warships, but neither of the ships we sank had antiaircraft weapons.”“So what?” Jaideep said.“None of us know what’s waiting there.”“No, we don’t. That’s why I’m sending a Hell Diver team to the surface before Deliverance drops off our other soldiers.” The answer seemed to satisfy the rest of the group, but Jaideep shook his bandaged head.“Any other questions?” Katrina asked.“I don’t have a question, but I do have something I want to say,” Sandy said. She stepped away from her station and looked at each crew member.“With the loss of Jed, this journey has been heartbreaking for me, and while I don’t know what’s going to happen an hour from now, I know in my heart this is the right thing to do. Our:Previous Entities: |ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge| ::: “So what?” ",Jaideep.M "' When I got an itch I can't scratch,",51934,51944,True,0:1.?,"wouldn't recommend them though, the engine's field has been known to straighten perms. Not that I'm saying you have a perm. Or need one for that matter. While No.l was being interrogated by Minerva, Foaly was flexing his fingers over the remote controls for Holly's Section 8 helmet. At the moment, the helmet was locked in a wire mesh strongbox at the rear of the security office. Foaly liked to sing a little ditty while he worked. In this instance the song was the Riverbend classic:' If It Looks Like a Dwarf and Smells Like a Dwarf, Then It's Probably a Dwarf(or a Latrine Wearing Dungarees)'. This was a relatively short title for a Riverbend song, which was the fairy equivalent of human country and western.' When I got an itch I can't scratch, When there's a slug in my vole stew, When I got sunburn on my bald patch, That's when I remember you...' Foaly had considerately switched off his mike, so Artemis would not have the chance to object to his singing. In fact he was using an extremely old hard- wired antenna to send his signal, in the hope that no one in Police Plaza would pick up on his transmission. Haven City was in lockdown, and that meant no communications with the surface. Foaly was knowingly disobeying Commander Ark Sool's orders, and he was quite enjoying himself doing it. The centaur donned a set of v- goggles through which he could see everything in the helmet's vista. Not only that, but the goggles' PIP facility gave him",1,"the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau","wouldn't recommend them though, the engine's field has been known to straighten perms. Not that I'm saying you have a perm. Or need one for that matter. While No.l was being interrogated by Minerva, Foaly was flexing his fingers over the remote controls for Holly's Section 8 helmet. At the moment, the helmet was locked in a wire mesh strongbox at the rear of the security office. Foaly liked to sing a little ditty while he worked. In this instance the song was the Riverbend classic:' If It Looks Like a Dwarf and Smells Like a Dwarf, Then It's Probably a Dwarf(or a Latrine Wearing Dungarees)'. This was a relatively short title for a Riverbend song, which was the fairy equivalent of human country and western.' When I got an itch I can't scratch, When there's a slug in my vole stew, When I got sunburn on my bald patch, That's when I remember you...' Foaly had considerately switched off his mike, so Artemis would not have the chance to object to his singing. In fact he was using an extremely old hard- wired antenna to send his signal, in the hope that no one in Police Plaza would pick up on his transmission. Haven City was in lockdown, and that meant no communications with the surface. Foaly was knowingly disobeying Commander Ark Sool's orders, and he was quite enjoying himself doing it. The centaur donned a set of v- goggles through which he could see everything in the helmet's vista. Not only that, but the goggles' PIP facility gave him:Previous Entities: |the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau| ::: ' When I got an itch I can't scratch, ",Foaly.M "But if the urge should come on you someday,",10386,10418,True,165:Rex.M,"stakes that were somehow so grim in the starlight.“Yes, Hank, she did.” His mother hated to hear me call him Hank, she said it was common, but there was nothing she could do about it now.“Up and left us cold. And of course we’re sorry, but in the meantime, chores won’t wait. Nor schooling.”“And I can still be... friends with Shannon.”“Of course,” I said, and in my mind’s eye I saw Arlette’s middle finger tapping its lascivious circle around her crotch.“Of course you can. But if you should ever feel the urge to confess to Shannon—” An expression of horror dawned on his face.“Not ever!”“That’s what you think now, and I’m glad. But if the urge should come on you someday, remember this: she’d run from you.”“Acourse she would,” he muttered.“Now go in the house and get both wash- buckets out of the pantry. Better get a couple of milk- buckets from the barn, as well. Fill them from the kitchen pump and suds’em up with that stuff she keeps under the sink.”“Should I heat the water?” I heard my mother say, Cold water for blood, Wilf. Remember that.“No need,” I said.“I’ll be in as soon as I’ve put the cap back on the well.” He started to turn away, then seized my arm. His hands were dreadfully cold.“No one can ever know!” He whispered this hoarsely into my face.“No one can ever",Rex,"The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex","stakes that were somehow so grim in the starlight.“Yes, Hank, she did.” His mother hated to hear me call him Hank, she said it was common, but there was nothing she could do about it now.“Up and left us cold. And of course we’re sorry, but in the meantime, chores won’t wait. Nor schooling.”“And I can still be... friends with Shannon.”“Of course,” I said, and in my mind’s eye I saw Arlette’s middle finger tapping its lascivious circle around her crotch.“Of course you can. But if you should ever feel the urge to confess to Shannon—” An expression of horror dawned on his face.“Not ever!”“That’s what you think now, and I’m glad. But if the urge should come on you someday, remember this: she’d run from you.”“Acourse she would,” he muttered.“Now go in the house and get both wash- buckets out of the pantry. Better get a couple of milk- buckets from the barn, as well. Fill them from the kitchen pump and suds’em up with that stuff she keeps under the sink.”“Should I heat the water?” I heard my mother say, Cold water for blood, Wilf. Remember that.“No need,” I said.“I’ll be in as soon as I’ve put the cap back on the well.” He started to turn away, then seized my arm. His hands were dreadfully cold.“No one can ever know!” He whispered this hoarsely into my face.“No one can ever:Previous Entities: |The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex| ::: But if the urge should come on you someday, ",Arlette.F ‘ What is your name?’,69469,69475,True,139:Sensibility Bustle.M,", Tiffany! The hands know how, the mind will remember and grow stronger, Tiffany!’ She was thrust down onto the milking stool and, through the mist in her head, made out the cowering shape of... of... Black Meg. The hands remembered. They placed the pail, grasped a teat and then, as Meg raised a leg to play the foot- in- the- bucket game, grabbed it and forced it safely back down onto the milking platform. She worked slowly, her head full of hot fog, letting her hands have their way. Buckets were filled and emptied, milked goats got a bucket of feed from the bin... Sensibility Bustle was rather puzzled that his hands were milking a goat. He stopped.‘ What is your name?’ said a voice behind him.‘ Bustle. Sensibil—’‘ No! That was the wizard, Tiffany! He was the strongest echo, but you’re not him! Get into the dairy, TIFFANY!’ She stumbled into the cool room under the command of that voice and the world focused. There was a foul cheese on the slab, sweating and stinking.‘ Who put this here?’ she asked.‘ The hiver did, Tiffany. Tried to make a cheese by magic, Tiffany. Hah!’ said the voice.‘ And you are not it, Tiffany! You know how to make cheese the right way, don’t you, Tiffany? Indeed you do! What is your name?’… all was confusion and strange smells. In",Sensibility Bustle,"the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle",", Tiffany! The hands know how, the mind will remember and grow stronger, Tiffany!’ She was thrust down onto the milking stool and, through the mist in her head, made out the cowering shape of... of... Black Meg. The hands remembered. They placed the pail, grasped a teat and then, as Meg raised a leg to play the foot- in- the- bucket game, grabbed it and forced it safely back down onto the milking platform. She worked slowly, her head full of hot fog, letting her hands have their way. Buckets were filled and emptied, milked goats got a bucket of feed from the bin... Sensibility Bustle was rather puzzled that his hands were milking a goat. He stopped.‘ What is your name?’ said a voice behind him.‘ Bustle. Sensibil—’‘ No! That was the wizard, Tiffany! He was the strongest echo, but you’re not him! Get into the dairy, TIFFANY!’ She stumbled into the cool room under the command of that voice and the world focused. There was a foul cheese on the slab, sweating and stinking.‘ Who put this here?’ she asked.‘ The hiver did, Tiffany. Tried to make a cheese by magic, Tiffany. Hah!’ said the voice.‘ And you are not it, Tiffany! You know how to make cheese the right way, don’t you, Tiffany? Indeed you do! What is your name?’… all was confusion and strange smells. In:Previous Entities: |the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle| ::: ‘ What is your name?’ ",Sensibility Bustle.M “I said enough!”,149873,149878,True,486:Materly.F,"agony must be like this for a Reverend Mother. Surely, there could be no greater pain. He fought to remain silent but heard himself grunting, moaning. Every ability he had ever learned, Mentat and Bene Gesserit, was called into play, keeping him from forming words, from begging for surcease, from promising to tell them anything if they would only stop. Once more the agony receded and then surged back.“Enough!” That was the woman. Teg groped for her name. Materly? Yar spoke in a sullen voice:“He’s loaded with shere, enough to last him a year at least.” He gestured at his console.“Blank.” Teg breathed in shallow gasps. The agony! It continued to increase despite Materly’s demand.“I said enough!” Materly snapped. Such sincerity, Teg thought. He felt the pain recede, withdrawing as though every nerve were being removed from his body, pulled out like threads of the remembered agony.“It is wrong what we’re doing,” Materly said.“This man is—”“He is like any other man,” Yar said.“Shall I attach the special contact to his penis?”“Not while I’m here!” Materly said. Teg felt himself almost taken in by her sincerity. The last of the agony threads left his flesh and he lay there with a feeling that he had been suspended off the surface that supported him. The sense of déjà vu remained. He was here and not here. He had been here and he had not",Materly,"The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly","agony must be like this for a Reverend Mother. Surely, there could be no greater pain. He fought to remain silent but heard himself grunting, moaning. Every ability he had ever learned, Mentat and Bene Gesserit, was called into play, keeping him from forming words, from begging for surcease, from promising to tell them anything if they would only stop. Once more the agony receded and then surged back.“Enough!” That was the woman. Teg groped for her name. Materly? Yar spoke in a sullen voice:“He’s loaded with shere, enough to last him a year at least.” He gestured at his console.“Blank.” Teg breathed in shallow gasps. The agony! It continued to increase despite Materly’s demand.“I said enough!” Materly snapped. Such sincerity, Teg thought. He felt the pain recede, withdrawing as though every nerve were being removed from his body, pulled out like threads of the remembered agony.“It is wrong what we’re doing,” Materly said.“This man is—”“He is like any other man,” Yar said.“Shall I attach the special contact to his penis?”“Not while I’m here!” Materly said. Teg felt himself almost taken in by her sincerity. The last of the agony threads left his flesh and he lay there with a feeling that he had been suspended off the surface that supported him. The sense of déjà vu remained. He was here and not here. He had been here and he had not:Previous Entities: |The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly| ::: “I said enough!” ",Materly.F remember?,111692,111736,True,61:Derek.M,".‘ I don’t have to wonder, my lad,’ she said grimly.‘ I know.’ The fog piled up against the buildings in its effort to get out of the way of Mrs Proust as she hurried back to Tenth Egg Street, leaving behind her a Mrs Proust- shaped tunnel in the gloom. Derek was drinking a peaceful mug of cocoa when his mother burst in to the strains, as it were, of a large fart. He looked up, his brow wrinkling.‘ Did that sound like B- flat to you? It didn’t sound like B- flat to me.’ He reached into the drawer under the counter for his tuning fork, but his mother rushed past him.‘ Where’s my broomstick?’ Derek sighed.‘ In the basement, remember? When the dwarfs told you last month how much it would cost to repair, you told them they were a bunch of chiselling little lawn ornaments, remember? Anyway, you never use it.’‘ I’ve got to go into the… country,’ said Mrs Proust, looking around the crowded shelves in case there was another working broomstick there. Her son stared.‘ Are you sure, Mother? You’ve always said it’s bad for your health.’‘ Matter of life or death,’ Mrs Proust mumbled.‘ What about Long Tall Short Fat Sally?’‘ Oh, Mother, you really shouldn’t call her that,’ said Derek reproachfully.‘ She can’t help being allergic to tides.’‘ She’s got a stick, though! Hah! If it’s not one thing it’s another. Make me some sandwiches, will you?’‘ Is this about that girl who was in here last week?’ said Derek",Derek,"Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek",".‘ I don’t have to wonder, my lad,’ she said grimly.‘ I know.’ The fog piled up against the buildings in its effort to get out of the way of Mrs Proust as she hurried back to Tenth Egg Street, leaving behind her a Mrs Proust- shaped tunnel in the gloom. Derek was drinking a peaceful mug of cocoa when his mother burst in to the strains, as it were, of a large fart. He looked up, his brow wrinkling.‘ Did that sound like B- flat to you? It didn’t sound like B- flat to me.’ He reached into the drawer under the counter for his tuning fork, but his mother rushed past him.‘ Where’s my broomstick?’ Derek sighed.‘ In the basement, remember? When the dwarfs told you last month how much it would cost to repair, you told them they were a bunch of chiselling little lawn ornaments, remember? Anyway, you never use it.’‘ I’ve got to go into the… country,’ said Mrs Proust, looking around the crowded shelves in case there was another working broomstick there. Her son stared.‘ Are you sure, Mother? You’ve always said it’s bad for your health.’‘ Matter of life or death,’ Mrs Proust mumbled.‘ What about Long Tall Short Fat Sally?’‘ Oh, Mother, you really shouldn’t call her that,’ said Derek reproachfully.‘ She can’t help being allergic to tides.’‘ She’s got a stick, though! Hah! If it’s not one thing it’s another. Make me some sandwiches, will you?’‘ Is this about that girl who was in here last week?’ said Derek:Previous Entities: |Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek| ::: remember? ","Mrs Proust.F Derek.M" "“war damages,”",37854,37858,True,323:Benjie.M,"was going to give us. I just knew we needed to trust the process. I wrote a two- page document that instructed Benjie to change course. We were going to use nearly every tactic in the active listening arsenal: 1.Effective Pauses: Silence is powerful. We told Benjie to use it for emphasis, to encourage Sabaya to keep talking until eventually, like clearing out a swamp, the emotions were drained from the dialogue. 2.Minimal Encouragers: Besides silence, we instructed using simple phrases, such as“Yes,”“OK,”“Uh- huh,” or“I see,” to effectively convey that Benjie was now paying full attention to Sabaya and all he had to say. 3.Mirroring: Rather than argue with Sabaya and try to separate Schilling from the“war damages,” Benjie would listen and repeat back what Sabaya said. 4.Labeling: Benjie should give Sabaya’s feelings a name and identify with how he felt.“It all seems so tragically unfair, I can now see why you sound so angry.” 5.Paraphrase: Benjie should repeat what Sabaya is saying back to him in Benjie’s own words. This, we told him, would powerfully show him you really do understand and aren’t merely parroting his concerns. 6.Summarize: A good summary is the combination of rearticulating the meaning of what is said plus the acknowledgment of the emotions underlying that meaning(paraphrasing+ labeling= summary). We told Benjie he needed to listen and repeat the“world according to Abu Sabaya.” He needed to fully and completely summarize all the nonsense that Sabaya had",Benjie,"The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya","was going to give us. I just knew we needed to trust the process. I wrote a two- page document that instructed Benjie to change course. We were going to use nearly every tactic in the active listening arsenal: 1.Effective Pauses: Silence is powerful. We told Benjie to use it for emphasis, to encourage Sabaya to keep talking until eventually, like clearing out a swamp, the emotions were drained from the dialogue. 2.Minimal Encouragers: Besides silence, we instructed using simple phrases, such as“Yes,”“OK,”“Uh- huh,” or“I see,” to effectively convey that Benjie was now paying full attention to Sabaya and all he had to say. 3.Mirroring: Rather than argue with Sabaya and try to separate Schilling from the“war damages,” Benjie would listen and repeat back what Sabaya said. 4.Labeling: Benjie should give Sabaya’s feelings a name and identify with how he felt.“It all seems so tragically unfair, I can now see why you sound so angry.” 5.Paraphrase: Benjie should repeat what Sabaya is saying back to him in Benjie’s own words. This, we told him, would powerfully show him you really do understand and aren’t merely parroting his concerns. 6.Summarize: A good summary is the combination of rearticulating the meaning of what is said plus the acknowledgment of the emotions underlying that meaning(paraphrasing+ labeling= summary). We told Benjie he needed to listen and repeat the“world according to Abu Sabaya.” He needed to fully and completely summarize all the nonsense that Sabaya had:Previous Entities: |The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya| ::: “war damages,” ",Benjie.M "on""",68197,68199,True,635:The roboticist.F,"that makes people pause. Go ahead— do it."" The roboticist couldn't believe where she was or what she was about to do. She grabbed the shotgun, pretended to inspect the barrel for rust, and pumped a shell into the chamber. The action produced a rather distinctive clacking sound. Conversation stopped, and heads swiveled in her direction. Mary maintained a bland, somewhat neutral expression as she turned toward the chandelier and fired. The light exploded, and pieces flew every which way. The Zid let go of her cheek pipes and covered her ear holes. Mary had decided to improvise. She smiled and nodded."" Yup, you were right. The damn thing was loaded."" There was an audible sigh of relief as the roboticist slipped the safety into the"" on"" position and laid the weapon across the top of her pack. The proprietor, a balding man whose homemade spectacles rode the very tip of a long skinny nose, headed in their direction. A pair of bouncers, brothers by the look of them, provided his backup. His attitude served as an unintended testimonial to their effectiveness."" What the hell do you think you're doing? That fixture cost sixty guilders! How you gonna pay?"""" With this,"" Doon said, slapping Guild scrip onto the table."" Seventy guilders worth. Sorry'bout my friend here... Mary gets forgetful, that's all. Is the shotgun loaded? Boom! That's how she does it....Drives me crazy."" The barkeep's eyes went wide. Mary",The roboticist,"Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars","that makes people pause. Go ahead— do it."" The roboticist couldn't believe where she was or what she was about to do. She grabbed the shotgun, pretended to inspect the barrel for rust, and pumped a shell into the chamber. The action produced a rather distinctive clacking sound. Conversation stopped, and heads swiveled in her direction. Mary maintained a bland, somewhat neutral expression as she turned toward the chandelier and fired. The light exploded, and pieces flew every which way. The Zid let go of her cheek pipes and covered her ear holes. Mary had decided to improvise. She smiled and nodded."" Yup, you were right. The damn thing was loaded."" There was an audible sigh of relief as the roboticist slipped the safety into the"" on"" position and laid the weapon across the top of her pack. The proprietor, a balding man whose homemade spectacles rode the very tip of a long skinny nose, headed in their direction. A pair of bouncers, brothers by the look of them, provided his backup. His attitude served as an unintended testimonial to their effectiveness."" What the hell do you think you're doing? That fixture cost sixty guilders! How you gonna pay?"""" With this,"" Doon said, slapping Guild scrip onto the table."" Seventy guilders worth. Sorry'bout my friend here... Mary gets forgetful, that's all. Is the shotgun loaded? Boom! That's how she does it....Drives me crazy."" The barkeep's eyes went wide. Mary:Previous Entities: |Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars| ::: on"" ",Mary.F "I didn't sleep a wink Friday night,",245148,245295,True,1746:nobody.?,"— it had been a three- Scotch story if there ever was one, I guess— but I'd barely drunk the top off my first one. I think I might have gotten into the bottle quite heavily if not for Ki. On the days when I have her I usually don't drink so much as a glass of beer. And to have her three days in a row... but shit, kemo sabe, if you can't spend Christmas with your kid, what the hell is Christmas for?' Are you all right?' Frank asked when I sat down again and took another little token sip from my glass. I grinned at that. Not is she all right but are you all right. Well, nobody ever said Frank was stupid.' You should've seen me when the Department of Human Services let me have her for a weekend in October. I must have checked on her a dozen times before I went to bed... and then I kept checking. Getting up and peeking in on her, listening to her breathe. I didn't sleep a wink Friday night, caught maybe three hours on Saturday. So this is a big improvement. But if you ever blab any of what I've told you, Frank—-if they ever hear about me filling up that bathtub before the storm knocked the gennie out— I can kiss my chances of adopting her goodbye. I'll probably have to fill out a form in triplicate before they even let me attend her high- school graduation.' I hadn't meant to tell Frank the bathtub part, but once I started talking, almost everything spilled out. I suppose it had to spill to someone if I was ever to get on with my life. I'd assumed that John Storrow would be the one on the other side of the confessional when the time came, but John didn't want to talk about any of those events except as they bore on our ongoing legal business, which nowadays is all about Kyra Elizabeth Devore.' I'll keep my mouth shut, don't worry. How goes the adoption battle?'' Slow. I've come to loathe the State of Maine court system, and DHS as well. You take the people who work in those bureaucracies one by one and they're mostly fine",nobody,"an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick","— it had been a three- Scotch story if there ever was one, I guess— but I'd barely drunk the top off my first one. I think I might have gotten into the bottle quite heavily if not for Ki. On the days when I have her I usually don't drink so much as a glass of beer. And to have her three days in a row... but shit, kemo sabe, if you can't spend Christmas with your kid, what the hell is Christmas for?' Are you all right?' Frank asked when I sat down again and took another little token sip from my glass. I grinned at that. Not is she all right but are you all right. Well, nobody ever said Frank was stupid.' You should've seen me when the Department of Human Services let me have her for a weekend in October. I must have checked on her a dozen times before I went to bed... and then I kept checking. Getting up and peeking in on her, listening to her breathe. I didn't sleep a wink Friday night, caught maybe three hours on Saturday. So this is a big improvement. But if you ever blab any of what I've told you, Frank—-if they ever hear about me filling up that bathtub before the storm knocked the gennie out— I can kiss my chances of adopting her goodbye. I'll probably have to fill out a form in triplicate before they even let me attend her high- school graduation.' I hadn't meant to tell Frank the bathtub part, but once I started talking, almost everything spilled out. I suppose it had to spill to someone if I was ever to get on with my life. I'd assumed that John Storrow would be the one on the other side of the confessional when the time came, but John didn't want to talk about any of those events except as they bore on our ongoing legal business, which nowadays is all about Kyra Elizabeth Devore.' I'll keep my mouth shut, don't worry. How goes the adoption battle?'' Slow. I've come to loathe the State of Maine court system, and DHS as well. You take the people who work in those bureaucracies one by one and they're mostly fine:Previous Entities: |an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick| ::: I didn't sleep a wink Friday night, ",Michael Noonan. You have to use the map to find your way around in here.”,12204,12228,True,121:Arlin.F,"“That’s the generator room.”“Can we go in?”“Of course not!” said Arlin.“You have to have special permission.” She pointed back down the main tunnel.“Now we’ll go to the end of the river,” she said. She led him back, past the stairway door, all the way to the west edge of the Pipeworks. There the river flowed into a huge opening in the wall and vanished into darkness.“Where does it go?” Doon asked. Arlin just shrugged.“Back into the ground, I guess. Now let’s find Tunnel 97 and get to work.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket.“This is the map,” she said.“You have one in your pocket, too. You have to use the map to find your way around in here.” The map looked to Doon like an immense centipede— the river arched across the top of the page like the centipede’s body, and the tunnels dangled down from it like hundreds of long, long legs all tangled up with each other. To get to Tunnel 97, they followed a complicated route through passageways lined with crusty, rusted pipes that carried water to all the buildings of Ember. Puddles stood on the floor of the tunnel, and water dripped in brown rivulets down the walls. Just as in the main tunnel, there was a string of bulbs along the ceiling that provided dim light. Doon occupied his mind by calculating how far underground he was. From the river to the ceiling of the main tunnel must be thirty feet or so, he thought. Above that were",Arlin,"the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin","“That’s the generator room.”“Can we go in?”“Of course not!” said Arlin.“You have to have special permission.” She pointed back down the main tunnel.“Now we’ll go to the end of the river,” she said. She led him back, past the stairway door, all the way to the west edge of the Pipeworks. There the river flowed into a huge opening in the wall and vanished into darkness.“Where does it go?” Doon asked. Arlin just shrugged.“Back into the ground, I guess. Now let’s find Tunnel 97 and get to work.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket.“This is the map,” she said.“You have one in your pocket, too. You have to use the map to find your way around in here.” The map looked to Doon like an immense centipede— the river arched across the top of the page like the centipede’s body, and the tunnels dangled down from it like hundreds of long, long legs all tangled up with each other. To get to Tunnel 97, they followed a complicated route through passageways lined with crusty, rusted pipes that carried water to all the buildings of Ember. Puddles stood on the floor of the tunnel, and water dripped in brown rivulets down the walls. Just as in the main tunnel, there was a string of bulbs along the ceiling that provided dim light. Doon occupied his mind by calculating how far underground he was. From the river to the ceiling of the main tunnel must be thirty feet or so, he thought. Above that were:Previous Entities: |the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin| ::: You have to use the map to find your way around in here.” ",Arlin.F "Today,",263696,263744,True,792:Magorian.?,"mistake-”“As are you, human,” said Bane,“coming back into our Forest when we warned you-”“Now, yeh listen ter me,” said Hagrid angrily.“I’ll have less of the‘ our’ Forest, if it’s all the same ter yeh. It’s not up ter yeh who comes an’ goes in here-”“No more is it up to you, Hagrid,” said Magorian smoothly.“I shall let you pass today because you are accompanied by your young—”“They’re not his!” interrupted Bane contemptuously.“Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze’s teachings.”“Nevertheless,” said Magorian calmly,“the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime- we do not touch the innocent. Today, Hagrid, you pass. Henceforth, stay away from this place. You forfeited the friendship of the centaurs when you helped the traitor Firenze escape us.”“I won’ be kept outta the Fores’ by a bunch o’ old mules like yeh!” said Hagrid loudly.“Hagrid,” said Hermione in a high- pitched and terrified voice, as both Bane and the grey centaur pawed at the ground,“let’s go, please let’s go!” Hagrid moved forwards, but his crossbow was still raised and his eyes were still fixed threateningly upon Magorian.“We know what you are keeping in the Forest, Hagrid!” Magorian called after them, as the centaurs slipped out of sight.“And our tolerance is waning!” Hagrid turned and gave every appearance of wanting to walk straight back to Magorian.“Yeh’ll tolerate‘ i m as long as he’s here, it’s as much",Magorian,"D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian","mistake-”“As are you, human,” said Bane,“coming back into our Forest when we warned you-”“Now, yeh listen ter me,” said Hagrid angrily.“I’ll have less of the‘ our’ Forest, if it’s all the same ter yeh. It’s not up ter yeh who comes an’ goes in here-”“No more is it up to you, Hagrid,” said Magorian smoothly.“I shall let you pass today because you are accompanied by your young—”“They’re not his!” interrupted Bane contemptuously.“Students, Magorian, from up at the school! They have probably already profited from the traitor Firenze’s teachings.”“Nevertheless,” said Magorian calmly,“the slaughter of foals is a terrible crime- we do not touch the innocent. Today, Hagrid, you pass. Henceforth, stay away from this place. You forfeited the friendship of the centaurs when you helped the traitor Firenze escape us.”“I won’ be kept outta the Fores’ by a bunch o’ old mules like yeh!” said Hagrid loudly.“Hagrid,” said Hermione in a high- pitched and terrified voice, as both Bane and the grey centaur pawed at the ground,“let’s go, please let’s go!” Hagrid moved forwards, but his crossbow was still raised and his eyes were still fixed threateningly upon Magorian.“We know what you are keeping in the Forest, Hagrid!” Magorian called after them, as the centaurs slipped out of sight.“And our tolerance is waning!” Hagrid turned and gave every appearance of wanting to walk straight back to Magorian.“Yeh’ll tolerate‘ i m as long as he’s here, it’s as much:Previous Entities: |D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian| ::: Today, ",Magorian.M "along with Nut Beam,",20063,20097,True,265:Clover.?,", Digger, and Bubo returned. Soren looked up.“We’re just finishing.”“Good,” Coryn said.“Now we’re all here.” He looked at his uncle.“Soren, catch them up.” Soren swiveled his head toward Otulissa.“Otulissa will go to the Northern Kingdoms with Cleve.” He explained the reconnaissance mission that was planned for them. They were to talk to as many animals as they could, including gadfeathers and even kraals, if it was safe, and polar bears as well, to find out if there had been any sightings of a blue owl and a haggish- looking Barn Owl.“And,” he added in a low voice,“if there are any signs of strange- looking eggs.“In addition to that, we have discussed the corps of messengers. It is to be headed by Martin, along with Nut Beam, Silver, Primrose, and Clover.” Clover was a Barn Owl. It was always wise to have one Barn Owl in any unit because of their auditory skills. They were all good owls, fast fliers, and fearless.“Let us call this crack messenger unit the Joss Corps.” Coryn spoke as he peered into the grate of the fire without turning around. Soren looked at the broad back of his nephew. Joss was the famous messenger from the time of the legends, the time of Hoole and Theo. What exactly is Coryn thinking about? Yes, we are confronting a horrendous possibility, but there is more to it for him than what he is letting on, Soren thought. We all know what is at stake, but there is something even beyond that for Coryn. Coryn continued to peer into",Clover,Clover,", Digger, and Bubo returned. Soren looked up.“We’re just finishing.”“Good,” Coryn said.“Now we’re all here.” He looked at his uncle.“Soren, catch them up.” Soren swiveled his head toward Otulissa.“Otulissa will go to the Northern Kingdoms with Cleve.” He explained the reconnaissance mission that was planned for them. They were to talk to as many animals as they could, including gadfeathers and even kraals, if it was safe, and polar bears as well, to find out if there had been any sightings of a blue owl and a haggish- looking Barn Owl.“And,” he added in a low voice,“if there are any signs of strange- looking eggs.“In addition to that, we have discussed the corps of messengers. It is to be headed by Martin, along with Nut Beam, Silver, Primrose, and Clover.” Clover was a Barn Owl. It was always wise to have one Barn Owl in any unit because of their auditory skills. They were all good owls, fast fliers, and fearless.“Let us call this crack messenger unit the Joss Corps.” Coryn spoke as he peered into the grate of the fire without turning around. Soren looked at the broad back of his nephew. Joss was the famous messenger from the time of the legends, the time of Hoole and Theo. What exactly is Coryn thinking about? Yes, we are confronting a horrendous possibility, but there is more to it for him than what he is letting on, Soren thought. We all know what is at stake, but there is something even beyond that for Coryn. Coryn continued to peer into:Previous Entities: |Clover| ::: along with Nut Beam, ",Clover.F "Michael,'",6554,6565,True,457:Denise Breedlove.F,"work. At the end of the six hours, I wanted the job done. And if it wasn't, I told her, it would be done, anyway.' Mr. Noonan, that's far too much,' she said.' Maybe and maybe not, but it's what I'm paying,' I said.' Will you do it?' She said she would, of course she would. Perhaps predictably, I found myself going through the house on the evening before they came, doing a pre- cleaning inspection. I guess I didn't want the women(two of whom would be complete strangers to me) finding anything that would embarrass them or me: a pair of Johanna's silk panties stuffed down behind the sofa cushions, perhaps(' We are often overcome on the sofa, Michael,' she said to me once,' have you noticed?'), or beer cans under the loveseat on the sunporch, maybe even an unflushed toilet. In truth, I can't tell you any one thing I was looking for; that sense of operating in a dream still held firm control over my mind. The clearest thoughts I had during those days were either about the end of the novel I was writing(the psychotic killer had lured my heroine to a high- rise building and meant to push her off the roof) or about the Norco Home Pregnancy Test Jo had bought on the day she died. Sinus prescription, she had said. Piece of fish for supper, she had said. And her eyes had shown me nothing else I needed to look at twice",Denise Breedlove,"the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove","work. At the end of the six hours, I wanted the job done. And if it wasn't, I told her, it would be done, anyway.' Mr. Noonan, that's far too much,' she said.' Maybe and maybe not, but it's what I'm paying,' I said.' Will you do it?' She said she would, of course she would. Perhaps predictably, I found myself going through the house on the evening before they came, doing a pre- cleaning inspection. I guess I didn't want the women(two of whom would be complete strangers to me) finding anything that would embarrass them or me: a pair of Johanna's silk panties stuffed down behind the sofa cushions, perhaps(' We are often overcome on the sofa, Michael,' she said to me once,' have you noticed?'), or beer cans under the loveseat on the sunporch, maybe even an unflushed toilet. In truth, I can't tell you any one thing I was looking for; that sense of operating in a dream still held firm control over my mind. The clearest thoughts I had during those days were either about the end of the novel I was writing(the psychotic killer had lured my heroine to a high- rise building and meant to push her off the roof) or about the Norco Home Pregnancy Test Jo had bought on the day she died. Sinus prescription, she had said. Piece of fish for supper, she had said. And her eyes had shown me nothing else I needed to look at twice:Previous Entities: |the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove| ::: Michael,' ",Michael.M Your only choice now… will you fall alone?,115624,115714,True,287:Gaea.F,"and the canoe lake dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half- Blood looked like a wasteland after an atomic blast. The only thing left was the porch where Percy stood. Next to him, the dust swirled and solidified into the figure of a woman. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleepwalking. Her robes were forest green, dappled with gold and white like sunlight shifting through branches. Her hair was as black as tilled soil. Her face was beautiful, but even with a dreamy smile on her lips she seemed cold and distant. Percy got the feeling she could watch demigods die or cities burn, and that smile wouldn’t waver.“When I reclaim the earth,” Gaea said,“I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me. It doesn’t matter when you fall, my sweet little pawn— to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins. You will fall, and I will be there to devour you. Your only choice now… will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the girl. Perhaps I will spare this place you love. Otherwise…” Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crust of the earth. Gaea saw everything. Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose, her power was unstoppable. Percy’s skin tingled. His hands went numb. He looked down and realized he was crumbling to dust, like all the monsters he’d ever defeated.“Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn,” Gaea purred. A metallic CLANG- CLANG- CLANG jolted Percy out of his dream. His eyes shot open. He realized he’d just heard the landing gear being lowered. There was a knock on his door, and Jason poked his head in. The bruises on his face had faded. His blue eyes glittered with excitement.“",Gaea,"Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea","and the canoe lake dried up. The cabins and the Big House burned to ashes. When the tremor stopped, Camp Half- Blood looked like a wasteland after an atomic blast. The only thing left was the porch where Percy stood. Next to him, the dust swirled and solidified into the figure of a woman. Her eyes were closed, as if she were sleepwalking. Her robes were forest green, dappled with gold and white like sunlight shifting through branches. Her hair was as black as tilled soil. Her face was beautiful, but even with a dreamy smile on her lips she seemed cold and distant. Percy got the feeling she could watch demigods die or cities burn, and that smile wouldn’t waver.“When I reclaim the earth,” Gaea said,“I will leave this spot barren forever, to remind me of your kind and how utterly powerless they were to stop me. It doesn’t matter when you fall, my sweet little pawn— to Phorcys or Chrysaor or my dear twins. You will fall, and I will be there to devour you. Your only choice now… will you fall alone? Come to me willingly; bring the girl. Perhaps I will spare this place you love. Otherwise…” Gaea opened her eyes. They swirled in green and black, as deep as the crust of the earth. Gaea saw everything. Her patience was infinite. She was slow to wake, but once she arose, her power was unstoppable. Percy’s skin tingled. His hands went numb. He looked down and realized he was crumbling to dust, like all the monsters he’d ever defeated.“Enjoy Tartarus, my little pawn,” Gaea purred. A metallic CLANG- CLANG- CLANG jolted Percy out of his dream. His eyes shot open. He realized he’d just heard the landing gear being lowered. There was a knock on his door, and Jason poked his head in. The bruises on his face had faded. His blue eyes glittered with excitement.“:Previous Entities: |Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea| ::: Your only choice now… will you fall alone? ",Gaea.F “See?,42746,42753,True,865:the huge silvery owl.?,"muttered.“What a show- off.”“Hey, when you got it you show it. When you don’t, you usually don’t know it.” The huge owl lit down, obviously pleased with his wit and flying.“All right,” Gylfie said.“Letting go is the hardest part, but you got to believe it will work.” Belief again, thought Soren. That seemed to be the word that struck Gylfie as well, because in just that instant Gylfie let go. There was a little blur in the night— like a small leaf caught in a sudden gust— and then Gylfie was flying right side up.“Beautiful!” exclaimed Soren. In another second, Gylfie had alighted on the branch next to Soren.“See? Nothing to it,” said the huge silvery owl.“‘ Course I didn’t have anyone to coach me. Had to figure it out on my own.” Soren studied the big owl. He seemed young despite his size. He didn’t want to be rude but he was genuinely curious about this owl.“Are you from these parts?” Soren asked.“Here, there, everywhere,” the owl replied.“You name it, I’ve been there.” He had a rough manner of speaking that was slightly intimidating. Gylfie hopped out toward the end of the branch.“I want to thank you for your kindness in advising me on my predicament.” Soren blinked. He had never heard Gylfie speak this way. She sounded so much older than she was",the huge silvery owl,"the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","muttered.“What a show- off.”“Hey, when you got it you show it. When you don’t, you usually don’t know it.” The huge owl lit down, obviously pleased with his wit and flying.“All right,” Gylfie said.“Letting go is the hardest part, but you got to believe it will work.” Belief again, thought Soren. That seemed to be the word that struck Gylfie as well, because in just that instant Gylfie let go. There was a little blur in the night— like a small leaf caught in a sudden gust— and then Gylfie was flying right side up.“Beautiful!” exclaimed Soren. In another second, Gylfie had alighted on the branch next to Soren.“See? Nothing to it,” said the huge silvery owl.“‘ Course I didn’t have anyone to coach me. Had to figure it out on my own.” Soren studied the big owl. He seemed young despite his size. He didn’t want to be rude but he was genuinely curious about this owl.“Are you from these parts?” Soren asked.“Here, there, everywhere,” the owl replied.“You name it, I’ve been there.” He had a rough manner of speaking that was slightly intimidating. Gylfie hopped out toward the end of the branch.“I want to thank you for your kindness in advising me on my predicament.” Soren blinked. He had never heard Gylfie speak this way. She sounded so much older than she was:Previous Entities: |the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: “See? ",Soren.M "Captain.""",3904,3913,True,512:An ensign.?,""""" The men who picked you up in San Diego, the men who flew you out here, the men in Guam. Whatever."""" They didn't tell me anything."""" And did you see any reporters, any press?"""" No, nothing like that."" Barnes smiled."" Good. I'm glad to hear it."" He waved Norman to a seat. Norman sat gratefully."" How about some coffee?"" Barnes said, moving to a coffee maker behind his desk, and then the lights went out. The room was dark except for the light that streamed in from a side porthole."" God damn it!"" Barnes said."" Not again. Emerson! Emerson!"" An ensign came in a side door."" Sir! Working on it, Captain."""" What was it this time?"""" Blew out in ROV Bay 2, sir."""" I thought we added extra lines to Bay 2."""" Apparently they overloaded anyway, sir."""" I want this fixed now, Emerson!"""" We hope to have it solved soon, sir."" The door closed; Barnes sat back in his chair. Norman heard the voice in the darkness."" It's not really their fault,"" he said."" These ships weren't built for the kind of power loads we put on them now, and— ah, there we are."" The lights came back on. Barnes smiled."" Did you say you wanted coffee, Dr. Johnson?"""" Black is fine,"" Norman said.",An ensign,"The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign",""""" The men who picked you up in San Diego, the men who flew you out here, the men in Guam. Whatever."""" They didn't tell me anything."""" And did you see any reporters, any press?"""" No, nothing like that."" Barnes smiled."" Good. I'm glad to hear it."" He waved Norman to a seat. Norman sat gratefully."" How about some coffee?"" Barnes said, moving to a coffee maker behind his desk, and then the lights went out. The room was dark except for the light that streamed in from a side porthole."" God damn it!"" Barnes said."" Not again. Emerson! Emerson!"" An ensign came in a side door."" Sir! Working on it, Captain."""" What was it this time?"""" Blew out in ROV Bay 2, sir."""" I thought we added extra lines to Bay 2."""" Apparently they overloaded anyway, sir."""" I want this fixed now, Emerson!"""" We hope to have it solved soon, sir."" The door closed; Barnes sat back in his chair. Norman heard the voice in the darkness."" It's not really their fault,"" he said."" These ships weren't built for the kind of power loads we put on them now, and— ah, there we are."" The lights came back on. Barnes smiled."" Did you say you wanted coffee, Dr. Johnson?"""" Black is fine,"" Norman said.:Previous Entities: |The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign| ::: Captain."" ",Barnes.M "“And,",69807,69836,True,3633:the priests.?,"when you got right down to it, was he going to tell them to do? And then he thought: it doesn’t matter. Provided I sound confident enough. Old Dios always drove them, he never tried to lead them. Without him they’re wandering around like sheep.“And, brethren— and sistren, of course— we must ask ourselves, we must ask ourselves, we, er, yes.” His voice waxed again with new confidence.“Yes, we must ask ourselves why the gods are at hand. And without doubt it is because we have not been assiduous enough in our worship, we have, er, we have lusted after graven idols.” The priests exchanged glances. Had they? How did you do it, actually?“And, yes, and what about sacrifices? Time was when a sacrifice was a sacrifice, not some messing around with a chicken and flowers.” This caused some coughing in the audience.“Are we talking maidens here?” said one of the priests uncertainly.“Ahem.”“And inexperienced young men too, certainly,” he said quickly. Sarduk was one of the older goddesses, whose female worshippers got up to no good in sacred groves; the thought of her wandering around the landscape somewhere, bloody to the elbows, made the eyes water. Koomi’s heart thumped.“Well, why not?” he said.“Things were better then, weren’t they?”“But, er, I thought we stopped all that sort of thing. Population decline and so forth.” There was a monstrous splash out in the river. Tzut, the Snake- Headed God of the Upper Djel",the priests,"Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut","when you got right down to it, was he going to tell them to do? And then he thought: it doesn’t matter. Provided I sound confident enough. Old Dios always drove them, he never tried to lead them. Without him they’re wandering around like sheep.“And, brethren— and sistren, of course— we must ask ourselves, we must ask ourselves, we, er, yes.” His voice waxed again with new confidence.“Yes, we must ask ourselves why the gods are at hand. And without doubt it is because we have not been assiduous enough in our worship, we have, er, we have lusted after graven idols.” The priests exchanged glances. Had they? How did you do it, actually?“And, yes, and what about sacrifices? Time was when a sacrifice was a sacrifice, not some messing around with a chicken and flowers.” This caused some coughing in the audience.“Are we talking maidens here?” said one of the priests uncertainly.“Ahem.”“And inexperienced young men too, certainly,” he said quickly. Sarduk was one of the older goddesses, whose female worshippers got up to no good in sacred groves; the thought of her wandering around the landscape somewhere, bloody to the elbows, made the eyes water. Koomi’s heart thumped.“Well, why not?” he said.“Things were better then, weren’t they?”“But, er, I thought we stopped all that sort of thing. Population decline and so forth.” There was a monstrous splash out in the river. Tzut, the Snake- Headed God of the Upper Djel:Previous Entities: |Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut| ::: “And, ",Koomi.M psychological tests could show early signs of Alzheimer’s.”,13335,13376,True,517:Diehl.?,"detective on her, see how much she drinks, whether she does drugs, stays out all night, has lesbian affairs, all that. Standard procedure.”“No, no,” Diehl said.“I want her tested genetically.”“For what?”“For everything,” he said.“Ah,” Barry said, nodding wisely. What the hell was the guy talking about? Genetic testing? In a custody case? He glanced down at the papers in front of him, and the business card. RICHARD“RICK” DIEHL, PH.D. Barry frowned unhappily. Only assholes put a nickname on the card. The card said he was CEO of BioGen Research Inc., some company out in Westview Village.“For example,” Diehl said,“I’ll bet my wife has a genetic predisposition to bipolar illness. She certainly acts erratic. She might have the Alzheimer’s gene. If she does, psychological tests could show early signs of Alzheimer’s.”“Good, very good.” Barry Sindler was nodding vigorously now. This was making him happy. Fresh, new disputed areas. Sindler loved disputed areas. Administer the psychological test. Did the test show early Alzheimer’s or not? Who the fuck could say for sure? Wonderful, wonderful— whatever the test results, they would be disputed. More days in court, more expert witnesses to interview, battles of the doctorates, dragging on for days. Days in court were especially lucrative. And best of all, Barry realized that this genetic testing could become standard procedure for all custody cases. Sindler was breaking new ground here. He’d get publicity for this! He leaned forward eagerly.“Go on, Mr. Diehl…”“Test her for the diabetes gene",Diehl,"Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury","detective on her, see how much she drinks, whether she does drugs, stays out all night, has lesbian affairs, all that. Standard procedure.”“No, no,” Diehl said.“I want her tested genetically.”“For what?”“For everything,” he said.“Ah,” Barry said, nodding wisely. What the hell was the guy talking about? Genetic testing? In a custody case? He glanced down at the papers in front of him, and the business card. RICHARD“RICK” DIEHL, PH.D. Barry frowned unhappily. Only assholes put a nickname on the card. The card said he was CEO of BioGen Research Inc., some company out in Westview Village.“For example,” Diehl said,“I’ll bet my wife has a genetic predisposition to bipolar illness. She certainly acts erratic. She might have the Alzheimer’s gene. If she does, psychological tests could show early signs of Alzheimer’s.”“Good, very good.” Barry Sindler was nodding vigorously now. This was making him happy. Fresh, new disputed areas. Sindler loved disputed areas. Administer the psychological test. Did the test show early Alzheimer’s or not? Who the fuck could say for sure? Wonderful, wonderful— whatever the test results, they would be disputed. More days in court, more expert witnesses to interview, battles of the doctorates, dragging on for days. Days in court were especially lucrative. And best of all, Barry realized that this genetic testing could become standard procedure for all custody cases. Sindler was breaking new ground here. He’d get publicity for this! He leaned forward eagerly.“Go on, Mr. Diehl…”“Test her for the diabetes gene:Previous Entities: |Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury| ::: psychological tests could show early signs of Alzheimer’s.” ",Barry Sindler.M I think a cup of milkberry tea would be lovely.”,21323,21339,True,685:the little owl.F,",” gulped the little owl.“Yes, indeed. See, her parents had gone off to fight in the borderlands skirmishes, and they had left her all safe and sound.”“I was supposed to be sitting the two new eggs. Mum was really only off hunting, not fighting. She was going to be right back.”“What happened?” Soren asked.“A fire— forest fire. I didn’t think it would reach our tree and when it did, well, I tried to save one of the eggs. But you know, I haven’t been flying that long and, well, I just…” Here, she began to sob uncontrollably. A bunchy Barred Owl poked her head in.“Any tea here?”“Oh, yes, I think a cup of milkberry tea would be lovely.”“I dropped the egg. I don’t deserve to live.” Primrose emitted a long sound halfway between a whistle and a wail.“Don’t say that!” Soren exclaimed.“Of course you deserve to live. Every owl deserves to live. That’s why we came here.” Matron stopped what she was doing and cocked her head and regarded the young Barn Owl. Perhaps he was learning; just perhaps he was beginning to catch a glimmer of the true meaning of a noble deed. She would leave him to comfort this little Pygmy Owl and send in an extra cup of tea and some milkberry tart. Soren stayed with Primrose for the rest of the evening. She was sometimes a bit feverish and would begin to mumble about the little brother she was",the little owl,"her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl",",” gulped the little owl.“Yes, indeed. See, her parents had gone off to fight in the borderlands skirmishes, and they had left her all safe and sound.”“I was supposed to be sitting the two new eggs. Mum was really only off hunting, not fighting. She was going to be right back.”“What happened?” Soren asked.“A fire— forest fire. I didn’t think it would reach our tree and when it did, well, I tried to save one of the eggs. But you know, I haven’t been flying that long and, well, I just…” Here, she began to sob uncontrollably. A bunchy Barred Owl poked her head in.“Any tea here?”“Oh, yes, I think a cup of milkberry tea would be lovely.”“I dropped the egg. I don’t deserve to live.” Primrose emitted a long sound halfway between a whistle and a wail.“Don’t say that!” Soren exclaimed.“Of course you deserve to live. Every owl deserves to live. That’s why we came here.” Matron stopped what she was doing and cocked her head and regarded the young Barn Owl. Perhaps he was learning; just perhaps he was beginning to catch a glimmer of the true meaning of a noble deed. She would leave him to comfort this little Pygmy Owl and send in an extra cup of tea and some milkberry tart. Soren stayed with Primrose for the rest of the evening. She was sometimes a bit feverish and would begin to mumble about the little brother she was:Previous Entities: |her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl| ::: I think a cup of milkberry tea would be lovely.” ",Primrose. the day you arrived.”,82215,82229,True,3028:the Weddell chief.?,"who’s where. Neither Kane nor Brewster opened any doors in the last twelve hours. They aren’t here.”“So you think they may be on the plane?”“McMurdo Tower wasn’t sure. They’re pretty casual about the daily transport— if somebody wants to go, they just hop on and leave. It’s a C-130, so there’s always plenty of room. You see, a lot of the research grants don’t permit you to leave during the period of your research, but people have birthdays and family events back on the mainland. So they just go, and come back. It’s unrecorded.”“If I recall,” Kenner said,“Brewster came here with two graduate students. Where’s the other one?”“Interesting. He left from McMurdo yesterday, the day you arrived.”“So they all got out,” Kenner said.“Got to give them credit: They’re smart.” He looked at his watch.“Now let’s see what, if anything, they left behind.” The name on the door said“Dave Kane, U. Mich.” Evans pushed it open, and saw a small room, an unmade bed, a small desk with a messy stack of papers, and four cans of Diet Coke. There was a suitcase lying open in the corner.“Let’s get started,” Kenner said.“I’ll take the bed and the suitcase. You check the desk.” Evans began to go through the papers on the desk. They all seemed to be reprints of research articles. Some were stampe u",the Weddell chief,"Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief","who’s where. Neither Kane nor Brewster opened any doors in the last twelve hours. They aren’t here.”“So you think they may be on the plane?”“McMurdo Tower wasn’t sure. They’re pretty casual about the daily transport— if somebody wants to go, they just hop on and leave. It’s a C-130, so there’s always plenty of room. You see, a lot of the research grants don’t permit you to leave during the period of your research, but people have birthdays and family events back on the mainland. So they just go, and come back. It’s unrecorded.”“If I recall,” Kenner said,“Brewster came here with two graduate students. Where’s the other one?”“Interesting. He left from McMurdo yesterday, the day you arrived.”“So they all got out,” Kenner said.“Got to give them credit: They’re smart.” He looked at his watch.“Now let’s see what, if anything, they left behind.” The name on the door said“Dave Kane, U. Mich.” Evans pushed it open, and saw a small room, an unmade bed, a small desk with a messy stack of papers, and four cans of Diet Coke. There was a suitcase lying open in the corner.“Let’s get started,” Kenner said.“I’ll take the bed and the suitcase. You check the desk.” Evans began to go through the papers on the desk. They all seemed to be reprints of research articles. Some were stampe u:Previous Entities: |Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief| ::: the day you arrived.” ",Kenner.M and I've checked droppings just to be certain.,66426,66453,True,1761:the vet.M,"square miles."""" In this general area?"" she asked. They were in an open meadow, with scattered rocky outcrops, and intermittent plumes of steam rising from the ground. It was late afternoon, and the sky was pink beneath the lowering gray clouds."" Their range is mostly north and cast of here,"" Harding said."" But when they get sick, they're usually somewhere around this particular area."" It was an interesting puzzle, she thought. How to explain the periodicity of the poisoning? She pointed across the field."" You see those low, delicate- looking bushes?"""" West Indian lilac."" Harding nodded."" We know it's toxic. The animals don't eat it."""" You're sure?"""" Yes. We monitor them on video, and I've checked droppings just to be certain. The stegos never eat the lilac bushes."" Melia azedarach, called chinaberry or West Indian lilac, contained a number of toxic alkaloids. The Chinese used the plant as a fish poison."" They don't eat it,"" the vet said."" Interesting,"" Ellie said."" Because otherwise I would have said that this animal shows all the classic signs of Melia toxicity: stupor, blistering of the mucous membranes, and pupillary dilatation."" She set off toward the field to examine the plants more closely, her body bent over the ground."" You're right,"" she said."" Plants are healthy, no sign of being eaten. None at all."""" And there's the six- week interval,"" the vet reminded her."" The stegosaurs come here how often?"""" About",the vet,"Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet","square miles."""" In this general area?"" she asked. They were in an open meadow, with scattered rocky outcrops, and intermittent plumes of steam rising from the ground. It was late afternoon, and the sky was pink beneath the lowering gray clouds."" Their range is mostly north and cast of here,"" Harding said."" But when they get sick, they're usually somewhere around this particular area."" It was an interesting puzzle, she thought. How to explain the periodicity of the poisoning? She pointed across the field."" You see those low, delicate- looking bushes?"""" West Indian lilac."" Harding nodded."" We know it's toxic. The animals don't eat it."""" You're sure?"""" Yes. We monitor them on video, and I've checked droppings just to be certain. The stegos never eat the lilac bushes."" Melia azedarach, called chinaberry or West Indian lilac, contained a number of toxic alkaloids. The Chinese used the plant as a fish poison."" They don't eat it,"" the vet said."" Interesting,"" Ellie said."" Because otherwise I would have said that this animal shows all the classic signs of Melia toxicity: stupor, blistering of the mucous membranes, and pupillary dilatation."" She set off toward the field to examine the plants more closely, her body bent over the ground."" You're right,"" she said."" Plants are healthy, no sign of being eaten. None at all."""" And there's the six- week interval,"" the vet reminded her."" The stegosaurs come here how often?"""" About:Previous Entities: |Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet| ::: and I've checked droppings just to be certain. ",Harding.M "’ said the first Miss Level,",21724,21748,True,974:the other Miss Level.?,"‘ I thought it was best to get it over with right now.’ The two women were exactly alike.‘ Oh, I see,’ said Tiffany.‘ You’re twins.’‘ No,’ said the Miss Level on the left,‘ I’m not. This might be a little difficult–’‘– for you to understand,’ said the other Miss Level.‘ Let me see, now. You know–’‘– how twins are sometimes said to be able to share thoughts and feelings?’ said the first Miss Level. Tiffany nodded.‘ Well,’ said the second Miss Level,‘ I’m a bit more complicated than that, I suppose, because–’‘– I’m one person with two bodies,’ said the first Miss Level, and now they spoke like players in a tennis match, slamming the words back and forth.‘ I wanted to break this to you–’‘– gently, because some people get upset by the–’‘– idea and find it creepy or–’‘– just plain–’‘– weird.’ The two bodies stopped.‘ Sorry about that last sentence,’ said the Miss Level on the left.‘ I only do that when I’m really nervous.’‘ Er, do you mean that you both—’ Tiffany began, but the Miss Level on the right said quickly,‘ There is no both. There’s just me, do you understand? I know it’s hard. But I have a right right hand and a right left hand and a left right hand and a left left hand. It’s all me.",the other Miss Level,"Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level","‘ I thought it was best to get it over with right now.’ The two women were exactly alike.‘ Oh, I see,’ said Tiffany.‘ You’re twins.’‘ No,’ said the Miss Level on the left,‘ I’m not. This might be a little difficult–’‘– for you to understand,’ said the other Miss Level.‘ Let me see, now. You know–’‘– how twins are sometimes said to be able to share thoughts and feelings?’ said the first Miss Level. Tiffany nodded.‘ Well,’ said the second Miss Level,‘ I’m a bit more complicated than that, I suppose, because–’‘– I’m one person with two bodies,’ said the first Miss Level, and now they spoke like players in a tennis match, slamming the words back and forth.‘ I wanted to break this to you–’‘– gently, because some people get upset by the–’‘– idea and find it creepy or–’‘– just plain–’‘– weird.’ The two bodies stopped.‘ Sorry about that last sentence,’ said the Miss Level on the left.‘ I only do that when I’m really nervous.’‘ Er, do you mean that you both—’ Tiffany began, but the Miss Level on the right said quickly,‘ There is no both. There’s just me, do you understand? I know it’s hard. But I have a right right hand and a right left hand and a left right hand and a left left hand. It’s all me.:Previous Entities: |Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level| ::: ’ said the first Miss Level, ",Tiffany.F "Is the aircraft all right?""",1921,1928,True,357:Levine.?,"in?"""" I am not sure."" Levine made a spinning gesture: Keep the pilot talking. Marshall said,"" Can you give us an estimate?"""" I am sorry, no. An estimate is not possible."""" Is anyone unconscious?"""" No, I do not think so,"" the pilot answered."" But two are dead."""" Holy shit,"" Jane Levine said."" Nice of him to tell us. Who is this guy?"" Marshall hit a key on his panel, opening a data block in the upper corner of the screen. It listed the manifest for TPA 545."" Captain's John Chang. Senior pilot for Transpacific."""" Let's not have any more surprises,"" Levine said."" Is the aircraft all right?"" Marshall said,' TPA 545, what is the condition of your aircraft?"""" We have damage to the passenger cabin,"" the pilot said."" Minor damage only."""" What is the condition of the flight deck?"" Marshall said."" Right deck is operational. FDAU is nominal."" That was the Flight Data Acquisition Unit, which tracked faults within the aircraft. If it said the plane was okay, it probably was. Marshall said,"" I copy that, 545. What is the condition of your flight crew?"""" Captain and first officer in good condition."""" Ah, 545, you said there were injuries to the crew."""" Yes. Two stewardesses have been hurt."""" Can you specify the nature of",Levine,"a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine","in?"""" I am not sure."" Levine made a spinning gesture: Keep the pilot talking. Marshall said,"" Can you give us an estimate?"""" I am sorry, no. An estimate is not possible."""" Is anyone unconscious?"""" No, I do not think so,"" the pilot answered."" But two are dead."""" Holy shit,"" Jane Levine said."" Nice of him to tell us. Who is this guy?"" Marshall hit a key on his panel, opening a data block in the upper corner of the screen. It listed the manifest for TPA 545."" Captain's John Chang. Senior pilot for Transpacific."""" Let's not have any more surprises,"" Levine said."" Is the aircraft all right?"" Marshall said,' TPA 545, what is the condition of your aircraft?"""" We have damage to the passenger cabin,"" the pilot said."" Minor damage only."""" What is the condition of the flight deck?"" Marshall said."" Right deck is operational. FDAU is nominal."" That was the Flight Data Acquisition Unit, which tracked faults within the aircraft. If it said the plane was okay, it probably was. Marshall said,"" I copy that, 545. What is the condition of your flight crew?"""" Captain and first officer in good condition."""" Ah, 545, you said there were injuries to the crew."""" Yes. Two stewardesses have been hurt."""" Can you specify the nature of:Previous Entities: |a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine| ::: Is the aircraft all right?"" ",Marshall.M “Listen.”,80298,80301,True,2334:a small blond girl.F,"“Well, it’s still a valid question.”“They asked me to bring you guys an update,” Tris says, and she offers Shelly the piece of paper.“David is in recovery. He’ll live, but they’re not sure when he’ll walk again. Most of the other injured have been cared for.” The sour taste in my mouth grows stronger. David can’t walk. And what they’ve been doing all this time is caring for the injured. All this destruction, and for what? I don’t even know. I don’t know the truth. What did I do?“Do they have a casualty count?” Shelly asks.“Not yet,” Tris replies.“Thanks for letting us know.”“Listen.” She shifts her weight to one foot.“I need to talk to him.” She jerks her head toward me.“We can’t really—” Shelly starts.“Just for a second, I promise,” Tris says.“Please.”“Let her,” the other guard says.“What could it hurt?”“Fine,” Shelly says.“I’ll give you two minutes.” She nods to me, and I use the wall to push myself to my feet, my hands still bound in front of me. Tris comes closer, but not that close— the space, and her folded arms, form a barrier between us that may as well be a wall. She looks somewhere south of my eyes.“Tris",a small blond girl,"Sekhmet, a small blond girl","“Well, it’s still a valid question.”“They asked me to bring you guys an update,” Tris says, and she offers Shelly the piece of paper.“David is in recovery. He’ll live, but they’re not sure when he’ll walk again. Most of the other injured have been cared for.” The sour taste in my mouth grows stronger. David can’t walk. And what they’ve been doing all this time is caring for the injured. All this destruction, and for what? I don’t even know. I don’t know the truth. What did I do?“Do they have a casualty count?” Shelly asks.“Not yet,” Tris replies.“Thanks for letting us know.”“Listen.” She shifts her weight to one foot.“I need to talk to him.” She jerks her head toward me.“We can’t really—” Shelly starts.“Just for a second, I promise,” Tris says.“Please.”“Let her,” the other guard says.“What could it hurt?”“Fine,” Shelly says.“I’ll give you two minutes.” She nods to me, and I use the wall to push myself to my feet, my hands still bound in front of me. Tris comes closer, but not that close— the space, and her folded arms, form a barrier between us that may as well be a wall. She looks somewhere south of my eyes.“Tris:Previous Entities: |Sekhmet, a small blond girl| ::: “Listen.” ",Tris>F "“Don’t try to talk now,",51161,51177,True,1708:the old Barred Owl.M,"went up. It was the Strix Struma Strikers under the command of Otulissa, flying in her late mentor’s position on the windward flank. They had just routed a sub squad that had broken into the armory. Quentin, the quartermaster in charge, an elderly Barred Owl, had tried to hold them off but he was injured. Soren caught all this as Otulissa screamed by him shouting commands:“Vacuum transport needed at armory!” A half dozen sky medics led by Cleve flew by seconds later. Coryn raced to the armory.“Hold on, old fellow! Hold on!” He crouched over Quentin, who had collapsed in the cave. A wolf was helping by cleaning up the wound to his port wing.“Coryn,” gasped the old Barred Owl.“Don’t try to talk now, Q. You have to save your strength.”“No, Coryn. Listen to me. Dawn is coming. I have an idea. These ice shields. They’re cloud ice, you know.” Cloud ice was ice that was opaque because of trapped air bubbles.“Q, you shouldn’t be talking.”“I’m not hurt badly. Not as bad as it looks. You’ve got to listen to me!” There was a fierceness in his amber eyes.“That cloud ice. I’ve been experimenting with it. I got an idea when this wolf was licking up my blood… what’s his name?”“What’s your name?” Coryn asked, swiveling his head toward a gray- and- black wolf.“Patches, sir.” His left forepaw was deformed",the old Barred Owl,"the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl","went up. It was the Strix Struma Strikers under the command of Otulissa, flying in her late mentor’s position on the windward flank. They had just routed a sub squad that had broken into the armory. Quentin, the quartermaster in charge, an elderly Barred Owl, had tried to hold them off but he was injured. Soren caught all this as Otulissa screamed by him shouting commands:“Vacuum transport needed at armory!” A half dozen sky medics led by Cleve flew by seconds later. Coryn raced to the armory.“Hold on, old fellow! Hold on!” He crouched over Quentin, who had collapsed in the cave. A wolf was helping by cleaning up the wound to his port wing.“Coryn,” gasped the old Barred Owl.“Don’t try to talk now, Q. You have to save your strength.”“No, Coryn. Listen to me. Dawn is coming. I have an idea. These ice shields. They’re cloud ice, you know.” Cloud ice was ice that was opaque because of trapped air bubbles.“Q, you shouldn’t be talking.”“I’m not hurt badly. Not as bad as it looks. You’ve got to listen to me!” There was a fierceness in his amber eyes.“That cloud ice. I’ve been experimenting with it. I got an idea when this wolf was licking up my blood… what’s his name?”“What’s your name?” Coryn asked, swiveling his head toward a gray- and- black wolf.“Patches, sir.” His left forepaw was deformed:Previous Entities: |the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl| ::: “Don’t try to talk now, ","Otulissa.F Quentin.M Soren.M Cleve.? Coryn.M Patches.M" "But if not here… well,",19602,19675,True,148:Rorkna.F,"’“Now that you mention it, yes. And didn’t she sing us a song?” This seemed to cause a ripple of excitement among the sisters. They began remembering the gadfeather with a lovely voice coming and singing them a song.“Something about the sky is my hollow,” said one.“Yes, and how they need no perch, no home. Very pretty. Slightly impractical, but a beautiful song,” said another. So Siv had not been here. How had I been so wrong? I turned now to Rorkna.“You knew Siv well, madam. Where would she go if she were all alone and with an egg, the egg of her first chick?” Rorkna blinked and clamped her beak shut as she thought.“In truth, my dear, I would have thought she would have come to me. But if not here… well, I do remember that summer when she came to visit, she told me, and I took it as a great compliment that she would confide in me this way, that she and you and H’rath had discovered a marvelous hideaway in some ice cliffs.” The Ice Cliff Palace! Why, of course! Why had I not thought of it? Sister Rorkna must have noticed the look in my eyes. The elation.“You know what I am talking about?” she asked.“Yes, madam!” I exclaimed.“I do indeed!”“Well, go to her and please tell her if she needs our help we are here for her. These are dangerous times, but I doubt anybody would ever attack our retreat.”“No, never,” the others murmured in agreement.“Oh, no— never,” I added for good measure. Although I crossed two of my talons for the lie I had just told— with the best of intentions. CHAPTER ELEVEN The Ice Cliff Palace",Rorkna,"Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna","’“Now that you mention it, yes. And didn’t she sing us a song?” This seemed to cause a ripple of excitement among the sisters. They began remembering the gadfeather with a lovely voice coming and singing them a song.“Something about the sky is my hollow,” said one.“Yes, and how they need no perch, no home. Very pretty. Slightly impractical, but a beautiful song,” said another. So Siv had not been here. How had I been so wrong? I turned now to Rorkna.“You knew Siv well, madam. Where would she go if she were all alone and with an egg, the egg of her first chick?” Rorkna blinked and clamped her beak shut as she thought.“In truth, my dear, I would have thought she would have come to me. But if not here… well, I do remember that summer when she came to visit, she told me, and I took it as a great compliment that she would confide in me this way, that she and you and H’rath had discovered a marvelous hideaway in some ice cliffs.” The Ice Cliff Palace! Why, of course! Why had I not thought of it? Sister Rorkna must have noticed the look in my eyes. The elation.“You know what I am talking about?” she asked.“Yes, madam!” I exclaimed.“I do indeed!”“Well, go to her and please tell her if she needs our help we are here for her. These are dangerous times, but I doubt anybody would ever attack our retreat.”“No, never,” the others murmured in agreement.“Oh, no— never,” I added for good measure. Although I crossed two of my talons for the lie I had just told— with the best of intentions. CHAPTER ELEVEN The Ice Cliff Palace:Previous Entities: |Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna| ::: But if not here… well, ",Rorkna.F "Chris,”",30520,30526,True,320:Daryl.M,"year, I guess.”“So it’s safe to say that the outside world hasn’t been too hard on you, right?”“Yes,” Daryl said.“I suppose so.” We went back and forth like this for a while, as I made him admit that most of us had little to fear in the world. I was feeling good about my new skills, about listening to Daryl and then“CareFronting” him, which was the slightly goofy name we gave to assertively— but caringly— responding to frequent callers. It was all flowing, and our rapport was great. I even got Daryl to laugh a few times. By the time I was done with him, he couldn’t give me one reason not to step outside.“Thank you, Chris,” Daryl said just before he hung up.“Thanks for doing such a great job.” Before I went to see Jim, I leaned back in my chair and basked in that compliment. How often do you get that from a man in pain, I thought. Then I sprung up and strode toward the monitoring room, so proud I was practically buffing my nails on my shirt and patting my own back. Jim motioned me to the chair in front of him and gave me his biggest smile. I must have returned it with twice the wattage.“Well, Chris,” he said, still smiling.“That was one of the worst calls I ever heard.” I stared at him, gape- jawed.“Jim, did you hear Daryl congratulate me",Daryl,"these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl","year, I guess.”“So it’s safe to say that the outside world hasn’t been too hard on you, right?”“Yes,” Daryl said.“I suppose so.” We went back and forth like this for a while, as I made him admit that most of us had little to fear in the world. I was feeling good about my new skills, about listening to Daryl and then“CareFronting” him, which was the slightly goofy name we gave to assertively— but caringly— responding to frequent callers. It was all flowing, and our rapport was great. I even got Daryl to laugh a few times. By the time I was done with him, he couldn’t give me one reason not to step outside.“Thank you, Chris,” Daryl said just before he hung up.“Thanks for doing such a great job.” Before I went to see Jim, I leaned back in my chair and basked in that compliment. How often do you get that from a man in pain, I thought. Then I sprung up and strode toward the monitoring room, so proud I was practically buffing my nails on my shirt and patting my own back. Jim motioned me to the chair in front of him and gave me his biggest smile. I must have returned it with twice the wattage.“Well, Chris,” he said, still smiling.“That was one of the worst calls I ever heard.” I stared at him, gape- jawed.“Jim, did you hear Daryl congratulate me:Previous Entities: |these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl| ::: Chris,” ",Jim.M "“We have heard of you,",144263,144315,True,3076:A crow.?,"over a shoulder as she angled her head to the side.“Shouldn’t they defend against a threat of their own making?” A snort.“Should Fae blood not be spilled for their crimes over the years?”“Neither side is innocent,” Rhys countered calmly.“But we might protect those who are. Together.”“Oh?” said the eldest, her wrinkles seeming to harden, deepen.“The High Lord of the Night Court asks us to join with him, save lives with him. To fight for peace. And what of the lives you have taken during your long, hideous existence? What of the High Lord who walks with darkness in his wake, and shatters minds as he sees fit?” A crow’s laugh.“We have heard of you, even on the continent, Rhysand. We have heard what the Night Court does, what you do to your enemies. Peace? For a male who melts minds and tortures for sport, I did not think you knew the word.” Wrath began simmering in my blood; embers crackled in my ears. But I cooled that fire I’d slowly been stoking these past weeks and tried,“If you will not send forces here to defend your people, then the artifact we requested—”“Our half of the Book, child,” the crone cut me off,“does not leave our sacred palace. It has not left those white walls since the day it was gifted as part of the Treaty. It will never leave those walls, not while we stand against the terrors in the North.”“Please,” was all I said. Silence again.“Please,” I repeated. Emissary— I was their emissary, and Rhys had chosen me for this. To be the voice of",A crow,"A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow","over a shoulder as she angled her head to the side.“Shouldn’t they defend against a threat of their own making?” A snort.“Should Fae blood not be spilled for their crimes over the years?”“Neither side is innocent,” Rhys countered calmly.“But we might protect those who are. Together.”“Oh?” said the eldest, her wrinkles seeming to harden, deepen.“The High Lord of the Night Court asks us to join with him, save lives with him. To fight for peace. And what of the lives you have taken during your long, hideous existence? What of the High Lord who walks with darkness in his wake, and shatters minds as he sees fit?” A crow’s laugh.“We have heard of you, even on the continent, Rhysand. We have heard what the Night Court does, what you do to your enemies. Peace? For a male who melts minds and tortures for sport, I did not think you knew the word.” Wrath began simmering in my blood; embers crackled in my ears. But I cooled that fire I’d slowly been stoking these past weeks and tried,“If you will not send forces here to defend your people, then the artifact we requested—”“Our half of the Book, child,” the crone cut me off,“does not leave our sacred palace. It has not left those white walls since the day it was gifted as part of the Treaty. It will never leave those walls, not while we stand against the terrors in the North.”“Please,” was all I said. Silence again.“Please,” I repeated. Emissary— I was their emissary, and Rhys had chosen me for this. To be the voice of:Previous Entities: |A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow| ::: “We have heard of you, ","Rhysand.M The eldest queen.F" Get up!”,56630,56640,True,110:Poppy.F,"tumbling around. So much was going to happen tomorrow— the whole city would be in an uproar. People would stream down into the Pipeworks to see the boats. They’d be excited, shouting and laughing and crying, packing up their belongings, and surging through the streets. If they couldn’t all fit into the boats, there would be fights. Some people might get hurt. It was going to be a mess. She’d have to keep her little family close around her— Poppy, Mrs. Murdo, and Doon, and perhaps Doon’s father and Clary. Through it all, she would hold tight to Poppy so no harm could come to her. It seemed she had barely closed her eyes when she felt Poppy’s hard little heels banging against her shins.“Time- a get up! Get up!” Poppy chirped. She got out of bed and dressed herself and Poppy. In the kitchen, Mrs. Murdo was mashing potatoes for breakfast. How lovely, Lina thought, to have breakfast cooked for her— to hear water bubbling in the pot, and to find a bowl and a spoon set out on the table, and vitamins lined up neatly beside a cup of beet tea. I could live here forever, Lina thought, before she remembered that in a day or two they would all be leaving. There was a sudden banging on the front door. Mrs. Murdo dried her hands and went to answer it, but before she’d taken three steps the banging came again.“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Mrs. Murdo cried, and when she opened the door",Poppy,"The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo","tumbling around. So much was going to happen tomorrow— the whole city would be in an uproar. People would stream down into the Pipeworks to see the boats. They’d be excited, shouting and laughing and crying, packing up their belongings, and surging through the streets. If they couldn’t all fit into the boats, there would be fights. Some people might get hurt. It was going to be a mess. She’d have to keep her little family close around her— Poppy, Mrs. Murdo, and Doon, and perhaps Doon’s father and Clary. Through it all, she would hold tight to Poppy so no harm could come to her. It seemed she had barely closed her eyes when she felt Poppy’s hard little heels banging against her shins.“Time- a get up! Get up!” Poppy chirped. She got out of bed and dressed herself and Poppy. In the kitchen, Mrs. Murdo was mashing potatoes for breakfast. How lovely, Lina thought, to have breakfast cooked for her— to hear water bubbling in the pot, and to find a bowl and a spoon set out on the table, and vitamins lined up neatly beside a cup of beet tea. I could live here forever, Lina thought, before she remembered that in a day or two they would all be leaving. There was a sudden banging on the front door. Mrs. Murdo dried her hands and went to answer it, but before she’d taken three steps the banging came again.“I’m coming, I’m coming,” Mrs. Murdo cried, and when she opened the door:Previous Entities: |The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo| ::: Get up!” ",Poppy.F He senses something wrong!,310029,310109,True,8906:the old man with the big iron on his hip.M,"chocolate— the good kind, mit schlag.“No,” she said softly.“I’ll take my chance and go.” For a moment she thought he would make it easy on her, just agree and let her go. Then his anger— no, his despair— broke in a painful burst.“But you can’t be sure! Susannah, what if the dream itself is a trick and a glammer? What if the things you see even when the door’s open are nothing but tricks and glammers? What if you roll right through and into todash space?”“Then I’ll light the darkness with thoughts of those I love.”“And that might work,” said he, speaking in the bitterest voice she had ever heard.“For the first ten years… or twenty… or even a hundred. And then? What about the rest of eternity? Think of Oy! Do you think he’s forgotten Jake? Never! Never! Never in your life! Never in his! He senses something wrong! Susannah, don’t. I beg you, don’t go. I’ll get on my knees, if that will help.” And to her horror, he began to do exactly that.“It won’t,” she said.“And if this is to be my last sight of you— my heart says it is— then don’t let it be of you on your knees. You’re not a kneeling man, Roland, son of Steven, never were, and I don’t want to remember you that way. I want to see you on your feet, as you were in Calla Bryn Sturgis. As you were with your friends at Jericho Hill.” He got up and came to her. For a moment she thought he meant to restrain her by force, and she was afraid. But he only put his hand on her arm for a moment, and then took it",the old man with the big iron on his hip,"the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip","chocolate— the good kind, mit schlag.“No,” she said softly.“I’ll take my chance and go.” For a moment she thought he would make it easy on her, just agree and let her go. Then his anger— no, his despair— broke in a painful burst.“But you can’t be sure! Susannah, what if the dream itself is a trick and a glammer? What if the things you see even when the door’s open are nothing but tricks and glammers? What if you roll right through and into todash space?”“Then I’ll light the darkness with thoughts of those I love.”“And that might work,” said he, speaking in the bitterest voice she had ever heard.“For the first ten years… or twenty… or even a hundred. And then? What about the rest of eternity? Think of Oy! Do you think he’s forgotten Jake? Never! Never! Never in your life! Never in his! He senses something wrong! Susannah, don’t. I beg you, don’t go. I’ll get on my knees, if that will help.” And to her horror, he began to do exactly that.“It won’t,” she said.“And if this is to be my last sight of you— my heart says it is— then don’t let it be of you on your knees. You’re not a kneeling man, Roland, son of Steven, never were, and I don’t want to remember you that way. I want to see you on your feet, as you were in Calla Bryn Sturgis. As you were with your friends at Jericho Hill.” He got up and came to her. For a moment she thought he meant to restrain her by force, and she was afraid. But he only put his hand on her arm for a moment, and then took it:Previous Entities: |the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip| ::: He senses something wrong! ",Roland.M "“special arrangements might have been made for you,",78940,78957,True,299:Dippet.M,"”“No,” said Riddle at once.“I’d much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that— to that—”“You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?” said Dippet curiously.“Yes, sir,” said Riddle, reddening slightly.“You are Muggle- born?”“Half- blood, sir,” said Riddle.“Muggle father, witch mother.”“And are both your parents—?”“My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me— Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.” Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically.“The thing is, Tom,” he sighed,“special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances.…”“You mean all these attacks, sir?” said Riddle, and Harry’s heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything.“Precisely,” said the headmaster.“My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl.… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the— er— source of all this unpleasantness.…” Riddle’s eyes had widened.“Sir— if the person was caught— if it all stopped—”“What",Dippet,"The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet","”“No,” said Riddle at once.“I’d much rather stay at Hogwarts than go back to that— to that—”“You live in a Muggle orphanage during the holidays, I believe?” said Dippet curiously.“Yes, sir,” said Riddle, reddening slightly.“You are Muggle- born?”“Half- blood, sir,” said Riddle.“Muggle father, witch mother.”“And are both your parents—?”“My mother died just after I was born, sir. They told me at the orphanage she lived just long enough to name me— Tom after my father, Marvolo after my grandfather.” Dippet clucked his tongue sympathetically.“The thing is, Tom,” he sighed,“special arrangements might have been made for you, but in the current circumstances.…”“You mean all these attacks, sir?” said Riddle, and Harry’s heart leapt, and he moved closer, scared of missing anything.“Precisely,” said the headmaster.“My dear boy, you must see how foolish it would be of me to allow you to remain at the castle when term ends. Particularly in light of the recent tragedy… the death of that poor little girl.… You will be safer by far at your orphanage. As a matter of fact, the Ministry of Magic is even now talking about closing the school. We are no nearer locating the— er— source of all this unpleasantness.…” Riddle’s eyes had widened.“Sir— if the person was caught— if it all stopped—”“What:Previous Entities: |The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet| ::: “special arrangements might have been made for you, ",Dippet.M "But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules,",102171,102235,True,3066:The bull - man.M,"he’ll always be Heracles. That’s his Greek name, you know: the glory of Hera.”“Funny name,” Jason said.“Since he hates her.”“Indeed,” the bull- man said.“Perhaps that’s why he didn’t protest when the Romans renamed him Hercules. Of course, that’s the name most people know him by… his brand, if you will. Hercules is nothing if not image- conscious.” The bull- man spoke with bitterness but familiarity, as if Hercules was an old friend who had lost his way.“You’re Achelous?” Piper asked. The bull- man bent his front legs and lowered his head in a bow, which Piper found both sweet and a little sad.“At your service. River god extraordinaire. Once the spirit of the mightiest river in Greece. Now sentenced to dwell here, on the opposite side of the island from my old enemy. Oh, the gods are cruel! But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules, I have never been sure.” Piper wasn’t sure what he meant, but the background noise of the river was invading her mind again— reminding her how hot and thirsty she felt, how pleasant a nice swim would be. She tried to focus.“I’m Piper,” she said.“This is Jason. We don’t want to fight. It’s just that Heracles— Hercules— whoever he is, got mad at us and sent us here.” She explained about their quest to the ancient lands to stop the giants from waking Gaea. She described how their team of Greeks and Romans had come together, and how Hercules had thrown a temper tantrum when he found out Hera was behind it. Achelous kept tipping his head to the left, so Piper wasn’t sure if he was",The bull - man,"The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man","he’ll always be Heracles. That’s his Greek name, you know: the glory of Hera.”“Funny name,” Jason said.“Since he hates her.”“Indeed,” the bull- man said.“Perhaps that’s why he didn’t protest when the Romans renamed him Hercules. Of course, that’s the name most people know him by… his brand, if you will. Hercules is nothing if not image- conscious.” The bull- man spoke with bitterness but familiarity, as if Hercules was an old friend who had lost his way.“You’re Achelous?” Piper asked. The bull- man bent his front legs and lowered his head in a bow, which Piper found both sweet and a little sad.“At your service. River god extraordinaire. Once the spirit of the mightiest river in Greece. Now sentenced to dwell here, on the opposite side of the island from my old enemy. Oh, the gods are cruel! But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules, I have never been sure.” Piper wasn’t sure what he meant, but the background noise of the river was invading her mind again— reminding her how hot and thirsty she felt, how pleasant a nice swim would be. She tried to focus.“I’m Piper,” she said.“This is Jason. We don’t want to fight. It’s just that Heracles— Hercules— whoever he is, got mad at us and sent us here.” She explained about their quest to the ancient lands to stop the giants from waking Gaea. She described how their team of Greeks and Romans had come together, and how Hercules had thrown a temper tantrum when he found out Hera was behind it. Achelous kept tipping his head to the left, so Piper wasn’t sure if he was:Previous Entities: |The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man| ::: But whether they put us so close together to punish me or Hercules, ",Achelous.M "“I don’t need an apprentice,",146216,146228,True,3161:the blacksmith.M,"look on her face, in every line of her body, while training this morning. And when Cassian had issued the invitation to join him here during the lunch hour. He’d invited all of the females, but Emerie had to return to Windhaven, and the priestesses had been unwilling to leave the mountain. So only Nesta had come with him to the small village, with the city looming on its eastern side and broad, flat plains stretching away toward the sea to the west.“How can I assist you?” Cassian nudged Nesta forward with a hand to the small of her back, and grinned at the male.“I want Lady Nesta to learn how a blade is made. Before she picks up a real one.” The blacksmith surveyed her again.“I don’t need an apprentice, I’m afraid.”“Just a quick demonstration,” Cassian said, keeping his smile in place as he glanced to Nesta, who was staring over the blacksmith’s broad shoulder into the workshop behind him. The blacksmith frowned deeply, so Cassian added,“I want her to learn how much work and skill goes into the process. To show her that a blade is not merely a tool for killing, but a piece of art as well.” Flattery always helped smooth the way. Rhys had taught him that. Nesta’s gaze shifted to the blacksmith’s face, and for a moment, they stared at each other. Then Nesta said,“Whatever you can show me, in whatever free time you have, would be much appreciated.” Cassian tried not to show his surprise at",the blacksmith,"nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick","look on her face, in every line of her body, while training this morning. And when Cassian had issued the invitation to join him here during the lunch hour. He’d invited all of the females, but Emerie had to return to Windhaven, and the priestesses had been unwilling to leave the mountain. So only Nesta had come with him to the small village, with the city looming on its eastern side and broad, flat plains stretching away toward the sea to the west.“How can I assist you?” Cassian nudged Nesta forward with a hand to the small of her back, and grinned at the male.“I want Lady Nesta to learn how a blade is made. Before she picks up a real one.” The blacksmith surveyed her again.“I don’t need an apprentice, I’m afraid.”“Just a quick demonstration,” Cassian said, keeping his smile in place as he glanced to Nesta, who was staring over the blacksmith’s broad shoulder into the workshop behind him. The blacksmith frowned deeply, so Cassian added,“I want her to learn how much work and skill goes into the process. To show her that a blade is not merely a tool for killing, but a piece of art as well.” Flattery always helped smooth the way. Rhys had taught him that. Nesta’s gaze shifted to the blacksmith’s face, and for a moment, they stared at each other. Then Nesta said,“Whatever you can show me, in whatever free time you have, would be much appreciated.” Cassian tried not to show his surprise at:Previous Entities: |nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick| ::: “I don’t need an apprentice, ",the blacksmith.M "Let's go!""",70031,70036,True,244:Wringer.M,"squeaked, and snow crunched as Ralph approached. A wild assortment of vid cams, heat sensors, and other paraphernalia jutted in all directions, scanning for trouble. Doon found the half- droid to be somewhat disconcerting, but Sojo, or that part of him that remained, went a little bit crazy. He launched an assault on Doon's cognitive functions, failed to take control, and took a run at the synthetic's main locomotor subprocessor. The android fought the rider off, but seconds had passed, and Wringer took action. The scav stepped onto the path, put three bullets through Ralph's CPU, and laughed as the droid collapsed. Sojo started to sob, and Doon swore."" Nice going, idiot. I might have been able to stop him."""" Let's go!"" Wringer yelled."" We can take her by surprise!"" The scav started to run, and the others followed. After working on Beauty for the better part of five hours, Annie had finally given up. The synthetic was alive, the scav knew that, but she couldn't bring her around. To do so would require the services of a skilled roboticist and a fully equipped lab. She had sealed the robot's chest when the alarm sounded. The buzzer was both loud and annoying. Becka came running,"" What's wrong?"" Annie took her gun belt and buckled it around her waist."" Something happened to Ralph."""" Could be a malfunction,"" the girl said hopefully."" Anything's possible,"" Annie agreed,"" but there's",Wringer,"Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer","squeaked, and snow crunched as Ralph approached. A wild assortment of vid cams, heat sensors, and other paraphernalia jutted in all directions, scanning for trouble. Doon found the half- droid to be somewhat disconcerting, but Sojo, or that part of him that remained, went a little bit crazy. He launched an assault on Doon's cognitive functions, failed to take control, and took a run at the synthetic's main locomotor subprocessor. The android fought the rider off, but seconds had passed, and Wringer took action. The scav stepped onto the path, put three bullets through Ralph's CPU, and laughed as the droid collapsed. Sojo started to sob, and Doon swore."" Nice going, idiot. I might have been able to stop him."""" Let's go!"" Wringer yelled."" We can take her by surprise!"" The scav started to run, and the others followed. After working on Beauty for the better part of five hours, Annie had finally given up. The synthetic was alive, the scav knew that, but she couldn't bring her around. To do so would require the services of a skilled roboticist and a fully equipped lab. She had sealed the robot's chest when the alarm sounded. The buzzer was both loud and annoying. Becka came running,"" What's wrong?"" Annie took her gun belt and buckled it around her waist."" Something happened to Ralph."""" Could be a malfunction,"" the girl said hopefully."" Anything's possible,"" Annie agreed,"" but there's:Previous Entities: |Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer| ::: Let's go!"" ",Wringer.M How abysmally narrow we have been— how miserly.”,75247,75293,True,2404:a totally imaginary visitor.?,"the first Guild ship? Your history books told you it was Aurelius Venport? They lied. It was his mistress, Norma. She gave him the design, along with five children. He thought his ego would take no less. In the end, the knowledge that he had not really fulfilled his own image, that was what destroyed him.”“You have lived him, too?”“Naturally. And I have traversed the far wanderings of the Fremen. Through my father’s line and the others, I have gone right back to the House of Atreus.”“Such an illustrious line!”“With its fair share of fools.” Distraction is what I need, he thought. Would it be a tour through sexual dalliances and exploits, then?“You have no idea what internal orgies are available to me! I am the ultimate voyeur— participant(s) and observer(s). Ignorance and misunderstandings about sexuality have caused so much distress. How abysmally narrow we have been— how miserly.” Leto knew he could not make that choice, not this night, not with Hwi out there in his City. Would he choose a review of warfare, then?“Which Napoleon was the greater coward?” he asked his imaginary visitor.“I will not reveal it, but I know. Oh, yes, I know.” Where can I go? With all of the past open to me, where can I go? The brothels, the atrocities, the tyrants, the acrobats, nudists, surgeons, male whores, musicians, magicians, ungenciers, priests, artisans, priestesses…“Are you aware,” he asked his imaginary visitor,“that the hula preserves an ancient sign language which once belonged only to males? You’ve never heard of the",a totally imaginary visitor,"Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor","the first Guild ship? Your history books told you it was Aurelius Venport? They lied. It was his mistress, Norma. She gave him the design, along with five children. He thought his ego would take no less. In the end, the knowledge that he had not really fulfilled his own image, that was what destroyed him.”“You have lived him, too?”“Naturally. And I have traversed the far wanderings of the Fremen. Through my father’s line and the others, I have gone right back to the House of Atreus.”“Such an illustrious line!”“With its fair share of fools.” Distraction is what I need, he thought. Would it be a tour through sexual dalliances and exploits, then?“You have no idea what internal orgies are available to me! I am the ultimate voyeur— participant(s) and observer(s). Ignorance and misunderstandings about sexuality have caused so much distress. How abysmally narrow we have been— how miserly.” Leto knew he could not make that choice, not this night, not with Hwi out there in his City. Would he choose a review of warfare, then?“Which Napoleon was the greater coward?” he asked his imaginary visitor.“I will not reveal it, but I know. Oh, yes, I know.” Where can I go? With all of the past open to me, where can I go? The brothels, the atrocities, the tyrants, the acrobats, nudists, surgeons, male whores, musicians, magicians, ungenciers, priests, artisans, priestesses…“Are you aware,” he asked his imaginary visitor,“that the hula preserves an ancient sign language which once belonged only to males? You’ve never heard of the:Previous Entities: |Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor| ::: How abysmally narrow we have been— how miserly.” ",The God Emperor.M "“Because it has no projections,”",42468,42475,True,1285:the man with the briefcase.?,"ahead,” he said.“You can just see it now.” Twenty miles in front of us, I saw an isolated cluster of low buildings silhouetted on the horizon. The PR people in the back all leaned forward.“Is that it?” said Growly.“That’s all it is?”“It’s bigger than it looks from here,” the pilot said. As the helicopter came closer, I could see that the buildings were interlocked, featureless concrete blocks, all whitewashed. The PR people were so pleased they almost burst into applause.“Hey, it’s beautiful!”“Looks like a fucking hospital.”“Great architecture.”“It’ll photograph great.” I said,“Why will it photograph great?”“Because it has no projections,” the man with the briefcase said.“No antennas, no spikes, no things poking up. People are afraid of spikes and antennas. There are studies. But a building that’s plain and square like this, and white- perfect color choice, associations to virginal, hospital, cure, pure- a building like this, they don’t care.”“Those environmentalists are fucked,” said Growly, with satisfaction.“They do medical research here, right?”“Not exactly...”“They will when I get through, trust me. Medical research is the way to go on this.” The pilot pointed out the different buildings as he circled them.“That first concrete block, that’s power. Walkway to that low building, that’s",the man with the briefcase,"Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase","ahead,” he said.“You can just see it now.” Twenty miles in front of us, I saw an isolated cluster of low buildings silhouetted on the horizon. The PR people in the back all leaned forward.“Is that it?” said Growly.“That’s all it is?”“It’s bigger than it looks from here,” the pilot said. As the helicopter came closer, I could see that the buildings were interlocked, featureless concrete blocks, all whitewashed. The PR people were so pleased they almost burst into applause.“Hey, it’s beautiful!”“Looks like a fucking hospital.”“Great architecture.”“It’ll photograph great.” I said,“Why will it photograph great?”“Because it has no projections,” the man with the briefcase said.“No antennas, no spikes, no things poking up. People are afraid of spikes and antennas. There are studies. But a building that’s plain and square like this, and white- perfect color choice, associations to virginal, hospital, cure, pure- a building like this, they don’t care.”“Those environmentalists are fucked,” said Growly, with satisfaction.“They do medical research here, right?”“Not exactly...”“They will when I get through, trust me. Medical research is the way to go on this.” The pilot pointed out the different buildings as he circled them.“That first concrete block, that’s power. Walkway to that low building, that’s:Previous Entities: |Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase| ::: “Because it has no projections,” ",the man with the briefcase.M "a kid is a piece of slang passed around by idiots,",18533,18675,True,306:Martin Coslaw.M,"miserable schoolyard. The blackboard was dusted with chalk and– Blaze’s downfall– fractions. Coslaw was seated behind his desk when Blaze came in. He was frowning at nothing. Blaze gave him something else to frown at.“Knock,” he said.“Huh?”“Go back and knock,” said The Law.“Oh.” Blaze turned, went out, knocked, and came back in.“Thank you.”“Sure.” Coslaw frowned at Blaze. He picked up a pencil and began to tap it on his desk. It was a red grading pencil.“Clayton Blaisdell, Jr.,” he said. He brooded.“Such a long name for such a short intellect.”” The other kids call me-”“I don’t care what the other kids call you, a kid is a baby goat, a kid is a piece of slang passed around by idiots, I don’t care for it or those who use it. I am an instructor of Arithmetic, my task is to prepare young fellows such as yourself for high school– if they can be prepared– and also to teach them the difference between right and wrong. If my responsibilities ceased with the instruction of Arithmetic– and sometimes I wish they did, often I wish they did– that would not be the case, but I am also Headmaster, hence the instruction of right versus wrong, quod erat demonstrandum. Do you know what quod erat demonstrandum means, Mr. Blaisdell?”“Nope,” Blaze said. His heart was sinking and he could feel water rising in his eyes. He was big for his age but now he felt small. Small and getting smaller. Knowing that was how The Law wanted him to feel didn’t change it.“No, and never will, because even if you ever attain your sophomore year in high school– which I doubt– you will never get closer to Geometry than the drinking fountain at the end of the hall.” The Law steepled his fingers and rocked back in his chair. His bowling shirt was hung over the back of his chair, and it rocked with him.“It means,‘that which was to be demonstrated,’ Mr. Blaisdell, and what I demonstrated by my little quiz is",Martin Coslaw,"E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law","miserable schoolyard. The blackboard was dusted with chalk and– Blaze’s downfall– fractions. Coslaw was seated behind his desk when Blaze came in. He was frowning at nothing. Blaze gave him something else to frown at.“Knock,” he said.“Huh?”“Go back and knock,” said The Law.“Oh.” Blaze turned, went out, knocked, and came back in.“Thank you.”“Sure.” Coslaw frowned at Blaze. He picked up a pencil and began to tap it on his desk. It was a red grading pencil.“Clayton Blaisdell, Jr.,” he said. He brooded.“Such a long name for such a short intellect.”” The other kids call me-”“I don’t care what the other kids call you, a kid is a baby goat, a kid is a piece of slang passed around by idiots, I don’t care for it or those who use it. I am an instructor of Arithmetic, my task is to prepare young fellows such as yourself for high school– if they can be prepared– and also to teach them the difference between right and wrong. If my responsibilities ceased with the instruction of Arithmetic– and sometimes I wish they did, often I wish they did– that would not be the case, but I am also Headmaster, hence the instruction of right versus wrong, quod erat demonstrandum. Do you know what quod erat demonstrandum means, Mr. Blaisdell?”“Nope,” Blaze said. His heart was sinking and he could feel water rising in his eyes. He was big for his age but now he felt small. Small and getting smaller. Knowing that was how The Law wanted him to feel didn’t change it.“No, and never will, because even if you ever attain your sophomore year in high school– which I doubt– you will never get closer to Geometry than the drinking fountain at the end of the hall.” The Law steepled his fingers and rocked back in his chair. His bowling shirt was hung over the back of his chair, and it rocked with him.“It means,‘that which was to be demonstrated,’ Mr. Blaisdell, and what I demonstrated by my little quiz is:Previous Entities: |E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law| ::: a kid is a piece of slang passed around by idiots, ",Martin Coslaw.M "“Tolerable fair,”",14798,14802,True,665:a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster.M,"In that case, sir, why don’t you just go on and put that hand away? No offense.” He did just that, and with a lawyer’s smile. Sweat was cutting clean lines down his chubby cheeks, and his hair was all matted and tangled from the ride. I walked past him to Lars, who had thrown up the wing over his engine and was fiddling with something inside. He was whistling and sounded just as happy as a bird on a wire. I envied him that. I thought Henry and I might have another happy day— in a world as varied as this one, anything is possible— but it would not be in the summer of 1922. Or the fall. I shook Lars’s hand and asked how he was.“Tolerable fair,” he said,“but dry. I could use a drink.” I nodded toward the east side of the house.“You know where it is.”“I do,” he said, slamming down the wing with a metallic clatter that sent the chickens, who’d been creeping back, into flight once more.“Sweet and cold as ever, I guess?”“I’d say so,” I agreed, thinking: But if you could still pump from that other well, Lars, I don’t think you’d care for the taste at all.“Try it and see.” He started around to the shady side of the house where the outside pump stood in its little shelter. Mr. Lester watched him go, then turned back to",a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster,"Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster","In that case, sir, why don’t you just go on and put that hand away? No offense.” He did just that, and with a lawyer’s smile. Sweat was cutting clean lines down his chubby cheeks, and his hair was all matted and tangled from the ride. I walked past him to Lars, who had thrown up the wing over his engine and was fiddling with something inside. He was whistling and sounded just as happy as a bird on a wire. I envied him that. I thought Henry and I might have another happy day— in a world as varied as this one, anything is possible— but it would not be in the summer of 1922. Or the fall. I shook Lars’s hand and asked how he was.“Tolerable fair,” he said,“but dry. I could use a drink.” I nodded toward the east side of the house.“You know where it is.”“I do,” he said, slamming down the wing with a metallic clatter that sent the chickens, who’d been creeping back, into flight once more.“Sweet and cold as ever, I guess?”“I’d say so,” I agreed, thinking: But if you could still pump from that other well, Lars, I don’t think you’d care for the taste at all.“Try it and see.” He started around to the shady side of the house where the outside pump stood in its little shelter. Mr. Lester watched him go, then turned back to:Previous Entities: |Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster| ::: “Tolerable fair,” ",Lars.M “Ah.,2645,2657,True,440:the old assassin.M,"voice trailed off. He squinted down at the complex rune on the card in Mericet’s hand, and then stared straight past the examiner’s ear again.“I haven’t the faintest idea, sir,” he said. Out of the corner of his ear he thought he heard the faintest intake of breath, the tiniest seed of a satisfied grunt.“But if it were the other way up, sir,” he went on,“it would be thiefsign for‘ Noisy dogs in this house.’” There was absolute silence for a moment. Then, right by his shoulder, the old assassin’s voice said,“Is the killing rope permitted to all categories?”“Sir, the rules call for three questions, sir,” Teppic protested.“Ah. And that is your answer, is it?”“Sir, no, sir. It was an observation, sir. Sir, the answer you are looking for is that all categories may bear the killing rope, but only assassins of the third grade may use it as one of the three options, sir.”“You are sure of that, are you?”“Sir.”“You wouldn’t like to reconsider?” You could have used the examiner’s voice to grease a wagon.“Sir, no, sir.”“Very well.” Teppic relaxed. The back of his tunic was sticking to him, chilly with sweat.“Now, I want you to proceed at your own pace toward the Street of Bookkeepers,” said Mericet evenly,“obeying all signs and so forth.",the old assassin,"the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin","voice trailed off. He squinted down at the complex rune on the card in Mericet’s hand, and then stared straight past the examiner’s ear again.“I haven’t the faintest idea, sir,” he said. Out of the corner of his ear he thought he heard the faintest intake of breath, the tiniest seed of a satisfied grunt.“But if it were the other way up, sir,” he went on,“it would be thiefsign for‘ Noisy dogs in this house.’” There was absolute silence for a moment. Then, right by his shoulder, the old assassin’s voice said,“Is the killing rope permitted to all categories?”“Sir, the rules call for three questions, sir,” Teppic protested.“Ah. And that is your answer, is it?”“Sir, no, sir. It was an observation, sir. Sir, the answer you are looking for is that all categories may bear the killing rope, but only assassins of the third grade may use it as one of the three options, sir.”“You are sure of that, are you?”“Sir.”“You wouldn’t like to reconsider?” You could have used the examiner’s voice to grease a wagon.“Sir, no, sir.”“Very well.” Teppic relaxed. The back of his tunic was sticking to him, chilly with sweat.“Now, I want you to proceed at your own pace toward the Street of Bookkeepers,” said Mericet evenly,“obeying all signs and so forth.:Previous Entities: |the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin| ::: “Ah. ","Mericet.M the old assassin.M" "All right,",25060,25067,True,121:Jutt.M,"the Barn Owl for the eggorium."""" Or maybe even the hatchery for the little one."" Hatchery! Eggorium! Battle claws! Soren and Gylfie were suddenly very alert. Yet they managed to walk in the dazed manner of the perfectly moon blinked."" You know,"" Skench continued,"" I think we need to put them in the same stone pit and the same glaucidium-- reinforced moon scalding. If they look into each other's eyes, I think it has been proven that it reinforces the effects of the scalding."" Ha! Gylfie nearly laughed out loud. So the two young owls were returned to Soren's glaucidium, and Jatt and Jutt were duly informed that these two were to be together and periodically made to gaze into each other's eyes."" All right, you two!"" barked Jutt."" Face off!"" And neither Jatt nor Jutt could see the twinkle deep within each of the young owl's eyes, nor did they hear Soren say, as they turned their backs,"" We did it, Gylfie. We did it."" So once more the days slipped into the nights, and the nights became dark links in the silver chain of the moon as it cycled through its dwenkings and full shines, sometimes appearing as an immense, throbbing, bright globe, at other times as thin as the finest thread of down filament from an owl's breast. Patiently, they waited for their flight feathers to grow in. Each day, Soren would do a quick inventory of what he had, what showed promise. His flight feathers were definitely advancing",Jutt,"Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt","the Barn Owl for the eggorium."""" Or maybe even the hatchery for the little one."" Hatchery! Eggorium! Battle claws! Soren and Gylfie were suddenly very alert. Yet they managed to walk in the dazed manner of the perfectly moon blinked."" You know,"" Skench continued,"" I think we need to put them in the same stone pit and the same glaucidium-- reinforced moon scalding. If they look into each other's eyes, I think it has been proven that it reinforces the effects of the scalding."" Ha! Gylfie nearly laughed out loud. So the two young owls were returned to Soren's glaucidium, and Jatt and Jutt were duly informed that these two were to be together and periodically made to gaze into each other's eyes."" All right, you two!"" barked Jutt."" Face off!"" And neither Jatt nor Jutt could see the twinkle deep within each of the young owl's eyes, nor did they hear Soren say, as they turned their backs,"" We did it, Gylfie. We did it."" So once more the days slipped into the nights, and the nights became dark links in the silver chain of the moon as it cycled through its dwenkings and full shines, sometimes appearing as an immense, throbbing, bright globe, at other times as thin as the finest thread of down filament from an owl's breast. Patiently, they waited for their flight feathers to grow in. Each day, Soren would do a quick inventory of what he had, what showed promise. His flight feathers were definitely advancing:Previous Entities: |Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt| ::: All right, ","Soren.M Gylfie.F Skench.? Jatt.? Jutt.M" “No one else would do the procedure.”,58403,58412,True,2491:One of the scientists.?,"been a shattering experience for all of us at the hospital, and shattering for me personally. We had cared for this girl since infancy. She was… beloved by everyone on the staff. She was a little ray of sunshine, whenever she came into the clinic. We attempted this risky procedure because she wanted it. But at night I ask myself, was it the right thing to do? And I always feel I had an obligation to take that risk with the patient, if that was what she wanted. She wanted life. How could I deny her that chance?” A cough.“But, uh, your team had no experience with gene transplantation.”“No. We considered sending her to another team.”“Why didn’t you?”“No one else would do the procedure.”“What did that tell you?” Marsh sighed.“Have any of you seen a patient die of CTFD? Their kidneys necrose. Their livers shut down. Their bodies swell, turn a purple- gray color. They can’t breathe. They’re in agony. They take days to die. Should I have waited for that to happen to this lovely girl? I didn’t think so.” There was another moment of silence at the table. The mood was distinctly disapproving.“Why is the family suing now?” Marsh shook his head.“I haven’t been able to speak to them.”“They have stated in court documents that they weren’t informed.”“They were,” Marsh said.“Look: we all hoped it",One of the scientists,"the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists","been a shattering experience for all of us at the hospital, and shattering for me personally. We had cared for this girl since infancy. She was… beloved by everyone on the staff. She was a little ray of sunshine, whenever she came into the clinic. We attempted this risky procedure because she wanted it. But at night I ask myself, was it the right thing to do? And I always feel I had an obligation to take that risk with the patient, if that was what she wanted. She wanted life. How could I deny her that chance?” A cough.“But, uh, your team had no experience with gene transplantation.”“No. We considered sending her to another team.”“Why didn’t you?”“No one else would do the procedure.”“What did that tell you?” Marsh sighed.“Have any of you seen a patient die of CTFD? Their kidneys necrose. Their livers shut down. Their bodies swell, turn a purple- gray color. They can’t breathe. They’re in agony. They take days to die. Should I have waited for that to happen to this lovely girl? I didn’t think so.” There was another moment of silence at the table. The mood was distinctly disapproving.“Why is the family suing now?” Marsh shook his head.“I haven’t been able to speak to them.”“They have stated in court documents that they weren’t informed.”“They were,” Marsh said.“Look: we all hoped it:Previous Entities: |the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists| ::: “No one else would do the procedure.” ",Marsh.M "But it was the other thing he did– oh my word,",111219,111298,True,3136:the warder.?,"door and rubbed her hands together.‘ The lad you sent said something about a breakout?’‘ D wing,’ said the warder.‘ Macintosh. You remember? Been in here about a year.’‘ Oh yes, I recall,’ said the witch.‘ They had to stop the trial because the jury kept throwing up. Very nasty indeed. But no one has ever escaped from D wing, right? The window bars are steel?’‘ Bent,’ said the warder flatly.‘ You’d better come and see. It’s giving us the heebie- jeebies, I don’t mind telling you.’‘ Macintosh wasn’t a particularly big man, as I recall,’ said the witch as they hurried along the dank corridors.‘ That’s right, Mrs Proust. Short and nasty, that was him. Due to hang next week too. Tore out bars that a strong man wouldn’t have been able to shift with a crowbar and dropped thirty feet to the ground. That’s not natural, that’s not right. But it was the other thing he did– oh my word, it makes me sick thinking about it.’ A warder was waiting outside the cell recently vacated by the absent Macintosh, but for no reason that Mrs Proust could recognize, given that the man had definitely gone. He touched the brim of his hat respectfully when he saw her.‘ Good morning, Mrs Proust,’ he said.‘ May I say it’s an honour to meet the daughter of the finest hangman in history. Fifty- one years before the lever, and never a client down. Mr Trooper now, decent bloke, but sometimes they bounce a bit and I don’t consider that professional. And your dad wouldn’t forego a well- deserved hanging out of the fear that fires of evil and demons of dread would haunt him afterwards. You mark my words; he’d go after them and hang",the warder,"Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder","door and rubbed her hands together.‘ The lad you sent said something about a breakout?’‘ D wing,’ said the warder.‘ Macintosh. You remember? Been in here about a year.’‘ Oh yes, I recall,’ said the witch.‘ They had to stop the trial because the jury kept throwing up. Very nasty indeed. But no one has ever escaped from D wing, right? The window bars are steel?’‘ Bent,’ said the warder flatly.‘ You’d better come and see. It’s giving us the heebie- jeebies, I don’t mind telling you.’‘ Macintosh wasn’t a particularly big man, as I recall,’ said the witch as they hurried along the dank corridors.‘ That’s right, Mrs Proust. Short and nasty, that was him. Due to hang next week too. Tore out bars that a strong man wouldn’t have been able to shift with a crowbar and dropped thirty feet to the ground. That’s not natural, that’s not right. But it was the other thing he did– oh my word, it makes me sick thinking about it.’ A warder was waiting outside the cell recently vacated by the absent Macintosh, but for no reason that Mrs Proust could recognize, given that the man had definitely gone. He touched the brim of his hat respectfully when he saw her.‘ Good morning, Mrs Proust,’ he said.‘ May I say it’s an honour to meet the daughter of the finest hangman in history. Fifty- one years before the lever, and never a client down. Mr Trooper now, decent bloke, but sometimes they bounce a bit and I don’t consider that professional. And your dad wouldn’t forego a well- deserved hanging out of the fear that fires of evil and demons of dread would haunt him afterwards. You mark my words; he’d go after them and hang:Previous Entities: |Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder| ::: But it was the other thing he did– oh my word, ",Mrs Proust.F "Madame,",67841,67873,True,276:Javid.M,"environment. The mentat has learned to extend his awareness across many parallel loops of causality and to proceed along those loops for long chains of consequences."" Let him chew on that!"" This Preacher doesn't disturb you, then?"" Javid asked, his voice abruptly formal and portentous."" I find him a healthy sign,"" she said."" I don't want him bothered."" Javid clearly had not expected that blunt a response. He tried to smile, failed. Then:"" The ruling Council of the church which deifies thy son will, of course, bow to your wishes if you insist. But certainly some explanation--"""" Perhaps you'd rather I explained how I fit into your schemes,"" she said. Javid stared at her narrowly."" Madame, I see no logical reason why thou refusest to denounce this Preacher. He can not be thy son. I make a reasonable request: denounce him."" This is a set piece, Jessica thought. Alia put him up to it. She said:"" No."""" But he defiles the name of thy son! He preaches abominable things, cries out against thy holy daughter. He incites the populace against us. When asked, he said that even thou possessest the nature of evil and that thy--"""" Enough of this nonsense!"" Jessica said."" Tell Alia that I refuse. I've heard nothing but tales of this Preacher since returning. He bores me."""" Does it bore thee, Madame, to learn that in his latest defilement he has said that thou wilt not turn against him? And here, clearly, thou--"""" Evil as I am, I still won't denounce him",Javid,"Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth","environment. The mentat has learned to extend his awareness across many parallel loops of causality and to proceed along those loops for long chains of consequences."" Let him chew on that!"" This Preacher doesn't disturb you, then?"" Javid asked, his voice abruptly formal and portentous."" I find him a healthy sign,"" she said."" I don't want him bothered."" Javid clearly had not expected that blunt a response. He tried to smile, failed. Then:"" The ruling Council of the church which deifies thy son will, of course, bow to your wishes if you insist. But certainly some explanation--"""" Perhaps you'd rather I explained how I fit into your schemes,"" she said. Javid stared at her narrowly."" Madame, I see no logical reason why thou refusest to denounce this Preacher. He can not be thy son. I make a reasonable request: denounce him."" This is a set piece, Jessica thought. Alia put him up to it. She said:"" No."""" But he defiles the name of thy son! He preaches abominable things, cries out against thy holy daughter. He incites the populace against us. When asked, he said that even thou possessest the nature of evil and that thy--"""" Enough of this nonsense!"" Jessica said."" Tell Alia that I refuse. I've heard nothing but tales of this Preacher since returning. He bores me."""" Does it bore thee, Madame, to learn that in his latest defilement he has said that thou wilt not turn against him? And here, clearly, thou--"""" Evil as I am, I still won't denounce him:Previous Entities: |Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth| ::: Madame, ",Jessica.F "“You’re lying,”",5317,5322,True,357:a man with a newspaper.M,"to me. But I can convince him that I don’t. I can clear my throat and shrug my shoulders— but that would be a lie. I clear my throat.“Do you?” he repeats. I shrug my shoulders.“Well?” A shudder goes through me. My fear is irrational; this is just a test, it isn’t real.“Nope,” I say, my voice casual.“No idea who he is.” He stands, and finally I see his face. He wears dark sunglasses and his mouth is bent into a snarl. His cheek is rippled with scars, like his hands. He leans close to my face. His breath smells like cigarettes. Not real, I remind myself. Not real.“You’re lying,” he says.“You’re lying!”“I am not.”“I can see it in your eyes.” I pull myself up straighter.“You can’t.”“If you know him,” he says in a low voice,“you could save me. You could save me!” I narrow my eyes.“Well,” I say. I set my jaw.“I don’t.” CHAPTER THREE I WAKE TO sweaty palms and a pang of guilt in my chest. I am lying in the chair in the mirrored room. When I tilt my head back, I see Tori behind me. She pinches her lips together and removes electrodes from our heads. I wait for her to say something about the test— that",a man with a newspaper,"the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper","to me. But I can convince him that I don’t. I can clear my throat and shrug my shoulders— but that would be a lie. I clear my throat.“Do you?” he repeats. I shrug my shoulders.“Well?” A shudder goes through me. My fear is irrational; this is just a test, it isn’t real.“Nope,” I say, my voice casual.“No idea who he is.” He stands, and finally I see his face. He wears dark sunglasses and his mouth is bent into a snarl. His cheek is rippled with scars, like his hands. He leans close to my face. His breath smells like cigarettes. Not real, I remind myself. Not real.“You’re lying,” he says.“You’re lying!”“I am not.”“I can see it in your eyes.” I pull myself up straighter.“You can’t.”“If you know him,” he says in a low voice,“you could save me. You could save me!” I narrow my eyes.“Well,” I say. I set my jaw.“I don’t.” CHAPTER THREE I WAKE TO sweaty palms and a pang of guilt in my chest. I am lying in the chair in the mirrored room. When I tilt my head back, I see Tori behind me. She pinches her lips together and removes electrodes from our heads. I wait for her to say something about the test— that:Previous Entities: |the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper| ::: “You’re lying,” ",He. "Oh yes.""",6671,6675,True,553:One Senior Undersecretary of State.M,"of State pushed aside the papers on his desk relating to the latest Middle East crisis to say,"" What do you think about the possibility that these aliens will be able to read our minds?"""" I don't know,"" Norman said."" Well, it occurs to me. How're we going to be able to formulate a negotiating posture if they can read our minds?"""" That could be a problem,"" Norman agreed, sneaking a glance at his watch."" Hell, it's bad enough our encrypted cables get intercepted by the Russians. We know the Japanese and the Israelis have cracked all our codes. We just pray the Russians can't do it yet. But you see what I mean, the problem. About reading minds."""" Oh yes."""" Your report will have to take that into consideration."" Norman promised it would. A White House staffer said to him,"" You realize the President will want to talk to these aliens personally. He's that kind of man."""" Uh- huh,"" Norman said."" And I mean, the publicity value here, the exposure, is incalculable. The President meets with the aliens at Camp David. What a media moment."""" A real moment,"" Norman agreed."" So the aliens will need to be informed by an advance man of who the President is, and the protocol in talking to him. You can't have the President of the United States talking to people from another galaxy or whatever on television without advance preparation. Do you",One Senior Undersecretary of State,"the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State","of State pushed aside the papers on his desk relating to the latest Middle East crisis to say,"" What do you think about the possibility that these aliens will be able to read our minds?"""" I don't know,"" Norman said."" Well, it occurs to me. How're we going to be able to formulate a negotiating posture if they can read our minds?"""" That could be a problem,"" Norman agreed, sneaking a glance at his watch."" Hell, it's bad enough our encrypted cables get intercepted by the Russians. We know the Japanese and the Israelis have cracked all our codes. We just pray the Russians can't do it yet. But you see what I mean, the problem. About reading minds."""" Oh yes."""" Your report will have to take that into consideration."" Norman promised it would. A White House staffer said to him,"" You realize the President will want to talk to these aliens personally. He's that kind of man."""" Uh- huh,"" Norman said."" And I mean, the publicity value here, the exposure, is incalculable. The President meets with the aliens at Camp David. What a media moment."""" A real moment,"" Norman agreed."" So the aliens will need to be informed by an advance man of who the President is, and the protocol in talking to him. You can't have the President of the United States talking to people from another galaxy or whatever on television without advance preparation. Do you:Previous Entities: |the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State| ::: Oh yes."" ",Norman.M "' Of course you don't,'",71132,71139,True,147:Jon Spiro.M,"up two hours later.' Spiro cackled.' Those paranoid Phonetix boys. Go ahead, Cube, knock'em out.'' Night night,' said Foaly, with a glee that seemed all too real.' Good. Now, Cube, all that stands between us and the Phonetix blueprints is an encrypted computer.'' Don't make me laugh. They haven't invented a unit of time short enough to measure how long it will take me to crack the Phonetix hard disk.' Spiro clipped the Cube on to his belt.' You know something? I'm starting to like this guy.' Artemis made one last sincere- sounding attempt to contain the situation.' Mister Spiro, I really don't think that this is a good idea.'' Of course you don't,' laughed Jon Spiro, jangling towards the door.' That's why I'm bringing you along.' PHONETIX RESEARCH& DEVELOPMENT LABORATORIES, CHICAGO'S INOUSTRIAL SECTOR Spiro selected a Lincoln Town Car from his extensive garage. It was a nineties model, with fake registration. He often used it as a getaway vehicle. It was old enough to be unremarkable, and even if the police did get a shot of the plates, it wouldn't lead them anywhere. Blunt parked opposite the Phonetix R& D lab's main entrance. A security guard was visible at his desk behind the glass revolving door. Arno pulled a pair of fold- up binoculars from the glove compartment. He focused on the guard.' Sleeping like a baby,' he announced. Spiro clapped him on the",Jon Spiro,"Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin","up two hours later.' Spiro cackled.' Those paranoid Phonetix boys. Go ahead, Cube, knock'em out.'' Night night,' said Foaly, with a glee that seemed all too real.' Good. Now, Cube, all that stands between us and the Phonetix blueprints is an encrypted computer.'' Don't make me laugh. They haven't invented a unit of time short enough to measure how long it will take me to crack the Phonetix hard disk.' Spiro clipped the Cube on to his belt.' You know something? I'm starting to like this guy.' Artemis made one last sincere- sounding attempt to contain the situation.' Mister Spiro, I really don't think that this is a good idea.'' Of course you don't,' laughed Jon Spiro, jangling towards the door.' That's why I'm bringing you along.' PHONETIX RESEARCH& DEVELOPMENT LABORATORIES, CHICAGO'S INOUSTRIAL SECTOR Spiro selected a Lincoln Town Car from his extensive garage. It was a nineties model, with fake registration. He often used it as a getaway vehicle. It was old enough to be unremarkable, and even if the police did get a shot of the plates, it wouldn't lead them anywhere. Blunt parked opposite the Phonetix R& D lab's main entrance. A security guard was visible at his desk behind the glass revolving door. Arno pulled a pair of fold- up binoculars from the glove compartment. He focused on the guard.' Sleeping like a baby,' he announced. Spiro clapped him on the:Previous Entities: |Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin| ::: ' Of course you don't,' ",Jon Spiro. “It’s a fraud.”,137091,137097,True,587:Richmond.M,"playback machine like the one I had used, came up on the big and plugged the tape in. But no image central monitor. I tried pushing various buttons, but couldn’t get a picture. From a rear corner, a Japanese secretary who had been taking notes hurried up to help me. Bowing apologetically, she pushed the proper buttons, bowed again, and returned to her place.“Thank you,” I said. On the screen, the image came up. Even in the bright sunlight, it was clear, It was right at the moment we had seen in Theresa’s room. The moment where Ishiguro approaches the girl and holds the struggling body down. Richmond said,“What is this?”“It’s a fake,” Ishiguro said.“It’s a fraud.” Connor said,“This is a tape taken by Nakamoto security cameras on the forty- sixth floor Thursday night.” Ishiguro said,“It’s not legal. It’s a fraud.” But nobody was listening. Everybody was looking at the monitor. Richmond’s mouth was open.“Jesus,” he said. On the tape, it seemed to take a long time for the girl to die. Ishiguro was glaring at Connor.“This is nothing but a sensational publicity stunt he said.“It is a fabrication. It means nothing.”“Jesus Christ,” Richmond said, staring at the screen. Ishiguro said,“It has no legal basis. It is not admissible. It will never stand up. This is just a disruption-“He",Richmond,"Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator","playback machine like the one I had used, came up on the big and plugged the tape in. But no image central monitor. I tried pushing various buttons, but couldn’t get a picture. From a rear corner, a Japanese secretary who had been taking notes hurried up to help me. Bowing apologetically, she pushed the proper buttons, bowed again, and returned to her place.“Thank you,” I said. On the screen, the image came up. Even in the bright sunlight, it was clear, It was right at the moment we had seen in Theresa’s room. The moment where Ishiguro approaches the girl and holds the struggling body down. Richmond said,“What is this?”“It’s a fake,” Ishiguro said.“It’s a fraud.” Connor said,“This is a tape taken by Nakamoto security cameras on the forty- sixth floor Thursday night.” Ishiguro said,“It’s not legal. It’s a fraud.” But nobody was listening. Everybody was looking at the monitor. Richmond’s mouth was open.“Jesus,” he said. On the tape, it seemed to take a long time for the girl to die. Ishiguro was glaring at Connor.“This is nothing but a sensational publicity stunt he said.“It is a fabrication. It means nothing.”“Jesus Christ,” Richmond said, staring at the screen. Ishiguro said,“It has no legal basis. It is not admissible. It will never stand up. This is just a disruption-“He:Previous Entities: |Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator| ::: “It’s a fraud.” ",Connor.M "of course,”",30099,30110,True,1180:the dryad.?,"bargain. The three handsome giants looked down at him with wooden menace. Their skins were the color of walnut husks, and under it muscles bulged like sacks of melons. He turned around again and grinned weakly at Druellae. Life was beginning to take on a familiar shape again.“I’m not rescued, am I?” he said.“I’m captured, right?”“Of course.”“And you’re not letting me go?” It was a statement. Druellae shook her head.“You hurt the Tree. But you are lucky. Your friend is going to meet Bel- Shamharoth. You will only die.” From behind two hands gripped his shoulders in much the same way that an old tree root coils relentlessly around a pebble.“With a certain amount of ceremony, of course,” the dryad went on.“After the Sender of Eight has finished with your friend.” All Rincewind could manage to say was,“You know, I never imagined there were he- dryads. Not even in an oak tree.” One of the giants grinned at him. Druellae snorted.“Stupid! Where do you think acorns come from?” There was a vast empty space like a hall, its roof lost in the golden haze. The endless stair ran right up through it. Several hundred dryads were clustered at the other end of the hall. They parted respectfully when Druellae approached, and stared through Rincewind as he was propelled firmly along behind. Most of them were females, although there were a few of the giant males among them. They stood like",the dryad,"Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae","bargain. The three handsome giants looked down at him with wooden menace. Their skins were the color of walnut husks, and under it muscles bulged like sacks of melons. He turned around again and grinned weakly at Druellae. Life was beginning to take on a familiar shape again.“I’m not rescued, am I?” he said.“I’m captured, right?”“Of course.”“And you’re not letting me go?” It was a statement. Druellae shook her head.“You hurt the Tree. But you are lucky. Your friend is going to meet Bel- Shamharoth. You will only die.” From behind two hands gripped his shoulders in much the same way that an old tree root coils relentlessly around a pebble.“With a certain amount of ceremony, of course,” the dryad went on.“After the Sender of Eight has finished with your friend.” All Rincewind could manage to say was,“You know, I never imagined there were he- dryads. Not even in an oak tree.” One of the giants grinned at him. Druellae snorted.“Stupid! Where do you think acorns come from?” There was a vast empty space like a hall, its roof lost in the golden haze. The endless stair ran right up through it. Several hundred dryads were clustered at the other end of the hall. They parted respectfully when Druellae approached, and stared through Rincewind as he was propelled firmly along behind. Most of them were females, although there were a few of the giant males among them. They stood like:Previous Entities: |Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae| ::: of course,” ",Druellae.F "Rumour had it that his company,",618,678,True,351:A waitress.?,"' Maybe so, Artemis, but the thing about assassins is that they like to catch you unawares.'' Perhaps,' replied Artemis, perusing the menu's entree section.' But who could possibly have a motive to kill us?' Butler shot one of the half- dozen diners a fierce glare, just in case she was planning something. The woman must have been at least eighty.' They might not be after us. Remember, Jon Spiro is a powerful man. He put a lot of companies out of business. We could be caught in a crossfire. Artemis nodded. As usual, Butler was right, which explained why they were both still alive. Jon Spiro, the American he was meeting, was just the kind of man to attract assassins' bullets. A successful IT billionaire, with a shady past and alleged mob connections. Rumour had it that his company, Fission Chips, had made it to the top on the back of stolen research. Of course, nothing was ever proved-- not that Chicago's district attorney hadn't tried. Several times. A waitress wandered over, giving them a dazzling smile.' Hello there, young man. Would you like to see the children's menu?' A vein pulsed in Artemis's temple.' No, mademoiselle, I would not like to see the children's menu. I have no doubt the children's menu itself tastes better than the meals on it. I would like to order a la carte. Or don't you serve fish to minors?' The waitress's smile shrank by a couple of molars. Artemis's vocabulary had that effect on most people. Butler rolled his eyes. And Artemis wondered who would want to kill him. Most of the waiters and tailors in Europe, for a start.' Yes, sir,' stammered the unfortunate waitress.'",A waitress,"Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan","' Maybe so, Artemis, but the thing about assassins is that they like to catch you unawares.'' Perhaps,' replied Artemis, perusing the menu's entree section.' But who could possibly have a motive to kill us?' Butler shot one of the half- dozen diners a fierce glare, just in case she was planning something. The woman must have been at least eighty.' They might not be after us. Remember, Jon Spiro is a powerful man. He put a lot of companies out of business. We could be caught in a crossfire. Artemis nodded. As usual, Butler was right, which explained why they were both still alive. Jon Spiro, the American he was meeting, was just the kind of man to attract assassins' bullets. A successful IT billionaire, with a shady past and alleged mob connections. Rumour had it that his company, Fission Chips, had made it to the top on the back of stolen research. Of course, nothing was ever proved-- not that Chicago's district attorney hadn't tried. Several times. A waitress wandered over, giving them a dazzling smile.' Hello there, young man. Would you like to see the children's menu?' A vein pulsed in Artemis's temple.' No, mademoiselle, I would not like to see the children's menu. I have no doubt the children's menu itself tastes better than the meals on it. I would like to order a la carte. Or don't you serve fish to minors?' The waitress's smile shrank by a couple of molars. Artemis's vocabulary had that effect on most people. Butler rolled his eyes. And Artemis wondered who would want to kill him. Most of the waiters and tailors in Europe, for a start.' Yes, sir,' stammered the unfortunate waitress.':Previous Entities: |Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan| ::: Rumour had it that his company, ",Jon Spiro.M “How?”,61947,61950,True,766:your counterparts.?,". As I’ve noted, when they say,“You’re right,” it’s often a good indicator they are not vested in what is being discussed. And when you push for implementation and they say,“I’ll try,” you should get a sinking feeling in your stomach. Because this really means,“I plan to fail.” When you hear either of these, dive back in with calibrated“How” questions until they define the terms of successful implementation in their own voice. Follow up by summarizing what they have said to get a“That’s right.” Let the other side feel victory. Let them think it was their idea. Subsume your ego. Remember:“Yes” is nothing without“How.” So keep asking“How?” And succeed. INFLUENCING THOSE BEHIND THE TABLE A few weeks after José got back to the United States, I drove to his family’s place in upstate New York. I was thrilled when José escaped, but the case left me with one nagging worry: Had my new strategy failed? You see, José had gotten home safely, but not because we’d negotiated his release. I worried that our winning had less to do with our brilliant strategy than with dumb luck. After being greeted warmly by Julie and her parents, José and I grabbed some coffee and sat down. I’d gone there to do what CNU referred to as a hostage survival debriefing. I was after insights into how to better advise people facing potential kidnappings how best to survive, not just physically, but",your counterparts,"Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts",". As I’ve noted, when they say,“You’re right,” it’s often a good indicator they are not vested in what is being discussed. And when you push for implementation and they say,“I’ll try,” you should get a sinking feeling in your stomach. Because this really means,“I plan to fail.” When you hear either of these, dive back in with calibrated“How” questions until they define the terms of successful implementation in their own voice. Follow up by summarizing what they have said to get a“That’s right.” Let the other side feel victory. Let them think it was their idea. Subsume your ego. Remember:“Yes” is nothing without“How.” So keep asking“How?” And succeed. INFLUENCING THOSE BEHIND THE TABLE A few weeks after José got back to the United States, I drove to his family’s place in upstate New York. I was thrilled when José escaped, but the case left me with one nagging worry: Had my new strategy failed? You see, José had gotten home safely, but not because we’d negotiated his release. I worried that our winning had less to do with our brilliant strategy than with dumb luck. After being greeted warmly by Julie and her parents, José and I grabbed some coffee and sat down. I’d gone there to do what CNU referred to as a hostage survival debriefing. I was after insights into how to better advise people facing potential kidnappings how best to survive, not just physically, but:Previous Entities: |Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts| ::: “How?” ",The author. He had heard that you were flying this way.,39772,39816,True,289:the Snowy Owl.?,"in chief of all the armed owls of the Northern Kingdoms, which included the Frost Beaks, the Glauxspeed division, and an all- female unit of mostly Snowy Owls, many of them former gadfeathers who flew with the deadly ice scimitars. They were ironically known as the Sissies, which was short for Screaming Ice Scimitars. Coryn would ask Moss to provide troops for the war. After Gwyndor’s departure with Octavia on board, Coryn, Kalo, and Cory continued on course up the firth for some time in silence. Coryn was surprised when a Snowy and a Barred Owl flew out from the lagoon where Moss was said to nest.“We have been expecting you,” they announced. Coryn blinked in confusion.“Nut Beam told us,” the Snowy Owl said.“He wanted to get an urgent message to you. He had heard that you were flying this way. The message is from Otulissa, and Cleve. She says it is imperative that you fly to the Ice Dagger immediately.” Coryn swiveled his head toward Kalo and blinked.“I think you should go, Coryn,” Kalo said.“We can convey your request to Moss.” The Barred Owl nodded his head in agreement.“I think Moss knows why you have come. Permit me, Coryn, to escort your companions to Moss. You should feel free to take your leave of us to meet with Otulissa and our old friend Cleve.” So Coryn turned back. At least the wind had shifted and would be behind him now. It was pretty much a straight shot to the Ice Dagger. What has Otulissa found out now? he wondered. Perhaps he could get back to the tree earlier than expected. Time was of the essence. He didn’t realize quite how essential it",the Snowy Owl,"the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl","in chief of all the armed owls of the Northern Kingdoms, which included the Frost Beaks, the Glauxspeed division, and an all- female unit of mostly Snowy Owls, many of them former gadfeathers who flew with the deadly ice scimitars. They were ironically known as the Sissies, which was short for Screaming Ice Scimitars. Coryn would ask Moss to provide troops for the war. After Gwyndor’s departure with Octavia on board, Coryn, Kalo, and Cory continued on course up the firth for some time in silence. Coryn was surprised when a Snowy and a Barred Owl flew out from the lagoon where Moss was said to nest.“We have been expecting you,” they announced. Coryn blinked in confusion.“Nut Beam told us,” the Snowy Owl said.“He wanted to get an urgent message to you. He had heard that you were flying this way. The message is from Otulissa, and Cleve. She says it is imperative that you fly to the Ice Dagger immediately.” Coryn swiveled his head toward Kalo and blinked.“I think you should go, Coryn,” Kalo said.“We can convey your request to Moss.” The Barred Owl nodded his head in agreement.“I think Moss knows why you have come. Permit me, Coryn, to escort your companions to Moss. You should feel free to take your leave of us to meet with Otulissa and our old friend Cleve.” So Coryn turned back. At least the wind had shifted and would be behind him now. It was pretty much a straight shot to the Ice Dagger. What has Otulissa found out now? he wondered. Perhaps he could get back to the tree earlier than expected. Time was of the essence. He didn’t realize quite how essential it:Previous Entities: |the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl| ::: He had heard that you were flying this way. ",Nut Beam.M "“Why do you think something’s bothering me,",49210,49222,True,239:Pelli.F,"full of sap were exploding all around them. Soren had admired first her courage in trying to fight him off, and secondly her cool answer in the midst of the very hot fire. So their friendship began as a literary one. She knew the legends by heart, but she did not know how to read. He taught her, and she learned quickly. They spent many hours in the library together poring over books, and their passion for books had slowly turned into a passion for each other.“Any action?” Soren asked upon arriving in their hollow.“No,” Pelli said and shook her head.“Want me to sit for a while?”“No. I want you to go figure out whatever it is that is bothering you.”“Why do you think something’s bothering me, Pelli?”“Soren, I can always tell when you’re bothered. You have this odd little habit of fussing with your port plummels. Now tell me what it is.”“It’s just that when Boron and Barran were dying, Barran said,‘ At the moment the ember is his, we shall die. So it is writ.’ But I can’t find anything like it in any of the legends or the cantos. It makes me think that something is happening or about to happen.” At just this moment, Mrs. Plithiver slithered in.“Why, I think you’re half snake, Soren, with your forebodings.” Blind snakes were known for their refined sensibilities.“I have a feeling, too, that something very important is about to happen",Pelli,"your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak","full of sap were exploding all around them. Soren had admired first her courage in trying to fight him off, and secondly her cool answer in the midst of the very hot fire. So their friendship began as a literary one. She knew the legends by heart, but she did not know how to read. He taught her, and she learned quickly. They spent many hours in the library together poring over books, and their passion for books had slowly turned into a passion for each other.“Any action?” Soren asked upon arriving in their hollow.“No,” Pelli said and shook her head.“Want me to sit for a while?”“No. I want you to go figure out whatever it is that is bothering you.”“Why do you think something’s bothering me, Pelli?”“Soren, I can always tell when you’re bothered. You have this odd little habit of fussing with your port plummels. Now tell me what it is.”“It’s just that when Boron and Barran were dying, Barran said,‘ At the moment the ember is his, we shall die. So it is writ.’ But I can’t find anything like it in any of the legends or the cantos. It makes me think that something is happening or about to happen.” At just this moment, Mrs. Plithiver slithered in.“Why, I think you’re half snake, Soren, with your forebodings.” Blind snakes were known for their refined sensibilities.“I have a feeling, too, that something very important is about to happen:Previous Entities: |your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak| ::: “Why do you think something’s bothering me, ","Soren.M Pelli.F Mrs. Plithiver.? Boron.? Barran.?" "“Call me within the hour,”",27035,27042,True,565:McCormick.?,"“That sample was lost.”“Okay. It was lost. But what good does that do? They can always dig up the body and get all the tissues they want.”“Correct.”“So?”“So let them do that. That’s Legal’s advice. Exhumation takes time, permits, and money. We’re guessing they won’t have the time or the money— and this thing will go away.”“Okay,” Marty said.“And I am here because?”“Because I need you to go back to pathology and confirm for me that, unfortunately, we have no more samples from the deceased, and that everything not given to the daughter has been lost or misplaced.”“Got it.”“Call me within the hour,” McCormick said, and turned away. Marty Roberts entered the basement pathology lab. His diener, Raza Rashad, a handsome, dark- eyed man of twenty- seven, was scrubbing the stainless steel tables for the next post. If truth be told, Raza really ran the path lab. Marty felt himself burdened by a heavy administrative load, managing the senior pathologists, the residents, the medical student rotations, and all the rest. He’d come to rely on Raza, who was highly intelligent and ambitious.“Hey, Raza. You remember that forty- six- year- old white guy with crush injuries, a week back? Drove himself into an overpass?”“Yeah. I remember. Heller, or Weller.”“The daughter asked for blood?",McCormick,"Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick","“That sample was lost.”“Okay. It was lost. But what good does that do? They can always dig up the body and get all the tissues they want.”“Correct.”“So?”“So let them do that. That’s Legal’s advice. Exhumation takes time, permits, and money. We’re guessing they won’t have the time or the money— and this thing will go away.”“Okay,” Marty said.“And I am here because?”“Because I need you to go back to pathology and confirm for me that, unfortunately, we have no more samples from the deceased, and that everything not given to the daughter has been lost or misplaced.”“Got it.”“Call me within the hour,” McCormick said, and turned away. Marty Roberts entered the basement pathology lab. His diener, Raza Rashad, a handsome, dark- eyed man of twenty- seven, was scrubbing the stainless steel tables for the next post. If truth be told, Raza really ran the path lab. Marty felt himself burdened by a heavy administrative load, managing the senior pathologists, the residents, the medical student rotations, and all the rest. He’d come to rely on Raza, who was highly intelligent and ambitious.“Hey, Raza. You remember that forty- six- year- old white guy with crush injuries, a week back? Drove himself into an overpass?”“Yeah. I remember. Heller, or Weller.”“The daughter asked for blood?:Previous Entities: |Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick| ::: “Call me within the hour,” ",McCormick.M "In fact,",17379,17490,True,148:Grandfather Raswa.M,"all, Brother Parly had said as much during his most recent sermon, and that made it true. Grandfather Raswa understood the importance of consensus— and waited for the ensuing silence."" Your female folk feed leftovers into their vegetable gardens and till them by hand. Tell me, which are more productive, their gardens or your fields?"" The fertility of one's fields was a matter of familial pride and the subject of much debate. That being the case, none of the elders was willing to cede the point. Still, they knew full well that the vegetable gardens were more productive, and wondered where the old geezer was headed. The communal fields were far too large to be enriched with table scraps or tilled by hand. The senior Raswa gestured to the plow."" All my grandson did was to enlarge the chisel— and change the way it's shaped. The plow remains a God- given plow. In fact, the inspiration for this small but meaningful change was nothing less than the shape of the mission itself. Imagine how the structure would look lying on its side, and you'll see what I mean. The new blade simply does what our female folk do. It lifts the soil, breaks it into smaller pieces, and moves material to one side. The residue, like table scraps, is folded into the earth."" The connection between the mission's architecture and the wedge- shaped plow bottom was entirely fanciful, but the elders didn't know that, and Solly marveled at how gullible they were. Would the lie take Grandfather to hell? If the oldster was scared, Solly saw no sign of it. Elder Worwa was stunned."" Would you look at that? Raswa is right!"" Sensing that victory lay within his grasp, Grandfather Raswa made what he hoped would be the final and telling argument."" Look at my family's fields. Solly used the old blade on one, and the new blade on the other. Guess which is which."" The elders looked out over the valley and, knowing it as they did, had no difficulty locating the plots assigned to the Raswa",Grandfather Raswa,"the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa","all, Brother Parly had said as much during his most recent sermon, and that made it true. Grandfather Raswa understood the importance of consensus— and waited for the ensuing silence."" Your female folk feed leftovers into their vegetable gardens and till them by hand. Tell me, which are more productive, their gardens or your fields?"" The fertility of one's fields was a matter of familial pride and the subject of much debate. That being the case, none of the elders was willing to cede the point. Still, they knew full well that the vegetable gardens were more productive, and wondered where the old geezer was headed. The communal fields were far too large to be enriched with table scraps or tilled by hand. The senior Raswa gestured to the plow."" All my grandson did was to enlarge the chisel— and change the way it's shaped. The plow remains a God- given plow. In fact, the inspiration for this small but meaningful change was nothing less than the shape of the mission itself. Imagine how the structure would look lying on its side, and you'll see what I mean. The new blade simply does what our female folk do. It lifts the soil, breaks it into smaller pieces, and moves material to one side. The residue, like table scraps, is folded into the earth."" The connection between the mission's architecture and the wedge- shaped plow bottom was entirely fanciful, but the elders didn't know that, and Solly marveled at how gullible they were. Would the lie take Grandfather to hell? If the oldster was scared, Solly saw no sign of it. Elder Worwa was stunned."" Would you look at that? Raswa is right!"" Sensing that victory lay within his grasp, Grandfather Raswa made what he hoped would be the final and telling argument."" Look at my family's fields. Solly used the old blade on one, and the new blade on the other. Guess which is which."" The elders looked out over the valley and, knowing it as they did, had no difficulty locating the plots assigned to the Raswa:Previous Entities: |the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa| ::: In fact, ",Grandfather Raswa.M Can’t think what’s come over her.”,123783,123795,True,214:Brenda.F,"into the line in three or four generations. I’m famed for my stud, you know,” she said.“That’d be something, though. A whole new type of dragon.” Vimes thought of supersonic contrails criss- crossing the sky.“Er,” he said.“Yes.”“Well, we must get on.”“Er, isn’t Lady Ramkin around?” said Vimes.“I got this message that it was essential, she said, for me to come here.”“She’s indoors somewhere,” said Miss Rodley.“Said she had something important to see to. Oh, do be careful with that one, Rose, you silly gel!”“More important than dragons?” said Vimes.“Yes. Can’t think what’s come over her.” Brenda Rodley fished in the pocket of an oversized waistcoat.“Nice to have met you, Captain. Always good to meet new members of the Fancy. Do drop in any time you’re passing, I’d be only too happy to show you around.” She extracted a grubby card and pressed it into his hand.“Must be off now, we’ve heard that some of them are trying to build nests on the University tower. Can’t have that. Must get’em down before it gets dark.” Vimes squinted at the card as the women crunched off down the drive, carrying nets and ropes. It said: Brenda, Lady Rodley. The Dower House, Quirm Castle, Quirm. What it meant, he realized, was that striding away down the",Brenda,"Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda","into the line in three or four generations. I’m famed for my stud, you know,” she said.“That’d be something, though. A whole new type of dragon.” Vimes thought of supersonic contrails criss- crossing the sky.“Er,” he said.“Yes.”“Well, we must get on.”“Er, isn’t Lady Ramkin around?” said Vimes.“I got this message that it was essential, she said, for me to come here.”“She’s indoors somewhere,” said Miss Rodley.“Said she had something important to see to. Oh, do be careful with that one, Rose, you silly gel!”“More important than dragons?” said Vimes.“Yes. Can’t think what’s come over her.” Brenda Rodley fished in the pocket of an oversized waistcoat.“Nice to have met you, Captain. Always good to meet new members of the Fancy. Do drop in any time you’re passing, I’d be only too happy to show you around.” She extracted a grubby card and pressed it into his hand.“Must be off now, we’ve heard that some of them are trying to build nests on the University tower. Can’t have that. Must get’em down before it gets dark.” Vimes squinted at the card as the women crunched off down the drive, carrying nets and ropes. It said: Brenda, Lady Rodley. The Dower House, Quirm Castle, Quirm. What it meant, he realized, was that striding away down the:Previous Entities: |Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda| ::: Can’t think what’s come over her.” ",Brenda.F "yes.""",67675,67683,True,190:Mella.?,"worse,"" said Ford,"" I read of one planet off in the seventh dimension that got used as a ball in a game of intergalactic bar billiards. Got potted straight into a black hole. Killed ten billion people."""" That's mad,"" said Mella."" Yes, only scored thirty points too."" Agda and Mella exchanged glances."" Look,"" said Agda,"" there's a party after the committee meeting tonight. You can come along if you like."""" Yeah, OK,"" said Ford."" I'd like to,"" said Arthur. Many hours later Arthur and Mella sat and watched the moon rise over the dull red glow of the trees."" That story about the world being destroyed..."" began Mella."" In two million years, yes."""" You say it as if you really think it's true."""" Yes, I think it is. I think I was there."" She shook her head in puzzlement."" You're very strange,"" she said."" No, I'm very ordinary,"" said Arthur,"" but some very strange things have happened to me. You could say I'm more differed from than differing."""" And that other world your friend talked about, the one that got pushed into a black hole."""" Ah, that I don't know about. It sounds like something from the book."""" What book?"" Arthur paused."" The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy,"" he said at last."" What's that?",Mella,"the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda","worse,"" said Ford,"" I read of one planet off in the seventh dimension that got used as a ball in a game of intergalactic bar billiards. Got potted straight into a black hole. Killed ten billion people."""" That's mad,"" said Mella."" Yes, only scored thirty points too."" Agda and Mella exchanged glances."" Look,"" said Agda,"" there's a party after the committee meeting tonight. You can come along if you like."""" Yeah, OK,"" said Ford."" I'd like to,"" said Arthur. Many hours later Arthur and Mella sat and watched the moon rise over the dull red glow of the trees."" That story about the world being destroyed..."" began Mella."" In two million years, yes."""" You say it as if you really think it's true."""" Yes, I think it is. I think I was there."" She shook her head in puzzlement."" You're very strange,"" she said."" No, I'm very ordinary,"" said Arthur,"" but some very strange things have happened to me. You could say I'm more differed from than differing."""" And that other world your friend talked about, the one that got pushed into a black hole."""" Ah, that I don't know about. It sounds like something from the book."""" What book?"" Arthur paused."" The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy,"" he said at last."" What's that?:Previous Entities: |the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda| ::: yes."" ",Mella.F “Is that it?”,42363,42368,True,148:Growly.?,"- disclosure agreement that would prevent me from discussing what I had just heard.“Yes,” I said.“You coming out to work at the plant?”“To consult,” I said.“Yes.”“Consulting’s the way to go,” he said, nodding as if I were an ally.“No responsibility. No liability. Just give your opinion, and watch them not take it.” With a crackle, the pilot’s voice broke in over the headsets.“Xymos Molecular Manufacturing is dead ahead,” he said.“You can just see it now.” Twenty miles in front of us, I saw an isolated cluster of low buildings silhouetted on the horizon. The PR people in the back all leaned forward.“Is that it?” said Growly.“That’s all it is?”“It’s bigger than it looks from here,” the pilot said. As the helicopter came closer, I could see that the buildings were interlocked, featureless concrete blocks, all whitewashed. The PR people were so pleased they almost burst into applause.“Hey, it’s beautiful!”“Looks like a fucking hospital.”“Great architecture.”“It’ll photograph great.” I said,“Why will it photograph great?”“Because it has no projections,” the man with the briefcase said.“No antennas, no spikes, no things poking up. People are afraid of spikes and antennas. There are studies. But a building that’s plain and square like this, and",Growly,"the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man","- disclosure agreement that would prevent me from discussing what I had just heard.“Yes,” I said.“You coming out to work at the plant?”“To consult,” I said.“Yes.”“Consulting’s the way to go,” he said, nodding as if I were an ally.“No responsibility. No liability. Just give your opinion, and watch them not take it.” With a crackle, the pilot’s voice broke in over the headsets.“Xymos Molecular Manufacturing is dead ahead,” he said.“You can just see it now.” Twenty miles in front of us, I saw an isolated cluster of low buildings silhouetted on the horizon. The PR people in the back all leaned forward.“Is that it?” said Growly.“That’s all it is?”“It’s bigger than it looks from here,” the pilot said. As the helicopter came closer, I could see that the buildings were interlocked, featureless concrete blocks, all whitewashed. The PR people were so pleased they almost burst into applause.“Hey, it’s beautiful!”“Looks like a fucking hospital.”“Great architecture.”“It’ll photograph great.” I said,“Why will it photograph great?”“Because it has no projections,” the man with the briefcase said.“No antennas, no spikes, no things poking up. People are afraid of spikes and antennas. There are studies. But a building that’s plain and square like this, and:Previous Entities: |the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man| ::: “Is that it?” ",Growly. M Lucius?,221268,221279,True,3975:Some of the throng.?,", her long, blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely.‘ What is it?’‘ Elm, my Lord,’ whispered Malfoy.‘ And the core?’‘ Dragon– dragon heartstring.’‘ Good,’ said Voldemort. He drew out his own wand and compared the lengths. Lucius Malfoy made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he expected to receive Voldemort’s wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously.‘ Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?’ Some of the throng sniggered.‘ I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late… what is it about my presence in your home that displeases you, Lucius?’‘ Nothing– nothing, my Lord!’‘ Such lies, Lucius…’ The soft voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had stopped moving. One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as the hissing grew louder; something heavy could be heard sliding across the floor beneath the table. The huge snake emerged to climb slowly up Voldemort’s chair. It rose, seemingly endlessly, and came to rest across Voldemort’s shoulders: its neck the thickness of a man",Some of the throng,"Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley",", her long, blonde hair hanging down her back, but beneath the table her slim fingers closed briefly on his wrist. At her touch, Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely.‘ What is it?’‘ Elm, my Lord,’ whispered Malfoy.‘ And the core?’‘ Dragon– dragon heartstring.’‘ Good,’ said Voldemort. He drew out his own wand and compared the lengths. Lucius Malfoy made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he expected to receive Voldemort’s wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously.‘ Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?’ Some of the throng sniggered.‘ I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late… what is it about my presence in your home that displeases you, Lucius?’‘ Nothing– nothing, my Lord!’‘ Such lies, Lucius…’ The soft voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had stopped moving. One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as the hissing grew louder; something heavy could be heard sliding across the floor beneath the table. The huge snake emerged to climb slowly up Voldemort’s chair. It rose, seemingly endlessly, and came to rest across Voldemort’s shoulders: its neck the thickness of a man:Previous Entities: |Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley| ::: Lucius? ",Voldemort.M Get it?”,67770,67814,True,1979:The men.?,"You will find the missing people. But here’s the point: the rescue will fail. Understand? Despite your best efforts, the spies will not be found. I don’t want to know anything about how you do it. The spies have to disappear, but I don’t want to hear any rumors about what happened to them, either. If no trace of them is found, there will be a… reward.” Drake put his hands in his pockets, and felt the wind kissing his face.“Failure,” he added softly,“is the only option.” He turned around and looked at the two men. He saw nothing there. The men’s faces held no expression. A small bird whipped past and landed in the acacia bushes.“If the rescue effort fails, the reward for each of you will be one share of Nanigen ground- floor stock. When Nanigen goes public, a single share will be worth at least a million dollars. Get it?” The men just looked at him with eyes as flat as the parking lot. But they got it. He was sure of that.“You’re venture capitalists now,” Drake said, slapping Telius on the shoulder as he left. The rain ended as quickly as it had begun. A steamy golden glow filled the forest as the clouds broke, and the water quickly receded as the rivulets emptied, and the rain ran off into the stream that drained the Manoa Valley. They had lost a lot of their gear, scattered by the water. And Jenny had disappeared. They collected themselves together in a group, and when everyone was accounted for, they spread out looking for their gear and, most of all, for Jenny. They went downhill, following the water flow",The men,"the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men","You will find the missing people. But here’s the point: the rescue will fail. Understand? Despite your best efforts, the spies will not be found. I don’t want to know anything about how you do it. The spies have to disappear, but I don’t want to hear any rumors about what happened to them, either. If no trace of them is found, there will be a… reward.” Drake put his hands in his pockets, and felt the wind kissing his face.“Failure,” he added softly,“is the only option.” He turned around and looked at the two men. He saw nothing there. The men’s faces held no expression. A small bird whipped past and landed in the acacia bushes.“If the rescue effort fails, the reward for each of you will be one share of Nanigen ground- floor stock. When Nanigen goes public, a single share will be worth at least a million dollars. Get it?” The men just looked at him with eyes as flat as the parking lot. But they got it. He was sure of that.“You’re venture capitalists now,” Drake said, slapping Telius on the shoulder as he left. The rain ended as quickly as it had begun. A steamy golden glow filled the forest as the clouds broke, and the water quickly receded as the rivulets emptied, and the rain ran off into the stream that drained the Manoa Valley. They had lost a lot of their gear, scattered by the water. And Jenny had disappeared. They collected themselves together in a group, and when everyone was accounted for, they spread out looking for their gear and, most of all, for Jenny. They went downhill, following the water flow:Previous Entities: |the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men| ::: Get it?” ",Drake.M remember?”,191500,191511,True,3805:a medieval wizard.M,"and Ron’s memories at the time, Harrys sympathy was limited.“I’m very well indeed, thank you!” said Lockhart exuberantly, pulling a rather battered peacockfeather quill from his pocket.“Now, how many autographs would you like? I can do joined- up writing now, you know!”“Er- we don’t want any at the moment, thanks,” said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry, who asked,“Professor, should you be wandering around the corridors? Shouldn’t you be in a ward?” The smile faded slowly from Lockhart’s face. For a few moments he gazed intently at Harry, then he said,“Haven’t we met?”“Er… yeah, we have,” said Harry.“You used to teach us at Hogwarts, remember?”“Teach?” repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled.“Me? Did I?” And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.“Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!” But just then a head poked out of a door at the far end of the corridor and a voice called,“Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?” A motherly- looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair came bustling up the corridor, smiling warmly at Harry and the others.“Oh, Gilderoy, you’ve",a medieval wizard,"Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard","and Ron’s memories at the time, Harrys sympathy was limited.“I’m very well indeed, thank you!” said Lockhart exuberantly, pulling a rather battered peacockfeather quill from his pocket.“Now, how many autographs would you like? I can do joined- up writing now, you know!”“Er- we don’t want any at the moment, thanks,” said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry, who asked,“Professor, should you be wandering around the corridors? Shouldn’t you be in a ward?” The smile faded slowly from Lockhart’s face. For a few moments he gazed intently at Harry, then he said,“Haven’t we met?”“Er… yeah, we have,” said Harry.“You used to teach us at Hogwarts, remember?”“Teach?” repeated Lockhart, looking faintly unsettled.“Me? Did I?” And then the smile reappeared upon his face so suddenly it was rather alarming.“Taught you everything you know, I expect, did I? Well, how about those autographs, then? Shall we say a round dozen, you can give them to all your little friends then and nobody will be left out!” But just then a head poked out of a door at the far end of the corridor and a voice called,“Gilderoy, you naughty boy, where have you wandered off to?” A motherly- looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair came bustling up the corridor, smiling warmly at Harry and the others.“Oh, Gilderoy, you’ve:Previous Entities: |Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard| ::: remember?” ",Lockhart.M "Well,",6440,6450,True,276:Ellen Bowman.?,"body pressing her arm down. And then the lizard scrambled up her arm, toward her face."" I just wish I could see her,"" Ellen Bowman said, squinting in the sunlight."" That's all. Just see her."""" I'm sure she's fine,"" Mike said, picking through the box lunch packed by the hotel. There was unappetizing grilled chicken, and some kind of a meat- filled pastry. Not that Ellen would cat any of it."" You don't think she'd leave the beach?"" Ellen said."" No, hon, I don't."""" I feel so isolated here,"" Ellen said."" I thought that's what you wanted,"" Mike Bowman said."" I did."""" Well, then, what's the problem?"""" I just wish I could see her, is all,"" Ellen said. Then, from down the beach, carried by the wind, they heard their daughter's voice. She was screaming. Puntarenas"" I think she is quite comfortable now,"" Dr. Cruz said, lowering the plastic flap of the oxygen tent around Tina as she slept. Mike Bowman sat beside the bed, close to his daughter. Mike thought Dr. Cruz was probably pretty capable; he spoke excellent English, the result of training at medical centers In London and Baltimore. Dr. Cruz radiated competence, and the Clínica Santa María, the modern hospital in Puntarenas, was spotless and efficient. But, even so, Mike Bowman felt nervous. There was no getting around the fact that his only daughter was",Ellen Bowman,"the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman","body pressing her arm down. And then the lizard scrambled up her arm, toward her face."" I just wish I could see her,"" Ellen Bowman said, squinting in the sunlight."" That's all. Just see her."""" I'm sure she's fine,"" Mike said, picking through the box lunch packed by the hotel. There was unappetizing grilled chicken, and some kind of a meat- filled pastry. Not that Ellen would cat any of it."" You don't think she'd leave the beach?"" Ellen said."" No, hon, I don't."""" I feel so isolated here,"" Ellen said."" I thought that's what you wanted,"" Mike Bowman said."" I did."""" Well, then, what's the problem?"""" I just wish I could see her, is all,"" Ellen said. Then, from down the beach, carried by the wind, they heard their daughter's voice. She was screaming. Puntarenas"" I think she is quite comfortable now,"" Dr. Cruz said, lowering the plastic flap of the oxygen tent around Tina as she slept. Mike Bowman sat beside the bed, close to his daughter. Mike thought Dr. Cruz was probably pretty capable; he spoke excellent English, the result of training at medical centers In London and Baltimore. Dr. Cruz radiated competence, and the Clínica Santa María, the modern hospital in Puntarenas, was spotless and efficient. But, even so, Mike Bowman felt nervous. There was no getting around the fact that his only daughter was:Previous Entities: |the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman| ::: Well, ","Ellen Bowman.F Mike Bowman.M Dr. Cruz.M Tina.F" "Gerard,",144624,144634,True,4680:one of Henry ’s graduate students from France.M,"one of Henry’s graduate students from France was having dinner at their house, and he heard Gerard’s tones.“My God,” he said,“I know what he is doing.” He listened for a moment.“There is no city code,” he said.“But otherwise… let’s try.” He pulled out his own cell phone, and began to key in numbers.“Do it again, Gerard.” Gerard repeated the tones.“And again.”“Life is a book, you’ve got to read it,” Gerard sang.“Life is a story and you’ve got to tell it…”“I know this song,” the graduate student said.“What is it?” Henry said.“It’s Eurovision. Gerard, the tones.” Eventually, Gerard did the dial tones. The graduate student placed the call. His first guess was to try Paris. A woman answered the phone. He said in French,“Excuse me, but do you know of a grey parrot who is named Gerard?” The woman began to cry.“Let me speak to him,” she said.“Is he all right?”“He is fine.” They held the phone by Gerard’s perch, and he listened to the woman’s voice. His head bobbed excitedly. Then he said,“Is this where you live? Oh, Mother’s going to love it here!” Gail Bond arrived to visit a few days later. She stayed a week, and then returned alone. Gerard, it",one of Henry ’s graduate students from France,"Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France","one of Henry’s graduate students from France was having dinner at their house, and he heard Gerard’s tones.“My God,” he said,“I know what he is doing.” He listened for a moment.“There is no city code,” he said.“But otherwise… let’s try.” He pulled out his own cell phone, and began to key in numbers.“Do it again, Gerard.” Gerard repeated the tones.“And again.”“Life is a book, you’ve got to read it,” Gerard sang.“Life is a story and you’ve got to tell it…”“I know this song,” the graduate student said.“What is it?” Henry said.“It’s Eurovision. Gerard, the tones.” Eventually, Gerard did the dial tones. The graduate student placed the call. His first guess was to try Paris. A woman answered the phone. He said in French,“Excuse me, but do you know of a grey parrot who is named Gerard?” The woman began to cry.“Let me speak to him,” she said.“Is he all right?”“He is fine.” They held the phone by Gerard’s perch, and he listened to the woman’s voice. His head bobbed excitedly. Then he said,“Is this where you live? Oh, Mother’s going to love it here!” Gail Bond arrived to visit a few days later. She stayed a week, and then returned alone. Gerard, it:Previous Entities: |Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France| ::: Gerard, ",Henry.M "“Very well,”",249850,249854,True,7887:his partner.?,"and Susannah.“Since we’re actually one being,” said Goodmouth,“and of fairly limited capabilities at that, the answer is no. We could all be Kennedy, or we could all be Nixon, but—”“‘ Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, but never jam today,’” said Susannah. She had no idea why this had popped into her head(even less why she should have said it out loud), but Referee King said“Exactly!” and gave her a go- to- the- head- of- the- class nod.“Move on, for your father’s sake,” said Badmouth King on the left.“I can barely look at these traitors to the Lord of the Red wi’out puking.”“Very well,” said his partner.“Although calling them traitors seems rather unfair, at least if one adds ka to the equation. Since the names we give ourself would be unpronounceable to you—”“Like Superman’s rival, Mr. Mxyzptlk,” said Badmouth.“— you may as well use those Los’ used. Him being the one you call the Crimson King. I’m ego, roughly speaking, and go by the name of Feemalo. This fellow beside me is Fumalo. He’s our i d.”“So the one behind you must be Fimalo,” Susannah said, pronouncing it Fie- ma- lo.“What’s he, your superego?”“Oh brilliant!” Fumalo exclaimed.“I bet you can even say Freud so it doesn’t",his partner,"the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner","and Susannah.“Since we’re actually one being,” said Goodmouth,“and of fairly limited capabilities at that, the answer is no. We could all be Kennedy, or we could all be Nixon, but—”“‘ Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, but never jam today,’” said Susannah. She had no idea why this had popped into her head(even less why she should have said it out loud), but Referee King said“Exactly!” and gave her a go- to- the- head- of- the- class nod.“Move on, for your father’s sake,” said Badmouth King on the left.“I can barely look at these traitors to the Lord of the Red wi’out puking.”“Very well,” said his partner.“Although calling them traitors seems rather unfair, at least if one adds ka to the equation. Since the names we give ourself would be unpronounceable to you—”“Like Superman’s rival, Mr. Mxyzptlk,” said Badmouth.“— you may as well use those Los’ used. Him being the one you call the Crimson King. I’m ego, roughly speaking, and go by the name of Feemalo. This fellow beside me is Fumalo. He’s our i d.”“So the one behind you must be Fimalo,” Susannah said, pronouncing it Fie- ma- lo.“What’s he, your superego?”“Oh brilliant!” Fumalo exclaimed.“I bet you can even say Freud so it doesn’t:Previous Entities: |the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner| ::: “Very well,” ",Referee King.M "The man Prefect.""",1581,1586,True,118:the Vogon.?,"a Vogon, you know? The natural and healthy channelling of the aggressive instincts into acts of senseless violence."""" That,"" rumbled the Vogon,"" is what you always say."""" Well again,"" said Halfrunt,"" I think that this is perfectly normal behaviour for a psychiatrist. Good. We are clearly both very well adjusted in our mental attitudes today. Now tell me, what news of the mission?"""" We have located the ship."""" Wonderful,"" said Halfrunt,"" wonderful! and the occupants?"""" The Earthman is there."""" Excellent! And...?"""" A female from the same planet. They are the last."""" Good, good,"" beamed Halfrunt,"" Who else?"""" The man Prefect."""" Yes?"""" And Zaphod Beeblebrox."" For an instant Halfrunt's smile flickered."" Ah yes,"" he said,"" I had been expecting this. It is most regrettable."""" A personal friend?"" inquired the Vogon, who had heard the expression somewhere once and decided to try it out."" Ah, no,"" said Halfrunt,"" in my profession you know, we do not make personal friends."""" Ah,"" grunted the Vogon,"" professional detachment."""" No,"" said Halfrunt cheerfully,"" we just don't have the knack."" He paused. His mouth continued to smile, but his eyes frowned slightly."" But Beeblebrox, you know,"" he said,"" he is one of my",the Vogon,"The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt","a Vogon, you know? The natural and healthy channelling of the aggressive instincts into acts of senseless violence."""" That,"" rumbled the Vogon,"" is what you always say."""" Well again,"" said Halfrunt,"" I think that this is perfectly normal behaviour for a psychiatrist. Good. We are clearly both very well adjusted in our mental attitudes today. Now tell me, what news of the mission?"""" We have located the ship."""" Wonderful,"" said Halfrunt,"" wonderful! and the occupants?"""" The Earthman is there."""" Excellent! And...?"""" A female from the same planet. They are the last."""" Good, good,"" beamed Halfrunt,"" Who else?"""" The man Prefect."""" Yes?"""" And Zaphod Beeblebrox."" For an instant Halfrunt's smile flickered."" Ah yes,"" he said,"" I had been expecting this. It is most regrettable."""" A personal friend?"" inquired the Vogon, who had heard the expression somewhere once and decided to try it out."" Ah, no,"" said Halfrunt,"" in my profession you know, we do not make personal friends."""" Ah,"" grunted the Vogon,"" professional detachment."""" No,"" said Halfrunt cheerfully,"" we just don't have the knack."" He paused. His mouth continued to smile, but his eyes frowned slightly."" But Beeblebrox, you know,"" he said,"" he is one of my:Previous Entities: |The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt| ::: The man Prefect."" ",the Vogon.M "“Somethyng,”",86877,86880,True,2701:the ancient king.M,". It passed in front of Dil’s nose making a noise like a partridge and smashed the seal into pieces. What emerged, when the dust had settled, was not dressed in the height of fashion. The bandages were brown and moldering and, Dil noticed with professional concern, already beginning to go at the elbows. When it spoke, it was like the opening of ancient caskets.“I woket up,” it said.“And they re was noe light. Is thys the Netherworld?”“It would appear not,” said the queen.“Thys is all?’“Hardly worth the trouble of dying, was it?” said the queen. The ancient king nodded, but gently, as though he was afraid his head would fall off.“Somethyng,” he said,“must be done.” He turned to look at the Great Pyramid, and pointed with what had once been an arm.“Who slepes there?” he said.“It’s mine, actually,” said Teppicymon, lurching forward.“I don’t think we’ve met, I haven’t been interred as yet, my son built it for me. It was against my better judgment, believe me.”“It ys a dretful thyng,” said the ancient king.“I felt its building. Even in the sleep of deathe I felt it. It is big enough to interr the worlde.”“I wanted to be buried at sea,” said Teppicymon.“I hate pyramids.”“You do not,”",the ancient king,"Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king",". It passed in front of Dil’s nose making a noise like a partridge and smashed the seal into pieces. What emerged, when the dust had settled, was not dressed in the height of fashion. The bandages were brown and moldering and, Dil noticed with professional concern, already beginning to go at the elbows. When it spoke, it was like the opening of ancient caskets.“I woket up,” it said.“And they re was noe light. Is thys the Netherworld?”“It would appear not,” said the queen.“Thys is all?’“Hardly worth the trouble of dying, was it?” said the queen. The ancient king nodded, but gently, as though he was afraid his head would fall off.“Somethyng,” he said,“must be done.” He turned to look at the Great Pyramid, and pointed with what had once been an arm.“Who slepes there?” he said.“It’s mine, actually,” said Teppicymon, lurching forward.“I don’t think we’ve met, I haven’t been interred as yet, my son built it for me. It was against my better judgment, believe me.”“It ys a dretful thyng,” said the ancient king.“I felt its building. Even in the sleep of deathe I felt it. It is big enough to interr the worlde.”“I wanted to be buried at sea,” said Teppicymon.“I hate pyramids.”“You do not,”:Previous Entities: |Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king| ::: “Somethyng,” ",The ancient king.M "“I created my own Easter egg,",2998,3033,True,319:Anorak.M,"the first time was one of the coolest videogaming experiences of my life.” The young Halliday drops his joystick and stands. As he does, the living room fades away, and the scene shifts again. Halliday now stands in a dim cavern, where light from unseen torches flickers off the damp walls. In the same instant, Halliday’s appearance also changes once again, as he morphs into his famous OASIS avatar, Anorak— a tall, robed wizard with a slightly more handsome version of the adult Halliday’s face(minus the eyeglasses). Anorak is dressed in his trademark black robes, with his avatar’s emblem(a large calligraphic letter“A”) embroidered on each sleeve.“Before I died,” Anorak says, speaking in a much deeper voice,“I created my own Easter egg, and hid it somewhere inside my most popular videogame— the OASIS. The first person to find my Easter egg will inherit my entire fortune.” Another dramatic pause.“The egg is well hidden. I didn’t just leave it lying under a rock somewhere. I suppose you could say that it’s locked inside a safe that is buried in a secret room that lies hidden at the center of a maze located somewhere”—he reaches up to tap his right temple—“up here.“But don’t worry. I’ve left a few clues lying around to get everyone started. And here’s the first one.” Anorak makes a grand gesture with his right hand, and three keys appear, spinning slowly in the air in front of him. They appear to be made of copper, jade, and clear crystal. As the keys continue to spin, Anorak recites a piece of verse, and as he speaks each line, it",Anorak,"the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak","the first time was one of the coolest videogaming experiences of my life.” The young Halliday drops his joystick and stands. As he does, the living room fades away, and the scene shifts again. Halliday now stands in a dim cavern, where light from unseen torches flickers off the damp walls. In the same instant, Halliday’s appearance also changes once again, as he morphs into his famous OASIS avatar, Anorak— a tall, robed wizard with a slightly more handsome version of the adult Halliday’s face(minus the eyeglasses). Anorak is dressed in his trademark black robes, with his avatar’s emblem(a large calligraphic letter“A”) embroidered on each sleeve.“Before I died,” Anorak says, speaking in a much deeper voice,“I created my own Easter egg, and hid it somewhere inside my most popular videogame— the OASIS. The first person to find my Easter egg will inherit my entire fortune.” Another dramatic pause.“The egg is well hidden. I didn’t just leave it lying under a rock somewhere. I suppose you could say that it’s locked inside a safe that is buried in a secret room that lies hidden at the center of a maze located somewhere”—he reaches up to tap his right temple—“up here.“But don’t worry. I’ve left a few clues lying around to get everyone started. And here’s the first one.” Anorak makes a grand gesture with his right hand, and three keys appear, spinning slowly in the air in front of him. They appear to be made of copper, jade, and clear crystal. As the keys continue to spin, Anorak recites a piece of verse, and as he speaks each line, it:Previous Entities: |the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak| ::: “I created my own Easter egg, ",Anorak.M ' And Spiro has just invited all of Artemis's fairy friends into the building.',50185,50201,True,926:the fairy.F,"constant chorus of multicultural voices made her feel at home. She loved the skyscrapers and the steam vents and the affectionate sarcasm of the street vendors. If she ever got the chance to settle down, it would be in the US. On the west coast though, somewhere with sun. Juliet and Holly were circling the Spiro Needle in a blacked out mini- van. Holly sat in the back, watching the live video feed from Artemis's iris- cam on her helmet visor. At one point she punched the air triumphantly. Juliet stopped at a red light.' How are we doing?'' Not bad,' replied the fairy, raising her visor.' They're taking Mulch to bury him.'' Cool. Just like Artemis said they would.'' And Spiro has just invited all of Artemis's fairy friends into the building.' This was a crucial development. The Book forbade fairies from entering human buildings without an invitation. Now Holly was free to break in and wreak havoc without violating fairy doctrine.' Excellent,' said Juliet.' We're in. I get to bodyslam the guy who shot my brother.'' Not so fast. This building has the most sophisticated Mud Man security system I've seen. Spiro has a few tricks in there that I've never come across before.' Juliet finally found a space opposite the Needle's main revolving doors.' No problem for the little horsey guy, surely?'' No, but Foaly's not supposed to help us.' Juliet focused a set of binoculars on the door.' I know, but it all depends on how",the fairy,"the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin","constant chorus of multicultural voices made her feel at home. She loved the skyscrapers and the steam vents and the affectionate sarcasm of the street vendors. If she ever got the chance to settle down, it would be in the US. On the west coast though, somewhere with sun. Juliet and Holly were circling the Spiro Needle in a blacked out mini- van. Holly sat in the back, watching the live video feed from Artemis's iris- cam on her helmet visor. At one point she punched the air triumphantly. Juliet stopped at a red light.' How are we doing?'' Not bad,' replied the fairy, raising her visor.' They're taking Mulch to bury him.'' Cool. Just like Artemis said they would.'' And Spiro has just invited all of Artemis's fairy friends into the building.' This was a crucial development. The Book forbade fairies from entering human buildings without an invitation. Now Holly was free to break in and wreak havoc without violating fairy doctrine.' Excellent,' said Juliet.' We're in. I get to bodyslam the guy who shot my brother.'' Not so fast. This building has the most sophisticated Mud Man security system I've seen. Spiro has a few tricks in there that I've never come across before.' Juliet finally found a space opposite the Needle's main revolving doors.' No problem for the little horsey guy, surely?'' No, but Foaly's not supposed to help us.' Juliet focused a set of binoculars on the door.' I know, but it all depends on how:Previous Entities: |the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin| ::: ' And Spiro has just invited all of Artemis's fairy friends into the building.' ","Holly. Juliet. Spiro. Artemis. Foaly. " and the moisture in the air–’,34372,34389,True,975:the first Miss Level.?,"’re trying too hard. One day it’ll come. The power does come, you know. You just have to put yourself in its path—’‘ Couldn’t you make one that I could use for a while, to get the hang of it?’‘ I’m afraid I can’t,’ said Miss Level.‘ A shamble is a very tricky thing. You can’t even carry one around, except as an ornament. You have to make it for yourself, there and then, right where and when you want to use it.’‘ Why?’ said Tiffany.‘ To catch the moment,’ said the other part of Miss Level, coming in.‘ The way you tie the knots, the way the string runs–’‘– the freshness of the egg, perhaps, and the moisture in the air–’ said the first Miss Level.‘– the tension of the twigs and the kind of things that you just happen to have in your pocket at that moment–’‘– even the way the wind is blowing,’ the first Miss Level concluded.‘ All these things make a kind of... of picture of the here- and- now when you move them right. And I can’t even tell you how to move them, because I don’t know.’‘ But you do move them,’ said Tiffany, getting lost.‘ I saw you—’‘ I do it but I don’t know how I do,’ said Miss Level, picking up a couple of twigs and taking a length of thread. Miss Level sat down at",the first Miss Level,"Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man","’re trying too hard. One day it’ll come. The power does come, you know. You just have to put yourself in its path—’‘ Couldn’t you make one that I could use for a while, to get the hang of it?’‘ I’m afraid I can’t,’ said Miss Level.‘ A shamble is a very tricky thing. You can’t even carry one around, except as an ornament. You have to make it for yourself, there and then, right where and when you want to use it.’‘ Why?’ said Tiffany.‘ To catch the moment,’ said the other part of Miss Level, coming in.‘ The way you tie the knots, the way the string runs–’‘– the freshness of the egg, perhaps, and the moisture in the air–’ said the first Miss Level.‘– the tension of the twigs and the kind of things that you just happen to have in your pocket at that moment–’‘– even the way the wind is blowing,’ the first Miss Level concluded.‘ All these things make a kind of... of picture of the here- and- now when you move them right. And I can’t even tell you how to move them, because I don’t know.’‘ But you do move them,’ said Tiffany, getting lost.‘ I saw you—’‘ I do it but I don’t know how I do,’ said Miss Level, picking up a couple of twigs and taking a length of thread. Miss Level sat down at:Previous Entities: |Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man| ::: and the moisture in the air–’ ",Miss Level.F "day,",169636,169699,True,11526:the children.?,"louder ahead of them. They came to another side opening wider than any of the others Paul had seen. He slowed his pace, staring in at a room crowded with children sitting cross- legged on a maroon- carpeted floor. At a chalkboard against the far wall stood a woman in a yellow wraparound, a projecto- stylus in one hand. The board was filled with designs— circles, wedges and curves, snake tracks and squares, flowing arcs split by parallel lines. The woman pointed to the designs one after the other as fast as she could move the stylus, and the children chanted in rhythm with her moving hand. Paul listened, hearing the voices grow dimmer behind as he moved deeper into the sietch with Harah.“Tree,” the children chanted.“Tree, grass, dune, wind, mountain, hill, fire, lightning, rock, rocks, dust, sand, heat, shelter, heat, full, winter, cold, empty, erosion, summer, cavern, day, tension, moon, night, caprock, sandtide, slope, planting, binder....”“You conduct classes at a time like this?” Paul asked. Her face went somber and grief edged her voice:“What Liet taught us, we can not pause an instant in that. Liet who is dead must not be forgotten. It’s the Chakobsa way.” She crossed the tunnel to the left, stepped up onto a ledge, parted gauzy orange hangings and stood aside:“Your yali is ready for you, Usul.” Paul hesitated before joining her on the ledge. He felt a sudden reluctance to be alone with this woman. It came to him that he was surrounded by a way of life that could only be understood by postulating an ecology of ideas and values. He felt that this Fremen world was fishing for him, trying to snare",the children,"Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children","louder ahead of them. They came to another side opening wider than any of the others Paul had seen. He slowed his pace, staring in at a room crowded with children sitting cross- legged on a maroon- carpeted floor. At a chalkboard against the far wall stood a woman in a yellow wraparound, a projecto- stylus in one hand. The board was filled with designs— circles, wedges and curves, snake tracks and squares, flowing arcs split by parallel lines. The woman pointed to the designs one after the other as fast as she could move the stylus, and the children chanted in rhythm with her moving hand. Paul listened, hearing the voices grow dimmer behind as he moved deeper into the sietch with Harah.“Tree,” the children chanted.“Tree, grass, dune, wind, mountain, hill, fire, lightning, rock, rocks, dust, sand, heat, shelter, heat, full, winter, cold, empty, erosion, summer, cavern, day, tension, moon, night, caprock, sandtide, slope, planting, binder....”“You conduct classes at a time like this?” Paul asked. Her face went somber and grief edged her voice:“What Liet taught us, we can not pause an instant in that. Liet who is dead must not be forgotten. It’s the Chakobsa way.” She crossed the tunnel to the left, stepped up onto a ledge, parted gauzy orange hangings and stood aside:“Your yali is ready for you, Usul.” Paul hesitated before joining her on the ledge. He felt a sudden reluctance to be alone with this woman. It came to him that he was surrounded by a way of life that could only be understood by postulating an ecology of ideas and values. He felt that this Fremen world was fishing for him, trying to snare:Previous Entities: |Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children| ::: day, ",Paul.M "your team,",8911,8971,True,377:the apparition.?,". Then he glanced around again in even greater astonishment."" Exciting, isn't it?"" said an apparition. The apparition wobbled in front of Arthur's eyes, though the truth of the matter is probably that Arthur's eyes were wobbling in front of the apparition. His mouth wobbled as well."" W... w... w... w..."" his mouth said."" I think your team have just won,"" said the apparition."" W... w... w... w..."" repeated Arthur, and punctuated each wobble with a prod at Ford Prefect's back. Ford was staring at the tumult in trepidation."" You are English, aren't you?"" said the apparition."" W... w... w... w... yes"" said Arthur."" Well, your team, as I say, have just won. The match. It means they retain the Ashes. You must be very pleased. I must say, I'm rather fond of cricket, though I wouldn't like anyone outside this planet to hear me saying that. Oh dear no."" The apparition gave what looked as if it might have been a mischievous grin, but it was hard to tell because the sun was directly behind him, creating a blinding halo round his head and illuminating his silver hair and beard in a way which was awesome, dramatic and hard to reconcile with mischievous grins."" Still,"" he said,"" it'll all be over in a couple of days, won't it? Though as I said to you when we last met, I was very sorry about that. Still, whatever will have been, will have been."" Arthur tried to speak, but gave up the unequal struggle. He prodded Ford again."" I thought something terrible had happened,"" said Ford,"" but it's just the end of the",the apparition,"the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours",". Then he glanced around again in even greater astonishment."" Exciting, isn't it?"" said an apparition. The apparition wobbled in front of Arthur's eyes, though the truth of the matter is probably that Arthur's eyes were wobbling in front of the apparition. His mouth wobbled as well."" W... w... w... w..."" his mouth said."" I think your team have just won,"" said the apparition."" W... w... w... w..."" repeated Arthur, and punctuated each wobble with a prod at Ford Prefect's back. Ford was staring at the tumult in trepidation."" You are English, aren't you?"" said the apparition."" W... w... w... w... yes"" said Arthur."" Well, your team, as I say, have just won. The match. It means they retain the Ashes. You must be very pleased. I must say, I'm rather fond of cricket, though I wouldn't like anyone outside this planet to hear me saying that. Oh dear no."" The apparition gave what looked as if it might have been a mischievous grin, but it was hard to tell because the sun was directly behind him, creating a blinding halo round his head and illuminating his silver hair and beard in a way which was awesome, dramatic and hard to reconcile with mischievous grins."" Still,"" he said,"" it'll all be over in a couple of days, won't it? Though as I said to you when we last met, I was very sorry about that. Still, whatever will have been, will have been."" Arthur tried to speak, but gave up the unequal struggle. He prodded Ford again."" I thought something terrible had happened,"" said Ford,"" but it's just the end of the:Previous Entities: |the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours| ::: your team, ",Arthur.M “How long?”,108043,108047,True,3189:Her Ladyship.F,"—”“Why are you dressed like that?” asked the thing in the dark. She didn’t seem to be coming any closer, which was fine with Percy. Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look.“My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately—”“You said I was the knife thrower today,” Otis protested.“I said I was the knife thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship. You don’t want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching.” Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. With a shudder, Percy realized she was laughing.“How long?” she asked.“They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think,” Ephialtes said.“Of course, they’ll have to get past the golden boy.” He sneered, as if the golden boy was not his favorite person.“I hope they arrive safely,” Her Ladyship said.“It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?”“Yes, Your Ladyship.” Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis’s left snake.“Careful, you dolt!” Her Ladyship snarled.“Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?” Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. Percy realized that the floor, which looked like solid stone",Her Ladyship,"The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship","—”“Why are you dressed like that?” asked the thing in the dark. She didn’t seem to be coming any closer, which was fine with Percy. Ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look.“My brother was supposed to wear something different. Unfortunately—”“You said I was the knife thrower today,” Otis protested.“I said I was the knife thrower! You were supposed to be the magician! Ah, forgive me, Your Ladyship. You don’t want to hear us arguing. We came as you requested, to bring you news. The ship is approaching.” Her Ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. With a shudder, Percy realized she was laughing.“How long?” she asked.“They should land in Rome shortly after daybreak, I think,” Ephialtes said.“Of course, they’ll have to get past the golden boy.” He sneered, as if the golden boy was not his favorite person.“I hope they arrive safely,” Her Ladyship said.“It would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. Are your preparations made?”“Yes, Your Ladyship.” Otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. A crack appeared under Otis’s left snake.“Careful, you dolt!” Her Ladyship snarled.“Do you want to return to Tartarus the hard way?” Otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror. Percy realized that the floor, which looked like solid stone:Previous Entities: |The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship| ::: “How long?” ",Her Ladyship.?> Strip the bodies and bury them deep.,36889,36906,True,194:Salls.F,"her weapon to the cross- draw holster. She had eight rules— and that was number three:"" Conserve ammunition."" A sentry screamed as a knife found her throat, spooked the horses and sent them stampeding back and forth. Salls followed, made clucking sounds in the back of her throat, and called them by name— names she had memorized over the last few days and used in combination with a constant stream of treats. Calmed by the now- familiar voice, and eager to get their sweets, the mutimals started to relax."" That's better,"" Salls said, stroking a velvet- soft muzzle."" I would never hurt you— not in a million years."" Boots crunched on gravel."" The area is secure, ma'am."""" Strip the bodies and bury them deep. So deep they won't be found."""" Yes, ma'am."" The boots crunched away. The animal snorted, and Salls patted the muscular neck. The first aspect of the plan was complete— the second would unfold during the next day or so. The speed with which the Mountain Express was loaded and sent back over the mountains caught Mary and Doon by surprise. Bolano explained:"" The faster we load, travel, and return, the larger the profit, and, thanks to the Guild's incentive plan, the more we make. Need I say more?"" Of course, neither one of Bolano's newest employees had any intention of returning, not right away at least, but knew what was expected."" Got it, boss,"" Doon replied cheerfully."" Speed is my middle name.",Salls,"the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls","her weapon to the cross- draw holster. She had eight rules— and that was number three:"" Conserve ammunition."" A sentry screamed as a knife found her throat, spooked the horses and sent them stampeding back and forth. Salls followed, made clucking sounds in the back of her throat, and called them by name— names she had memorized over the last few days and used in combination with a constant stream of treats. Calmed by the now- familiar voice, and eager to get their sweets, the mutimals started to relax."" That's better,"" Salls said, stroking a velvet- soft muzzle."" I would never hurt you— not in a million years."" Boots crunched on gravel."" The area is secure, ma'am."""" Strip the bodies and bury them deep. So deep they won't be found."""" Yes, ma'am."" The boots crunched away. The animal snorted, and Salls patted the muscular neck. The first aspect of the plan was complete— the second would unfold during the next day or so. The speed with which the Mountain Express was loaded and sent back over the mountains caught Mary and Doon by surprise. Bolano explained:"" The faster we load, travel, and return, the larger the profit, and, thanks to the Guild's incentive plan, the more we make. Need I say more?"" Of course, neither one of Bolano's newest employees had any intention of returning, not right away at least, but knew what was expected."" Got it, boss,"" Doon replied cheerfully."" Speed is my middle name.:Previous Entities: |the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls| ::: Strip the bodies and bury them deep. ",Salls.F "“So he won your heart after all,",205094,205105,True,4231:The old woman.F,"“After being so gravely insulted the last time…” A simmering glare thrown at Nesta. My sister leveled a look of pure, unyielding flame right back at her. The old woman clicked her tongue.“We debated for many days whether we should return. As you can see, three of us found the insult to be unforgivable.” Liar. To blame it on Nesta, to try to sow discord between us for what Nesta had tried to defend… I said with surprising calm,“If that is the worst insult any of you have ever received in your lives, I’d say you’re all in for quite a shock when war comes.” The younger one’s lips twitched again, amber eyes alight— a lion incarnate. She purred to me,“So he won your heart after all, Cursebreaker.” I held her stare as Rhys and I both sat in our chairs, Mor sliding into one beside him.“I do not think,” I said,“that it was mere coincidence that the Cauldron let us find each other on the eve of war returning between our two peoples.”“The Cauldron? And two peoples?” The golden one toyed with a ruby ring on her finger.“Our people do not invoke a Cauldron; our people do not have magic. The way I see it, there is your people— and ours. You are little better than those Children of the Blessed.” She lifted a groomed brow.“What does happen to them when they cross the wall?” She angled her head at Rhys, at Cassian and Azriel",The old woman,"the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman","“After being so gravely insulted the last time…” A simmering glare thrown at Nesta. My sister leveled a look of pure, unyielding flame right back at her. The old woman clicked her tongue.“We debated for many days whether we should return. As you can see, three of us found the insult to be unforgivable.” Liar. To blame it on Nesta, to try to sow discord between us for what Nesta had tried to defend… I said with surprising calm,“If that is the worst insult any of you have ever received in your lives, I’d say you’re all in for quite a shock when war comes.” The younger one’s lips twitched again, amber eyes alight— a lion incarnate. She purred to me,“So he won your heart after all, Cursebreaker.” I held her stare as Rhys and I both sat in our chairs, Mor sliding into one beside him.“I do not think,” I said,“that it was mere coincidence that the Cauldron let us find each other on the eve of war returning between our two peoples.”“The Cauldron? And two peoples?” The golden one toyed with a ruby ring on her finger.“Our people do not invoke a Cauldron; our people do not have magic. The way I see it, there is your people— and ours. You are little better than those Children of the Blessed.” She lifted a groomed brow.“What does happen to them when they cross the wall?” She angled her head at Rhys, at Cassian and Azriel:Previous Entities: |the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman| ::: “So he won your heart after all, ","Nesta.F The old woman.F The younger one.F Rhys.M Mor.F Cassian.M Azriel.M The golden one.F" "“Mr. Faust,”",12881,12885,True,224:Inspector Williams.M,"’s hard to believe she’s related to Mum. Gran is frail and colorless, like a stick person really, while Mum in the photos always looked so happy and full of life.“They’re just children,” she managed.“Surely you can’t blame them.”“Pah!” Gramps said.“This is ridiculous, Inspector. They aren’t responsible!” Gramps is a former rugby player. He has beefy arms, a belly much too big for his shirt, and eyes sunk deep in his face, as if someone had punched them(well, actually Dad had punched them years ago, but that’s another story). Gramps is quite scary looking. Usually people got out of his way, but Inspector Williams didn’t seem impressed.“Mr. Faust,” he said,“what do you imagine the morning headlines will read?‘ British Museum attacked. Rosetta Stone destroyed.’ Your son- in- law—”“Former son- in- law,” Gramps corrected.“— was most likely vaporized in the explosion, or he ran off, in which case—”“He didn’t run off!” I shouted.“We need to know where he is,” the inspector continued.“And the only witnesses, your grandchildren, refuse to tell me the truth.”“We did tell you the truth,” Carter said.“Dad isn’t dead. He sank through the floor.” Inspector Williams glanced at Gramps, as if to say, There, you see? Then he turned",Inspector Williams,"Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps","’s hard to believe she’s related to Mum. Gran is frail and colorless, like a stick person really, while Mum in the photos always looked so happy and full of life.“They’re just children,” she managed.“Surely you can’t blame them.”“Pah!” Gramps said.“This is ridiculous, Inspector. They aren’t responsible!” Gramps is a former rugby player. He has beefy arms, a belly much too big for his shirt, and eyes sunk deep in his face, as if someone had punched them(well, actually Dad had punched them years ago, but that’s another story). Gramps is quite scary looking. Usually people got out of his way, but Inspector Williams didn’t seem impressed.“Mr. Faust,” he said,“what do you imagine the morning headlines will read?‘ British Museum attacked. Rosetta Stone destroyed.’ Your son- in- law—”“Former son- in- law,” Gramps corrected.“— was most likely vaporized in the explosion, or he ran off, in which case—”“He didn’t run off!” I shouted.“We need to know where he is,” the inspector continued.“And the only witnesses, your grandchildren, refuse to tell me the truth.”“We did tell you the truth,” Carter said.“Dad isn’t dead. He sank through the floor.” Inspector Williams glanced at Gramps, as if to say, There, you see? Then he turned:Previous Entities: |Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps| ::: “Mr. Faust,” ",Inspector Williams.M we can provide.,34602,34646,True,1007:One of the spirits.?,"very fast by copying down the tags off T- shirts,"" I grumbled."" Do not question our methods, mortal."" I shivered, realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to sass the soul- sucking monster with a burning skull for a head. In that way, soul- sucking monsters with burning skulls are a lot like teachers.(I understand your confusion; I get them mixed up too.) With that, the three spirits began to drift away."" Wait,"" I said, anxious not to return to the darkness."" What about my friends? Where are they?"" One of the spirits turned back."" They have been separated from you. All must be alone when they enter the Library."" It drifted closer."" Have you come seeking knowledge? We can provide it for you. Anything you wish. Any book, any volume, any tome. Anything that has been written, we can provide. You need but ask...“The robed body and burning skull drifted around me, voice subtle and inviting as it whispered."" You can know anything. Including, perhaps, where your father is."" I spun toward the creature."" You know that?"""" We can provide some information,"" it said."" You need but ask to check out the volume.""“And the cost?"" The skull seemed to smile, if that was possible."" Cheap."""" My soul?"" The smile deepened."" No, thank you,"" I said, shuddering."" Very well,"" the Curator said, drifting away. Suddenly, lamps on the wails flickered to life, lighting the room. The lamps were little oil- filled containers that looked like the kind",One of the spirits,"Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits","very fast by copying down the tags off T- shirts,"" I grumbled."" Do not question our methods, mortal."" I shivered, realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to sass the soul- sucking monster with a burning skull for a head. In that way, soul- sucking monsters with burning skulls are a lot like teachers.(I understand your confusion; I get them mixed up too.) With that, the three spirits began to drift away."" Wait,"" I said, anxious not to return to the darkness."" What about my friends? Where are they?"" One of the spirits turned back."" They have been separated from you. All must be alone when they enter the Library."" It drifted closer."" Have you come seeking knowledge? We can provide it for you. Anything you wish. Any book, any volume, any tome. Anything that has been written, we can provide. You need but ask...“The robed body and burning skull drifted around me, voice subtle and inviting as it whispered."" You can know anything. Including, perhaps, where your father is."" I spun toward the creature."" You know that?"""" We can provide some information,"" it said."" You need but ask to check out the volume.""“And the cost?"" The skull seemed to smile, if that was possible."" Cheap."""" My soul?"" The smile deepened."" No, thank you,"" I said, shuddering."" Very well,"" the Curator said, drifting away. Suddenly, lamps on the wails flickered to life, lighting the room. The lamps were little oil- filled containers that looked like the kind:Previous Entities: |Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits| ::: we can provide. ",the Curator.M you have our tech divisions and advanced product laboratories.,17722,17745,True,270:Robert T. Garvin.M,"Robert T. Garvin looked the way every CEO wanted to look in the pages of Fortune magazine. He was fifty- nine years old and handsome, with a craggy face and salt- and- pepper hair that always looked windblown, as if he'd just come in from a fly- fishing trip in Montana, or a weekend sailing in the San Juans. In the old days, like everyone else, he had worn jeans and denim work shirts in the office. But in recent years, he favored dark blue Caracem suits. It was one of the many changes that people in the company had noticed since the death of his daughter, three years before. Brusque and profane in private, Garvin was all charm in public. Leading the Conley- White executives, he said,"" Here on the third floor, you have our tech divisions and advanced product laboratories. Oh, Tom. Good."" He threw his arm around Sanders."" Meet Tom Sanders, our division manager for advanced products. One of the brilliant young men who's made our company what it is. Tom, say hello to Ed Nichols, the CFO for Conley- White..."" A thin, hawk- faced man in his late fifties, Nichols carried his head tilted back, so that he seemed to be pulling away from everything, as if there were a bad smell. He looked down his nose through half- frame glasses at Sanders, regarding him with a vaguely disapproving air, and shook hands formally."" Mr. Sanders. How do you do."""" Mr. Nichols.""""... and John Conley, nephew of the founder, and vice president of the firm",Robert T,"the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T","Robert T. Garvin looked the way every CEO wanted to look in the pages of Fortune magazine. He was fifty- nine years old and handsome, with a craggy face and salt- and- pepper hair that always looked windblown, as if he'd just come in from a fly- fishing trip in Montana, or a weekend sailing in the San Juans. In the old days, like everyone else, he had worn jeans and denim work shirts in the office. But in recent years, he favored dark blue Caracem suits. It was one of the many changes that people in the company had noticed since the death of his daughter, three years before. Brusque and profane in private, Garvin was all charm in public. Leading the Conley- White executives, he said,"" Here on the third floor, you have our tech divisions and advanced product laboratories. Oh, Tom. Good."" He threw his arm around Sanders."" Meet Tom Sanders, our division manager for advanced products. One of the brilliant young men who's made our company what it is. Tom, say hello to Ed Nichols, the CFO for Conley- White..."" A thin, hawk- faced man in his late fifties, Nichols carried his head tilted back, so that he seemed to be pulling away from everything, as if there were a bad smell. He looked down his nose through half- frame glasses at Sanders, regarding him with a vaguely disapproving air, and shook hands formally."" Mr. Sanders. How do you do."""" Mr. Nichols.""""... and John Conley, nephew of the founder, and vice president of the firm:Previous Entities: |the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T| ::: you have our tech divisions and advanced product laboratories. ",Robert T. Garvin and by the best people.,38928,39044,True,221:Harl.M,"Home Bank& Trust loan you 35 dollars? You bet. I’m tempted to put it on a man- to- man basis and do the deal out of my own wallet, except I never carry more than what it takes to pay for my lunch at the Splendid Diner and a shoe- shine at the barber shop. Too much money’s a constant temptation, even for a wily old cuss like me, and besides, business is business. But!” He raised his finger.“You don’t need 35 dollars.”“Sad to say, I do.” I wondered if he knew why. He might have; he was indeed a wily old cuss. But so was Harl Cotterie, and Harl was also a shamed old cuss that fall.“No; you don’t. You need 750, that’s what you need, and you could have it today. Either bank it or walk out with it in your pocket, all the same to me either way. You paid off the mortgage on your place 3 years ago. It’s free and clear. So there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t turn around and take out another mortgage. It’s done all the time, my boy, and by the best people. You’d be surprised at some of the paper we’re carrying. All the best people. Yessir.”“I thank you very kindly, Mr. Stoppenhauser, but I don’t think so. That mortgage was like a gray cloud over my head the whole time it was in force, and—”“Wilf, that’s the point!” The finger went up again. This time it wagged back and forth, like the pendulum of the Regulator.“That is exactly the rootin’-tootin’, cowboy- shootin’ point! It’s the fellows who take out a mortgage and then feel like they’re always walking around in sunshine who end up defaulting and losing their valuable property! Fellows like you, who carry that bank- paper like a barrowload of rocks on a gloomy day, are the fellows who always pay back! And do you want to tell me that there are",Harl,"the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl","Home Bank& Trust loan you 35 dollars? You bet. I’m tempted to put it on a man- to- man basis and do the deal out of my own wallet, except I never carry more than what it takes to pay for my lunch at the Splendid Diner and a shoe- shine at the barber shop. Too much money’s a constant temptation, even for a wily old cuss like me, and besides, business is business. But!” He raised his finger.“You don’t need 35 dollars.”“Sad to say, I do.” I wondered if he knew why. He might have; he was indeed a wily old cuss. But so was Harl Cotterie, and Harl was also a shamed old cuss that fall.“No; you don’t. You need 750, that’s what you need, and you could have it today. Either bank it or walk out with it in your pocket, all the same to me either way. You paid off the mortgage on your place 3 years ago. It’s free and clear. So there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t turn around and take out another mortgage. It’s done all the time, my boy, and by the best people. You’d be surprised at some of the paper we’re carrying. All the best people. Yessir.”“I thank you very kindly, Mr. Stoppenhauser, but I don’t think so. That mortgage was like a gray cloud over my head the whole time it was in force, and—”“Wilf, that’s the point!” The finger went up again. This time it wagged back and forth, like the pendulum of the Regulator.“That is exactly the rootin’-tootin’, cowboy- shootin’ point! It’s the fellows who take out a mortgage and then feel like they’re always walking around in sunshine who end up defaulting and losing their valuable property! Fellows like you, who carry that bank- paper like a barrowload of rocks on a gloomy day, are the fellows who always pay back! And do you want to tell me that there are:Previous Entities: |the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl| ::: and by the best people. ",Harl Cotterie.M "‘ Oh aye,",122574,122595,True,3748:miss.?,"commandeer you and your broomstick to assist me in my search, if that is all right with you?’ It was a dreadful question to ask a witch. On the other hand, it was being asked by Preston.‘ All right then,’ she said,‘ but do try not to scratch it. And there is one thing that I have to do first. Do excuse me.’ She walked a little way over to the open door of the hall and leaned against the cold stonework.‘ I know there are Feegles listening to me,’ she said.‘ Oh aye,’ said a voice about one inch from her ear.‘ Well, I don’t want you to help me tonight. This is a hag thing, you understand?’‘ Oh aye, we seen the big posse of hags. It’s a big hag night the noo.’‘ I must—’ Tiffany began. And then an idea struck her.‘ I have to fight the man with no eyes. And they are here to see how good a fighter I am. And so I mustn’t cheat by using Feegles. That’s an important hag rule. Of course, I respect the fact that cheating is an honourable Feegle tradition, but hags don’t cheat,’ she went on, aware that this was a huge lie.‘ If you help me, they will know, and all the hags will put me to scorn.’ And Tiffany thought, And if I lose, it will be Feegles versus hags, and that’s a battle that the world will remember. No pressure, eh? Aloud, she said,‘ You",miss,"Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss","commandeer you and your broomstick to assist me in my search, if that is all right with you?’ It was a dreadful question to ask a witch. On the other hand, it was being asked by Preston.‘ All right then,’ she said,‘ but do try not to scratch it. And there is one thing that I have to do first. Do excuse me.’ She walked a little way over to the open door of the hall and leaned against the cold stonework.‘ I know there are Feegles listening to me,’ she said.‘ Oh aye,’ said a voice about one inch from her ear.‘ Well, I don’t want you to help me tonight. This is a hag thing, you understand?’‘ Oh aye, we seen the big posse of hags. It’s a big hag night the noo.’‘ I must—’ Tiffany began. And then an idea struck her.‘ I have to fight the man with no eyes. And they are here to see how good a fighter I am. And so I mustn’t cheat by using Feegles. That’s an important hag rule. Of course, I respect the fact that cheating is an honourable Feegle tradition, but hags don’t cheat,’ she went on, aware that this was a huge lie.‘ If you help me, they will know, and all the hags will put me to scorn.’ And Tiffany thought, And if I lose, it will be Feegles versus hags, and that’s a battle that the world will remember. No pressure, eh? Aloud, she said,‘ You:Previous Entities: |Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss| ::: ‘ Oh aye, ",Tiffany. "What words are these?""",128098,128104,True,3671:a young woman.F,""" We're in a dark passage,"" he said."" Without spice, the Empire falls apart. The Guild will not move. Planets will slowly lose their clear memories of each other. They'll turn inward upon themselves. Space will become a boundary when the Guild navigators lose their mastery. We'll cling to our dunetops and be ignorant of that which is above us and below us."""" You speak very strangely,"" she said."" How have you seen me in your vision?"" Trust Fremen superstition! he thought. He said:"" I've become pasigraphic. I'm a living glyph to write out the changes which must come to pass. If I do not write them, you'll encounter such heartache as no human should experience."""" What words are these?"" she asked, but her hand remained lightly on the knife. Leto turned his head toward the cliffs of Jacurutu, seeing the beginning glow which would be Second Moon making its predawn passage behind the rocks. The death- scream of a desert hare shocked its way through him. He saw Sabiha shudder. There came the beating of wings-- a predator bird, night creature here. He saw the ember glow of many eyes as they swept past above him, headed for crannies in the cliff."" I must follow the dictates of my new heart,"" Leto said."" You look upon me as a mere child, Sabiha, but if--"""" They warned me about you,"" Sabiha said, and now her shoulders were stiff with readiness. He heard the fear",a young woman,"the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman",""" We're in a dark passage,"" he said."" Without spice, the Empire falls apart. The Guild will not move. Planets will slowly lose their clear memories of each other. They'll turn inward upon themselves. Space will become a boundary when the Guild navigators lose their mastery. We'll cling to our dunetops and be ignorant of that which is above us and below us."""" You speak very strangely,"" she said."" How have you seen me in your vision?"" Trust Fremen superstition! he thought. He said:"" I've become pasigraphic. I'm a living glyph to write out the changes which must come to pass. If I do not write them, you'll encounter such heartache as no human should experience."""" What words are these?"" she asked, but her hand remained lightly on the knife. Leto turned his head toward the cliffs of Jacurutu, seeing the beginning glow which would be Second Moon making its predawn passage behind the rocks. The death- scream of a desert hare shocked its way through him. He saw Sabiha shudder. There came the beating of wings-- a predator bird, night creature here. He saw the ember glow of many eyes as they swept past above him, headed for crannies in the cliff."" I must follow the dictates of my new heart,"" Leto said."" You look upon me as a mere child, Sabiha, but if--"""" They warned me about you,"" Sabiha said, and now her shoulders were stiff with readiness. He heard the fear:Previous Entities: |the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman| ::: What words are these?"" ",Sabiha.F “Yeah.”,47149,47152,True,"1914:the thin , angular deaner.M","in their laps. Everyone looked away from the bloody mop. From somewhere down the corridor, we heard more screams. We got onto the elevator. It was quiet. Connor said,“A homicide every twenty minutes. A rape every seven minutes. A child murdered every four hours. No other country tolerates these levels of violence.” The doors opened. Compared to the emergency room, the basement corridors of the county morgue were positively tranquil. There was a strong odor of formaldehyde. We went to the desk, where the thin, angular deaner, Harry Landon, was bent over some papers, eating a ham sandwich. He didn’t look up.“Hey, guys.”“Hey, Harry.”“What you here for? Austin prep?”“Yeah.”“They started about half an hour ago. Guess there’s a big rush on her, huh?”“How’s that?”“The chief called Dr. Tim out of bed and told him to do it pronto. Pissed him off pretty good. You know how particular Dr. Tim is.” The deaner smiled.“And they called in a lot of lab people, too. Who ever heard of pushing a full workup in the middle of the night? I mean, you know what this is going to cost in overtime?” I said,“And what about Graham?”“He’s around here someplace. He had some Japanese guy chasing after him. Dogging him like a shadow. Then every half hour, the Japanese asks me can he use","the thin , angular deaner","a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner","in their laps. Everyone looked away from the bloody mop. From somewhere down the corridor, we heard more screams. We got onto the elevator. It was quiet. Connor said,“A homicide every twenty minutes. A rape every seven minutes. A child murdered every four hours. No other country tolerates these levels of violence.” The doors opened. Compared to the emergency room, the basement corridors of the county morgue were positively tranquil. There was a strong odor of formaldehyde. We went to the desk, where the thin, angular deaner, Harry Landon, was bent over some papers, eating a ham sandwich. He didn’t look up.“Hey, guys.”“Hey, Harry.”“What you here for? Austin prep?”“Yeah.”“They started about half an hour ago. Guess there’s a big rush on her, huh?”“How’s that?”“The chief called Dr. Tim out of bed and told him to do it pronto. Pissed him off pretty good. You know how particular Dr. Tim is.” The deaner smiled.“And they called in a lot of lab people, too. Who ever heard of pushing a full workup in the middle of the night? I mean, you know what this is going to cost in overtime?” I said,“And what about Graham?”“He’s around here someplace. He had some Japanese guy chasing after him. Dogging him like a shadow. Then every half hour, the Japanese asks me can he use:Previous Entities: |a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner| ::: “Yeah.” ","Connor.M Harry.M" “Three hundred.,53826,53845,True,2652:The graphic artists.?,"I fucking don’t know it?”“I’m not sure how much we can accomplish—”“Catastrophe! Lose‘ Danger,’ add‘ Catastrophe’! That’s all I’m asking for. How difficult can it be?”“Mr. Drake, we can redo the visual materials and the banners for the media kits, but the coffee mugs are a problem.”“Why are they a problem?”“They’re made for us in China, and—”“Made in China? Land of pollution? Whose idea was that?”“We always have the coffee mugs made in China for—”“Well, we definitely can’t use them. This is NERF, for Christ’s sake. How many cups do we have?”“Three hundred. They’re given to the media in attendance, along with the press kit.”“Well get some damn eco- acceptable mugs,” Drake said.“Doesn’t Canada make mugs? Nobody ever complains about anything Canada does. Get some Canadian mugs and print‘ Catastrophe’ on them. That’s all.” The artists were looking at one another. One said,“There’s that supply house in Vancouver…”“But their mugs are cream- colored…”“I don’t care if they’re chartreuse,” Drake said, his voice rising.“Just do it! Now what about the press releases?” Another designer held up a sheet.“They’re four- color banners printed in biodegradable inks on recycled bond paper.” Drake picked up a sheet.“This is recycled? It looks damn good.”“",The graphic artists,"Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists","I fucking don’t know it?”“I’m not sure how much we can accomplish—”“Catastrophe! Lose‘ Danger,’ add‘ Catastrophe’! That’s all I’m asking for. How difficult can it be?”“Mr. Drake, we can redo the visual materials and the banners for the media kits, but the coffee mugs are a problem.”“Why are they a problem?”“They’re made for us in China, and—”“Made in China? Land of pollution? Whose idea was that?”“We always have the coffee mugs made in China for—”“Well, we definitely can’t use them. This is NERF, for Christ’s sake. How many cups do we have?”“Three hundred. They’re given to the media in attendance, along with the press kit.”“Well get some damn eco- acceptable mugs,” Drake said.“Doesn’t Canada make mugs? Nobody ever complains about anything Canada does. Get some Canadian mugs and print‘ Catastrophe’ on them. That’s all.” The artists were looking at one another. One said,“There’s that supply house in Vancouver…”“But their mugs are cream- colored…”“I don’t care if they’re chartreuse,” Drake said, his voice rising.“Just do it! Now what about the press releases?” Another designer held up a sheet.“They’re four- color banners printed in biodegradable inks on recycled bond paper.” Drake picked up a sheet.“This is recycled? It looks damn good.”“:Previous Entities: |Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists| ::: “Three hundred. ",Drake.M Toronto.,804,820,True,310:Michael Crichton.?,"that country’s adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it.” Publishel- s Week/ y(starred review) Ballantine Books by Michael Crichton: Fiction: THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN THE TERMINAL MAN EATERS OF THE DEAD CONGO SPHERE JURASSICPARK Nonfiction FIVE PATIENTS ELECTRONIC LIFE TRAVELS Other Books by Michael Crichton: Fiction THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY Nonfiction JASPER JOHNS RISING Michael Crichton BALLANTINE BOOKS NEW YORK Sale of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as“unsold or destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received payment for it. Copyright C 1992 by Michael Crichton All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc.” New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Warner/ Chappell Music, Inc. for permission to reprint excerpts from“Great Balls of Fire” by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. Copyright C) 1957 by Unichappell Music, Inc.& Chappell& Co. All rights reserved. Used by permission. This is a work of fiction. Characters, corporations, institutions, and organizations in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously without any intent to describe their actual conduct, except as noted below. References in this novel to events and activities concerning certain Japanese corporations(Matsushita, Minolta, Mitsubishi, Nintendo, Panasonic, Sumitomo Corp.” and Toshiba), to former Japanese prime ministers(Takeshita and Tanaka), and to certain American corporations(Cray Research, Emerson",Michael Crichton,"the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton","that country’s adversarial trade strategy and our inadequate response to it.” Publishel- s Week/ y(starred review) Ballantine Books by Michael Crichton: Fiction: THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN THE TERMINAL MAN EATERS OF THE DEAD CONGO SPHERE JURASSICPARK Nonfiction FIVE PATIENTS ELECTRONIC LIFE TRAVELS Other Books by Michael Crichton: Fiction THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY Nonfiction JASPER JOHNS RISING Michael Crichton BALLANTINE BOOKS NEW YORK Sale of this book without a front cover may be unauthorized. If this book is coverless, it may have been reported to the publisher as“unsold or destroyed” and neither the author nor the publisher may have received payment for it. Copyright C 1992 by Michael Crichton All rights reserved under International and Pan- American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, Inc.” New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Warner/ Chappell Music, Inc. for permission to reprint excerpts from“Great Balls of Fire” by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. Copyright C) 1957 by Unichappell Music, Inc.& Chappell& Co. All rights reserved. Used by permission. This is a work of fiction. Characters, corporations, institutions, and organizations in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously without any intent to describe their actual conduct, except as noted below. References in this novel to events and activities concerning certain Japanese corporations(Matsushita, Minolta, Mitsubishi, Nintendo, Panasonic, Sumitomo Corp.” and Toshiba), to former Japanese prime ministers(Takeshita and Tanaka), and to certain American corporations(Cray Research, Emerson:Previous Entities: |the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton| ::: Toronto. ",Michael Crichton>M "“There’s no need to antagonize her,”",34951,34960,True,63:Robert.M,"don’t move a muscle until he releases me. His own smile fades when he looks at me again.“Beatrice, what happened to you? What happened to your face?”“Nothing,” I say.“Just training. Nothing.”“Beatrice?” demands a nasal voice next to me. Molly folds her arms and laughs.“Is that your real name, Stiff?” I glance at her.“What did you think Tris was short for?”“Oh, I don’t know… weakling?” She touches her chin. If her chin was bigger, it might balance out her nose, but it is weak and almost recedes into her neck.“Oh wait, that doesn’t start with Tris. My mistake.”“There’s no need to antagonize her,” Robert says softly.“I’m Robert, and you are?”“Someone who doesn’t care what your name is,” she says.“Why don’t you get back in your truck? We’re not supposed to fraternize with other faction members.”“Why don’t you get away from us?” I snap.“Right. Wouldn’t want to get between you and your boyfriend,” she says. She walks away smiling. Robert gives me a sad look.“They don’t seem like nice people.”“Some of them aren’t.”“You could go home, you know. I’m sure Abnegation would make an exception for you.”“What makes you think I want to go home?” I ask,",Robert,"the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert","don’t move a muscle until he releases me. His own smile fades when he looks at me again.“Beatrice, what happened to you? What happened to your face?”“Nothing,” I say.“Just training. Nothing.”“Beatrice?” demands a nasal voice next to me. Molly folds her arms and laughs.“Is that your real name, Stiff?” I glance at her.“What did you think Tris was short for?”“Oh, I don’t know… weakling?” She touches her chin. If her chin was bigger, it might balance out her nose, but it is weak and almost recedes into her neck.“Oh wait, that doesn’t start with Tris. My mistake.”“There’s no need to antagonize her,” Robert says softly.“I’m Robert, and you are?”“Someone who doesn’t care what your name is,” she says.“Why don’t you get back in your truck? We’re not supposed to fraternize with other faction members.”“Why don’t you get away from us?” I snap.“Right. Wouldn’t want to get between you and your boyfriend,” she says. She walks away smiling. Robert gives me a sad look.“They don’t seem like nice people.”“Some of them aren’t.”“You could go home, you know. I’m sure Abnegation would make an exception for you.”“What makes you think I want to go home?” I ask,:Previous Entities: |the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert| ::: “There’s no need to antagonize her,” ",Robert.M He will…”,93224,93236,True,159:Inge.F,"taken refuge in the room that Inge and Sofia shared.“There are too many guards,” Inge said.“You can’t escape.”“There is no way out of here even if you could get off this rig,” Sofia said. Magnolia pulled back the drape covering the windows. The Sea Wolf was still docked below, but she had no idea how the hell she was going to get twelve floors down. She didn’t even have a pair of shoes and was still dressed in a pair of shorts and a ripped T- shirt. Magnolia turned back to the two women. Besides Rodger and Miles, they were the closest thing to friends she had on the Metal Islands.“You attacked a scribe and killed two guards,” Inge said.“El Pulpo will not forgive these sins. He will…” Imulah mumbled into the ripped sleeve she had tied around his mouth. He sat in a chair, gripping his hand, which was still leaking blood onto the floor.“That’s why I have to try to escape,” Magnolia replied.“You’re welcome to come with me, but you’ve got about a minute to make up your mind.” Footfalls clanked in the hallway outside their locked door. Armed with only a knife, she had a feeling that things were about to get ugly. But she was more than ready to fight, even if it came down to using her teeth. A rap sounded on the doorway across the hall, and then came the shouts.“¡ Abra!” The Cazador yelled again, and more deep voices called out.",Inge,"Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge","taken refuge in the room that Inge and Sofia shared.“There are too many guards,” Inge said.“You can’t escape.”“There is no way out of here even if you could get off this rig,” Sofia said. Magnolia pulled back the drape covering the windows. The Sea Wolf was still docked below, but she had no idea how the hell she was going to get twelve floors down. She didn’t even have a pair of shoes and was still dressed in a pair of shorts and a ripped T- shirt. Magnolia turned back to the two women. Besides Rodger and Miles, they were the closest thing to friends she had on the Metal Islands.“You attacked a scribe and killed two guards,” Inge said.“El Pulpo will not forgive these sins. He will…” Imulah mumbled into the ripped sleeve she had tied around his mouth. He sat in a chair, gripping his hand, which was still leaking blood onto the floor.“That’s why I have to try to escape,” Magnolia replied.“You’re welcome to come with me, but you’ve got about a minute to make up your mind.” Footfalls clanked in the hallway outside their locked door. Armed with only a knife, she had a feeling that things were about to get ugly. But she was more than ready to fight, even if it came down to using her teeth. A rap sounded on the doorway across the hall, and then came the shouts.“¡ Abra!” The Cazador yelled again, and more deep voices called out.:Previous Entities: |Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge| ::: He will…” ",Inge.F Angel?,122580,122592,True,327:Cantwell.F,". Cantwell saw that humans had been placed in front with civilians behind them. What she couldn't see was any Reapers... the ones she was supposed to engage. She spoke into the wire- thin boom mike that hung in front of her mouth."" Mongol One to Topper. Over."""" This is Topper,"" Jones replied."" Go."""" The Zid are on the way— humans in front with civilians behind. Over."""" Roger that, Mongol One. No sign of the Reapers? Over."""" That's a negative, Topper. Over."""" Hold, One. Over."" Jones had spent the night in his command post. His eyes were red, his throat was raw, and stubble covered his cheeks."" Angel? This is Topper. Do you read me?"" Michael had been watching... and waiting for the call."" I read you. Over."""" The Zid are headed our way. No sign of armed troops. Where the hell are they? Over."" The clouds were thick but broken. Because of that, the satellite had been able to catch a glimpse or two— and knew exactly where the combatants were hiding."" The Zid are throwing their entire column at you. The Reapers were placed at the very center of the formation. There's only one way to reach them— and that's through the civilians. Over."" Jones slammed his fist down on a console. A stylus jumped and fell."" The bastards are forcing our hand! Damn them to hell!"""" There's no need",Cantwell,"Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell",". Cantwell saw that humans had been placed in front with civilians behind them. What she couldn't see was any Reapers... the ones she was supposed to engage. She spoke into the wire- thin boom mike that hung in front of her mouth."" Mongol One to Topper. Over."""" This is Topper,"" Jones replied."" Go."""" The Zid are on the way— humans in front with civilians behind. Over."""" Roger that, Mongol One. No sign of the Reapers? Over."""" That's a negative, Topper. Over."""" Hold, One. Over."" Jones had spent the night in his command post. His eyes were red, his throat was raw, and stubble covered his cheeks."" Angel? This is Topper. Do you read me?"" Michael had been watching... and waiting for the call."" I read you. Over."""" The Zid are headed our way. No sign of armed troops. Where the hell are they? Over."" The clouds were thick but broken. Because of that, the satellite had been able to catch a glimpse or two— and knew exactly where the combatants were hiding."" The Zid are throwing their entire column at you. The Reapers were placed at the very center of the formation. There's only one way to reach them— and that's through the civilians. Over."" Jones slammed his fist down on a console. A stylus jumped and fell."" The bastards are forcing our hand! Damn them to hell!"""" There's no need:Previous Entities: |Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell| ::: Angel? ",Cantwell my goodness!,19187,19219,True,389:The little Spotted Owl.F,".”“My wings do feel a lot better,” Soren said sweetly, and marveled how deceptive he was quickly becoming. Oh, yes, his wings did feel better, but Soren had another idea, another question he wanted to throw out under the guise of a statement.“I’ll tell you the thing that really always perks me up and makes me feel just fine in the gizzard.”“Oh, that’s what we want, my dear,” Finny cooed.“A story. My favorite stories are the legends of Ga’Hoole. Yes, the Ga’Hoolian cycle, I think they are called.” A strange sound halfway between a yarp and the screech of a Screech Owl issued from Auntie Finny’s beak, and she crumpled into a dead faint.“Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness. I don’t know what you said, 12- 1, but I’ve got to nurse Nursey now.” The little Spotted Owl trotted off to find a remedy.“I know what I said,” Soren whispered to himself.“I said,‘ the legends of Ga’Hoole.’” CHAPTER TEN Right Side Up in an Upside- down World The next night, Gylfie and Soren met under the arch of the glaucidium. They were to begin the Great Scheme, but Soren suddenly had doubts.“I’m really worried, Gylfie. It might not work.”“Soren,” Gylfie pleaded,“who knows if it will work or not, but what have we got to lose if we don’t try it?”“Our minds, to start with,” Soren replied. Gylfie gave the soft churrr sound of a chuckle that is nearly universal for all owls",The little Spotted Owl,"father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl",".”“My wings do feel a lot better,” Soren said sweetly, and marveled how deceptive he was quickly becoming. Oh, yes, his wings did feel better, but Soren had another idea, another question he wanted to throw out under the guise of a statement.“I’ll tell you the thing that really always perks me up and makes me feel just fine in the gizzard.”“Oh, that’s what we want, my dear,” Finny cooed.“A story. My favorite stories are the legends of Ga’Hoole. Yes, the Ga’Hoolian cycle, I think they are called.” A strange sound halfway between a yarp and the screech of a Screech Owl issued from Auntie Finny’s beak, and she crumpled into a dead faint.“Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness. I don’t know what you said, 12- 1, but I’ve got to nurse Nursey now.” The little Spotted Owl trotted off to find a remedy.“I know what I said,” Soren whispered to himself.“I said,‘ the legends of Ga’Hoole.’” CHAPTER TEN Right Side Up in an Upside- down World The next night, Gylfie and Soren met under the arch of the glaucidium. They were to begin the Great Scheme, but Soren suddenly had doubts.“I’m really worried, Gylfie. It might not work.”“Soren,” Gylfie pleaded,“who knows if it will work or not, but what have we got to lose if we don’t try it?”“Our minds, to start with,” Soren replied. Gylfie gave the soft churrr sound of a chuckle that is nearly universal for all owls:Previous Entities: |father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl| ::: my goodness! ","Soren.M Gylfie.F Nursey.F Auntie Finny.F Spotted Owl.F" "honey,",53266,53282,True,1516:The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha.F,"pothole in the road. However it was, the Ford skidded into the ditch and stalled. There they sat in that high- desert emptiness while a strengthening wind blew snow all around them, and what was Henry thinking? That what he and I had done in Nebraska had led him and the girl he loved to that place in Nevada. Arlette didn’t tell me that, but she didn’t have to. I knew. He spied the ghost of a building through the thickening snow, and got Shannon out of the car. She managed a few steps into the wind, then could manage no more. The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha laid her head on her young man’s shoulder and said,“I can’t go any farther, honey, put me on the ground.”“What about the baby?” he asked her.“The baby is dead, and I want to die, too,” she said.“I can’t stand the pain. It’s terrible. I love you, honey, but put me on the ground.” He carried her to that ghost of a building instead, which turned out to be a line shack not much different from the shanty near Boys Town, the one with the faded bottle of Royal Crown Cola painted on the side. There was a stove, but no wood. He went out and scrounged a few pieces of scrap lumber before the snow could cover them, and when he went back inside, Shannon was unconscious. Henry lit the stove, then put her head on his lap.",The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha,"a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha","pothole in the road. However it was, the Ford skidded into the ditch and stalled. There they sat in that high- desert emptiness while a strengthening wind blew snow all around them, and what was Henry thinking? That what he and I had done in Nebraska had led him and the girl he loved to that place in Nevada. Arlette didn’t tell me that, but she didn’t have to. I knew. He spied the ghost of a building through the thickening snow, and got Shannon out of the car. She managed a few steps into the wind, then could manage no more. The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha laid her head on her young man’s shoulder and said,“I can’t go any farther, honey, put me on the ground.”“What about the baby?” he asked her.“The baby is dead, and I want to die, too,” she said.“I can’t stand the pain. It’s terrible. I love you, honey, but put me on the ground.” He carried her to that ghost of a building instead, which turned out to be a line shack not much different from the shanty near Boys Town, the one with the faded bottle of Royal Crown Cola painted on the side. There was a stove, but no wood. He went out and scrounged a few pieces of scrap lumber before the snow could cover them, and when he went back inside, Shannon was unconscious. Henry lit the stove, then put her head on his lap.:Previous Entities: |a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha| ::: honey, ",Shannon.F We made zero arrests.”,55528,55552,True,104:Lore.?,"slicked- back dark hair. He turned on the sink for two seconds, just enough to fill his palms with cold water. Then he splashed it on his face. There was nothing like it to wake him up in the morning. He looked back up at the mirror, but the bracing dash of water hadn’t changed his appearance.“You earned the right to serve these people,” he said.“You deserve your command, and you will save them.” He clipped the sword onto his belt and opened the hatch to his quarters. Del Toro and Lore were waiting for him in the corridor. Neither man looked as though he had slept.“Do you have a sitrep?” Jordan asked.“Things calmed down overnight,” Lore said,“thanks to the strong militia presence in every corridor. The curfew seemed to work, too. We made zero arrests.”“Good. Let’s get going.” Jordan walked through the passages and admired the recently scrubbed bulkheads and overheads. All the paintings were gone, leaving behind only dark metal and red helium pipes. Seeing the ship cleaned of the images from the past filled him with a refreshing sense of rebirth. He could see the Hive’s skin now, and its veins of helium pipes. But just as a body needed food, the Hive needed Hell Divers. The ship was almost in position, and in a few hours they would be dropping the divers over a yellow zone. Lieutenant Hunt waved at Jordan as he approached the launch bay.“Stay here,” Jordan ordered his guards. Lore and Del Toro stood sentry outside the launch bay as Jordan crossed the room, avoiding",Lore,"Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan","slicked- back dark hair. He turned on the sink for two seconds, just enough to fill his palms with cold water. Then he splashed it on his face. There was nothing like it to wake him up in the morning. He looked back up at the mirror, but the bracing dash of water hadn’t changed his appearance.“You earned the right to serve these people,” he said.“You deserve your command, and you will save them.” He clipped the sword onto his belt and opened the hatch to his quarters. Del Toro and Lore were waiting for him in the corridor. Neither man looked as though he had slept.“Do you have a sitrep?” Jordan asked.“Things calmed down overnight,” Lore said,“thanks to the strong militia presence in every corridor. The curfew seemed to work, too. We made zero arrests.”“Good. Let’s get going.” Jordan walked through the passages and admired the recently scrubbed bulkheads and overheads. All the paintings were gone, leaving behind only dark metal and red helium pipes. Seeing the ship cleaned of the images from the past filled him with a refreshing sense of rebirth. He could see the Hive’s skin now, and its veins of helium pipes. But just as a body needed food, the Hive needed Hell Divers. The ship was almost in position, and in a few hours they would be dropping the divers over a yellow zone. Lieutenant Hunt waved at Jordan as he approached the launch bay.“Stay here,” Jordan ordered his guards. Lore and Del Toro stood sentry outside the launch bay as Jordan crossed the room, avoiding:Previous Entities: |Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan| ::: We made zero arrests.” ",Lore.M Give him suck!,25610,25656,True,731:Sayre.M,"it. T’would be the work of two seconds. With her speed— her uncanny gunslinger’s speed— this was likely true. But she found herself unable to move. She had foreseen many outcomes to this act of the play, but not Mia’s madness, never that, and it had caught her entirely by surprise. It crossed Susannah’s mind that she was lucky indeed that the Positronics link had gone down when it had. If it hadn’t, she might be as mad as Mia. And that link could kick back in, sister— don’t you think you better make your move while you still can? But she couldn’t, that was the thing. She was frozen in wonder, held in thrall.“Stop that!” Sayre snapped at her.“Your job isn’t to slurp at him but to feed him! If you’d keep him, hurry up! Give him suck! Or should I summon a wetnurse? There are many who’d give their eyes for the opportunity!”“Never… in… your… LIFE!” Mia cried, laughing, but she lowered the child to her chest and impatiently brushed aside the bodice of the plain white gown she wore, baring her right breast. Susannah could see why men would be taken by her; even now that breast was a perfect, coral- tipped globe that seemed more fit for a man’s hand and a man’s lust than a baby’s nourishment. Mia lowered the chap to it. For a moment he rooted as comically as he’d goggled at her, his face striking the nipple and then seeming to bounce off. When it came down again, however, the pink rose of his mouth closed on the erect pink bud of her breast and began to suck. Mia stroked the chap",Sayre,"Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre","it. T’would be the work of two seconds. With her speed— her uncanny gunslinger’s speed— this was likely true. But she found herself unable to move. She had foreseen many outcomes to this act of the play, but not Mia’s madness, never that, and it had caught her entirely by surprise. It crossed Susannah’s mind that she was lucky indeed that the Positronics link had gone down when it had. If it hadn’t, she might be as mad as Mia. And that link could kick back in, sister— don’t you think you better make your move while you still can? But she couldn’t, that was the thing. She was frozen in wonder, held in thrall.“Stop that!” Sayre snapped at her.“Your job isn’t to slurp at him but to feed him! If you’d keep him, hurry up! Give him suck! Or should I summon a wetnurse? There are many who’d give their eyes for the opportunity!”“Never… in… your… LIFE!” Mia cried, laughing, but she lowered the child to her chest and impatiently brushed aside the bodice of the plain white gown she wore, baring her right breast. Susannah could see why men would be taken by her; even now that breast was a perfect, coral- tipped globe that seemed more fit for a man’s hand and a man’s lust than a baby’s nourishment. Mia lowered the chap to it. For a moment he rooted as comically as he’d goggled at her, his face striking the nipple and then seeming to bounce off. When it came down again, however, the pink rose of his mouth closed on the erect pink bud of her breast and began to suck. Mia stroked the chap:Previous Entities: |Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre| ::: Give him suck! ",Sayre.M "Jessica,”",174033,174043,True,5398:the inward image.?,"a sitting position. She saw the old Reverend Mother Ramallo being brought to sit beside her on the carpeted ledge. A dry hand touched her neck. And there was another psychokinesthetic mote within her awareness! Jessica tried to reject it, but the mote swept closer... closer. They touched! It was like an ultimate simpatico, being two people at once: not telepathy, but mutual awareness. With the old Reverend Mother! But Jessica saw that the Reverend Mother didn’t think of herself as old. An image unfolded before the mutual mind’s eye: a young girl with a dancing spirit and tender humor. Within the mutual awareness, the young girl said,“Yes, that is how I am.” Jessica could only accept the words, not respond to them.“You’ll have it all soon, Jessica,” the inward image said. This is hallucination, Jessica told herself.“You know better than that,” the inward image said.“Swiftly now, do not fight me. There isn’t much time. We....” There came a long pause, then:“You should’ve told us you were pregnant!” Jessica found the voice that talked within the mutual awareness.“Why?”“This changes both of you! Holy Mother, what have we done?” Jessica sensed a forced shift in the mutual awareness, saw another mote- presence with the inward eye. The other mote darted wildly here, there, circling. It radiated pure terror.“You’ll have to be strong,” the old Reverend Mother’s image- presence said.“",the inward image,"Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image","a sitting position. She saw the old Reverend Mother Ramallo being brought to sit beside her on the carpeted ledge. A dry hand touched her neck. And there was another psychokinesthetic mote within her awareness! Jessica tried to reject it, but the mote swept closer... closer. They touched! It was like an ultimate simpatico, being two people at once: not telepathy, but mutual awareness. With the old Reverend Mother! But Jessica saw that the Reverend Mother didn’t think of herself as old. An image unfolded before the mutual mind’s eye: a young girl with a dancing spirit and tender humor. Within the mutual awareness, the young girl said,“Yes, that is how I am.” Jessica could only accept the words, not respond to them.“You’ll have it all soon, Jessica,” the inward image said. This is hallucination, Jessica told herself.“You know better than that,” the inward image said.“Swiftly now, do not fight me. There isn’t much time. We....” There came a long pause, then:“You should’ve told us you were pregnant!” Jessica found the voice that talked within the mutual awareness.“Why?”“This changes both of you! Holy Mother, what have we done?” Jessica sensed a forced shift in the mutual awareness, saw another mote- presence with the inward eye. The other mote darted wildly here, there, circling. It radiated pure terror.“You’ll have to be strong,” the old Reverend Mother’s image- presence said.“:Previous Entities: |Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image| ::: Jessica,” ","Jessica.F Reverend Mother Ramallo.F" that these owls wear no battle claws?”,46922,46939,True,199:the High Tyto.?,"the land of the legendary warriors. And it was the old Screech who had probably taught them the trick with the fire. This owl had to be theirs. Throughout all the kingdoms of owls, this one— the one they called Ezylryb— or sometimes Lyze, was the most renowned. It was said that he possessed powers and knowledge that were unimaginable. The Pure Ones needed him. He might not be a Tyto but they needed him nonetheless. And they would get him. And once they got him they would crypt him and then they would truly possess him.“Your Pureness, the Great Gray looks fierce. He might be a problem.”“A problem?” the High Tyto said slowly in a voice that frightened the Sooty Owl who had just spoken.“Has it escaped your notice, Wortmore, that these owls wear no battle claws?”“That’s right, sir. Never thought of that.” Wortmore’s voice quivered.“Prepare to attack!” Nine owls, all with heart- shaped faces, some dusky, some pure white, and one with a metal mask, unlocked the talons of their battle claws. CHAPTER TWENTY Attack! Ezylryb stood with the two members of his chaw and the others in a circle on the ground as they watched the bag burn. As the last of the flecks glowed with an almost white heat, there was a feeling of great release. The chains that had bound the triangle had been broken and then it was as if the links of those chains had simply melted into the thin air of the night. Soren was still reeling with disbelief. They had never in their",the High Tyto,"a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls","the land of the legendary warriors. And it was the old Screech who had probably taught them the trick with the fire. This owl had to be theirs. Throughout all the kingdoms of owls, this one— the one they called Ezylryb— or sometimes Lyze, was the most renowned. It was said that he possessed powers and knowledge that were unimaginable. The Pure Ones needed him. He might not be a Tyto but they needed him nonetheless. And they would get him. And once they got him they would crypt him and then they would truly possess him.“Your Pureness, the Great Gray looks fierce. He might be a problem.”“A problem?” the High Tyto said slowly in a voice that frightened the Sooty Owl who had just spoken.“Has it escaped your notice, Wortmore, that these owls wear no battle claws?”“That’s right, sir. Never thought of that.” Wortmore’s voice quivered.“Prepare to attack!” Nine owls, all with heart- shaped faces, some dusky, some pure white, and one with a metal mask, unlocked the talons of their battle claws. CHAPTER TWENTY Attack! Ezylryb stood with the two members of his chaw and the others in a circle on the ground as they watched the bag burn. As the last of the flecks glowed with an almost white heat, there was a feeling of great release. The chains that had bound the triangle had been broken and then it was as if the links of those chains had simply melted into the thin air of the night. Soren was still reeling with disbelief. They had never in their:Previous Entities: |a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls| ::: that these owls wear no battle claws?” ",High Tyto.M "“Must be damned trusted messengers,”",85677,85684,True,414:the Sardaukar.?,"that’s the great Red Duke.” If I had doubts about what this man is, that would end them, Yueh thought. Only the Emperor calls the Atreides the Red Dukes. The Sardaukar reached down, cut the red hawk insignia from Leto’s uniform.“Little souvenir,” he said.“Where’s the ducal signet ring?”“He doesn’t have it on him,” Yueh said.“I can see that!” the Sardaukar snapped. Yueh stiffened, swallowed. If they press me, bring in a Truthsayer, they’ll find out about the ring, about the’ thopter I prepared— all will fail.“Sometimes the Duke sent the ring with a messenger as surety that an order came directly from him,” Yueh said.“Must be damned trusted messengers,” the Sardaukar muttered.“Aren’t you going to tie him?” Yueh ventured.“How long’ll he be unconscious?”“Two hours or so. I wasn’t as precise with his dosage as I was for the woman and boy.” The Sardaukar spurned the Duke with his toe.“This was nothing to fear even when awake. When will the woman and boy awaken?”“About ten minutes.”“So soon?”“I was told the Baron would arrive immediately behind his men.”“So he will. You’ll wait outside, Yueh.” He shot a hard glance at Yueh.“Now!” Yueh glanced at Leto.“What about....”“He’ll be delivered to the Baron all properly trussed like a",the Sardaukar,"her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar","that’s the great Red Duke.” If I had doubts about what this man is, that would end them, Yueh thought. Only the Emperor calls the Atreides the Red Dukes. The Sardaukar reached down, cut the red hawk insignia from Leto’s uniform.“Little souvenir,” he said.“Where’s the ducal signet ring?”“He doesn’t have it on him,” Yueh said.“I can see that!” the Sardaukar snapped. Yueh stiffened, swallowed. If they press me, bring in a Truthsayer, they’ll find out about the ring, about the’ thopter I prepared— all will fail.“Sometimes the Duke sent the ring with a messenger as surety that an order came directly from him,” Yueh said.“Must be damned trusted messengers,” the Sardaukar muttered.“Aren’t you going to tie him?” Yueh ventured.“How long’ll he be unconscious?”“Two hours or so. I wasn’t as precise with his dosage as I was for the woman and boy.” The Sardaukar spurned the Duke with his toe.“This was nothing to fear even when awake. When will the woman and boy awaken?”“About ten minutes.”“So soon?”“I was told the Baron would arrive immediately behind his men.”“So he will. You’ll wait outside, Yueh.” He shot a hard glance at Yueh.“Now!” Yueh glanced at Leto.“What about....”“He’ll be delivered to the Baron all properly trussed like a:Previous Entities: |her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar| ::: “Must be damned trusted messengers,” ",Sardaukar.M "as the most advanced third- degree picker,",16389,16463,True,478:Number 47 - 2.F,"And besides all the delicious meals, there were stories— stories of flight, of learning to fly, of the feeling that must be deep in their gizzards in order to rise on the wind. Number 47- 2 stepped up to them and, in her weirdly hollow voice, she began to speak.“I am what is called a third- degree picker. I pick through the pellets for the larger objects— pebbles, bone, and teeth mostly. Seconddegree pickers pick for feathers and fur. First- degree pickers pick for flecks. This is a fleck.” 47- 2 pointed with her talon to the tiniest speck that glinted in an open pellet.“It is a kind of metal.” She paused.“Or something,” she added vaguely.“You need not know what they are. You need only know that flecks are precious, more precious than gold. To become a fleck picker is the highest level of skill in the pelletorium. Tomorrow I shall be advanced one level. I shall be a second- degree picker. Therefore, as the most advanced third- degree picker, it is my task to instruct you.” And then the owlet blinked. She began humming the dreadful song.“It is best when beginning as a picker to use your beak. Your talons can be used to steady the pellet. Each object you find is to be lined up neatly on the stone ledge— your work area. Failure to line up objects neatly is a most serious offense. Offenders are severely punished, as shall be demonstrated during our laughter therapy sessions.” Soren and Gylfie had no idea what this owlet was talking about. Laughter therapy?“Do your work diligently and you, too, may be advanced someday.” The owlet then stepped up to the ledge, which was covered with pellets, and bent over one.“Proceed. It is strictly forbidden to use your own pellets in this",Number 47 - 2,"the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2","And besides all the delicious meals, there were stories— stories of flight, of learning to fly, of the feeling that must be deep in their gizzards in order to rise on the wind. Number 47- 2 stepped up to them and, in her weirdly hollow voice, she began to speak.“I am what is called a third- degree picker. I pick through the pellets for the larger objects— pebbles, bone, and teeth mostly. Seconddegree pickers pick for feathers and fur. First- degree pickers pick for flecks. This is a fleck.” 47- 2 pointed with her talon to the tiniest speck that glinted in an open pellet.“It is a kind of metal.” She paused.“Or something,” she added vaguely.“You need not know what they are. You need only know that flecks are precious, more precious than gold. To become a fleck picker is the highest level of skill in the pelletorium. Tomorrow I shall be advanced one level. I shall be a second- degree picker. Therefore, as the most advanced third- degree picker, it is my task to instruct you.” And then the owlet blinked. She began humming the dreadful song.“It is best when beginning as a picker to use your beak. Your talons can be used to steady the pellet. Each object you find is to be lined up neatly on the stone ledge— your work area. Failure to line up objects neatly is a most serious offense. Offenders are severely punished, as shall be demonstrated during our laughter therapy sessions.” Soren and Gylfie had no idea what this owlet was talking about. Laughter therapy?“Do your work diligently and you, too, may be advanced someday.” The owlet then stepped up to the ledge, which was covered with pellets, and bent over one.“Proceed. It is strictly forbidden to use your own pellets in this:Previous Entities: |the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2| ::: as the most advanced third- degree picker, ",Number 47-2. F "‘ No,",5640,5645,True,339:the girls.?,"their work had not been entirely in vain and Tiffany was ready for the next question, which came from Becky again.‘ So, do you have a beau, miss?’‘ Not right at the moment,’ Tiffany said briskly, clamping down on her expression lest it give anything away. She held up the little bouquet.‘ But who knows, if you’ve made this properly, then I’ll get another one, and in that case you will be better witches than me, that is for certain.’ They both beamed at this dreadful piece of outright flannel, and it stopped the questions.‘ And now,’ said Tiffany,‘ the cheese rolling will be starting at any minute. I’m sure you won’t want to miss that.’‘ No, miss,’ they said in unison. Just before they left, full of relief and self- importance, Becky patted Tiffany on her hand.‘ Beaus can be very difficult, miss,’ she said with the assurance of, to Tiffany’s certain knowledge, eight years in the world.‘ Thank you,’ said Tiffany.‘ I shall definitely bear that in mind.’ When it came to the entertainment offered at the fair, such as people making faces through a horse collar or fighting with pillows on the greasy pole or even the bobbing for frogs, well, Tiffany could take them or leave them alone, and in fact much preferred to leave them alone. But she always liked to see a good cheese roll– that is to say, a good cheese roll all the",the girls,"Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky","their work had not been entirely in vain and Tiffany was ready for the next question, which came from Becky again.‘ So, do you have a beau, miss?’‘ Not right at the moment,’ Tiffany said briskly, clamping down on her expression lest it give anything away. She held up the little bouquet.‘ But who knows, if you’ve made this properly, then I’ll get another one, and in that case you will be better witches than me, that is for certain.’ They both beamed at this dreadful piece of outright flannel, and it stopped the questions.‘ And now,’ said Tiffany,‘ the cheese rolling will be starting at any minute. I’m sure you won’t want to miss that.’‘ No, miss,’ they said in unison. Just before they left, full of relief and self- importance, Becky patted Tiffany on her hand.‘ Beaus can be very difficult, miss,’ she said with the assurance of, to Tiffany’s certain knowledge, eight years in the world.‘ Thank you,’ said Tiffany.‘ I shall definitely bear that in mind.’ When it came to the entertainment offered at the fair, such as people making faces through a horse collar or fighting with pillows on the greasy pole or even the bobbing for frogs, well, Tiffany could take them or leave them alone, and in fact much preferred to leave them alone. But she always liked to see a good cheese roll– that is to say, a good cheese roll all the:Previous Entities: |Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky| ::: ‘ No, ",Becky.F "“Standing here tonight I am reminded of the story about the three- legged pedlar and the,",7118,7149,True,138:Wayzygoose.M,"circles of nothingness was quite so bad as a couple of hundred expectant faces staring up at him through the cigar smoke. The heralds would soon be coming by to collect him. He sighed and pushed his pudding away untasted, crossed the room, stood in front of the big mirror, and fumbled in the pocket of the robe for his notes. After a while he managed to get them in some sort of order and cleared his throat.“My brothers in art,” he began,“I can not tell you how much I— er, how much… fine traditions of this ancient university… er… as I look around me and see the pictures of Archchancellors gone before…” He paused, sorted through his notes again, and plunged on rather more certainly.“Standing here tonight I am reminded of the story about the three- legged pedlar and the, er, merchant’s daughters. It seems that this merchant…” There was a knock at the door.“Enter,” Wayzygoose barked, and peered at the notes carefully.“This merchant,” he muttered,“this merchant, yes, this merchant had three daughters. I think it was. Yes. It was three. It would appear…” He looked into the mirror, and turned round. He started to say,“Who are y—” And found that there are things worse than making speeches, after all. The small dark figure creeping along the deserted corridors heard the noise, and didn’t take too much notice. Unpleasant noises were not uncommon in areas where magic was commonly practiced. The figure was looking for something. It wasn’t sure what it was, only that it would know it when it",Wayzygoose,"Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose","circles of nothingness was quite so bad as a couple of hundred expectant faces staring up at him through the cigar smoke. The heralds would soon be coming by to collect him. He sighed and pushed his pudding away untasted, crossed the room, stood in front of the big mirror, and fumbled in the pocket of the robe for his notes. After a while he managed to get them in some sort of order and cleared his throat.“My brothers in art,” he began,“I can not tell you how much I— er, how much… fine traditions of this ancient university… er… as I look around me and see the pictures of Archchancellors gone before…” He paused, sorted through his notes again, and plunged on rather more certainly.“Standing here tonight I am reminded of the story about the three- legged pedlar and the, er, merchant’s daughters. It seems that this merchant…” There was a knock at the door.“Enter,” Wayzygoose barked, and peered at the notes carefully.“This merchant,” he muttered,“this merchant, yes, this merchant had three daughters. I think it was. Yes. It was three. It would appear…” He looked into the mirror, and turned round. He started to say,“Who are y—” And found that there are things worse than making speeches, after all. The small dark figure creeping along the deserted corridors heard the noise, and didn’t take too much notice. Unpleasant noises were not uncommon in areas where magic was commonly practiced. The figure was looking for something. It wasn’t sure what it was, only that it would know it when it:Previous Entities: |Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose| ::: “Standing here tonight I am reminded of the story about the three- legged pedlar and the, ",Wayzygoose.M "Furious,",43464,43517,True,249:Potter.?,",’ mused Fleur, examining her own stunning reflection in the back of a teaspoon.‘ A big mistake, if you ask–’‘ Yes, thank you,’ said Mrs Weasley tartly, cutting across Fleur again.‘ You’d better get on, Harry, I want the trunks ready tonight, if possible, so we don’t have the usual last- minute scramble.’ And in fact, their departure the following morning was smoother than usual. The Ministry cars glided up to the front of The Burrow to find them waiting: trunks packed, Hermione’s cat, Crookshanks, safely enclosed in his travelling basket, and Hedwig, Ron’s owl Pigwidgeon, and Ginny’s new purple Pygmy Puff, Arnold, in cages.‘ Au revoir,’ Arry,’ said Fleur throatily, kissing him goodbye. Ron hurried forwards, looking hopeful, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell, sprawling in the dust at Fleur’s feet. Furious, red- faced and dirt- spattered, he hurried into the car without saying goodbye. There was no cheerful Hagrid waiting for them at King’s Cross Station. Instead, two grim- faced, bearded Aurors in dark Muggle suits moved forwards the moment the cars stopped and, flanking the party, marched them into the station without speaking.‘ Quick, quick, through the barrier,’ said Mrs Weasley, who seemed a little flustered by this austere efficiency.‘ Harry had better go first, with–’ She looked enquiringly at one of the Aurors, who nodded briefly, seized Harry’s upper arm and attempted to steer him towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten.‘ I can walk, thanks,’ said Harry irritably, jerking his arm out of the Auror’s grip. He pushed his trolley directly at the solid barrier, ignoring his silent companion",Potter,"Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin",",’ mused Fleur, examining her own stunning reflection in the back of a teaspoon.‘ A big mistake, if you ask–’‘ Yes, thank you,’ said Mrs Weasley tartly, cutting across Fleur again.‘ You’d better get on, Harry, I want the trunks ready tonight, if possible, so we don’t have the usual last- minute scramble.’ And in fact, their departure the following morning was smoother than usual. The Ministry cars glided up to the front of The Burrow to find them waiting: trunks packed, Hermione’s cat, Crookshanks, safely enclosed in his travelling basket, and Hedwig, Ron’s owl Pigwidgeon, and Ginny’s new purple Pygmy Puff, Arnold, in cages.‘ Au revoir,’ Arry,’ said Fleur throatily, kissing him goodbye. Ron hurried forwards, looking hopeful, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell, sprawling in the dust at Fleur’s feet. Furious, red- faced and dirt- spattered, he hurried into the car without saying goodbye. There was no cheerful Hagrid waiting for them at King’s Cross Station. Instead, two grim- faced, bearded Aurors in dark Muggle suits moved forwards the moment the cars stopped and, flanking the party, marched them into the station without speaking.‘ Quick, quick, through the barrier,’ said Mrs Weasley, who seemed a little flustered by this austere efficiency.‘ Harry had better go first, with–’ She looked enquiringly at one of the Aurors, who nodded briefly, seized Harry’s upper arm and attempted to steer him towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten.‘ I can walk, thanks,’ said Harry irritably, jerking his arm out of the Auror’s grip. He pushed his trolley directly at the solid barrier, ignoring his silent companion:Previous Entities: |Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin| ::: Furious, ",Harry.M "“No need to yell,”",25428,25434,True,850:the older man.?,"one on his right, who had a high, whiny voice.“A kid wouldn’t come down in such a place alone.” He gave Doon’s arm a vicious squeeze. Doon yelped.“Don’t hurt him, Yorick, you brainless bucket,” said the one called Pa.“We can use him. Don’t want him crippled.” He tugged Doon’s other arm.“So who came with you, boy? We know you didn’t come alone.”“I did come alone! I’m by myself!” Doon shouted it at the top of his voice, hoping Lina could hear him and wouldn’t come flying to his rescue. Stay hidden, he thought at her. Help me, but don’t let them see you.“No need to yell,” said the older man.“We’re not deaf.” But Doon was desperate to let Lina know that she mustn’t come after him. She wouldn’t be strong enough to get him free; they’d only capture her, too. She needed to go back to Sparks for help. He had to tell her that somehow. He could think of only one way to do it. They turned down Otterwill Street. Doon threw himself into a frenzy of yanking and pulling and wrenching, at the same time yelling up a storm.“GET AWAY from me,” he cried out, making the first two words much louder than the second two.“I want to GO HOME! GET your hands off me. HELP!” What Lina would hear— he hoped",the older man,"the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer","one on his right, who had a high, whiny voice.“A kid wouldn’t come down in such a place alone.” He gave Doon’s arm a vicious squeeze. Doon yelped.“Don’t hurt him, Yorick, you brainless bucket,” said the one called Pa.“We can use him. Don’t want him crippled.” He tugged Doon’s other arm.“So who came with you, boy? We know you didn’t come alone.”“I did come alone! I’m by myself!” Doon shouted it at the top of his voice, hoping Lina could hear him and wouldn’t come flying to his rescue. Stay hidden, he thought at her. Help me, but don’t let them see you.“No need to yell,” said the older man.“We’re not deaf.” But Doon was desperate to let Lina know that she mustn’t come after him. She wouldn’t be strong enough to get him free; they’d only capture her, too. She needed to go back to Sparks for help. He had to tell her that somehow. He could think of only one way to do it. They turned down Otterwill Street. Doon threw himself into a frenzy of yanking and pulling and wrenching, at the same time yelling up a storm.“GET AWAY from me,” he cried out, making the first two words much louder than the second two.“I want to GO HOME! GET your hands off me. HELP!” What Lina would hear— he hoped:Previous Entities: |the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer| ::: “No need to yell,” ",Pa.M "“You did that on remarkably few clues,”",5313,5322,True,372:The Reverend Mother.F,"counterfeit a human mind.’ Have you studied the Mentat in your service?”“I’ve studied with Thufir Hawat.”“The Great Revolt took away a crutch,” she said.“It forced human minds to develop. Schools were started to train human talents.”“Bene Gesserit schools?” She nodded.“We have two chief survivors of those ancient schools: the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild. The Guild, so we think, emphasizes almost pure mathematics. Bene Gesserit performs another function.”“Politics,” he said.“Kull wahad!” the old woman said. She sent a hard glance at Jessica.“I’ve not told him, Your Reverence,” Jessica said. The Reverend Mother returned her attention to Paul.“You did that on remarkably few clues,” she said.“Politics indeed. The original Bene Gesserit school was directed by those who saw the need of a thread of continuity in human affairs. They saw there could be no such continuity without separating human stock from animal stock— for breeding purposes.” The old woman’s words abruptly lost their special sharpness for Paul. He felt an offense against what his mother called his instinct for rightness. It wasn’t that Reverend Mother lied to him. She obviously believed what she said. It was something deeper, something tied to his terrible purpose. He said:“But my mother tells me many Bene Gesserit of the schools don’t know their ancestry.”“The genetic lines are always in our records,” she said.“Your mother knows that either she’s",The Reverend Mother,"Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother","counterfeit a human mind.’ Have you studied the Mentat in your service?”“I’ve studied with Thufir Hawat.”“The Great Revolt took away a crutch,” she said.“It forced human minds to develop. Schools were started to train human talents.”“Bene Gesserit schools?” She nodded.“We have two chief survivors of those ancient schools: the Bene Gesserit and the Spacing Guild. The Guild, so we think, emphasizes almost pure mathematics. Bene Gesserit performs another function.”“Politics,” he said.“Kull wahad!” the old woman said. She sent a hard glance at Jessica.“I’ve not told him, Your Reverence,” Jessica said. The Reverend Mother returned her attention to Paul.“You did that on remarkably few clues,” she said.“Politics indeed. The original Bene Gesserit school was directed by those who saw the need of a thread of continuity in human affairs. They saw there could be no such continuity without separating human stock from animal stock— for breeding purposes.” The old woman’s words abruptly lost their special sharpness for Paul. He felt an offense against what his mother called his instinct for rightness. It wasn’t that Reverend Mother lied to him. She obviously believed what she said. It was something deeper, something tied to his terrible purpose. He said:“But my mother tells me many Bene Gesserit of the schools don’t know their ancestry.”“The genetic lines are always in our records,” she said.“Your mother knows that either she’s:Previous Entities: |Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother| ::: “You did that on remarkably few clues,” ",The Reverend Mother.F "Other times,",23180,23272,True,217:Blue.?,"irreversible. So we probably couldn't have kept her. Of course, that doesn't change anything."" I said,"" Why'd the intern give penicillin in the first place?"""" That's a peculiarity of hospital procedure,"" Carr said."" It's a kind of routine around here for certain presenting symptoms. Normally when we get a girl with evidence of a vaginal bleed and a high fever— possible infection— we give the girl a D& C, put her to bed, and stick her a shot of antibiotic. Send 5 Intramuscularly. 6 Blue. her home the next day, usually. And it goes down on the charts as miscarriage."""" Is that the final diagnosis on Karen Randall's record? Miscarriage?"" Carr nodded."" Spontaneous. We always put it down that way, because if we do that, we don't have to fool with the police. We see quite a few self- induced or illegally induced abortions here. Sometimes the girls come in with so much vaginal soap they foam like overloaded dishwashers. Other times, it's bleeding. In every case, the girl is hysterical and full of wild lies. We just take care of it quietly and send her on her way."""" And never report it to the police?""7"" We're doctors, not law- enforcement officers. We see about a hundred girls a year this way. If we reported every one, we'd all spend our time in court testifying and not practicing medicine."""" But doesn't the law require—"""" Of course,"" Carr said quickly."" The law requires that we report it. The law also requires that we report assaults, but if we reported every drunk who got into a bar brawl, we'd never hear the end of it. No emergency ward reports everything it should. You just can't operate on that basis."""" But if there's been an abortion—"""" Look at it logically,"" Carr said."" A significant",Blue,"the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue","irreversible. So we probably couldn't have kept her. Of course, that doesn't change anything."" I said,"" Why'd the intern give penicillin in the first place?"""" That's a peculiarity of hospital procedure,"" Carr said."" It's a kind of routine around here for certain presenting symptoms. Normally when we get a girl with evidence of a vaginal bleed and a high fever— possible infection— we give the girl a D& C, put her to bed, and stick her a shot of antibiotic. Send 5 Intramuscularly. 6 Blue. her home the next day, usually. And it goes down on the charts as miscarriage."""" Is that the final diagnosis on Karen Randall's record? Miscarriage?"" Carr nodded."" Spontaneous. We always put it down that way, because if we do that, we don't have to fool with the police. We see quite a few self- induced or illegally induced abortions here. Sometimes the girls come in with so much vaginal soap they foam like overloaded dishwashers. Other times, it's bleeding. In every case, the girl is hysterical and full of wild lies. We just take care of it quietly and send her on her way."""" And never report it to the police?""7"" We're doctors, not law- enforcement officers. We see about a hundred girls a year this way. If we reported every one, we'd all spend our time in court testifying and not practicing medicine."""" But doesn't the law require—"""" Of course,"" Carr said quickly."" The law requires that we report it. The law also requires that we report assaults, but if we reported every drunk who got into a bar brawl, we'd never hear the end of it. No emergency ward reports everything it should. You just can't operate on that basis."""" But if there's been an abortion—"""" Look at it logically,"" Carr said."" A significant:Previous Entities: |the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner, the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue| ::: Other times, ",Carr.M and this would be a bad time for her to be missing work.',119742,119774,True,4160:the redheaded guy.M,"- like patches. When we shook, his hand seemed to be all knuckles. He had to be at least thirty, but he looked Mattie's age, and I guessed it would be another five years before he was able to get a drink without showing his driver's license.' Sit down,' he said.' We've got a five- course lunch, courtesy of Castle Rock Variety— grinders, which are for some strange reason called' Italian sandwiches' up here... mozzarella sticks... garlic fries... Twinkies.'' That's only four,' I said.' I forgot the soft- drink course,' he said, and pulled three long- neck bottles of S'OK birch beer out of a brown bag.' Let's eat. Mattie runs the library from two to eight on Fridays and Saturdays, and this would be a bad time for her to be missing work.'' How did the readers' circle go last night?' I asked.' Lindy Briggs didn't eat you alive, I see.' She laughed, clasped her hands, and shook them over her head.' I was a hit! An absolute smashola! I didn't dare tell them I got all my best insights from you—'' Thank God for small favors,' Storrow said. He was freeing his own sandwich from its string and butcher- paper wrapping, doing it carefully and a little dubiously, using just the tips of his fingers.'— so I said I looked in a couple of books and found some leads there. It was sort of wonderful. I felt like a college kid.'' Good.'' Bissonette?'",the redheaded guy,"the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy","- like patches. When we shook, his hand seemed to be all knuckles. He had to be at least thirty, but he looked Mattie's age, and I guessed it would be another five years before he was able to get a drink without showing his driver's license.' Sit down,' he said.' We've got a five- course lunch, courtesy of Castle Rock Variety— grinders, which are for some strange reason called' Italian sandwiches' up here... mozzarella sticks... garlic fries... Twinkies.'' That's only four,' I said.' I forgot the soft- drink course,' he said, and pulled three long- neck bottles of S'OK birch beer out of a brown bag.' Let's eat. Mattie runs the library from two to eight on Fridays and Saturdays, and this would be a bad time for her to be missing work.'' How did the readers' circle go last night?' I asked.' Lindy Briggs didn't eat you alive, I see.' She laughed, clasped her hands, and shook them over her head.' I was a hit! An absolute smashola! I didn't dare tell them I got all my best insights from you—'' Thank God for small favors,' Storrow said. He was freeing his own sandwich from its string and butcher- paper wrapping, doing it carefully and a little dubiously, using just the tips of his fingers.'— so I said I looked in a couple of books and found some leads there. It was sort of wonderful. I felt like a college kid.'' Good.'' Bissonette?':Previous Entities: |the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy| ::: and this would be a bad time for her to be missing work.' ",Storrow.M it’s bad enough being ugly when you’re alive.,36008,36040,True,1440:the sculptor.M,", with some uncertainty,“he did look a bit ugly compared to the frescoes.”“That’s the point, isn’t it,” said Dil meaningfully. Gern’s big honest spotty face changed slowly, like a cratered landscape with clouds passing across it. It was dawning on him that this came under the heading of initiation into ancient craft secrets.“You mean even the painters change the—” he began. Dil frowned at him.“We don’t talk about it,” he said. Gern tried to force his features into an expression of worthy seriousness.“Oh,” he said.“Yes. I see, master.” The sculptor clapped him on the back.“You’re a bright lad, Gern,” he said.“You catch on. After all, it’s bad enough being ugly when you’re alive. Think how terrible it would be to be ugly in the Netherworld.” King Teppicymon XXVII shook his head. We all have to look alike when we’re alive, he thought, and now they make sure we’re identical when we’re dead. What a kingdom. He looked down and saw the soul of the late cat, which was washing itself. When he was alive he’d hated the things, but just now it seemed positively companionable. He patted it gingerly on its flat head. It purred for a moment, and then attempted to strip the flesh from his hand. It was on a definite hiding to nothing there. He was aware with growing horror that the trio was now discussing a pyramid. His pyramid. It was going to be the biggest one ever. It was going to go on a highly fertile piece of sloping ground",the sculptor,"Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor",", with some uncertainty,“he did look a bit ugly compared to the frescoes.”“That’s the point, isn’t it,” said Dil meaningfully. Gern’s big honest spotty face changed slowly, like a cratered landscape with clouds passing across it. It was dawning on him that this came under the heading of initiation into ancient craft secrets.“You mean even the painters change the—” he began. Dil frowned at him.“We don’t talk about it,” he said. Gern tried to force his features into an expression of worthy seriousness.“Oh,” he said.“Yes. I see, master.” The sculptor clapped him on the back.“You’re a bright lad, Gern,” he said.“You catch on. After all, it’s bad enough being ugly when you’re alive. Think how terrible it would be to be ugly in the Netherworld.” King Teppicymon XXVII shook his head. We all have to look alike when we’re alive, he thought, and now they make sure we’re identical when we’re dead. What a kingdom. He looked down and saw the soul of the late cat, which was washing itself. When he was alive he’d hated the things, but just now it seemed positively companionable. He patted it gingerly on its flat head. It purred for a moment, and then attempted to strip the flesh from his hand. It was on a definite hiding to nothing there. He was aware with growing horror that the trio was now discussing a pyramid. His pyramid. It was going to be the biggest one ever. It was going to go on a highly fertile piece of sloping ground:Previous Entities: |Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor| ::: it’s bad enough being ugly when you’re alive. ","Gern.M Dil.M King Teppicymon XXVII.M" “Even about 1918?”,37010,37015,True,2142:the Citibank guy.?,"Lynch guy said,“I was in lymphokines five years ago. Never made a dime.” Then the Citibank guy said,“What about cytokine storms?” Cytokine storms. Christ, Rick thought. He blew his putt.“Well,” he said,“cytokine storms are really just a speculative concept. The idea is that in certain rare circumstances, the immune system overreacts and attacks the body, causing multiple organ systems to fail—”“Isn’t that what happened in the influenza epidemic of 1918?”“A few academics have said so, but they all work for drug companies that market competing products.”“You’re saying it might not be true?”“You have to be very careful about what universities tell you, nowadays.”“Even about 1918?”“Disinformation takes many forms,” Rick said, picking up his ball.“The truth is cytokines are the wave of the future, they are fast- tracked for clinical testing and product development, and they offer the fastest return on investment of all the product lines out there today. That’s why I made cytokines my first acquisition at BioGen. And we have just won the litigation that surrounded—”“They won’t appeal? I heard they were.”“The judge’s ruling took the fight out of them.”“But haven’t people died from gene transfers that provoked a cytokine storm? Haven’t a lot of people died?” Rick sighed.“Not so many…”“What? Fifty, a hundred, something like that?”",the Citibank guy,"Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy","Lynch guy said,“I was in lymphokines five years ago. Never made a dime.” Then the Citibank guy said,“What about cytokine storms?” Cytokine storms. Christ, Rick thought. He blew his putt.“Well,” he said,“cytokine storms are really just a speculative concept. The idea is that in certain rare circumstances, the immune system overreacts and attacks the body, causing multiple organ systems to fail—”“Isn’t that what happened in the influenza epidemic of 1918?”“A few academics have said so, but they all work for drug companies that market competing products.”“You’re saying it might not be true?”“You have to be very careful about what universities tell you, nowadays.”“Even about 1918?”“Disinformation takes many forms,” Rick said, picking up his ball.“The truth is cytokines are the wave of the future, they are fast- tracked for clinical testing and product development, and they offer the fastest return on investment of all the product lines out there today. That’s why I made cytokines my first acquisition at BioGen. And we have just won the litigation that surrounded—”“They won’t appeal? I heard they were.”“The judge’s ruling took the fight out of them.”“But haven’t people died from gene transfers that provoked a cytokine storm? Haven’t a lot of people died?” Rick sighed.“Not so many…”“What? Fifty, a hundred, something like that?”:Previous Entities: |Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy| ::: “Even about 1918?” ",Rick.M "But I doubt they could withstand a direct hit with a multimeg nuclear device,",7041,7060,True,558:the Pentagon man.M,"Anyway, it's a possibility. Think about it."" Norman promised he would think about it. The Pentagon liaison, a Major General, took him to lunch and over coffee casually asked,"" What sorts of armaments do you see these aliens having?"""" I'm not sure,"" Norman said."" Well, that's the crux of it, isn't it? And what about their vulnerabilities? I mean, the aliens might not even be human at all."""" No, they might not."""" They might be like giant insects. Your insects can withstand a lot of radiation."""" Yes,"" Norman said."" We might not be able to touch these aliens,"" the Pentagon man said gloomily. Then he brightened."" But I doubt they could withstand a direct hit with a multimeg nuclear device, do you?"""" No,"" Norman said."" I don't think they could."""" It'd vaporize'em."""" Sure."""" Laws of physics."""" Right."""" Your report must make that point clearly. About the nuclear vulnerability of these aliens."""" Yes,"" Norman said."" We don't want to start a panic,"" the Pentagon man said."" No sense getting everyone upset, is there? I know the JCS will be reassured to hear the aliens are vulnerable to our nuclear weapons."""" I'll keep that in mind,"" Norman said. Eventually, the meetings ended, and he was left to write his report. And as he reviewed the published speculations on extraterrestrial life, he decided that the Major",the Pentagon man,"my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man","Anyway, it's a possibility. Think about it."" Norman promised he would think about it. The Pentagon liaison, a Major General, took him to lunch and over coffee casually asked,"" What sorts of armaments do you see these aliens having?"""" I'm not sure,"" Norman said."" Well, that's the crux of it, isn't it? And what about their vulnerabilities? I mean, the aliens might not even be human at all."""" No, they might not."""" They might be like giant insects. Your insects can withstand a lot of radiation."""" Yes,"" Norman said."" We might not be able to touch these aliens,"" the Pentagon man said gloomily. Then he brightened."" But I doubt they could withstand a direct hit with a multimeg nuclear device, do you?"""" No,"" Norman said."" I don't think they could."""" It'd vaporize'em."""" Sure."""" Laws of physics."""" Right."""" Your report must make that point clearly. About the nuclear vulnerability of these aliens."""" Yes,"" Norman said."" We don't want to start a panic,"" the Pentagon man said."" No sense getting everyone upset, is there? I know the JCS will be reassured to hear the aliens are vulnerable to our nuclear weapons."""" I'll keep that in mind,"" Norman said. Eventually, the meetings ended, and he was left to write his report. And as he reviewed the published speculations on extraterrestrial life, he decided that the Major:Previous Entities: |my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man| ::: But I doubt they could withstand a direct hit with a multimeg nuclear device, ",Pentagon man.M “Northmen”,58572,58574,True,191:Ibn Fadlan.M,"killing a nomad leader’s horses is the approximate equivalent of modern death- taxes; that is, it tends to retard the accumulation of inherited wealth in a family. Although demanded by religion, this could not have been a popular practice, any more than it is during the present day. Ibn Fadlan most astutely demonstrates the way it is imposed upon the reluctant.”[ 3] Actually, Ibn Fadlan’s word for them here was“Rus,” the name of this particular tribe of Northmen. In the text, he sometimes calls the Scandinavians by their particular tribal name, and sometimes he calls them“Varangians” as a generic term. Historians now reserve the term Varangian for the Scandinavian mercenaries employed by the Byzantine Empire. To avoid confusion, in this translation the terms“Northmen” and“Norsemen” are everywhere employed.[ 4] Arabs have always been uneasy about translating the Koran. The earliest sheiks held that the holy book could not be translated, an injunction apparently based on religious considerations. But everyone who has attempted a translation agrees for the most secular reasons: Arabic is by nature a succinct language, and the Koran is composed as poetry and therefore even more concentrated. The difficulties of conveying literal meaning— to say nothing of the grace and elegance of the original Arabic— have led translators to preface their work with prolonged and abject apologies. At the same time, Islam is an active, expansive way of thought, and the tenth century was one of its peak periods of dissemination. This expansion inevitably necessitated translations for the use of new converts,",Ibn Fadlan,"Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich","killing a nomad leader’s horses is the approximate equivalent of modern death- taxes; that is, it tends to retard the accumulation of inherited wealth in a family. Although demanded by religion, this could not have been a popular practice, any more than it is during the present day. Ibn Fadlan most astutely demonstrates the way it is imposed upon the reluctant.”[ 3] Actually, Ibn Fadlan’s word for them here was“Rus,” the name of this particular tribe of Northmen. In the text, he sometimes calls the Scandinavians by their particular tribal name, and sometimes he calls them“Varangians” as a generic term. Historians now reserve the term Varangian for the Scandinavian mercenaries employed by the Byzantine Empire. To avoid confusion, in this translation the terms“Northmen” and“Norsemen” are everywhere employed.[ 4] Arabs have always been uneasy about translating the Koran. The earliest sheiks held that the holy book could not be translated, an injunction apparently based on religious considerations. But everyone who has attempted a translation agrees for the most secular reasons: Arabic is by nature a succinct language, and the Koran is composed as poetry and therefore even more concentrated. The difficulties of conveying literal meaning— to say nothing of the grace and elegance of the original Arabic— have led translators to preface their work with prolonged and abject apologies. At the same time, Islam is an active, expansive way of thought, and the tenth century was one of its peak periods of dissemination. This expansion inevitably necessitated translations for the use of new converts,:Previous Entities: |Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich| ::: “Northmen” ",Ibn Fadlan "Do I make myself clear?""",17892,17942,True,1070:the monk.M,"Gorly, his back bent by a lifetime's hard work, put their thoughts into words."" Solly acted as an instrument of God, bringing new life to our fields and food to our families. We owe him a debt of gratitude."" The other elders mumbled their agreement, fingered the wedge- shaped plow bottom, and marveled at the difference it made. A smile rippled the length of Grandfather Raswa's lips, and Solly felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Brother Parly, never at a loss for words, felt the need to reassert his authority.“Thank you, Elder Gorly. I agree with the judgment rendered by the council— and hereby dismiss the charges brought against Solly Raswa."""" However,"" the monk said, his face growing stern,"" our approval should not be construed as explicit or implicit approval for unrestrained tinkering. The Raswas would be well advised to fill Solly's days with good, honest work and to monitor the manner in which his evenings are spent. Do I make myself clear?"""" Very clear,"" Solly's father said, speaking for the first time."" It shall be as you say."""" Excellent,"" Parly responded, allowing an expression of benevolence to steal over his face."" All is as it should be. Let us pray."" The regional underpriest had walked the same route for more than ten years. His eye knew each nuance of the land, his ears knew the sounds the birds made, and his feet knew every dip in the road. It narrowed at the point where two great ridges came together, and became little more than a trail. The Harmony River roared below, splashed against rocky walls, and threw mist into the air. Mist that turned to a thin coating of ice— no small danger where",the monk,"The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa","Gorly, his back bent by a lifetime's hard work, put their thoughts into words."" Solly acted as an instrument of God, bringing new life to our fields and food to our families. We owe him a debt of gratitude."" The other elders mumbled their agreement, fingered the wedge- shaped plow bottom, and marveled at the difference it made. A smile rippled the length of Grandfather Raswa's lips, and Solly felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Brother Parly, never at a loss for words, felt the need to reassert his authority.“Thank you, Elder Gorly. I agree with the judgment rendered by the council— and hereby dismiss the charges brought against Solly Raswa."""" However,"" the monk said, his face growing stern,"" our approval should not be construed as explicit or implicit approval for unrestrained tinkering. The Raswas would be well advised to fill Solly's days with good, honest work and to monitor the manner in which his evenings are spent. Do I make myself clear?"""" Very clear,"" Solly's father said, speaking for the first time."" It shall be as you say."""" Excellent,"" Parly responded, allowing an expression of benevolence to steal over his face."" All is as it should be. Let us pray."" The regional underpriest had walked the same route for more than ten years. His eye knew each nuance of the land, his ears knew the sounds the birds made, and his feet knew every dip in the road. It narrowed at the point where two great ridges came together, and became little more than a trail. The Harmony River roared below, splashed against rocky walls, and threw mist into the air. Mist that turned to a thin coating of ice— no small danger where:Previous Entities: |The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa| ::: Do I make myself clear?"" ",Brother Parly.M "Food for the factionless,",50572,50637,True,1536:his older sister.F,"course she isn’t curious— she’s Abnegation. Curiosity is foreign to her. I introduce my mother to Will and Christina, and Christina introduces me to her mother and her sister. But when Will introduces me to Cara, his older sister, she gives me the kind of look that would wither a plant and does not extend her hand for me to shake. She glares at my mother.“I can’t believe that you associate with one of them, Will,” she says. My mother purses her lips, but of course, doesn’t say anything.“Cara,” says Will, frowning,“there’s no need to be rude.”“Oh, certainly not. Do you know what she is?” She points at my mother.“She’s a council member’s wife is what she is. She runs the‘ volunteer agency’ that supposedly helps the factionless. You think I don’t know that you’re just hoarding goods to distribute to your own faction while we don’t get fresh food for a month, huh? Food for the factionless, my eye.”“I’m sorry,” my mother says gently.“I believe you are mistaken.”“Mistaken. Ha,” Cara snaps.“I’m sure you’re exactly what you seem. A faction of happy- go- lucky do- gooders without a selfish bone in their bodies. Right.”“Don’t speak to my mother that way,” I say, my face hot. I clench my hands into fists.“Don’t say another word to her or I swear I will break your nose.”“Back off, Tris,” Will says.“You’re not going to punch my sister.”“Oh?” I say, raising both eyebrows.“You think so?”“No, you’re not.”",his older sister,"an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister","course she isn’t curious— she’s Abnegation. Curiosity is foreign to her. I introduce my mother to Will and Christina, and Christina introduces me to her mother and her sister. But when Will introduces me to Cara, his older sister, she gives me the kind of look that would wither a plant and does not extend her hand for me to shake. She glares at my mother.“I can’t believe that you associate with one of them, Will,” she says. My mother purses her lips, but of course, doesn’t say anything.“Cara,” says Will, frowning,“there’s no need to be rude.”“Oh, certainly not. Do you know what she is?” She points at my mother.“She’s a council member’s wife is what she is. She runs the‘ volunteer agency’ that supposedly helps the factionless. You think I don’t know that you’re just hoarding goods to distribute to your own faction while we don’t get fresh food for a month, huh? Food for the factionless, my eye.”“I’m sorry,” my mother says gently.“I believe you are mistaken.”“Mistaken. Ha,” Cara snaps.“I’m sure you’re exactly what you seem. A faction of happy- go- lucky do- gooders without a selfish bone in their bodies. Right.”“Don’t speak to my mother that way,” I say, my face hot. I clench my hands into fists.“Don’t say another word to her or I swear I will break your nose.”“Back off, Tris,” Will says.“You’re not going to punch my sister.”“Oh?” I say, raising both eyebrows.“You think so?”“No, you’re not.”:Previous Entities: |an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister| ::: Food for the factionless, ",Cara.F "12- 8,",19018,19040,True,514:The little owl.?,"the perfect hollow tones of the truly moon blinked.“Oh, it isn’t,” Soren said flatly.“Yes, how stupid of me. It’s that other word. Slips my mind right now.”“No, it doesn’t slip your mind. You don’t know. No one does.” 12- 8’s voice had turned brittle.“Top secret.”“Top secret.”“Top secret. I’ve got clearance.” The little owl swelled up now with pride.“Flight clearance.”“Absolutely not! That is stupid. I couldn’t have top secret clearance if I had flight clearance.” But don’t you want to fly? Soren was ready to scream the question. Just then, Finny returned.“Ah, 12- 8, you are doing a splendid job. What a little nurse you’ll make.”“My wings do feel a lot better,” Soren said sweetly, and marveled how deceptive he was quickly becoming. Oh, yes, his wings did feel better, but Soren had another idea, another question he wanted to throw out under the guise of a statement.“I’ll tell you the thing that really always perks me up and makes me feel just fine in the gizzard.”“Oh, that’s what we want, my dear,” Finny cooed.“A story. My favorite stories are the legends of Ga’Hoole. Yes, the Ga’Hoolian cycle, I think they are called.” A strange sound halfway between a yarp and the screech of a Screech Owl issued from Auntie Finny’s beak, and she crumpled into a dead faint.“Oh",The little owl,"Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton","the perfect hollow tones of the truly moon blinked.“Oh, it isn’t,” Soren said flatly.“Yes, how stupid of me. It’s that other word. Slips my mind right now.”“No, it doesn’t slip your mind. You don’t know. No one does.” 12- 8’s voice had turned brittle.“Top secret.”“Top secret.”“Top secret. I’ve got clearance.” The little owl swelled up now with pride.“Flight clearance.”“Absolutely not! That is stupid. I couldn’t have top secret clearance if I had flight clearance.” But don’t you want to fly? Soren was ready to scream the question. Just then, Finny returned.“Ah, 12- 8, you are doing a splendid job. What a little nurse you’ll make.”“My wings do feel a lot better,” Soren said sweetly, and marveled how deceptive he was quickly becoming. Oh, yes, his wings did feel better, but Soren had another idea, another question he wanted to throw out under the guise of a statement.“I’ll tell you the thing that really always perks me up and makes me feel just fine in the gizzard.”“Oh, that’s what we want, my dear,” Finny cooed.“A story. My favorite stories are the legends of Ga’Hoole. Yes, the Ga’Hoolian cycle, I think they are called.” A strange sound halfway between a yarp and the screech of a Screech Owl issued from Auntie Finny’s beak, and she crumpled into a dead faint.“Oh:Previous Entities: |Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton| ::: 12- 8, ","12-8.? Finny.F Soren.M" “I’ll make sure you get all the details right.”,3066,3078,True,189:Bell.F,"soldier and a gizzard- resister find true happiness together? Apparently they could. Gylfie noticed Soren observing Cleve.“I would say that Blythe is singing their song.”“If it hadn’t been for Cleve,” Pelli said,“I don’t think Otulissa would have ever taken wing again. She would have just retreated into her books.”“Out of the way! Out of the way!” Fritha, a young Pygmy Owl barreled through the birds that had crowded the balcony.“I’ve got to go to press. I have to include a review of this concert in the next edition. Your sister was great!” she shouted to Bell as she flew by.“I’ll help!” Bell called out, and flew after her.“I’ll make sure you get all the details right.” Soren, the rest of the Band, and Coryn enjoyed the night air in silence a moment on a branch just outside of the Great Hollow. The dancing had begun.“Quite a difference from last year,” Coryn said. The Band seemed relieved that Coryn had said what was in everyone’s mind— that last year Coryn had been so completely duped by the Striga that the tree had nearly been lost to that fanatical blue owl and his converts. Left unsaid, it would have hung like the last vaporous shreds of a dark storm cloud. The evening, however, was lovely, the air smooth for dancing.“The dancing will go on late,” Gylfie said.“Good!” Coryn exclaimed with unbridled joy.“Good!” By the time dawn",Bell,"Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha","soldier and a gizzard- resister find true happiness together? Apparently they could. Gylfie noticed Soren observing Cleve.“I would say that Blythe is singing their song.”“If it hadn’t been for Cleve,” Pelli said,“I don’t think Otulissa would have ever taken wing again. She would have just retreated into her books.”“Out of the way! Out of the way!” Fritha, a young Pygmy Owl barreled through the birds that had crowded the balcony.“I’ve got to go to press. I have to include a review of this concert in the next edition. Your sister was great!” she shouted to Bell as she flew by.“I’ll help!” Bell called out, and flew after her.“I’ll make sure you get all the details right.” Soren, the rest of the Band, and Coryn enjoyed the night air in silence a moment on a branch just outside of the Great Hollow. The dancing had begun.“Quite a difference from last year,” Coryn said. The Band seemed relieved that Coryn had said what was in everyone’s mind— that last year Coryn had been so completely duped by the Striga that the tree had nearly been lost to that fanatical blue owl and his converts. Left unsaid, it would have hung like the last vaporous shreds of a dark storm cloud. The evening, however, was lovely, the air smooth for dancing.“The dancing will go on late,” Gylfie said.“Good!” Coryn exclaimed with unbridled joy.“Good!” By the time dawn:Previous Entities: |Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha| ::: “I’ll make sure you get all the details right.” ",Bell.F "‘ It’s a small type of heron,",92812,92825,True,160:Harrieta.?,".‘ He probably just rode away on his white horse!’ This is going to be like Fairyland all over again, thought Tiffany. Even I can’t remember if it was real. Why should anyone believe me? But she had to try.‘ There was a dark doorway,’ she said slowly,‘ and beyond it was a desert of black sand and it was quite light although there were stars in the sky, and Death was there. I spoke to him…’‘ You spoke to him, did you?’ said Annagramma.‘ And what did he say, pray?’‘ He didn’t say“pray”,’ said Tiffany.‘ We didn’t talk about much. But he didn’t know what an egress was.’‘ It’s a small type of heron, isn’t it?’ said Harrieta. There was silence, except for the noise of the Trials outside.‘ It’s not your fault,’ said Annagramma in what was, for her, almost a friendly voice.‘ It’s like I said: Mistress Weatherwax messes with people’s heads.’‘ What about the glow?’ said Lucy.‘ That was probably ball lightning,’ said Annagramma.‘ That’s very strange stuff.’‘ But people were, like, hammering on it! It was as hard as ice!’‘ Ah, well, it probably felt like that,’ said Annagramma,‘ but it was… probably affecting people’s muscles, maybe. I’m only trying to be helpful here,’ she added.‘ You’ve got to be sensible",Harrieta,"A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man",".‘ He probably just rode away on his white horse!’ This is going to be like Fairyland all over again, thought Tiffany. Even I can’t remember if it was real. Why should anyone believe me? But she had to try.‘ There was a dark doorway,’ she said slowly,‘ and beyond it was a desert of black sand and it was quite light although there were stars in the sky, and Death was there. I spoke to him…’‘ You spoke to him, did you?’ said Annagramma.‘ And what did he say, pray?’‘ He didn’t say“pray”,’ said Tiffany.‘ We didn’t talk about much. But he didn’t know what an egress was.’‘ It’s a small type of heron, isn’t it?’ said Harrieta. There was silence, except for the noise of the Trials outside.‘ It’s not your fault,’ said Annagramma in what was, for her, almost a friendly voice.‘ It’s like I said: Mistress Weatherwax messes with people’s heads.’‘ What about the glow?’ said Lucy.‘ That was probably ball lightning,’ said Annagramma.‘ That’s very strange stuff.’‘ But people were, like, hammering on it! It was as hard as ice!’‘ Ah, well, it probably felt like that,’ said Annagramma,‘ but it was… probably affecting people’s muscles, maybe. I’m only trying to be helpful here,’ she added.‘ You’ve got to be sensible:Previous Entities: |A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man| ::: ‘ It’s a small type of heron, ",Annagramma.F “I guess I’m supposed to pretend I,20192,20200,True,923:the woman who stands at the end.F,"my name, so for a few seconds I’m sure I’ll have to knock her unconscious to get what I want. She takes a piece of crumpled paper from her pocket and flattens it against her left palm. On it is a list of prisoners’ names and their corresponding room numbers.“Name?” she says.“Caleb Prior. 308A.”“You’re Evelyn’s son, right?”“Yeah. I mean... yes.” She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who likes the word“yeah.” She leads me to a blank metal door with 308A on it— I wonder what it was used for when our city didn’t require so many cells. She types in the code, and the door springs open.“I guess I’m supposed to pretend I don’t see what you’re about to do?” she says. She must think I’m here to kill him. I decide to let her.“Yes,” I say.“Do me a favor and put in a good word for me with Evelyn. I don’t want so many night shifts. The name’s Drea.”“You got it.” She gathers the paper into her fist and shoves it back into her pocket as she walks away. I keep my hand on the door handle until she reaches her post again and turns to the side so she isn’t facing me. It seems like she’s done this a few times before. I wonder how many people have disappeared from these cells at Evelyn’s command. I walk in.",the woman who stands at the end,"Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end","my name, so for a few seconds I’m sure I’ll have to knock her unconscious to get what I want. She takes a piece of crumpled paper from her pocket and flattens it against her left palm. On it is a list of prisoners’ names and their corresponding room numbers.“Name?” she says.“Caleb Prior. 308A.”“You’re Evelyn’s son, right?”“Yeah. I mean... yes.” She doesn’t seem like the kind of person who likes the word“yeah.” She leads me to a blank metal door with 308A on it— I wonder what it was used for when our city didn’t require so many cells. She types in the code, and the door springs open.“I guess I’m supposed to pretend I don’t see what you’re about to do?” she says. She must think I’m here to kill him. I decide to let her.“Yes,” I say.“Do me a favor and put in a good word for me with Evelyn. I don’t want so many night shifts. The name’s Drea.”“You got it.” She gathers the paper into her fist and shoves it back into her pocket as she walks away. I keep my hand on the door handle until she reaches her post again and turns to the side so she isn’t facing me. It seems like she’s done this a few times before. I wonder how many people have disappeared from these cells at Evelyn’s command. I walk in.:Previous Entities: |Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end| ::: “I guess I’m supposed to pretend I ",Caleb Prior.M ‘ But she did have his baby.’,70777,70785,True,1723:his daughter.F,"must do a certain amount of guessing here, although I do not think it is difficult to deduce what happened. You see, within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumour flew around the neighbourhood that he was talking of being“hoodwinked” and“taken in”. What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he had married her for this reason.’‘ But she did have his baby.’‘ Yes, but not until a year after they were married. Tom Riddle left her while she was still pregnant.’‘ What went wrong?’ asked Harry.‘ Why did the love potion stop working?’‘ Again, this is guesswork,’ said Dumbledore,‘ but I believe that Merope, who was deeply in love with her husband, could not bear to continue enslaving him by magical means. I believe that she made the choice to stop giving him the potion. Perhaps, besotted as she was, she had convinced herself that he would by now have fallen in love with her in return. Perhaps she thought he would stay for the baby’s sake. If so, she was wrong on both counts. He left her, never saw her again",his daughter,"the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man","must do a certain amount of guessing here, although I do not think it is difficult to deduce what happened. You see, within a few months of their runaway marriage, Tom Riddle reappeared at the manor house in Little Hangleton without his wife. The rumour flew around the neighbourhood that he was talking of being“hoodwinked” and“taken in”. What he meant, I am sure, is that he had been under an enchantment that had now lifted, though I daresay he did not dare use those precise words for fear of being thought insane. When they heard what he was saying, however, the villagers guessed that Merope had lied to Tom Riddle, pretending that she was going to have his baby, and that he had married her for this reason.’‘ But she did have his baby.’‘ Yes, but not until a year after they were married. Tom Riddle left her while she was still pregnant.’‘ What went wrong?’ asked Harry.‘ Why did the love potion stop working?’‘ Again, this is guesswork,’ said Dumbledore,‘ but I believe that Merope, who was deeply in love with her husband, could not bear to continue enslaving him by magical means. I believe that she made the choice to stop giving him the potion. Perhaps, besotted as she was, she had convinced herself that he would by now have fallen in love with her in return. Perhaps she thought he would stay for the baby’s sake. If so, she was wrong on both counts. He left her, never saw her again:Previous Entities: |the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man| ::: ‘ But she did have his baby.’ ",Potter.M "Unless,",9979,9997,True,660:This toad.M,"beside Jeannie. It had belonged to the Toad. He had no other name, because toads don’t go in for names. Despite sinister forces that would have people think differently, no toad has ever been called Tommy the Toad, for example. It’s just not something that happens. This toad had once been a lawyer(a human lawyer; toads manage without them) who’d been turned into a toad by a fairy godmother who’d intended to turn him into a frog but had been a bit hazy on the difference. Now he lived in the Feegle mound, where he ate worms and helped them out with the difficult thinking.‘ I’ve told you, Mr Anybody, that just having your name written down is no problem at all,’ he said.‘ There’s nothing illegal about the words“Rob Anybody”. Unless, of course,’ and the toad gave a little legal laugh,‘ it’s meant as an instruction!’ None of the Feegles laughed. They liked their humour to be a bit, well, funnier. Rob Anybody stared at his very shaky writing.‘ That’s my name, aye?’‘ It certainly is, Mr Anybody.’‘ An’ nothin’ bad’s happenin’ at a’,’ Rob noted. He looked closer.‘ How can you tell it’s my name?’‘ Ah, that’ll be the readin’ side o’ things,’ said Jeannie.‘ That’s where the lettery things make a sound in yer heid?’ said Rob.‘ That’s the bunny,’ said the toad.‘ But we thought you’d like to",This toad,"Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad","beside Jeannie. It had belonged to the Toad. He had no other name, because toads don’t go in for names. Despite sinister forces that would have people think differently, no toad has ever been called Tommy the Toad, for example. It’s just not something that happens. This toad had once been a lawyer(a human lawyer; toads manage without them) who’d been turned into a toad by a fairy godmother who’d intended to turn him into a frog but had been a bit hazy on the difference. Now he lived in the Feegle mound, where he ate worms and helped them out with the difficult thinking.‘ I’ve told you, Mr Anybody, that just having your name written down is no problem at all,’ he said.‘ There’s nothing illegal about the words“Rob Anybody”. Unless, of course,’ and the toad gave a little legal laugh,‘ it’s meant as an instruction!’ None of the Feegles laughed. They liked their humour to be a bit, well, funnier. Rob Anybody stared at his very shaky writing.‘ That’s my name, aye?’‘ It certainly is, Mr Anybody.’‘ An’ nothin’ bad’s happenin’ at a’,’ Rob noted. He looked closer.‘ How can you tell it’s my name?’‘ Ah, that’ll be the readin’ side o’ things,’ said Jeannie.‘ That’s where the lettery things make a sound in yer heid?’ said Rob.‘ That’s the bunny,’ said the toad.‘ But we thought you’d like to:Previous Entities: |Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad| ::: Unless, ",The Toad.?> “And it’s probably going to happen again.”,39828,39838,True,479:his son.M,"you went and stood in one may be you’d become a few hours older or younger or—” he began to gabble.“I recall when we did Kheneth XIV’s tomb the fresco painter said it took him two hours to do the painting in the Queen’s Room, and we said it was three days and fined him,” said Ptaclusp, slowly.“There was a lot of Guild fuss, I remember.”“You just said that,” said IIb.“Said what?”“About the fresco painter. Just a moment ago.”“No, I didn’t. You couldn’t have been listening,” said Ptaclusp.“Could have sworn you did. Anyway, this is worse than that business,” said his son.“And it’s probably going to happen again.”“We can expect more like it?”“Yes,” said IIb.“We shouldn’t get negative nodes, but it looks as though we will. We can expect fast flows and reverse flows and probably even short loops. I’m afraid we can expect all kinds of temporal anomalies. We’d better get the men off.”“I suppose you couldn’t work out a way we could get them to work in fast time and pay them for slow time?” said Ptaclusp.“It’s just a thought. Your brother’s bound to suggest it.”“No! Keep everyone off! We’ll get the blocks in and cap it first!”“All right, all right. I was just thinking out loud. As if we did",his son,"The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son","you went and stood in one may be you’d become a few hours older or younger or—” he began to gabble.“I recall when we did Kheneth XIV’s tomb the fresco painter said it took him two hours to do the painting in the Queen’s Room, and we said it was three days and fined him,” said Ptaclusp, slowly.“There was a lot of Guild fuss, I remember.”“You just said that,” said IIb.“Said what?”“About the fresco painter. Just a moment ago.”“No, I didn’t. You couldn’t have been listening,” said Ptaclusp.“Could have sworn you did. Anyway, this is worse than that business,” said his son.“And it’s probably going to happen again.”“We can expect more like it?”“Yes,” said IIb.“We shouldn’t get negative nodes, but it looks as though we will. We can expect fast flows and reverse flows and probably even short loops. I’m afraid we can expect all kinds of temporal anomalies. We’d better get the men off.”“I suppose you couldn’t work out a way we could get them to work in fast time and pay them for slow time?” said Ptaclusp.“It’s just a thought. Your brother’s bound to suggest it.”“No! Keep everyone off! We’ll get the blocks in and cap it first!”“All right, all right. I was just thinking out loud. As if we did:Previous Entities: |The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son| ::: “And it’s probably going to happen again.” ",IIb.M The Beat Goes On,155131,155142,True,966:Edmond J. Yunis.?,". INTERNET SOURCES“Berlusconi’s Fat Becomes Soap.” http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1424471.html“‘ Berlusconi’s Fat’ Moulded to Art.” BBC News, June 20, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4110402.stm“Blonde Extinction.” http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/blondes.asp“Blondes to Die Out in 200 Years.” BBC News, September 27, 2002.“Extinction of Blondes Vastly Overreported, Media Fail to Check Root of‘ Study.’” Washington Post, October 2, 2002.“Genetic Savings& Clone.” http://www.savingsandclone.com/“Marco Evaristti, Polpette al grasso di Marco, 2006(to fry in his own fat).” http://www.evaristti.com/news/meatball.htm“It Really Hauls Ass.” Wired, May 2006. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.05/start.html Marshall, Eliot.“Families Sue Hospital, Scientist for Control of Canavan Gene.” http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/290/5494/1062“The Cactus Project.” http://www.thecactusproject.com/images.asp“Tissue Engineering: The Beat Goes On: Nature.” www.nature.com/nature/journal/v421/n6926/full/421884a.htm WHO.“Clarification of erroneous news reports indicating WHO genetic research on hair color.” October 1, 2002. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/statement05/en/ About the Author MICHAEL CRICHTON is best known for the novels Jurassic Park and State of Fear. He is also the creator of the television series ER. The first of his controversial novels was published while he was still in medical school. www.michaelcrichton.net Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author. ALSO BY MICHAEL CRICHTON FICTION The Andromeda Strain The Terminal Man The Great Train Robbery Eaters of the Dead Congo Sphere Jurassic Park Rising Sun Disclosure The Lost World Airframe Timeline Prey State of Fear NONFICTION Five Patients Jasper Johns Electronic Life Travels Credits Jacket design by Will Staehle Copyright NEXT. Copyright© 2006 by Michael Crichton. All rights reserved. All rights reserved under International and",Edmond J,"The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J",". INTERNET SOURCES“Berlusconi’s Fat Becomes Soap.” http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1424471.html“‘ Berlusconi’s Fat’ Moulded to Art.” BBC News, June 20, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4110402.stm“Blonde Extinction.” http://www.snopes.com/science/stats/blondes.asp“Blondes to Die Out in 200 Years.” BBC News, September 27, 2002.“Extinction of Blondes Vastly Overreported, Media Fail to Check Root of‘ Study.’” Washington Post, October 2, 2002.“Genetic Savings& Clone.” http://www.savingsandclone.com/“Marco Evaristti, Polpette al grasso di Marco, 2006(to fry in his own fat).” http://www.evaristti.com/news/meatball.htm“It Really Hauls Ass.” Wired, May 2006. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.05/start.html Marshall, Eliot.“Families Sue Hospital, Scientist for Control of Canavan Gene.” http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/290/5494/1062“The Cactus Project.” http://www.thecactusproject.com/images.asp“Tissue Engineering: The Beat Goes On: Nature.” www.nature.com/nature/journal/v421/n6926/full/421884a.htm WHO.“Clarification of erroneous news reports indicating WHO genetic research on hair color.” October 1, 2002. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/statement05/en/ About the Author MICHAEL CRICHTON is best known for the novels Jurassic Park and State of Fear. He is also the creator of the television series ER. The first of his controversial novels was published while he was still in medical school. www.michaelcrichton.net Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author. ALSO BY MICHAEL CRICHTON FICTION The Andromeda Strain The Terminal Man The Great Train Robbery Eaters of the Dead Congo Sphere Jurassic Park Rising Sun Disclosure The Lost World Airframe Timeline Prey State of Fear NONFICTION Five Patients Jasper Johns Electronic Life Travels Credits Jacket design by Will Staehle Copyright NEXT. Copyright© 2006 by Michael Crichton. All rights reserved. All rights reserved under International and:Previous Entities: |The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J| ::: The Beat Goes On ","The Beat Goes On, with only this format and nothing else Officer Lowry." Dr. Johnson?,2635,2642,True,478:a uniformed Navy man.?,"Oceanographic Survey and Research Vessels."" The pilot pointed to the white ships."" John Hawes to port, and William Arthur to starboard. We'll put down on the Hawes."" The pilot circled the formation of ships. Norman could see launches running back and forth between the ships, leaving small white wakes against the deep blue of the water."" All this for an airplane crash?"" Norman said."" Hey,"" the pilot grinned."" I never mentioned a crash. Check your seat belt if you would, sir. We're about to land."" BARNES THE RED BULL'S- EYE grew larger, and slid beneath them as the helicopter touched down. Norman fumbled with his seat belt buckle as a uniformed Navy man ran up and opened the door."" Dr. Johnson? Norman Johnson?"""" That's right."""" Have any baggage, sir?"""" Just this."" Norman reached back, pulled out his day case. The officer took it."" Any scientific instruments, anything like that?"""" No. That's it."""" This way, sir. Keep your head down, follow me, and don't go aft, sir."" Norman stepped out, ducking beneath the blades. He followed the officer off the helipad and down a narrow stairs. The metal handrail was hot to the touch. Behind him, the helicopter lifted off, the pilot giving him a final wave. Once the helicopter had gone, the Pacific air felt still and brutally hot."" Good trip, sir?"""" Fine."""" Need",a uniformed Navy man,"The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man","Oceanographic Survey and Research Vessels."" The pilot pointed to the white ships."" John Hawes to port, and William Arthur to starboard. We'll put down on the Hawes."" The pilot circled the formation of ships. Norman could see launches running back and forth between the ships, leaving small white wakes against the deep blue of the water."" All this for an airplane crash?"" Norman said."" Hey,"" the pilot grinned."" I never mentioned a crash. Check your seat belt if you would, sir. We're about to land."" BARNES THE RED BULL'S- EYE grew larger, and slid beneath them as the helicopter touched down. Norman fumbled with his seat belt buckle as a uniformed Navy man ran up and opened the door."" Dr. Johnson? Norman Johnson?"""" That's right."""" Have any baggage, sir?"""" Just this."" Norman reached back, pulled out his day case. The officer took it."" Any scientific instruments, anything like that?"""" No. That's it."""" This way, sir. Keep your head down, follow me, and don't go aft, sir."" Norman stepped out, ducking beneath the blades. He followed the officer off the helipad and down a narrow stairs. The metal handrail was hot to the touch. Behind him, the helicopter lifted off, the pilot giving him a final wave. Once the helicopter had gone, the Pacific air felt still and brutally hot."" Good trip, sir?"""" Fine."""" Need:Previous Entities: |The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man| ::: Dr. Johnson? ","Pilot. M Norman. M Navy man. M " "‘ All right,’",121998,122002,True,698:Cecil.M,"Lou Ellen’s Mist magic seemed to be working. They jumped the spiked trench and reached the machine.‘ I brought some Greek fire,’ Cecil whispered.‘ No,’ Nico said.‘ If we make the damage too obvious, we’ll never get to the other ones in time. Can you recalibrate the aim– like, towards the other onagers’ firing lines?’ Cecil grinned.‘ Oh, I like the way you think. They sent me because I excel at messing things up.’ He went to work while Nico and the others stood guard. Meanwhile the Fifth Cohort was brawling with the two- headed men. The Fourth Cohort moved in to help. The other three cohorts held their positions, but the officers were having trouble keeping order.‘ All right,’ Cecil announced.‘ Let’s move.’ They shuffled across the hillside towards the next onager. This time the Mist didn’t work so well. One of the onager guards yelled,‘ Hey!’‘ Got this.’ Will sprinted off– which was possibly the stupidest diversion Nico could imagine– and six of the guards chased after him. The other Romans advanced on Nico, but Lou Ellen appeared out of the Mist and yelled,‘ Hey, catch!’ She lobbed a white ball the size of an apple. The Roman in the middle caught it instinctively. A twenty- foot sphere of powder exploded outwards. When the dust settled, all six Romans were squealing pink piglets.‘ Nice work,’ Nico said. Lou Ellen blushed.‘ Well,",Cecil,"Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil","Lou Ellen’s Mist magic seemed to be working. They jumped the spiked trench and reached the machine.‘ I brought some Greek fire,’ Cecil whispered.‘ No,’ Nico said.‘ If we make the damage too obvious, we’ll never get to the other ones in time. Can you recalibrate the aim– like, towards the other onagers’ firing lines?’ Cecil grinned.‘ Oh, I like the way you think. They sent me because I excel at messing things up.’ He went to work while Nico and the others stood guard. Meanwhile the Fifth Cohort was brawling with the two- headed men. The Fourth Cohort moved in to help. The other three cohorts held their positions, but the officers were having trouble keeping order.‘ All right,’ Cecil announced.‘ Let’s move.’ They shuffled across the hillside towards the next onager. This time the Mist didn’t work so well. One of the onager guards yelled,‘ Hey!’‘ Got this.’ Will sprinted off– which was possibly the stupidest diversion Nico could imagine– and six of the guards chased after him. The other Romans advanced on Nico, but Lou Ellen appeared out of the Mist and yelled,‘ Hey, catch!’ She lobbed a white ball the size of an apple. The Roman in the middle caught it instinctively. A twenty- foot sphere of powder exploded outwards. When the dust settled, all six Romans were squealing pink piglets.‘ Nice work,’ Nico said. Lou Ellen blushed.‘ Well,:Previous Entities: |Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil| ::: ‘ All right,’ ",Nico.M “Arlette would roll in her grave.”,58065,58073,True,1676:The man who answered my knock.M,"says you’ve got a cow living in there with you.” Hermie Gordon was the rural route mailman, and a notorious gossip. I named a price so low that Harl’s mouth fell open and his eyebrows shot up. It was then that I noticed a smell wafting out of the neat and well- appointed Cotterie farmhouse that seemed entirely alien to that place: burnt fried food. Sallie Cotterie was apparently not doing the cooking. Once I might have been interested in such a thing, but that time had passed. All I cared about right then was getting shed of the 100 acres. It only seemed right to sell them cheap, since they had cost me so dear.“That’s pennies on the dollar,” he said. Then, with evident satisfaction:“Arlette would roll in her grave.” She’s done more than just roll in it, I thought.“What are you smiling about, Wilf?”“Nothing. Except for one thing, I don’t care about that land anymore. The one thing I do care about is keeping that god damned Farrington slaughter- mill off it.”“Even if you lose your own place?” He nodded as if I’d asked a question.“I know about the mortgage you took out. No secrets in a small town.”“Even if I do,” I agreed.“Take the offer, Harl. You’d be crazy not to. That stream they’ll be filling up with blood and hair and hog intestines— that’s your stream, too.”“No,” he",The man who answered my knock,"The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock","says you’ve got a cow living in there with you.” Hermie Gordon was the rural route mailman, and a notorious gossip. I named a price so low that Harl’s mouth fell open and his eyebrows shot up. It was then that I noticed a smell wafting out of the neat and well- appointed Cotterie farmhouse that seemed entirely alien to that place: burnt fried food. Sallie Cotterie was apparently not doing the cooking. Once I might have been interested in such a thing, but that time had passed. All I cared about right then was getting shed of the 100 acres. It only seemed right to sell them cheap, since they had cost me so dear.“That’s pennies on the dollar,” he said. Then, with evident satisfaction:“Arlette would roll in her grave.” She’s done more than just roll in it, I thought.“What are you smiling about, Wilf?”“Nothing. Except for one thing, I don’t care about that land anymore. The one thing I do care about is keeping that god damned Farrington slaughter- mill off it.”“Even if you lose your own place?” He nodded as if I’d asked a question.“I know about the mortgage you took out. No secrets in a small town.”“Even if I do,” I agreed.“Take the offer, Harl. You’d be crazy not to. That stream they’ll be filling up with blood and hair and hog intestines— that’s your stream, too.”“No,” he:Previous Entities: |The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock| ::: “Arlette would roll in her grave.” ",Harl.M "“Why the hell did they put it in Nevada,",42079,42092,True,1268:the heavyset man.M,". The towers cast long shadows in the morning light. A heavyset man leaned forward from the backseat. He was wearing a suit and tie.“Pilot? Are we there yet?”“We just crossed the Nevada line. Another ten minutes.” The heavyset man grunted and sat back. I’d met him when we took off, but I couldn’t remember his name now. I glanced back at the three men, all in suits and ties, who were traveling with me. They were all PR consultants hired by Xymos. I could match their appearance to their voices. A slender, nervous man, twisting his hands. Then a middle- aged man with a briefcase on his lap. And the heavyset man, older and growly, obviously in charge.“Why the hell did they put it in Nevada, anyway?”“Fewer regulations, easier inspections. These days California is sticky about new industry. There was going to be a year’s delay just for environmental- impact statements. And a far more difficult permitting process. So they came here.” Growly looked out the window at the desert.“What a shithole,” he said.“I don’t give a fuck what goes on out here, it’s not a problem.” He turned to me.“What do you do?”“I’m a computer programmer.”“You covered by an NDA?” He meant, did I have a non- disclosure agreement that would prevent me from discussing what I had just heard.“Yes,” I said.“You coming out to work at the",the heavyset man,"Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man",". The towers cast long shadows in the morning light. A heavyset man leaned forward from the backseat. He was wearing a suit and tie.“Pilot? Are we there yet?”“We just crossed the Nevada line. Another ten minutes.” The heavyset man grunted and sat back. I’d met him when we took off, but I couldn’t remember his name now. I glanced back at the three men, all in suits and ties, who were traveling with me. They were all PR consultants hired by Xymos. I could match their appearance to their voices. A slender, nervous man, twisting his hands. Then a middle- aged man with a briefcase on his lap. And the heavyset man, older and growly, obviously in charge.“Why the hell did they put it in Nevada, anyway?”“Fewer regulations, easier inspections. These days California is sticky about new industry. There was going to be a year’s delay just for environmental- impact statements. And a far more difficult permitting process. So they came here.” Growly looked out the window at the desert.“What a shithole,” he said.“I don’t give a fuck what goes on out here, it’s not a problem.” He turned to me.“What do you do?”“I’m a computer programmer.”“You covered by an NDA?” He meant, did I have a non- disclosure agreement that would prevent me from discussing what I had just heard.“Yes,” I said.“You coming out to work at the:Previous Entities: |Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man| ::: “Why the hell did they put it in Nevada, ",Growly.M "Weasley,",56422,56486,True,291:GRIM DEFEAT.?,"held its breath.“Detention, Weasley,” Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron’s.“And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed.” No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.“Very poorly explained... That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia.... Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn’t have given it three....” When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back. 172 GRIM DEFEAT“You wil each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention.” Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.“Snape’s never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job,” Harry said to Hermione.“Why’s he got it in for Lupin? D’you think this is all because of the boggart?”“I don’t know,” said Hermione pensively.“But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon....” Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage.“D’you know what that—”(he called Snape something that made Hermione say“Ron!”)“— is",GRIM DEFEAT,"This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT","held its breath.“Detention, Weasley,” Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron’s.“And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed.” No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.“Very poorly explained... That is incorrect, the kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia.... Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn’t have given it three....” When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back. 172 GRIM DEFEAT“You wil each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention.” Harry and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.“Snape’s never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job,” Harry said to Hermione.“Why’s he got it in for Lupin? D’you think this is all because of the boggart?”“I don’t know,” said Hermione pensively.“But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon....” Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage.“D’you know what that—”(he called Snape something that made Hermione say“Ron!”)“— is:Previous Entities: |This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT| ::: Weasley, ",Ron. Rhys already visited the landlord.,11945,11974,True,401:her sister.?,"give them a moment’s trouble. Any free time is yours to spend as you wish. In the House.” Hot rage pumped through her, so loud Nesta could barely hear the real fire before which her sister paced. Was glad of the roaring in her head when the sound of wood cracking as it burned was so much like her father’s breaking neck that she couldn’t stand to light a fire in her own home.“You had no right to close up my apartment, to take my things—”“What things? A few clothes and some rotten food.” Nesta didn’t have the chance to wonder how Feyre knew that. Not as her sister said,“I’m having that entire building condemned.”“You wouldn’t dare.”“It’s done. Rhys already visited the landlord. It will be torn down and rebuilt as a shelter for families still displaced by the war.” Nesta tried to master her uneven breathing. One of the few choices she’d made for herself, stripped away. Feyre didn’t seem to care. Feyre had always been her own master. Always got whatever she wished. And now, it seemed, Feyre would be granted this wish, too. Nesta seethed,“I never want to speak to you again.”“That’s fine. You can talk to Cassian and the priestesses instead.” There was no insulting her way out of it.“I won’t be your prisoner—”“No. You can go wherever you wish. As Amren said, you are free to leave the House. If you can manage those ten thousand steps.” Feyre’s eyes blazed.“But I’m done paying",her sister,"the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister","give them a moment’s trouble. Any free time is yours to spend as you wish. In the House.” Hot rage pumped through her, so loud Nesta could barely hear the real fire before which her sister paced. Was glad of the roaring in her head when the sound of wood cracking as it burned was so much like her father’s breaking neck that she couldn’t stand to light a fire in her own home.“You had no right to close up my apartment, to take my things—”“What things? A few clothes and some rotten food.” Nesta didn’t have the chance to wonder how Feyre knew that. Not as her sister said,“I’m having that entire building condemned.”“You wouldn’t dare.”“It’s done. Rhys already visited the landlord. It will be torn down and rebuilt as a shelter for families still displaced by the war.” Nesta tried to master her uneven breathing. One of the few choices she’d made for herself, stripped away. Feyre didn’t seem to care. Feyre had always been her own master. Always got whatever she wished. And now, it seemed, Feyre would be granted this wish, too. Nesta seethed,“I never want to speak to you again.”“That’s fine. You can talk to Cassian and the priestesses instead.” There was no insulting her way out of it.“I won’t be your prisoner—”“No. You can go wherever you wish. As Amren said, you are free to leave the House. If you can manage those ten thousand steps.” Feyre’s eyes blazed.“But I’m done paying:Previous Entities: |the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister| ::: Rhys already visited the landlord. ","Feyre.F Nesta.F Rhys.M " "“A seer,”",121683,121687,True,1435:the shadowsinger.M,".”“No.” Elain studied me, then her.“Not that one. The other.” Nesta took a steadying breath, opening her mouth to either whisk Elain upstairs or move on. But Azriel asked softly, taking a single step over the threshold and into the sitting room,“What other?” Elain’s brows twitched toward each other.“The queen— with the feathers of flame.” The shadowsinger angled his head. Lucien murmured to me, eye still fixed on Elain,“Should we— does she need…?”“She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien. Elain was staring at the spymaster now— unblinkingly.“We’re the ones who need…” Azriel trailed off.“A seer,” he said, more to himself than us.“The Cauldron made you a seer.” CHAPTER 33 Seer. The word clanged through me. She’d known. She’d warned Nesta about the Ravens. And in the chaos of the attack, that little realization had slipped from me. Slipped from me as reality and dream slipped and entwined for Elain. Seer. Elain turned to Mor, who was now gaping at my sister from her spot beside her on the couch.“Is that what this is?” And the words, the tone… they were so normal- sounding that my chest tightened. Mor’s gaze darted across my sister’s face, as if weighing the words, the question, the truth or lie within. Mor at last blinked, mouth parting",the shadowsinger,"Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer",".”“No.” Elain studied me, then her.“Not that one. The other.” Nesta took a steadying breath, opening her mouth to either whisk Elain upstairs or move on. But Azriel asked softly, taking a single step over the threshold and into the sitting room,“What other?” Elain’s brows twitched toward each other.“The queen— with the feathers of flame.” The shadowsinger angled his head. Lucien murmured to me, eye still fixed on Elain,“Should we— does she need…?”“She doesn’t need anything,” Azriel answered without so much as looking at Lucien. Elain was staring at the spymaster now— unblinkingly.“We’re the ones who need…” Azriel trailed off.“A seer,” he said, more to himself than us.“The Cauldron made you a seer.” CHAPTER 33 Seer. The word clanged through me. She’d known. She’d warned Nesta about the Ravens. And in the chaos of the attack, that little realization had slipped from me. Slipped from me as reality and dream slipped and entwined for Elain. Seer. Elain turned to Mor, who was now gaping at my sister from her spot beside her on the couch.“Is that what this is?” And the words, the tone… they were so normal- sounding that my chest tightened. Mor’s gaze darted across my sister’s face, as if weighing the words, the question, the truth or lie within. Mor at last blinked, mouth parting:Previous Entities: |Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer| ::: “A seer,” ",Azriel.M they are.”,36579,36589,True,115:Urglefloggah.?,"was expression, but it definitely projected a familiar air of sudden and resentful uncertainty.“Told what?” it said. Rincewind looked at Eric.“You'd think they'd tell people, wouldn't you?”“Tell them wh- argarg,” said Eric, clutching his ankle.“That's modern management for you,” said Rincewind, his face radiating angry concern.“They go ahead and make all these changes, all these new arrangements, and do they consult the very people who form the backbone-”“- exoskeleton-” corrected the demon.“- or other calcareous or chitinous structure, of the organisation?” Rincewind finished smoothly. He waited for what he knew would have to come.“Not them,” said Urglefloggah.“Too busy sticking up notices, they are.”“I think that's pretty disgusting,” said Rincewind.“D'you know, said Urglefloggah,” they wouldn't let me on the Club 18000- 30000 holiday? Said I was too old. Said I would spoil the fun.“” What's the netherworld coming to?“said Rincewind sympathetically.” They never come down here, you know,“said the demon, sagging a bit.” They never tell me anything. Oh yes, very important, only keeping the bloody gate, most important I don't think!""“Look,” said Rincewind.“You wouldn't like me to have a word, would you?”“Down here all hours, seeing'em in-”“Perhaps if we spoke to someone?” said Rincewind",Urglefloggah,"The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah","was expression, but it definitely projected a familiar air of sudden and resentful uncertainty.“Told what?” it said. Rincewind looked at Eric.“You'd think they'd tell people, wouldn't you?”“Tell them wh- argarg,” said Eric, clutching his ankle.“That's modern management for you,” said Rincewind, his face radiating angry concern.“They go ahead and make all these changes, all these new arrangements, and do they consult the very people who form the backbone-”“- exoskeleton-” corrected the demon.“- or other calcareous or chitinous structure, of the organisation?” Rincewind finished smoothly. He waited for what he knew would have to come.“Not them,” said Urglefloggah.“Too busy sticking up notices, they are.”“I think that's pretty disgusting,” said Rincewind.“D'you know, said Urglefloggah,” they wouldn't let me on the Club 18000- 30000 holiday? Said I was too old. Said I would spoil the fun.“” What's the netherworld coming to?“said Rincewind sympathetically.” They never come down here, you know,“said the demon, sagging a bit.” They never tell me anything. Oh yes, very important, only keeping the bloody gate, most important I don't think!""“Look,” said Rincewind.“You wouldn't like me to have a word, would you?”“Down here all hours, seeing'em in-”“Perhaps if we spoke to someone?” said Rincewind:Previous Entities: |The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah| ::: they are.” ",Rincewind.M "Believe me,",59746,59801,True,1984:the sea god.?,"like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM.”“You’re crazy!” Frank yelled.“Don’t sell yourself short!” Phorcys said.“You’ll be our biggest draw!” Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble. He put his hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.“We won’t cooperate, Phorcys!” he shouted.“Oh, I’m optimistic,” the sea god’s voice boomed.“If you won’t fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you’ll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you’ll come to love your new home.” Over Percy’s head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.“I’m the son of Poseidon!” Percy tried to keep the fear out of his voice.“You can’t imprison me in water. This is where I’m strongest.” Phorcys’s laugh seemed to come from all around them.“What a coincidence! It’s also where I’m strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you two. I’ll see you at feeding time!” The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in. Percy held his breath until he couldn’t stand it. When he finally filled his lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing. The water pressure didn’t bother him. His clothes did",the sea god,"the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god","like that! We already have sponsorship lined up with Bargain Mart. You can fight each other every day at eleven AM and one PM, with an evening show at seven PM.”“You’re crazy!” Frank yelled.“Don’t sell yourself short!” Phorcys said.“You’ll be our biggest draw!” Frank ran for the exit, only to slam into a glass wall. Percy ran the other way and found it blocked as well. Their tunnel had become a bubble. He put his hand against the glass and realized it was softening, melting like ice. Soon the water would come crashing in.“We won’t cooperate, Phorcys!” he shouted.“Oh, I’m optimistic,” the sea god’s voice boomed.“If you won’t fight each other at first, no problem! I can send in fresh sea monsters every day. After you get used to the food here, you’ll be properly sedated and will follow directions. Believe me, you’ll come to love your new home.” Over Percy’s head, the glass dome cracked and began to leak.“I’m the son of Poseidon!” Percy tried to keep the fear out of his voice.“You can’t imprison me in water. This is where I’m strongest.” Phorcys’s laugh seemed to come from all around them.“What a coincidence! It’s also where I’m strongest. This tank is specially designed to contain demigods. Now, have fun, you two. I’ll see you at feeding time!” The glass dome shattered, and the water crashed in. Percy held his breath until he couldn’t stand it. When he finally filled his lungs with water, it felt just like normal breathing. The water pressure didn’t bother him. His clothes did:Previous Entities: |the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god| ::: Believe me, ",Phorcys.M "“Very good,",125928,125935,True,619:Notus.M,"barley.“What are you waiting for?” the god prompted. Jason turned toward the fiery wind steeds. Suddenly he wasn’t afraid of them. He thrust out his hand. A swirl of dust shot toward the nearest horse. A lasso— a rope of wind, more tightly wound than any tornado— wrapped around the horse’s neck. The wind formed a halter and brought the beast to a stop. Jason summoned another wind rope. He lashed a second horse, binding it to his will. In less than a minute, he had tethered all four venti. He reined them in, still whinnying and bucking, but they couldn’t break Jason’s ropes. It felt like flying four kites in a strong wind— hard, yes, but not impossible.“Very good, Jason Grace,” Notus said.“You are a son of Jupiter, yet you have chosen your own path— as all the greatest demigods have done before you. You can not control your parentage, but you can choose your legacy. Now, go. Lash your team to the prow and direct them toward Malta.”“Malta?” Jason tried to focus, but the heat from the horses was making him light- headed. He knew nothing about Malta, except for some vague story about a Maltese falcon. Were malts invented there?“Once you arrive in the city of Valletta,” Notus said,“you will no longer need these horses.”“You mean… we’ll find Leo there?” The god shimmered, slowly fading into waves of heat.“Your",Notus,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus","barley.“What are you waiting for?” the god prompted. Jason turned toward the fiery wind steeds. Suddenly he wasn’t afraid of them. He thrust out his hand. A swirl of dust shot toward the nearest horse. A lasso— a rope of wind, more tightly wound than any tornado— wrapped around the horse’s neck. The wind formed a halter and brought the beast to a stop. Jason summoned another wind rope. He lashed a second horse, binding it to his will. In less than a minute, he had tethered all four venti. He reined them in, still whinnying and bucking, but they couldn’t break Jason’s ropes. It felt like flying four kites in a strong wind— hard, yes, but not impossible.“Very good, Jason Grace,” Notus said.“You are a son of Jupiter, yet you have chosen your own path— as all the greatest demigods have done before you. You can not control your parentage, but you can choose your legacy. Now, go. Lash your team to the prow and direct them toward Malta.”“Malta?” Jason tried to focus, but the heat from the horses was making him light- headed. He knew nothing about Malta, except for some vague story about a Maltese falcon. Were malts invented there?“Once you arrive in the city of Valletta,” Notus said,“you will no longer need these horses.”“You mean… we’ll find Leo there?” The god shimmered, slowly fading into waves of heat.“Your:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus| ::: “Very good, ",Notus.M "“My woman stands at her window,",127071,127078,True,9995:One of the men.?,", sir. He says you’ll know the one... he’s asked it of you often enough.” The lieutenant swallowed.“It’s the one called‘ My Woman,’ sir. If you—”“I know.” Halleck took the baliset, flicked the multipick out of its catch on the fingerboard. He drew a soft chord from the instrument, found that someone had already tuned it. There was a burning in his eyes, but he drove that out of his thoughts as he strolled forward, strumming the tune, forcing himself to smile casually. Several of his men and a smuggler medic were bent over one of the litters. One of the men began singing softly as Halleck approached, catching the counter- beat with the ease of long familiarity:“My woman stands at her window, Curved lines‘ gainst square glass. Uprais’d arms... bent... downfolded.’ Gainst sunset red and golded— Come to me... Come to me, warm arms of my lass. For me... For me, the warm arms of my lass.” The singer stopped, reached out a bandaged arm and closed the eyelids of the man on the litter. Halleck drew a final soft chord from the baliset, thinking: Now we are seventy- three. Family life of the Royal Creche is difficult for many people to understand, but I shall try to give you a capsule view of it. My father had only one real friend, I think. That was Count Hasimir Fenring, the genetic- eunuch and one of the deadliest fighters in the Imperium. The Count, a",One of the men,"Czigo, the Sardaukar",", sir. He says you’ll know the one... he’s asked it of you often enough.” The lieutenant swallowed.“It’s the one called‘ My Woman,’ sir. If you—”“I know.” Halleck took the baliset, flicked the multipick out of its catch on the fingerboard. He drew a soft chord from the instrument, found that someone had already tuned it. There was a burning in his eyes, but he drove that out of his thoughts as he strolled forward, strumming the tune, forcing himself to smile casually. Several of his men and a smuggler medic were bent over one of the litters. One of the men began singing softly as Halleck approached, catching the counter- beat with the ease of long familiarity:“My woman stands at her window, Curved lines‘ gainst square glass. Uprais’d arms... bent... downfolded.’ Gainst sunset red and golded— Come to me... Come to me, warm arms of my lass. For me... For me, the warm arms of my lass.” The singer stopped, reached out a bandaged arm and closed the eyelids of the man on the litter. Halleck drew a final soft chord from the baliset, thinking: Now we are seventy- three. Family life of the Royal Creche is difficult for many people to understand, but I shall try to give you a capsule view of it. My father had only one real friend, I think. That was Count Hasimir Fenring, the genetic- eunuch and one of the deadliest fighters in the Imperium. The Count, a:Previous Entities: |Czigo, the Sardaukar| ::: “My woman stands at her window, ",Halleck.M Mustn’t grumble.”,88925,88935,True,283:the Ephebian.M,"he spoke, it was out of the corner of his mouth while his eyes apparently remained fully occupied by looking at the rocks.“That’s right,” he said.“And yours too, may I ask?”“Yes. I expect we’ll have to massacre you if ours get here first.”“Likewise, I shouldn’t wonder. Still, can’t be helped.”“One of those things, really,” agreed the Tsortean. The other man nodded.“Funny old world, when you come to think about it.”“You’ve put your finger on it, all right.” The sergeant loosened his breastplate a bit, glad to be out of the sun.“Rations OK on your side?” he said.“Oh, you know. Mustn’t grumble.”“Like us, really.”“’Cos if you do grumble, they get even worse.”“Just like ours. Here, you haven’t got any figs on your side, have you? I could just do with a fig.”“Sorry.”“Just thought I’d ask.”“Got plenty of dates, if they’re any good to you.”“We’re OK on dates, thanks.”“Sorry.” The two men stood awhile, lost in their own thoughts. Then the Ephebian put on his helmet again, and the Tsortean adjusted his belt.“Right, then.”“Right, then.” They squared their shoulders, stuck out their chins, and marched away. A moment later they turned about",the Ephebian,"the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man","he spoke, it was out of the corner of his mouth while his eyes apparently remained fully occupied by looking at the rocks.“That’s right,” he said.“And yours too, may I ask?”“Yes. I expect we’ll have to massacre you if ours get here first.”“Likewise, I shouldn’t wonder. Still, can’t be helped.”“One of those things, really,” agreed the Tsortean. The other man nodded.“Funny old world, when you come to think about it.”“You’ve put your finger on it, all right.” The sergeant loosened his breastplate a bit, glad to be out of the sun.“Rations OK on your side?” he said.“Oh, you know. Mustn’t grumble.”“Like us, really.”“’Cos if you do grumble, they get even worse.”“Just like ours. Here, you haven’t got any figs on your side, have you? I could just do with a fig.”“Sorry.”“Just thought I’d ask.”“Got plenty of dates, if they’re any good to you.”“We’re OK on dates, thanks.”“Sorry.” The two men stood awhile, lost in their own thoughts. Then the Ephebian put on his helmet again, and the Tsortean adjusted his belt.“Right, then.”“Right, then.” They squared their shoulders, stuck out their chins, and marched away. A moment later they turned about:Previous Entities: |the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man| ::: Mustn’t grumble.” ",The Ephebian.M Quad micro- lithiums.”,73366,73382,True,436:Johnstone.M,"Nobody was permitted inside Omicron except for a handful of top Nanigen engineers. In fact, few of the Nanigen employees were even supposed to know of the existence of Omicron. Inside the rooms, several lab benches stood about, and on the benches sat a series of objects draped in black cloth shrouds. The shrouds concealed the objects. Whatever they were, they were secret. Even people permitted to enter the Omicron zone were not allowed to look at them. Drake took a shroud off one of the objects. It was a robot with six legs, and it vaguely resembled a Mars robot lander or possibly a metal insect. It was not very big, about a foot across. Drake carried the six- legged robot back into the tensor core, and handed it to Johnstone.“Your transportation. It’s got a full charge. Quad micro- lithiums.”“We’re good,” Johnstone mumbled. He was chewing something.“God damn it,” Drake barked.“What’s in your mouth?”“Energy bar, sir. You get so hungry—”“You know the rule. No eating in the core. You could contaminate the generator.”“Sorry, sir.”“It’s okay. Just swallow it.” Drake clapped the man on the shoulder in a friendly way. A little bit of mercy goes a long way with people who work for you. Telius placed the six- legged device into Hexagon 3. The two men stood in Hexagons 2 and 1. Drake went into the control room. He would operate the generator himself. He had cleared all employees out of the core",Johnstone,"The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone","Nobody was permitted inside Omicron except for a handful of top Nanigen engineers. In fact, few of the Nanigen employees were even supposed to know of the existence of Omicron. Inside the rooms, several lab benches stood about, and on the benches sat a series of objects draped in black cloth shrouds. The shrouds concealed the objects. Whatever they were, they were secret. Even people permitted to enter the Omicron zone were not allowed to look at them. Drake took a shroud off one of the objects. It was a robot with six legs, and it vaguely resembled a Mars robot lander or possibly a metal insect. It was not very big, about a foot across. Drake carried the six- legged robot back into the tensor core, and handed it to Johnstone.“Your transportation. It’s got a full charge. Quad micro- lithiums.”“We’re good,” Johnstone mumbled. He was chewing something.“God damn it,” Drake barked.“What’s in your mouth?”“Energy bar, sir. You get so hungry—”“You know the rule. No eating in the core. You could contaminate the generator.”“Sorry, sir.”“It’s okay. Just swallow it.” Drake clapped the man on the shoulder in a friendly way. A little bit of mercy goes a long way with people who work for you. Telius placed the six- legged device into Hexagon 3. The two men stood in Hexagons 2 and 1. Drake went into the control room. He would operate the generator himself. He had cleared all employees out of the core:Previous Entities: |The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone| ::: Quad micro- lithiums.” ","Drake.M Johnstone.M Telius.? Topri.? Luli.? The masked woman.? This poor Museum Fremen.? Sister Chenoeh.? The God Emperor.M Nunepi.? A totally imaginary visitor.? Inmeir.? The Fish Speaker escort.? The women.F Nyshae.? Garun.? His God Emperor.M Erudite.? Therese.F The woman who stands at the end.F God.? The young man.M Your mother.F This man.M Rafi.? Reggie.M The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic.? The other guard.? Shelly.? Hana.? YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS.? The receptionist.? Fong.? Kalama.? Jorge.? This girlfriend.? The ensign.? Catel.? The security man.? The men.M" Shel.,60739,60754,True,785:my daughter.F,". Open your eyes, Daddy.” I said,“Daddy was out late last night. Daddy is tired.” She paid no attention.“Daddy, open your eyes. Open your eyes. Daddy Open your eyes, Daddy.” I knew that she would continue saying the same thing, over and over, until I lost my mind, or opened my eyes. I rolled onto my back and coughed.“Daddy is still tired, Shelly. Go see what Mrs. Ascenio is doing.” SECOND DAY i Eat your pancakes.”“I don’t want any more.”“Just one more bite, Shelly.” Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window. I yawned. It was seven o’clock in the morning.“Is Mommy coming today?”“Don’t change the subject. Come on, Shel. One more bite. Please?” We were sitting at her kid- size table in the corner of the kitchen. Sometimes I can get her to eat at the little table when she won’t eat at the big table. But I wasn’t having much luck today. Michelle stared at me.“Is Mommy coming?”“I think so. I’ni not sure.” I didn’t want to disappoint her.“We’re waiting to hear.”“Is Mommy going out of town again?” I said,“Maybe.” I wondered what“going out of town” meant to a two- year- old, what sort of image she would have of it.“Is she going with Uncle Rick?” Who is Uncle Rick? I held the fork in",my daughter,"the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter",". Open your eyes, Daddy.” I said,“Daddy was out late last night. Daddy is tired.” She paid no attention.“Daddy, open your eyes. Open your eyes. Daddy Open your eyes, Daddy.” I knew that she would continue saying the same thing, over and over, until I lost my mind, or opened my eyes. I rolled onto my back and coughed.“Daddy is still tired, Shelly. Go see what Mrs. Ascenio is doing.” SECOND DAY i Eat your pancakes.”“I don’t want any more.”“Just one more bite, Shelly.” Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window. I yawned. It was seven o’clock in the morning.“Is Mommy coming today?”“Don’t change the subject. Come on, Shel. One more bite. Please?” We were sitting at her kid- size table in the corner of the kitchen. Sometimes I can get her to eat at the little table when she won’t eat at the big table. But I wasn’t having much luck today. Michelle stared at me.“Is Mommy coming?”“I think so. I’ni not sure.” I didn’t want to disappoint her.“We’re waiting to hear.”“Is Mommy going out of town again?” I said,“Maybe.” I wondered what“going out of town” meant to a two- year- old, what sort of image she would have of it.“Is she going with Uncle Rick?” Who is Uncle Rick? I held the fork in:Previous Entities: |the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter| ::: Shel. ",Shel.F "Chief Lector Iskandar,",50965,50981,True,1743:The bearded man.M,"He wasn’t just looking at me. He was scanning me— reading my entire being. Hide, something inside me said. I didn’t know where the voice came from, but my stomach clenched. My whole body tensed as if I were bracing for a hit, and the electrical feeling subsided. The old man raised an eyebrow as if I’d surprised him. He glanced behind him and said something in a language I didn’t recognize. A second man stepped out of the shadows. I wanted to yelp. He was the guy who’d been with Zia in the British Museum— the one with the cream- colored robes and the forked beard. The bearded man glared at Sadie and me.“I am Desjardins,” he said with a French accent.“My master, Chief Lector Iskandar, welcomes you to the House of Life.” I couldn’t think what to say to that, so of course I asked a stupid question.“He’s really old. Why isn’t he sitting on the throne?” Desjardins’ nostrils flared, but the old dude, Iskandar, just chuckled, and said something else in that other language. Desjardins translated stiffly:“The master says thank you for noticing; he is in fact really old. But the throne is for the pharaoh. It has been vacant since the fall of Egypt to Rome. It is... comment dit- on? Symbolic. The Chief Lector’s role is to serve and protect the pharaoh. Therefore he sits at the foot of the throne.” I looked at Iskandar a little nervously. I wondered how many years he’d been sitting",The bearded man,"Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man","He wasn’t just looking at me. He was scanning me— reading my entire being. Hide, something inside me said. I didn’t know where the voice came from, but my stomach clenched. My whole body tensed as if I were bracing for a hit, and the electrical feeling subsided. The old man raised an eyebrow as if I’d surprised him. He glanced behind him and said something in a language I didn’t recognize. A second man stepped out of the shadows. I wanted to yelp. He was the guy who’d been with Zia in the British Museum— the one with the cream- colored robes and the forked beard. The bearded man glared at Sadie and me.“I am Desjardins,” he said with a French accent.“My master, Chief Lector Iskandar, welcomes you to the House of Life.” I couldn’t think what to say to that, so of course I asked a stupid question.“He’s really old. Why isn’t he sitting on the throne?” Desjardins’ nostrils flared, but the old dude, Iskandar, just chuckled, and said something else in that other language. Desjardins translated stiffly:“The master says thank you for noticing; he is in fact really old. But the throne is for the pharaoh. It has been vacant since the fall of Egypt to Rome. It is... comment dit- on? Symbolic. The Chief Lector’s role is to serve and protect the pharaoh. Therefore he sits at the foot of the throne.” I looked at Iskandar a little nervously. I wondered how many years he’d been sitting:Previous Entities: |Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man| ::: Chief Lector Iskandar, ",Chief Lector Iskandar.M “It’s not called a broodorium.”,18852,18860,True,512:12 - 8.F,"to beak the moss until it was soft and squishy. Soren had to admit he didn’t mind the attention to his wings that indeed were feeling much better. He observed 12- 8 carefully as she applied the moss compresses. He wondered why she was not destined for flight. He carefully tried to figure out how to get the answer without asking a question.“I saw you, I think, in the pelletorium this morning.”“Oh, no, no, not me! I’m strictly a broody.”“A broody,” Soren repeated. Only silence followed.“A broody,” Soren repeated again. Still silence.“It must be nice to be a broody, to work in the broodorium.” Soren just made up the word.“It’s not called a broodorium.” 12- 8 spoke in the perfect hollow tones of the truly moon blinked.“Oh, it isn’t,” Soren said flatly.“Yes, how stupid of me. It’s that other word. Slips my mind right now.”“No, it doesn’t slip your mind. You don’t know. No one does.” 12- 8’s voice had turned brittle.“Top secret.”“Top secret.”“Top secret. I’ve got clearance.” The little owl swelled up now with pride.“Flight clearance.”“Absolutely not! That is stupid. I couldn’t have top secret clearance if I had flight clearance.” But don’t you want to fly? Soren was ready to scream the question. Just",12 - 8,"Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8","to beak the moss until it was soft and squishy. Soren had to admit he didn’t mind the attention to his wings that indeed were feeling much better. He observed 12- 8 carefully as she applied the moss compresses. He wondered why she was not destined for flight. He carefully tried to figure out how to get the answer without asking a question.“I saw you, I think, in the pelletorium this morning.”“Oh, no, no, not me! I’m strictly a broody.”“A broody,” Soren repeated. Only silence followed.“A broody,” Soren repeated again. Still silence.“It must be nice to be a broody, to work in the broodorium.” Soren just made up the word.“It’s not called a broodorium.” 12- 8 spoke in the perfect hollow tones of the truly moon blinked.“Oh, it isn’t,” Soren said flatly.“Yes, how stupid of me. It’s that other word. Slips my mind right now.”“No, it doesn’t slip your mind. You don’t know. No one does.” 12- 8’s voice had turned brittle.“Top secret.”“Top secret.”“Top secret. I’ve got clearance.” The little owl swelled up now with pride.“Flight clearance.”“Absolutely not! That is stupid. I couldn’t have top secret clearance if I had flight clearance.” But don’t you want to fly? Soren was ready to scream the question. Just:Previous Entities: |Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8| ::: “It’s not called a broodorium.” ",12-8.F Lutta is my masterpiece.,54686,54710,True,213:Ygryk.?,"gasped. He lofted himself over to where the chick was poking around for some ice worms. The little chick looked up at her da and blinked. Pleek felt his withered gizzard give a lurch. He was looking into the black eyes of a female Barn Owl, but her body had the coloration of a Great Horned.“Wh— wh— what happened? How could this be?” And then her face started to lose the tawny feathers of a Great Horned and to turn white. Even her shape seemed to lengthen a bit and widen slightly at the top so that it appeared more like that of a Barn Owl.“A Barn Owl! I never!” Pleek gasped in disbelief.“You never, is right!” Kreeth’s words bit the air.“I did this. And I shall name her Lutta. Lutta is my masterpiece. She is everything. And nothing.”“What do you mean?” Ygryk cried.“All we wanted was one little chick that looked like one of us, or maybe both. What have you done? She’ll belong to neither of us.”“That is your decision, my dear,” Kreeth replied.“But look at her. Look at what I have created.” Now the white face of the Barn Owl was turning the deep glistening black of a crow. The eyes were becoming beady crow’s eyes. Within a single day, Lutta went through a half dozen transformations. For a few hours she was a crow. Then she slid almost imperceptibly into being a Barred Owl. Next a Snowy. The most spectacular shift was when, within the space of seconds, she would go",Ygryk,"Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk","gasped. He lofted himself over to where the chick was poking around for some ice worms. The little chick looked up at her da and blinked. Pleek felt his withered gizzard give a lurch. He was looking into the black eyes of a female Barn Owl, but her body had the coloration of a Great Horned.“Wh— wh— what happened? How could this be?” And then her face started to lose the tawny feathers of a Great Horned and to turn white. Even her shape seemed to lengthen a bit and widen slightly at the top so that it appeared more like that of a Barn Owl.“A Barn Owl! I never!” Pleek gasped in disbelief.“You never, is right!” Kreeth’s words bit the air.“I did this. And I shall name her Lutta. Lutta is my masterpiece. She is everything. And nothing.”“What do you mean?” Ygryk cried.“All we wanted was one little chick that looked like one of us, or maybe both. What have you done? She’ll belong to neither of us.”“That is your decision, my dear,” Kreeth replied.“But look at her. Look at what I have created.” Now the white face of the Barn Owl was turning the deep glistening black of a crow. The eyes were becoming beady crow’s eyes. Within a single day, Lutta went through a half dozen transformations. For a few hours she was a crow. Then she slid almost imperceptibly into being a Barred Owl. Next a Snowy. The most spectacular shift was when, within the space of seconds, she would go:Previous Entities: |Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk| ::: Lutta is my masterpiece. ",Kreeth.F "Kev,",37584,37601,True,196:Kev.M,", came to the place where a Forerunner- built bridge had collapsed into the valley below, and was forced to follow the Guild's crude, slope- cut road to the right. That was a one- lane affair that made minimal use of bridges and turned with every fold of the land. Still, rivers cut down through the hills, and had to be crossed. Short, extremely sturdy bridges had been constructed for this purpose, and Doon saw one up ahead. The android used a handheld radio to notify the young man on his dozer blade. It was a nearly suicidal job, since the teenager would be horribly exposed in case of an ambush— but there was no shortage of applicants. Food, plus pay, and a chance for advancement were powerful incentives."" Hey, Kev, there's a bridge coming up. Go take a look."" Kev threw off his tarp, checked to make sure the immediate area was clear, and walked to the end of the steel bucket. That was the safest place to dismount, given that the blade was wider than the machine itself. If he landed wrong, or took a tumble, he'd be clear of the tracks. Sprains and breaks were common. He gauged the area ahead, chose his spot, and jumped. The key was to fall flat and wait for the blade to pass over his head. The pushers didn't like it if you took too much time, so it paid to get up quickly and sprint for the objective. Kev dashed ahead, came to the timber- built bridge, and skidded to a halt. There were no signs of an ambush",Kev,"Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev",", came to the place where a Forerunner- built bridge had collapsed into the valley below, and was forced to follow the Guild's crude, slope- cut road to the right. That was a one- lane affair that made minimal use of bridges and turned with every fold of the land. Still, rivers cut down through the hills, and had to be crossed. Short, extremely sturdy bridges had been constructed for this purpose, and Doon saw one up ahead. The android used a handheld radio to notify the young man on his dozer blade. It was a nearly suicidal job, since the teenager would be horribly exposed in case of an ambush— but there was no shortage of applicants. Food, plus pay, and a chance for advancement were powerful incentives."" Hey, Kev, there's a bridge coming up. Go take a look."" Kev threw off his tarp, checked to make sure the immediate area was clear, and walked to the end of the steel bucket. That was the safest place to dismount, given that the blade was wider than the machine itself. If he landed wrong, or took a tumble, he'd be clear of the tracks. Sprains and breaks were common. He gauged the area ahead, chose his spot, and jumped. The key was to fall flat and wait for the blade to pass over his head. The pushers didn't like it if you took too much time, so it paid to get up quickly and sprint for the objective. Kev dashed ahead, came to the timber- built bridge, and skidded to a halt. There were no signs of an ambush:Previous Entities: |Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev| ::: Kev, ",Doon.M if you wanted.’,32077,32103,True,1238:The trainee guard.M,"it was.‘ I have never been so insulted before in my life!’ screamed the enraged nurse.‘ Really?’ said Tiffany.‘ I’m genuinely surprised.’ She turned on her heel, left the nurse standing and marched over to a young guard who had just come into the hall.‘ I’ve seen you around. I don’t think I know who you are. What’s your name, please?’ The trainee guard gave what he probably thought was a salute.‘ Preston, miss.’‘ Has the Baron been taken down to the crypt, Preston?’‘ Yes, miss, and I’ve took down some lanterns and some cloths and a bucket of warm water, miss.’ He grinned when he saw her expression.‘ My grandma used to do the laying out when I was a little boy, miss. I could help, if you wanted.’‘ Did your grandma let you help?’‘ No, miss,’ said the young man.‘ She said men weren’t allowed to do that sort of thing unless they had a certificate in doctrine.’ Tiffany looked puzzled for a moment.‘ Doctrine?’‘ You know, miss. Doctrine: pills and potions and sawing off legs and similar.’ Light dawned.‘ Oh, you mean doctoring. I should hope not. This isn’t about making the poor soul better. I will do it by myself, but thank you for asking, anyway. This is women’s work.’ Exactly why it is women’s work I don’t know, she said to herself as she arrived in the crypt and rolled up her sleeves. The young guard",The trainee guard,The trainee guard,"it was.‘ I have never been so insulted before in my life!’ screamed the enraged nurse.‘ Really?’ said Tiffany.‘ I’m genuinely surprised.’ She turned on her heel, left the nurse standing and marched over to a young guard who had just come into the hall.‘ I’ve seen you around. I don’t think I know who you are. What’s your name, please?’ The trainee guard gave what he probably thought was a salute.‘ Preston, miss.’‘ Has the Baron been taken down to the crypt, Preston?’‘ Yes, miss, and I’ve took down some lanterns and some cloths and a bucket of warm water, miss.’ He grinned when he saw her expression.‘ My grandma used to do the laying out when I was a little boy, miss. I could help, if you wanted.’‘ Did your grandma let you help?’‘ No, miss,’ said the young man.‘ She said men weren’t allowed to do that sort of thing unless they had a certificate in doctrine.’ Tiffany looked puzzled for a moment.‘ Doctrine?’‘ You know, miss. Doctrine: pills and potions and sawing off legs and similar.’ Light dawned.‘ Oh, you mean doctoring. I should hope not. This isn’t about making the poor soul better. I will do it by myself, but thank you for asking, anyway. This is women’s work.’ Exactly why it is women’s work I don’t know, she said to herself as she arrived in the crypt and rolled up her sleeves. The young guard:Previous Entities: |The trainee guard| ::: if you wanted.’ ",Preston.M "I showed you not once,",226663,226701,True,134:Hybern.M,". At Lucien— whose face she had finally taken in. Dark brown eyes met one eye of russet and one of metal. Nesta was still weeping, still raging, still inspecting Elain— Lucien’s hands slackened at his sides. His voice broke as he whispered to Elain,“You’re my mate.” CHAPTER 66 I didn’t let Lucien’s declaration sink in. Nesta, however, whirled on him.“She is no such thing,” she said, and shoved him again. Lucien didn’t move an inch. His face was pale as death as he stared at Elain. My sister said nothing, the iron ring glinting dully on her finger. The King of Hybern murmured,“Interesting. So very interesting.” He turned to the queens.“See? I showed you not once, but twice that it is safe. Who should like to be Made first? Perhaps you’ll get a handsome Fae lord as your mate, too.” The youngest queen stepped forward, her eyes indeed darting between all the Fae men assembled. As if they were hers for the picking. The king chuckled.“Very well, then.” Hate flooded me, so violent I had no control over it, no song in my heart but its war- cry. I was going to kill them. I was going to kill all of them—“If you’re so willing to hand out bargains,” Rhys suddenly said, rising to his feet and tugging me with him,“perhaps I’ll make one with you.”“Oh?” Rhys shrugged. No. No more bargains— no more sacrifices. No more giving himself away piece by piece. No more. And if the king refused, if there",Hybern,"Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern",". At Lucien— whose face she had finally taken in. Dark brown eyes met one eye of russet and one of metal. Nesta was still weeping, still raging, still inspecting Elain— Lucien’s hands slackened at his sides. His voice broke as he whispered to Elain,“You’re my mate.” CHAPTER 66 I didn’t let Lucien’s declaration sink in. Nesta, however, whirled on him.“She is no such thing,” she said, and shoved him again. Lucien didn’t move an inch. His face was pale as death as he stared at Elain. My sister said nothing, the iron ring glinting dully on her finger. The King of Hybern murmured,“Interesting. So very interesting.” He turned to the queens.“See? I showed you not once, but twice that it is safe. Who should like to be Made first? Perhaps you’ll get a handsome Fae lord as your mate, too.” The youngest queen stepped forward, her eyes indeed darting between all the Fae men assembled. As if they were hers for the picking. The king chuckled.“Very well, then.” Hate flooded me, so violent I had no control over it, no song in my heart but its war- cry. I was going to kill them. I was going to kill all of them—“If you’re so willing to hand out bargains,” Rhys suddenly said, rising to his feet and tugging me with him,“perhaps I’ll make one with you.”“Oh?” Rhys shrugged. No. No more bargains— no more sacrifices. No more giving himself away piece by piece. No more. And if the king refused, if there:Previous Entities: |Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor, the King of Hybern, her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern| ::: I showed you not once, ",King of Hybern.M "“Right,”",36380,36383,True,863:Bren.M,"considering calling for pizza delivery. He lay down on the bed to relax for a minute before he called. And he fell immediately asleep. CENTURY CITY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25 8:59 A.M. The meeting was held in the big conference room on the fourteenth floor. Morton’s four accountants were there; his assistant Sarah Jones; Herb Lowenstein, who did estate planning; a guy named Marty Bren, who did tax work for NERF, and Evans. Morton, who hated all financial meetings, paced restlessly.“Let’s get to it,” he said.“I am supposedly giving ten million dollars to NERF, and we have signed papers, is that right?”“Right,” Lowenstein said.“But now they want to attach a rider to the agreement?”“Right,” Marty Bren said.“It’s pretty standard boilerplate for them.” He shuffled through his papers.“Any charity wants to have full use of the money they receive, even when it is earmarked for a particular purpose. Maybe that purpose costs more or less than predicted, or it is delayed, or mired in litigation, or set aside for some other reason. In this case, the money has been earmarked for the Vanutu lawsuit, and the relevant phrase NERF wants to add is“said moneys to be used to defray the cost of the Vanutu litigation, including fees, filing, and copying costs… blah blah… or for other legal purposes, or for such other purposes as NERF shall see fit in its capacity as an environmental organization.” Morton said,",Bren,"A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren","considering calling for pizza delivery. He lay down on the bed to relax for a minute before he called. And he fell immediately asleep. CENTURY CITY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25 8:59 A.M. The meeting was held in the big conference room on the fourteenth floor. Morton’s four accountants were there; his assistant Sarah Jones; Herb Lowenstein, who did estate planning; a guy named Marty Bren, who did tax work for NERF, and Evans. Morton, who hated all financial meetings, paced restlessly.“Let’s get to it,” he said.“I am supposedly giving ten million dollars to NERF, and we have signed papers, is that right?”“Right,” Lowenstein said.“But now they want to attach a rider to the agreement?”“Right,” Marty Bren said.“It’s pretty standard boilerplate for them.” He shuffled through his papers.“Any charity wants to have full use of the money they receive, even when it is earmarked for a particular purpose. Maybe that purpose costs more or less than predicted, or it is delayed, or mired in litigation, or set aside for some other reason. In this case, the money has been earmarked for the Vanutu lawsuit, and the relevant phrase NERF wants to add is“said moneys to be used to defray the cost of the Vanutu litigation, including fees, filing, and copying costs… blah blah… or for other legal purposes, or for such other purposes as NERF shall see fit in its capacity as an environmental organization.” Morton said,:Previous Entities: |A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren| ::: “Right,” ",Marty Bren.M "Passively submitting to the whip must have been adjudged shameful in the extreme,",60822,60894,True,349:Sjogren.M,"have been found unchaste, they are sold off at once, but if men are found guilty of treason or any other crime, they prefer to be beheaded than flogged. No form of punishment other than the axe or slavery is known to them.” The historian Sjogren places great importance on Adam’s statement that men would prefer to be beheaded rather than flogged. This would seem to suggest that flogging was known among the Northmen; and he argues further that it was most likely a punishment for slaves.“Slaves are property, and it is economically unwise to kill them for minor offenses; surely whipping was an accepted form of punishment to a slave. Thus it may be that warriors viewed whipping as a degraded penalty because it was reserved for slaves.” Sjogren also argues that“all we know of Viking life points to a society founded upon the idea of shame, not guilt, as the negative behavioral pole. Vikings never felt guilt about anything, but they defended their honor fiercely, and would avoid a shameful act at any cost. Passively submitting to the whip must have been adjudged shameful in the extreme, and far worse than death itself.” These speculations carry us back to Ibn Fadlan’s manuscript, and his choice of the words“whipping with dirt.” Since the Arab is so fastidious, one might wonder whether his words reflect an Islamic attitude. In this regard, we should remember that while Ibn Fadlan’s world was certainly divided into clean and dirty things and acts, soil itself was not necessarily dirty. On the contrary, tayammum, ablution with dust or sand, is carried out whenever ablution with water is not possible. Thus Ibn Fadlan had no particular abhorrence of soil on one’s person; he would have been much more upset if he were asked to drink from a gold cup, which was strictly forbidden.[ 27] This passage is apparently the source of the 1869 comment by the scholarly Rev. Noel",Sjogren,"the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren","have been found unchaste, they are sold off at once, but if men are found guilty of treason or any other crime, they prefer to be beheaded than flogged. No form of punishment other than the axe or slavery is known to them.” The historian Sjogren places great importance on Adam’s statement that men would prefer to be beheaded rather than flogged. This would seem to suggest that flogging was known among the Northmen; and he argues further that it was most likely a punishment for slaves.“Slaves are property, and it is economically unwise to kill them for minor offenses; surely whipping was an accepted form of punishment to a slave. Thus it may be that warriors viewed whipping as a degraded penalty because it was reserved for slaves.” Sjogren also argues that“all we know of Viking life points to a society founded upon the idea of shame, not guilt, as the negative behavioral pole. Vikings never felt guilt about anything, but they defended their honor fiercely, and would avoid a shameful act at any cost. Passively submitting to the whip must have been adjudged shameful in the extreme, and far worse than death itself.” These speculations carry us back to Ibn Fadlan’s manuscript, and his choice of the words“whipping with dirt.” Since the Arab is so fastidious, one might wonder whether his words reflect an Islamic attitude. In this regard, we should remember that while Ibn Fadlan’s world was certainly divided into clean and dirty things and acts, soil itself was not necessarily dirty. On the contrary, tayammum, ablution with dust or sand, is carried out whenever ablution with water is not possible. Thus Ibn Fadlan had no particular abhorrence of soil on one’s person; he would have been much more upset if he were asked to drink from a gold cup, which was strictly forbidden.[ 27] This passage is apparently the source of the 1869 comment by the scholarly Rev. Noel:Previous Entities: |the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren| ::: Passively submitting to the whip must have been adjudged shameful in the extreme, ",Sjogren.M "“Not quite,",22793,22802,True,1152:this poor Museum Fremen.?,"startled glance at her. The Museum Fremen appeared to shrivel, drawing in upon himself. The blade trembled in his hand, but his gnome fingers still curled inward around it as though clasping a throat.“Treachery, Lady? Oh, no. But it occurred to us that we asked too little for this copy. Poor as it is, making it and selling it this way puts us in dreadful peril.” Siona glared at him, thinking of the old Fremen words from the Oral History:“Once you acquire a marketplace soul, the suk is the totality of existence.”“How much do you want?” she demanded. He named a sum twice his original figure. Topri gasped. Siona looked at Topri.“Do you have that much?”“Not quite, but we agreed on…”“Give him what you have, all of it,” Siona said.“All of it?”“Isn’t that what I said? Every coin in that bag.” She faced the Museum Fremen.“You will accept this payment.” It was not a question and the old man heard her correctly. He wrapped the blade in its cloth and passed it to her. Topri handed over the pouch of coins, muttering under his breath. Siona addressed herself to the Museum Fremen.“We know your name. You are Teishar, aide to Garun of Tuono. You have a suk mentality and you make me shudder at what Fremen have become.”“Lady, we all have to live,” he protested.“You are not alive,”",this poor Museum Fremen,"Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen","startled glance at her. The Museum Fremen appeared to shrivel, drawing in upon himself. The blade trembled in his hand, but his gnome fingers still curled inward around it as though clasping a throat.“Treachery, Lady? Oh, no. But it occurred to us that we asked too little for this copy. Poor as it is, making it and selling it this way puts us in dreadful peril.” Siona glared at him, thinking of the old Fremen words from the Oral History:“Once you acquire a marketplace soul, the suk is the totality of existence.”“How much do you want?” she demanded. He named a sum twice his original figure. Topri gasped. Siona looked at Topri.“Do you have that much?”“Not quite, but we agreed on…”“Give him what you have, all of it,” Siona said.“All of it?”“Isn’t that what I said? Every coin in that bag.” She faced the Museum Fremen.“You will accept this payment.” It was not a question and the old man heard her correctly. He wrapped the blade in its cloth and passed it to her. Topri handed over the pouch of coins, muttering under his breath. Siona addressed herself to the Museum Fremen.“We know your name. You are Teishar, aide to Garun of Tuono. You have a suk mentality and you make me shudder at what Fremen have become.”“Lady, we all have to live,” he protested.“You are not alive,”:Previous Entities: |Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen| ::: “Not quite, ",Topri.M "It is in thirty percent of the white New Zealand population,",88614,88640,True,3182:a kid to the left.?,"I know. I don’t believe anyone can know that, except God. I think anyone who says he knows God’s intention is showing a lot of very human ego.” He wanted to glance at his watch, but he didn’t. The kids were looking quizzical, not enraptured, as he had expected.“There’s a great range of genetic issues,” he said.“Let’s move on.”“Dr. Bellarmino,” said a kid to the left,“I wanted to ask about antisocial personality disorder. I’ve read there is a gene for it, and it’s associated with violence and crime, sociopathic behavior…”“Yes, that’s true. The gene appears in about two percent of the population around the world.”“What about New Zealand? It is in thirty percent of the white New Zealand population, and sixty percent of the Maori population…”“That’s been reported, but you must be careful—”“But doesn’t that mean violence is hereditary? I mean, shouldn’t we be trying to get rid of this gene, the way we got rid of smallpox?” Bellarmino paused. He was starting to wonder how many of these kids had parents who worked in Bethesda. He hadn’t thought to ask for the names of the kids in advance. But the questions from these kids were too knowledgeable, too relentless. Was one of his many enemies trying to discredit him, by using these kids? Was the whole network plan a trap to make him look bad? The first step toward pushing him out of NIH? This was the information age; it was how such things were done today. Arrange",a kid to the left,"Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left","I know. I don’t believe anyone can know that, except God. I think anyone who says he knows God’s intention is showing a lot of very human ego.” He wanted to glance at his watch, but he didn’t. The kids were looking quizzical, not enraptured, as he had expected.“There’s a great range of genetic issues,” he said.“Let’s move on.”“Dr. Bellarmino,” said a kid to the left,“I wanted to ask about antisocial personality disorder. I’ve read there is a gene for it, and it’s associated with violence and crime, sociopathic behavior…”“Yes, that’s true. The gene appears in about two percent of the population around the world.”“What about New Zealand? It is in thirty percent of the white New Zealand population, and sixty percent of the Maori population…”“That’s been reported, but you must be careful—”“But doesn’t that mean violence is hereditary? I mean, shouldn’t we be trying to get rid of this gene, the way we got rid of smallpox?” Bellarmino paused. He was starting to wonder how many of these kids had parents who worked in Bethesda. He hadn’t thought to ask for the names of the kids in advance. But the questions from these kids were too knowledgeable, too relentless. Was one of his many enemies trying to discredit him, by using these kids? Was the whole network plan a trap to make him look bad? The first step toward pushing him out of NIH? This was the information age; it was how such things were done today. Arrange:Previous Entities: |Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left| ::: It is in thirty percent of the white New Zealand population, ",kid to the left.M "Quite amazing,",4511,4540,True,375:owls.?,"asked. There was a gentle churring, the sound owls make when they laugh.“No. I am known as Mist or Hortense, and I am alive, very much so.”“I don’t mean to be rude,” Nyroc said.“But why do you look the way you do?”“Well, it’s a long story but I’ll try to make it brief. In Ambala, where I was hatched, the streams and brooks and lakes— even the ground itself— are rich in a magnetic material called flecks. It was both a blessing and a curse. Some owls were hatched with unusual powers because of the flecks. My father, for instance, could see through rock.”“See through rock?” Nyroc repeated.“Yes. Quite amazing, isn’t it? But sadly his own mother went yoicks, lost her wits and every gizzardly instinct she ever had.”“How awful.” Nyroc could not think of anything worse than losing his gizzardly senses— except maybe losing his wings.“For others,” Mist, also known as Hortense, continued,“it disrupted their navigational abilities. But for me, I just suffered from being quite small. It took forever for my flight feathers to come in, and I was never a very strong flier.”“But were you always so… so…”“So faded?” she said.“No, that has come on with age. My feathers whitened, and some became transparent.” She paused a moment, then stuck her beak into her breast feathers and plucked one.“Here, take a look.” She held out a small feather to Nyroc but",owls,"Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls","asked. There was a gentle churring, the sound owls make when they laugh.“No. I am known as Mist or Hortense, and I am alive, very much so.”“I don’t mean to be rude,” Nyroc said.“But why do you look the way you do?”“Well, it’s a long story but I’ll try to make it brief. In Ambala, where I was hatched, the streams and brooks and lakes— even the ground itself— are rich in a magnetic material called flecks. It was both a blessing and a curse. Some owls were hatched with unusual powers because of the flecks. My father, for instance, could see through rock.”“See through rock?” Nyroc repeated.“Yes. Quite amazing, isn’t it? But sadly his own mother went yoicks, lost her wits and every gizzardly instinct she ever had.”“How awful.” Nyroc could not think of anything worse than losing his gizzardly senses— except maybe losing his wings.“For others,” Mist, also known as Hortense, continued,“it disrupted their navigational abilities. But for me, I just suffered from being quite small. It took forever for my flight feathers to come in, and I was never a very strong flier.”“But were you always so… so…”“So faded?” she said.“No, that has come on with age. My feathers whitened, and some became transparent.” She paused a moment, then stuck her beak into her breast feathers and plucked one.“Here, take a look.” She held out a small feather to Nyroc but:Previous Entities: |Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls| ::: Quite amazing, ",Mist.F "‘ Yes,",72661,72681,True,377:everybody.?,", perhaps I was standing over him…’‘ Ah- ha!’‘ Don’t you dare ah- ha me, Roland, don’t you dare! Look, I know people have been telling you things, but they are not true.’‘ But you just admitted that you were standing over him, yes?’‘ It’s simply that he wanted me to show him how I keep my hands clean!’ She regretted this as soon as she said it. It was true, but what did that matter? It didn’t sound true.‘ Look, I can see that it—’‘ And you didn’t steal a bag of money?’‘ No!’‘ And you don’t know anything about a bag of money?’‘ Yes, your father asked me to take one out of the metal chest. He wanted to—’ Roland interrupted her.‘ Where is that money now?’ His voice was flat and without expression.‘ I have no idea,’ said Tiffany. And as his mouth opened again, she shouted,‘ No! You will listen, understand? Sit there and listen! I attended your father for the better part of two years. I liked the old man and I would do nothing to hurt him or you. He died when it was his time to die. When that time comes, there is nothing anyone can do.’‘ Then what is magic for?’ Tiffany shook her head.‘ Magic, as you call it, kept the pain away, and don’t you dare think that it came without a price! I have seen people die,",everybody,"Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust",", perhaps I was standing over him…’‘ Ah- ha!’‘ Don’t you dare ah- ha me, Roland, don’t you dare! Look, I know people have been telling you things, but they are not true.’‘ But you just admitted that you were standing over him, yes?’‘ It’s simply that he wanted me to show him how I keep my hands clean!’ She regretted this as soon as she said it. It was true, but what did that matter? It didn’t sound true.‘ Look, I can see that it—’‘ And you didn’t steal a bag of money?’‘ No!’‘ And you don’t know anything about a bag of money?’‘ Yes, your father asked me to take one out of the metal chest. He wanted to—’ Roland interrupted her.‘ Where is that money now?’ His voice was flat and without expression.‘ I have no idea,’ said Tiffany. And as his mouth opened again, she shouted,‘ No! You will listen, understand? Sit there and listen! I attended your father for the better part of two years. I liked the old man and I would do nothing to hurt him or you. He died when it was his time to die. When that time comes, there is nothing anyone can do.’‘ Then what is magic for?’ Tiffany shook her head.‘ Magic, as you call it, kept the pain away, and don’t you dare think that it came without a price! I have seen people die,:Previous Entities: |Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust| ::: ‘ Yes, ",Tiffany.F I bloody fell in love with that girl on stage.',76421,76438,True,213:Thundergust.M,". The assembled dwarfs listened in silence for several minutes. One of them dropped his axe, and was noisily hushed by the rest of them.'... and melting snow. Farewell,' Tomjon finished.' Drinks phial, collapses behind battlements, down ladder, out of dress and into tabard for Comic Guard No.2, wait one, entrance left. What ho, good—'' That's about enough,' said Hwel quietly. Several of the dwarfs were crying into their helmets. There was a chorus of blown noses. Thundergust dabbed at his eyes with a chain- mail handkerchief.' That was the most saddest thing I've ever heard,' he said. He glared at Tomjon.' Hang on,' he said, as realisation dawned.' He's a man. I bloody fell in love with that girl on stage.' He nudged Hwel.' He's not a bit of an elf, is he?'' Absolutely human,' said Hwel.' I know his father.' Once again he stared hard at the Fool, who was watching them with his mouth open, and looked back at Tomjon. Nah, he thought. Coincidence.' S'acting,' he said.' A good actor can be anything, right?' He could feel the Fool's eye boring into the back of his short neck.' Yes, but dressing up as women, it's a bit—' said Thundergust doubtfully. Tomjon slipped off his shoes and knelt down on them, bringing his face level with the dwarfs. He gave him a calculating stare for a few seconds, and then adjusted",Thundergust,"one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust",". The assembled dwarfs listened in silence for several minutes. One of them dropped his axe, and was noisily hushed by the rest of them.'... and melting snow. Farewell,' Tomjon finished.' Drinks phial, collapses behind battlements, down ladder, out of dress and into tabard for Comic Guard No.2, wait one, entrance left. What ho, good—'' That's about enough,' said Hwel quietly. Several of the dwarfs were crying into their helmets. There was a chorus of blown noses. Thundergust dabbed at his eyes with a chain- mail handkerchief.' That was the most saddest thing I've ever heard,' he said. He glared at Tomjon.' Hang on,' he said, as realisation dawned.' He's a man. I bloody fell in love with that girl on stage.' He nudged Hwel.' He's not a bit of an elf, is he?'' Absolutely human,' said Hwel.' I know his father.' Once again he stared hard at the Fool, who was watching them with his mouth open, and looked back at Tomjon. Nah, he thought. Coincidence.' S'acting,' he said.' A good actor can be anything, right?' He could feel the Fool's eye boring into the back of his short neck.' Yes, but dressing up as women, it's a bit—' said Thundergust doubtfully. Tomjon slipped off his shoes and knelt down on them, bringing his face level with the dwarfs. He gave him a calculating stare for a few seconds, and then adjusted:Previous Entities: |one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust| ::: I bloody fell in love with that girl on stage.' ",Thundergust.M “Why not?”,4923,4927,True,133:Brother Dunnykin.?,"the effort of dramatic recall.“‘ Yea, the king will come bringing Law and Justice, and know nothing but the Truth, and Protect and Serve the People with his Sword.’ You don’t all have to look at me like that, I didn’t make it up.”“Oh, we all know that one. And a fat lot of good that’d be,” said Brother Watchtower.“I mean, what does he do, ride in with Law and Truth and so on like the Four Horse- men of the Apocralypse? Hallo everyone,” he squeaked,“I’m the king, and that’s Truth over there, watering his horse. Not very practical, is it? Nah. You can’t trust old legends.”“Why not?” said Brother Dunnykin, in a peeved voice.“’Cos they’re legendary. That’s how you can tell,” said Brother Watchtower.“Sleeping princesses is a good one,” said Brother Plasterer.“Only a king can wake’em up.”“Don’t be daft,” said Brother Watchtower severely.“We haven’t got a king, so we can’t have princesses. Stands to reason.”“Of course, in the old days it was easy,” said Brother Doorkeeper happily.“Why?”“He just had to kill a dragon.” The Supreme Grand Master clapped his hands together and offered a silent prayer to any god who happened to be listening. He’d been right about these people. Sooner or later their rambling little",Brother Dunnykin,"the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin","the effort of dramatic recall.“‘ Yea, the king will come bringing Law and Justice, and know nothing but the Truth, and Protect and Serve the People with his Sword.’ You don’t all have to look at me like that, I didn’t make it up.”“Oh, we all know that one. And a fat lot of good that’d be,” said Brother Watchtower.“I mean, what does he do, ride in with Law and Truth and so on like the Four Horse- men of the Apocralypse? Hallo everyone,” he squeaked,“I’m the king, and that’s Truth over there, watering his horse. Not very practical, is it? Nah. You can’t trust old legends.”“Why not?” said Brother Dunnykin, in a peeved voice.“’Cos they’re legendary. That’s how you can tell,” said Brother Watchtower.“Sleeping princesses is a good one,” said Brother Plasterer.“Only a king can wake’em up.”“Don’t be daft,” said Brother Watchtower severely.“We haven’t got a king, so we can’t have princesses. Stands to reason.”“Of course, in the old days it was easy,” said Brother Doorkeeper happily.“Why?”“He just had to kill a dragon.” The Supreme Grand Master clapped his hands together and offered a silent prayer to any god who happened to be listening. He’d been right about these people. Sooner or later their rambling little:Previous Entities: |the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin| ::: “Why not?” ",Brother Dunnykin.M "Honestly,""",53159,53162,True,1401:the poor confused Krikkiter.M,"what she was doing. She turned and faced him, and lightly held both his arms. He was a picture of bewildered misery."" Tell me,"" she said. He said nothing for a moment, whilst his gaze darted from one of her eyes to the other."" We..."" he said,"" we have to be alone... I think."" He screwed up his face and then dropped his head forward, shaking it like someone trying to shake a coin out of a money box. He looked up again."" We have this bomb now, you see,"" he said,"" it's just a little one."""" I know,"" she said. He goggled at her as if she'd said something very strange about beetroots."" Honestly,"" he said,"" it's very, very little."""" I know,"" she said again."" But they say,"" his voice trailed on,"" they say it can destroy everything that exists. And we have to do that, you see, I think. Will that make us alone? I don't know. It seems to be our function, though,"" he said, and dropped his head again."" Whatever that means,"" said a hollow voice from the crowd. Trillian slowly put her arms around the poor bewildered young Krikkiter and patted his trembling head on her shoulder."" It's all right,"" she said quietly but clearly enough for all the shadowy crowd to hear,"" you don't have to do it.""",the poor confused Krikkiter,"the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108, Thor, another man from the crowd, the poor confused Krikkiter","what she was doing. She turned and faced him, and lightly held both his arms. He was a picture of bewildered misery."" Tell me,"" she said. He said nothing for a moment, whilst his gaze darted from one of her eyes to the other."" We..."" he said,"" we have to be alone... I think."" He screwed up his face and then dropped his head forward, shaking it like someone trying to shake a coin out of a money box. He looked up again."" We have this bomb now, you see,"" he said,"" it's just a little one."""" I know,"" she said. He goggled at her as if she'd said something very strange about beetroots."" Honestly,"" he said,"" it's very, very little."""" I know,"" she said again."" But they say,"" his voice trailed on,"" they say it can destroy everything that exists. And we have to do that, you see, I think. Will that make us alone? I don't know. It seems to be our function, though,"" he said, and dropped his head again."" Whatever that means,"" said a hollow voice from the crowd. Trillian slowly put her arms around the poor bewildered young Krikkiter and patted his trembling head on her shoulder."" It's all right,"" she said quietly but clearly enough for all the shadowy crowd to hear,"" you don't have to do it."":Previous Entities: |the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108, Thor, another man from the crowd, the poor confused Krikkiter| ::: Honestly,"" ",He.M To the library.,82453,82467,True,333:Tyek.M,"be done in training them. Don't protest. It's obvious. They were conditioned. You said it yourself."""" What're you going to do?"" she asked."" I'm going to wait and see,"" he said."" Perhaps I'll become Emperor."" She put a hand to her breast, sighed. For a few moments there he'd terrified her. She'd almost believed he would denounce her. Principles! But he was committed now; she could see that. Farad'n got up, went to the door and rang for his mother's attendants. He looked back:"" We are through, aren't we?"""" Yes."" She raised a hand as he started to leave."" Where're you going?"""" To the library. I've become fascinated lately by Corrino history."" He left her then, sensing how he carried his new commitment with him. Damn her! But he knew he was committed. And he recognized that there was a deep emotional difference between history as recorded on shigawire and read at leisure, a deep difference between that kind of history and the history which one lived. This new living history which he felt gathering around him possessed a sense of plunging into an irreversible future. Farad'n could feel himself driven now by the desires of all those whose fortunes rode with him. He found it strange that he could not pin down his own desires in this.=========================== It is said of Muad'Dib that once when",Tyek,"Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek","be done in training them. Don't protest. It's obvious. They were conditioned. You said it yourself."""" What're you going to do?"" she asked."" I'm going to wait and see,"" he said."" Perhaps I'll become Emperor."" She put a hand to her breast, sighed. For a few moments there he'd terrified her. She'd almost believed he would denounce her. Principles! But he was committed now; she could see that. Farad'n got up, went to the door and rang for his mother's attendants. He looked back:"" We are through, aren't we?"""" Yes."" She raised a hand as he started to leave."" Where're you going?"""" To the library. I've become fascinated lately by Corrino history."" He left her then, sensing how he carried his new commitment with him. Damn her! But he knew he was committed. And he recognized that there was a deep emotional difference between history as recorded on shigawire and read at leisure, a deep difference between that kind of history and the history which one lived. This new living history which he felt gathering around him possessed a sense of plunging into an irreversible future. Farad'n could feel himself driven now by the desires of all those whose fortunes rode with him. He found it strange that he could not pin down his own desires in this.=========================== It is said of Muad'Dib that once when:Previous Entities: |Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek| ::: To the library. ",Farad'n.M I notice…?’,113573,113584,True,195:Pastor Egg.M,"thought we’d give Magrat and her king a nice ride down.’ Possibly Tiffany was imagining it, but Nanny Ogg’s explanation sounded like something she had been working on for a little while. It felt as if she were reciting a script. But there was no more time to talk. The arrival of the king had triggered something in the air, and for the first time Tiffany saw Pastor Egg, in a black- and- white robe. She adjusted her pointy hat and walked over to him. He seemed quite glad of the company, which is to say that he gave her a grateful smile.‘ Hah, a witch, I see.’‘ Yes, the pointy hat is a bit of a giveaway, isn’t it?’ she said.‘ But not a black dress, I notice…?’ Tiffany heard the question mark as it went past.‘ When I am old, I shall wear midnight,’ she said.‘ Entirely appropriate,’ said the pastor,‘ but now you wear green, white and blue, the downland colours, I can’t help remarking!’ Tiffany was impressed.‘ So, you’re not interested in witchfinding, then?’ She felt a bit silly for asking outright, but she was on edge. Pastor Egg shook his head.‘ I can assure you, madam, that the Church has not been seriously involved in that sort of thing for hundreds of years! Unfortunately some people have long memories. Indeed, it was only a matter of a few years ago that the famous Pastor Oats said in his renowned Testament from",Pastor Egg,"Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg","thought we’d give Magrat and her king a nice ride down.’ Possibly Tiffany was imagining it, but Nanny Ogg’s explanation sounded like something she had been working on for a little while. It felt as if she were reciting a script. But there was no more time to talk. The arrival of the king had triggered something in the air, and for the first time Tiffany saw Pastor Egg, in a black- and- white robe. She adjusted her pointy hat and walked over to him. He seemed quite glad of the company, which is to say that he gave her a grateful smile.‘ Hah, a witch, I see.’‘ Yes, the pointy hat is a bit of a giveaway, isn’t it?’ she said.‘ But not a black dress, I notice…?’ Tiffany heard the question mark as it went past.‘ When I am old, I shall wear midnight,’ she said.‘ Entirely appropriate,’ said the pastor,‘ but now you wear green, white and blue, the downland colours, I can’t help remarking!’ Tiffany was impressed.‘ So, you’re not interested in witchfinding, then?’ She felt a bit silly for asking outright, but she was on edge. Pastor Egg shook his head.‘ I can assure you, madam, that the Church has not been seriously involved in that sort of thing for hundreds of years! Unfortunately some people have long memories. Indeed, it was only a matter of a few years ago that the famous Pastor Oats said in his renowned Testament from:Previous Entities: |Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg| ::: I notice…?’ ",Pastor Egg.M "“Orders of the king,",73367,73391,True,2245:the first guard.M,"right amount of psychological slouch to cause maximum offense.“Captain Vimes,” said Vimes, staring straight ahead.“To see the king. It’s of the utmost importance.”“Yeah? Well, it’d have to be,” said a guard.“Captain Slimes, was it?”“Vimes,” said Vimes evenly.“With a Vee.” One of the guards nodded to his companion.“Vimes,” he said.“With a Vee.”“Fancy,” said the other guard.“It’s most urgent,” said Vimes, maintaining a wooden expression. He tried to move forward. The first guard sidestepped neatly and pushed him sharply in the chest.“No one is going nowhere,” he said.“Orders of the king, see? So you can push off back to your pit, Captain Vimes with a Vee.” It wasn’t the words which made up Vimes’s mind. It was the way the other man sniggered.“Stand aside,” he said. The guard leaned down.“Who’s going to make me,” he rapped on Vimes’s helmet,“copper?” There are times when it is a veritable pleasure to drop the bomb right away.“Lance- constable Carrot, I want you to charge these men,” said Vimes. Carrot saluted.“Very good, sir,” he said, and turned and trotted smartly back the way they had come.“Hey!” shouted Vimes, as the boy disappeared around a corner.“That’s what I like to see,” said the first guard, leaning on his spear.“That",the first guard,"the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard","right amount of psychological slouch to cause maximum offense.“Captain Vimes,” said Vimes, staring straight ahead.“To see the king. It’s of the utmost importance.”“Yeah? Well, it’d have to be,” said a guard.“Captain Slimes, was it?”“Vimes,” said Vimes evenly.“With a Vee.” One of the guards nodded to his companion.“Vimes,” he said.“With a Vee.”“Fancy,” said the other guard.“It’s most urgent,” said Vimes, maintaining a wooden expression. He tried to move forward. The first guard sidestepped neatly and pushed him sharply in the chest.“No one is going nowhere,” he said.“Orders of the king, see? So you can push off back to your pit, Captain Vimes with a Vee.” It wasn’t the words which made up Vimes’s mind. It was the way the other man sniggered.“Stand aside,” he said. The guard leaned down.“Who’s going to make me,” he rapped on Vimes’s helmet,“copper?” There are times when it is a veritable pleasure to drop the bomb right away.“Lance- constable Carrot, I want you to charge these men,” said Vimes. Carrot saluted.“Very good, sir,” he said, and turned and trotted smartly back the way they had come.“Hey!” shouted Vimes, as the boy disappeared around a corner.“That’s what I like to see,” said the first guard, leaning on his spear.“That:Previous Entities: |the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard| ::: “Orders of the king, ",the guard.M "“I will send two guards with you,”",77586,77595,True,342:Inmeir.F,"place?” Siona asked.“Only as a name in a legend.”“Some say there are ghosts,” she said,“but I do not believe it.” Inmeir stopped in front of Idaho and motioned the two barefooted men to wait behind her.“The quarters are poor but adequate,” she said,“unless you would care to stay in one of the private residences.” She turned and looked at Siona as she said this.“We will decide later,” Siona said. She took Idaho’s arm.“The Commander and I wish to stroll through Goygoa and admire the sights.” Inmeir shaped her mouth to speak, but remained silent. Idaho allowed Siona to lead him past the peering faces of the two local men.“I will send two guards with you,” Inmeir called out. Siona stopped and turned.“Is it not safe in Goygoa?”“It is very peaceful here,” one of the men said.“Then we will not need guards,” Siona said.“Have them guard the’ thopter.” Again, she led Idaho toward the village.“All right,” Idaho said, disengaging his arm from Siona’s grasp.“What is this place?”“It is very likely that you will find this a very restful place,” Siona said.“It is not like the old Shuloch at all. Very peaceful.”“You’re up to something,” Idaho said, striding beside her.“What is it?”“I’ve always heard that gholas were full of",Inmeir,"Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir","place?” Siona asked.“Only as a name in a legend.”“Some say there are ghosts,” she said,“but I do not believe it.” Inmeir stopped in front of Idaho and motioned the two barefooted men to wait behind her.“The quarters are poor but adequate,” she said,“unless you would care to stay in one of the private residences.” She turned and looked at Siona as she said this.“We will decide later,” Siona said. She took Idaho’s arm.“The Commander and I wish to stroll through Goygoa and admire the sights.” Inmeir shaped her mouth to speak, but remained silent. Idaho allowed Siona to lead him past the peering faces of the two local men.“I will send two guards with you,” Inmeir called out. Siona stopped and turned.“Is it not safe in Goygoa?”“It is very peaceful here,” one of the men said.“Then we will not need guards,” Siona said.“Have them guard the’ thopter.” Again, she led Idaho toward the village.“All right,” Idaho said, disengaging his arm from Siona’s grasp.“What is this place?”“It is very likely that you will find this a very restful place,” Siona said.“It is not like the old Shuloch at all. Very peaceful.”“You’re up to something,” Idaho said, striding beside her.“What is it?”“I’ve always heard that gholas were full of:Previous Entities: |Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman, this poor Museum Fremen, Sister Chenoeh, the God Emperor who spoke of such marvels, Nunepi, a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir| ::: “I will send two guards with you,” ",Inmeir. "science and modern life,”",154611,154628,True,720:Charlton.M,"York: Knopf, 1999. Too many books fail to give any sense of how science is actually done. This delightful book focuses on Seymour Benzer and his work. West- Eberhard, Mary Jane. Developmental Plasticity and Evolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. The relationship of plasticity to evolution is central to our understanding of how evolution actually occurs. It is a difficult subject here made clear in an excellent text. ARTICLES, PRESS Attanasio, John B.“The Constitutionality of Regulating Human Genetic Engineering: Where Procreative Liberty and Equal Opportunity Collide,” The University of Chicago Law Review 53(1986): 1274–1342. I ordinarily dislike far- out speculation, but this essay, now twenty years old, remains remarkable for its detailed and complex presentation. Charlton, Bruce G.“The rise of the boy- genius: Psychological neoteny, science and modern life,” Medical Hypotheses 67, no. 4(2006): 679–81. Dobson, Roger, and Abul Tahar.“Cavegirls Were the First Blondes to Have Fun,” The Sunday Times(U.K.), February 26, 2006. Marshall, Eliot.“Fraud Strikes Top Genome Lab,” Science 274(1996): 908–910. Newman, Stuart A.“Averting the Clone Age: Prospects and Perils of Human Developmental Manipulation,” Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy 19, no. 1(2003): 431–63. A scientist presents the anti- cloning case. Patterson, N., Daniel J. Richter, Sante Gnerre, Eric S. Lander, and David Reich.“Genetic evidence for complex speciation of humans and chimpanzees,” Nature(advance online publication), DOI: 10.1038/ nature",Charlton,"the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France","York: Knopf, 1999. Too many books fail to give any sense of how science is actually done. This delightful book focuses on Seymour Benzer and his work. West- Eberhard, Mary Jane. Developmental Plasticity and Evolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. The relationship of plasticity to evolution is central to our understanding of how evolution actually occurs. It is a difficult subject here made clear in an excellent text. ARTICLES, PRESS Attanasio, John B.“The Constitutionality of Regulating Human Genetic Engineering: Where Procreative Liberty and Equal Opportunity Collide,” The University of Chicago Law Review 53(1986): 1274–1342. I ordinarily dislike far- out speculation, but this essay, now twenty years old, remains remarkable for its detailed and complex presentation. Charlton, Bruce G.“The rise of the boy- genius: Psychological neoteny, science and modern life,” Medical Hypotheses 67, no. 4(2006): 679–81. Dobson, Roger, and Abul Tahar.“Cavegirls Were the First Blondes to Have Fun,” The Sunday Times(U.K.), February 26, 2006. Marshall, Eliot.“Fraud Strikes Top Genome Lab,” Science 274(1996): 908–910. Newman, Stuart A.“Averting the Clone Age: Prospects and Perils of Human Developmental Manipulation,” Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy 19, no. 1(2003): 431–63. A scientist presents the anti- cloning case. Patterson, N., Daniel J. Richter, Sante Gnerre, Eric S. Lander, and David Reich.“Genetic evidence for complex speciation of humans and chimpanzees,” Nature(advance online publication), DOI: 10.1038/ nature:Previous Entities: |the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France| ::: science and modern life,” ","The excerpt you provided seems to be a bibliographic entry or a reference from written materials that cover a variety of scientific topics and insights. Unfortunately, the structure of the request is unclear with regard to transforming it to the format of ""."" and relevant context from the provided text is lacking to accurately complete such a transformation. If you could clarify your intentions or provide more direction regarding how you would like me to proceed with the data, I'm here to help!" "But what will we do?""",38751,38758,True,1090:a female warrior.?,". They don't rule the Hushlands with chains, fire, and oppression. They rule it with comfort, leisure, and easy lies. It’s easy to accept the normal and avoid thinking about the difficult and the strange. Life can be so much simpler if you stop dreaming."" But that is how we defeat them. They can never win, so long as we refuse to believe in their lies. Even if they take Tuki Tuki, even if Mokia falls, even if all of the Free Kingdoms become theirs. They will never win so long as we refuse to believe. Don't give up, and you will not lose. I promise you that."" Around me, the Mokians began to nod. Several even smiled, holding their spears more certainly."" But what will we do?"" a female warrior asked."" How will we survive?"""" My grandfather is coming,"" I said."" We just have to last a little longer. I'll talk to my counselors..."" I hesitated."" Er, I have counselors, don't I?"""" We're right here, Your Majesty,” a voice said. I glanced backward, to where three Mokians stood in official- looking wraps, wearing small, colorful caps on their heads. I vaguely remembered them joining me as I ran for the disturbance."" Great,"" I said."" I'll talk to my counselors, and we'll figure something out. You soldiers, your job is to keep hoping. Don't give up. Don't let them win",a female warrior,"Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior",". They don't rule the Hushlands with chains, fire, and oppression. They rule it with comfort, leisure, and easy lies. It’s easy to accept the normal and avoid thinking about the difficult and the strange. Life can be so much simpler if you stop dreaming."" But that is how we defeat them. They can never win, so long as we refuse to believe in their lies. Even if they take Tuki Tuki, even if Mokia falls, even if all of the Free Kingdoms become theirs. They will never win so long as we refuse to believe. Don't give up, and you will not lose. I promise you that."" Around me, the Mokians began to nod. Several even smiled, holding their spears more certainly."" But what will we do?"" a female warrior asked."" How will we survive?"""" My grandfather is coming,"" I said."" We just have to last a little longer. I'll talk to my counselors..."" I hesitated."" Er, I have counselors, don't I?"""" We're right here, Your Majesty,” a voice said. I glanced backward, to where three Mokians stood in official- looking wraps, wearing small, colorful caps on their heads. I vaguely remembered them joining me as I ran for the disturbance."" Great,"" I said."" I'll talk to my counselors, and we'll figure something out. You soldiers, your job is to keep hoping. Don't give up. Don't let them win:Previous Entities: |Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy, the Death Eaters, others, Latamer, Master Graves, Jean, Eckbert, the betrothed princess Amarinda, Wilmer, Poppy, Ordney, Some people, someone else, the messenger, my grandfather, King Dartmoor, one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior| ::: But what will we do?"" ",female warrior.F "melting and running down the gutters,”",2316,2328,True,440:the big one.?,"much shorter and wrapped from head to toe in a brown cloak. Later, when he has occasion to move, it will be seen that he moves lightly, catlike. The two had barely exchanged a word in the last twenty minutes except for a short and inconclusive argument as to whether a particularly powerful explosion had been the oil bond store or the workshop of Kerible the Enchanter. Money hinged on the fact. Now the big man finished gnawing at the bone and tossed it into the grass, smiling ruefully.“There go all those little alleyways,” he said.“I liked them.”“All the treasure houses,” said the small man. He added thoughtfully,“Do gems burn? I wonder.’ Tis said they’re kin to coal.”“All the gold, melting and running down the gutters,” said the big one, ignoring him.“And all the wine, boiling in the barrels.”“There were rats,” said his brown companion.“Rats, I’ll grant you.”“It was no place to be in high summer.”“That, too. One can’t help feeling, though, a— well, a momentary—” He trailed off, then brightened.“We owed old Fredor at the Crimson Leech eight silver pieces,” he added. The little man nodded. They were silent for a while as a whole new series of explosions carved a red line across a hitherto dark section of the greatest city in the world. Then the big man stirred.“Weasel?”“Yes?”“I wonder who",the big one,"Nelson, the big one","much shorter and wrapped from head to toe in a brown cloak. Later, when he has occasion to move, it will be seen that he moves lightly, catlike. The two had barely exchanged a word in the last twenty minutes except for a short and inconclusive argument as to whether a particularly powerful explosion had been the oil bond store or the workshop of Kerible the Enchanter. Money hinged on the fact. Now the big man finished gnawing at the bone and tossed it into the grass, smiling ruefully.“There go all those little alleyways,” he said.“I liked them.”“All the treasure houses,” said the small man. He added thoughtfully,“Do gems burn? I wonder.’ Tis said they’re kin to coal.”“All the gold, melting and running down the gutters,” said the big one, ignoring him.“And all the wine, boiling in the barrels.”“There were rats,” said his brown companion.“Rats, I’ll grant you.”“It was no place to be in high summer.”“That, too. One can’t help feeling, though, a— well, a momentary—” He trailed off, then brightened.“We owed old Fredor at the Crimson Leech eight silver pieces,” he added. The little man nodded. They were silent for a while as a whole new series of explosions carved a red line across a hitherto dark section of the greatest city in the world. Then the big man stirred.“Weasel?”“Yes?”“I wonder who:Previous Entities: |Nelson, the big one| ::: melting and running down the gutters,” ",Nelson.M “Dire wolves?”,49619,49623,True,192:Fritha.?,"are?” The owlets nodded. Early on they had been told about bonk coals, which were the hottest coals that a collier could pull from a forest fire and were greatly coveted by all blacksmiths. They had many uses in the making of metal tools.“But according to legend there was only one Ember of Hoole, and when Hoole died, some say it died with him. But others say it was taken to the land of Beyond the Beyond and hidden there.”“I heard…” a Great Gray Owl named Buck started to speak.“Yes, Buck, please raise a talon before speaking,” Otulissa said. Buck raised his talon and continued.“I heard that it’s buried someplace there near a volcano and guarded by dire wolves.”“Dire wolves?” Fritha said.“That’s stupid.”“Now, now,” Otulissa cautioned.“We maintain a civil discourse here.” All the owls looked blankly at her. They had no idea what“civil discourse” was, but they were pretty sure it was something about not being rude.“Well,” continued Fritha.“I only meant to say they are extinct. As in, long gone! No more!”“We think they are extinct,” Otulissa replied. When Buck had first mentioned the dire wolves there was a small twinge in Otulissa’s gizzard. Something felt familiar to her, as if she had seen one someplace, but that was ridiculous. Dire wolves were thought to be extinct, and they had never been anywhere near the",Fritha,"The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum","are?” The owlets nodded. Early on they had been told about bonk coals, which were the hottest coals that a collier could pull from a forest fire and were greatly coveted by all blacksmiths. They had many uses in the making of metal tools.“But according to legend there was only one Ember of Hoole, and when Hoole died, some say it died with him. But others say it was taken to the land of Beyond the Beyond and hidden there.”“I heard…” a Great Gray Owl named Buck started to speak.“Yes, Buck, please raise a talon before speaking,” Otulissa said. Buck raised his talon and continued.“I heard that it’s buried someplace there near a volcano and guarded by dire wolves.”“Dire wolves?” Fritha said.“That’s stupid.”“Now, now,” Otulissa cautioned.“We maintain a civil discourse here.” All the owls looked blankly at her. They had no idea what“civil discourse” was, but they were pretty sure it was something about not being rude.“Well,” continued Fritha.“I only meant to say they are extinct. As in, long gone! No more!”“We think they are extinct,” Otulissa replied. When Buck had first mentioned the dire wolves there was a small twinge in Otulissa’s gizzard. Something felt familiar to her, as if she had seen one someplace, but that was ridiculous. Dire wolves were thought to be extinct, and they had never been anywhere near the:Previous Entities: |The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum| ::: “Dire wolves?” ",Otulissa,"Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl",". It means more shatterings. It means that the Pure Ones can gain control of our brains, our minds. It means we might never be able to think again. It means it would be better to die than become a mindless tool for the most destructive owls on earth. That’s what it means, Otulissa.” The other four owls were astounded. Digger, usually subdued, philosophical, and armed with endless patience, had suddenly become enraged. While the other owls had wilfed at the news that the Pure Ones had triumphed over St. Aggie’s, and appeared exceedingly slender with their feathers lying close to their bodies, Digger had puffed up and seemed almost twice his normal size as he spat out his rage at Otulissa. The Boreal Owl now came into the antechamber.“Young’uns, the parliament would like to see you again. Follow me, please.” Once more, the six owls filed into the parliament chamber and took their places facing the curved birch branch where the members perched. They all noticed that Dewlap had been removed from the chamber. This time Barran began to speak.“As you know, young’uns, our situation is grave. We have won two battles, one last winter during the siege and now in the rescue of Eglantine and Primrose. But we have not won the war, which has turned more deadly than ever. We do not know how many of the St. Aggie’s troops have been conscripted into Kludd’s army of the Pure Ones. But we must assume the worst; that the Pure Ones’ ranks have grown. Therefore, Ezylryb would now like to talk to you about a second mission.”:Previous Entities: |Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl| ::: Follow me, ","Digger.M Otulissa.F The Boreal Owl.? Barran.? Ezylryb.?" ’“no” fra’,103863,103868,True,2710:The first head.?,". There was a small hill of snow where there had been, a few hours ago, a little cluster of thorn trees on an ancient mound. This time last year there had been a few early primroses; now there was just snow. Part of the snow moved. A piece about the size of an apple rose up, with smoke pouring out around it. A hand no larger than a rabbit’s paw waved the smoke away. A very small, but very angry blue face, with the lump of snow still balanced on top of it, looked out at the sudden white wilderness.‘ Ach, crivens!’ it grumbled.‘ Will ye no’ look at this?’ Tis the work o’ the wintersmith! Noo there’s a scunner that willnae tak’“no” fra’ a answer!’ Other lumps of snow were pushed up. More heads peered out.‘ Oh waily, waily, waily!’ said one of them.‘ He’s found the big wee hag again!’ The first head turned towards this head, and said,‘ Daft Wullie?’‘ Yes, Rob?’‘ Did I no’ tell ye to lay off that waily business?’‘ Aye, Rob, ye did that,’ said the head addressed as Daft Wullie.‘ So why did ye just do it?’‘ Sorry, Rob. It kinda bursted oot.’‘ It’s so dispiritin’.’‘ Sorry, Rob.’ Rob Anybody sighed.‘ But I fear ye’re right, Wullie. He’s come for the",The first head,"A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head",". There was a small hill of snow where there had been, a few hours ago, a little cluster of thorn trees on an ancient mound. This time last year there had been a few early primroses; now there was just snow. Part of the snow moved. A piece about the size of an apple rose up, with smoke pouring out around it. A hand no larger than a rabbit’s paw waved the smoke away. A very small, but very angry blue face, with the lump of snow still balanced on top of it, looked out at the sudden white wilderness.‘ Ach, crivens!’ it grumbled.‘ Will ye no’ look at this?’ Tis the work o’ the wintersmith! Noo there’s a scunner that willnae tak’“no” fra’ a answer!’ Other lumps of snow were pushed up. More heads peered out.‘ Oh waily, waily, waily!’ said one of them.‘ He’s found the big wee hag again!’ The first head turned towards this head, and said,‘ Daft Wullie?’‘ Yes, Rob?’‘ Did I no’ tell ye to lay off that waily business?’‘ Aye, Rob, ye did that,’ said the head addressed as Daft Wullie.‘ So why did ye just do it?’‘ Sorry, Rob. It kinda bursted oot.’‘ It’s so dispiritin’.’‘ Sorry, Rob.’ Rob Anybody sighed.‘ But I fear ye’re right, Wullie. He’s come for the:Previous Entities: |A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head| ::: ’“no” fra’ ",Rob Anybody.M You can fly out of here now.,16134,16152,True,565:the male puffin.M,"ice that made him think of that warmer place with the pools of crystal- clear water, his lovely white face shimmering on the surface. Why couldn’t they go back there? Where were they supposed to be going instead? Soren kept forgetting. All he could remember were the rolls of warm wind to play on, the still, glasslike lake, the everlasting summer. No ice, no blizzard. Why not live there happily ever after? The dream tugged on him. In his sleep, he felt his gizzard turn and something begin to dim, while the longing for The Beaks and the Mirror Lakes grew stronger and stronger.“Time to get up, young’uns.” It was the male puffin, nudging Soren with one of his large, orange, webbed feet.“Wind died down. You can fly out of here now. The wall’s weeping.”“Huh?” Soren asked.“What do you mean the wall’s weeping?”“The ice is melting. Means warm air, the thermals have come. Easy flying.” The other owls were already up and standing at the rim of the hollow. The wall certainly was weeping. Glistening with wetness, it appeared shimmering, almost fiery as the setting sun turned its ice into liquid flames of pink, then orange and red.“Dumpy,” his father called.“Come over here, son. I want you to step up here and watch the young’uns fly. They are the masters of silent flight. Never going to hear a wing flap with these owls!” Just before they took off, Soren looked at each of the owls. He was",the male puffin,"the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin","ice that made him think of that warmer place with the pools of crystal- clear water, his lovely white face shimmering on the surface. Why couldn’t they go back there? Where were they supposed to be going instead? Soren kept forgetting. All he could remember were the rolls of warm wind to play on, the still, glasslike lake, the everlasting summer. No ice, no blizzard. Why not live there happily ever after? The dream tugged on him. In his sleep, he felt his gizzard turn and something begin to dim, while the longing for The Beaks and the Mirror Lakes grew stronger and stronger.“Time to get up, young’uns.” It was the male puffin, nudging Soren with one of his large, orange, webbed feet.“Wind died down. You can fly out of here now. The wall’s weeping.”“Huh?” Soren asked.“What do you mean the wall’s weeping?”“The ice is melting. Means warm air, the thermals have come. Easy flying.” The other owls were already up and standing at the rim of the hollow. The wall certainly was weeping. Glistening with wetness, it appeared shimmering, almost fiery as the setting sun turned its ice into liquid flames of pink, then orange and red.“Dumpy,” his father called.“Come over here, son. I want you to step up here and watch the young’uns fly. They are the masters of silent flight. Never going to hear a wing flap with these owls!” Just before they took off, Soren looked at each of the owls. He was:Previous Entities: |the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin| ::: You can fly out of here now. ",the male puffin.M "You doing much with the Japanese now,",15543,15564,True,1173:The other woman.?,"dealing with.”“It’s possible,” Connor said.“Hey, buddy. More than possible. We’re here. This is their building. And that girl is just the type they go for. The“I think that was him.” One of the men said,“You think she had her boobs done?”“Hasn’t everybody?” The other woman giggled.“Except me, of course.”“Right, Christine.”“But I’m thinking about it. Did you see Emily?”“Oh, she did hers so big.”“Well, Jane started it, blame her. Now everyone wants them bi The men turned and looked out the window.“Hell of a building,” one said.“Detailing is fantastic. Must have cost a fortune. You doing much with the Japanese now, Ron?”“About twenty percent,” the other man said.“That’s way down from last year. It’s made me work on my golf game, because they always want to play golf.”“Twenty percent of your business?”“Yeah. They’re buying up Orange County now.”“Of course. They already own Los Angeles,” one of the women said, laughing.“Well, just about. They have the Arco budding over there,” the man said, pointing out the window.“I guess by now they have seventy, seventy- five percent of downtown Los Angeles.”“And more in Hawaii.”“Hell, they own Hawaii- ninety percent of Honolulu, a hundred percent of the Kona coast. Putting up",The other woman,"the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman","dealing with.”“It’s possible,” Connor said.“Hey, buddy. More than possible. We’re here. This is their building. And that girl is just the type they go for. The“I think that was him.” One of the men said,“You think she had her boobs done?”“Hasn’t everybody?” The other woman giggled.“Except me, of course.”“Right, Christine.”“But I’m thinking about it. Did you see Emily?”“Oh, she did hers so big.”“Well, Jane started it, blame her. Now everyone wants them bi The men turned and looked out the window.“Hell of a building,” one said.“Detailing is fantastic. Must have cost a fortune. You doing much with the Japanese now, Ron?”“About twenty percent,” the other man said.“That’s way down from last year. It’s made me work on my golf game, because they always want to play golf.”“Twenty percent of your business?”“Yeah. They’re buying up Orange County now.”“Of course. They already own Los Angeles,” one of the women said, laughing.“Well, just about. They have the Arco budding over there,” the man said, pointing out the window.“I guess by now they have seventy, seventy- five percent of downtown Los Angeles.”“And more in Hawaii.”“Hell, they own Hawaii- ninety percent of Honolulu, a hundred percent of the Kona coast. Putting up:Previous Entities: |the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman| ::: You doing much with the Japanese now, ",Ron.M "though,",76638,76670,True,3376:the agent.M,"that his leaving would open the landlord to the risk of having an unrented apartment and the cost of repainting. One month unrented would be a$ 2000 loss, he said. Then he made another offer. Now, you’re probably shaking your head that he’s making two offers without receiving one in return. And you’re right; normally that’s verboten. But you have to be able to improvise. If you feel in control of a negotiation, you can do two or three moves at a time. Don’t let the rules ruin the flow.“Let me try and move along with you: how about$ 1790 for 12 months?” The agent paused.“Sir, I understand your concerns, and what you said makes sense,” he said.“Your number, though, is very low. However, give me time to think this out and we can meet at another time. How does that sound?” Remember, any response that is not an outright rejection means you have the edge. Five days later the two met again.“I ran the numbers, and believe me this is a good deal,” the agent started.“I am able to offer you$ 1950 a month for a year.” Mishary knew he’d won. The agent just needed a little push. So he praised the agent and said no without saying,“No.” And notice how he brilliantly mislabels in order to get the guy to open up?“That is generous of you, but how am I supposed to accept it when I can move a few blocks away and stay for$ 1800? A hundred and fifty dollars a month means a lot to me. You know I",the agent,"reporter, your counterparts, the agent","that his leaving would open the landlord to the risk of having an unrented apartment and the cost of repainting. One month unrented would be a$ 2000 loss, he said. Then he made another offer. Now, you’re probably shaking your head that he’s making two offers without receiving one in return. And you’re right; normally that’s verboten. But you have to be able to improvise. If you feel in control of a negotiation, you can do two or three moves at a time. Don’t let the rules ruin the flow.“Let me try and move along with you: how about$ 1790 for 12 months?” The agent paused.“Sir, I understand your concerns, and what you said makes sense,” he said.“Your number, though, is very low. However, give me time to think this out and we can meet at another time. How does that sound?” Remember, any response that is not an outright rejection means you have the edge. Five days later the two met again.“I ran the numbers, and believe me this is a good deal,” the agent started.“I am able to offer you$ 1950 a month for a year.” Mishary knew he’d won. The agent just needed a little push. So he praised the agent and said no without saying,“No.” And notice how he brilliantly mislabels in order to get the guy to open up?“That is generous of you, but how am I supposed to accept it when I can move a few blocks away and stay for$ 1800? A hundred and fifty dollars a month means a lot to me. You know I:Previous Entities: |reporter, your counterparts, the agent| ::: though, ",Mishary.M "No,",3729,3759,True,541:his assistant.F,"company. On the deck in the sunshine, he took out his cellular phone and called in. His assistant, Cindy Wolfe, answered."" Mr. Sanders's office."""" Hi. It's me."""" Hi, Tom. You on the ferry?"""" Yes. I'll be in a little before nine."""" Okay, I'll tell them."" She paused, and he had the sense that she was choosing her words carefully."" It's pretty busy this morning. Mr. Garvin was just here, looking for you."" Sanders frowned."" Looking for me?"""" Yes."" Another pause."" Uh, he seemed kind of surprised that you weren't in."""" Did he say what he wanted?"""" No, but he's going into a lot of offices on the floor, one after another, talking to people. Something's up, Tom."""" What?"""" Nobody's telling me anything,"" she said."" What about Stephanie?"""" Stephanie called, and I told her you weren't in yet."""" Anything else?"""" Arthur Kahn called from KI. to ask if you got his fax."""" I did. I'll call him. Anything else?"""" No, that's about it, Tom."""" Thanks, Cindy."" He pushed the END button to terminate the call. Standing beside him, Benedict pointed to Sanders's phone."" Those things are amazing. They just get smaller and smaller, don't they? You guys make that one?"" Sanders nodded."" I'd be lost without it. Especially these days. Who can remember",his assistant,"Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant","company. On the deck in the sunshine, he took out his cellular phone and called in. His assistant, Cindy Wolfe, answered."" Mr. Sanders's office."""" Hi. It's me."""" Hi, Tom. You on the ferry?"""" Yes. I'll be in a little before nine."""" Okay, I'll tell them."" She paused, and he had the sense that she was choosing her words carefully."" It's pretty busy this morning. Mr. Garvin was just here, looking for you."" Sanders frowned."" Looking for me?"""" Yes."" Another pause."" Uh, he seemed kind of surprised that you weren't in."""" Did he say what he wanted?"""" No, but he's going into a lot of offices on the floor, one after another, talking to people. Something's up, Tom."""" What?"""" Nobody's telling me anything,"" she said."" What about Stephanie?"""" Stephanie called, and I told her you weren't in yet."""" Anything else?"""" Arthur Kahn called from KI. to ask if you got his fax."""" I did. I'll call him. Anything else?"""" No, that's about it, Tom."""" Thanks, Cindy."" He pushed the END button to terminate the call. Standing beside him, Benedict pointed to Sanders's phone."" Those things are amazing. They just get smaller and smaller, don't they? You guys make that one?"" Sanders nodded."" I'd be lost without it. Especially these days. Who can remember:Previous Entities: |Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant| ::: No, ",Sanders.M like gold or government bonds.”,86816,86839,True,510:Burgess.M,"snatches and cop- killings, always a lot of heat. You know what Harry Truman said about that?”“No.”“He said if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”“You can’t collect the ransom,” George said.“Even if you did, the money would be marked. Goes without saying.” Burgess raised one finger like a professor. Then he did that dopey ear- tugging thing, which kind of spoiled it.“You’re assuming the cops would be called in. If you scared the family bad enough, they’d deal privately.” He paused.“And even if the money was hot you saying you don’t know some guys?”“Maybe. Maybe not.”“There are guys who buy hot money. It’s just another investment to them, like gold or government bonds.”“But collecting the swag– what about that?” Burgess shrugged. He pulled on his ear.“Easy. Have the marks drop it from a plane.” Then he got up and walked away. Blaze was sentenced to four years on the Jesus- gag. George told him it would be a tit if he kept his nose clean. Two at most, he said, and two was what it turned out to be. Those years inside weren’t much different than the jail- time he’d put in after beating up The Law; only the inmates had grown older. He didn’t spend any time in solitary. When he got the heebie- jeebies on long evenings, or during one interminable lockdown when there were no exercise privileges, he wrote George.",Burgess,"Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess","snatches and cop- killings, always a lot of heat. You know what Harry Truman said about that?”“No.”“He said if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”“You can’t collect the ransom,” George said.“Even if you did, the money would be marked. Goes without saying.” Burgess raised one finger like a professor. Then he did that dopey ear- tugging thing, which kind of spoiled it.“You’re assuming the cops would be called in. If you scared the family bad enough, they’d deal privately.” He paused.“And even if the money was hot you saying you don’t know some guys?”“Maybe. Maybe not.”“There are guys who buy hot money. It’s just another investment to them, like gold or government bonds.”“But collecting the swag– what about that?” Burgess shrugged. He pulled on his ear.“Easy. Have the marks drop it from a plane.” Then he got up and walked away. Blaze was sentenced to four years on the Jesus- gag. George told him it would be a tit if he kept his nose clean. Two at most, he said, and two was what it turned out to be. Those years inside weren’t much different than the jail- time he’d put in after beating up The Law; only the inmates had grown older. He didn’t spend any time in solitary. When he got the heebie- jeebies on long evenings, or during one interminable lockdown when there were no exercise privileges, he wrote George.:Previous Entities: |Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess| ::: like gold or government bonds.” ",Burgess.M “Which is the ability to make sacrifices for the greater good.,87152,87205,True,2492:a man I know.M,"first time since I’ve met him, David looks almost... afraid. His eyes are wide open, like a child’s. But a moment later, the expression is gone.“I may have been under the influence of a serum cocktail at the time,” he says,“but I know what you said to them to keep them from shooting at us. I know you told them you would kill me to protect what was in the Weapons Lab.” My throat feels so tight I can hardly breathe.“Don’t be alarmed,” he says.“It’s one of the reasons why I offered you this opportunity.”“W- why?”“You demonstrated the quality I most need in my advisers,” he says.“Which is the ability to make sacrifices for the greater good. If we are going to win this fight against genetic damage, if we are going to save the experiments from being shut down, we will need to make sacrifices. You understand that, don’t you?” I feel a flash of anger and force myself to nod. Nita already told us that the experiments were in danger of being disbanded, so I am not surprised to hear it’s true. But David’s desperation to save his life’s work doesn’t excuse killing off a faction, my faction. For a moment I stand with my hand on the doorknob, trying to gather myself together, and then I decide to take a risk.“What would have happened, if they had set off another explosion to get into the Weapons Lab?” I say.“Nita said it would trigger a backup security measure if they did, but it seemed like the most obvious solution to their problem, to me.”“A serum would have been released into the air.",a man I know,"Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know","first time since I’ve met him, David looks almost... afraid. His eyes are wide open, like a child’s. But a moment later, the expression is gone.“I may have been under the influence of a serum cocktail at the time,” he says,“but I know what you said to them to keep them from shooting at us. I know you told them you would kill me to protect what was in the Weapons Lab.” My throat feels so tight I can hardly breathe.“Don’t be alarmed,” he says.“It’s one of the reasons why I offered you this opportunity.”“W- why?”“You demonstrated the quality I most need in my advisers,” he says.“Which is the ability to make sacrifices for the greater good. If we are going to win this fight against genetic damage, if we are going to save the experiments from being shut down, we will need to make sacrifices. You understand that, don’t you?” I feel a flash of anger and force myself to nod. Nita already told us that the experiments were in danger of being disbanded, so I am not surprised to hear it’s true. But David’s desperation to save his life’s work doesn’t excuse killing off a faction, my faction. For a moment I stand with my hand on the doorknob, trying to gather myself together, and then I decide to take a risk.“What would have happened, if they had set off another explosion to get into the Weapons Lab?” I say.“Nita said it would trigger a backup security measure if they did, but it seemed like the most obvious solution to their problem, to me.”“A serum would have been released into the air.:Previous Entities: |Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know| ::: “Which is the ability to make sacrifices for the greater good. ",David.M There is a place where you can watch.”,179505,179518,True,522:Murbella.F,"Murbella sighed.“We have captured the ghola,” she said.“He came as a Tleilaxu from the south. I was just about to bed him when you arrived.” Burzmali hobbled toward them. Lucilla saw that he had recognized the danger. This“completely safe” place had been infested by enemies! But the enemies still knew very little.“The ghola was not injured?” Burzmali asked.“It still speaks,” Murbella said.“How odd.”“You will not bed the ghola,” Lucilla said.“That one is my special charge!”“Fair game, Great Honored Matre. And I marked him first. He is already partly subdued.” She laughed once more, with a callous abandonment that shocked Lucilla.“This way. There is a place where you can watch.” May you die on Caladan!— Ancient Drinking Toast Duncan tried to remember where he was. He knew Tormsa was dead. Blood had spurted from Tormsa’s eyes. Yes, he remembered that clearly. They had entered a dark building and light had flared abruptly all around them. Duncan felt an ache in the back of his head. A blow? He tried to move and his muscles refused to obey. He remembered sitting at the edge of a wide lawn. There was some kind of bowling game in progress— eccentric balls that bounced and darted with no apparent design. The players were young men in a common costume of… Giedi Prime!“They are practicing to be old men,” he said. He remembered saying that. His companion, a young woman,",Murbella,Murbella,"Murbella sighed.“We have captured the ghola,” she said.“He came as a Tleilaxu from the south. I was just about to bed him when you arrived.” Burzmali hobbled toward them. Lucilla saw that he had recognized the danger. This“completely safe” place had been infested by enemies! But the enemies still knew very little.“The ghola was not injured?” Burzmali asked.“It still speaks,” Murbella said.“How odd.”“You will not bed the ghola,” Lucilla said.“That one is my special charge!”“Fair game, Great Honored Matre. And I marked him first. He is already partly subdued.” She laughed once more, with a callous abandonment that shocked Lucilla.“This way. There is a place where you can watch.” May you die on Caladan!— Ancient Drinking Toast Duncan tried to remember where he was. He knew Tormsa was dead. Blood had spurted from Tormsa’s eyes. Yes, he remembered that clearly. They had entered a dark building and light had flared abruptly all around them. Duncan felt an ache in the back of his head. A blow? He tried to move and his muscles refused to obey. He remembered sitting at the edge of a wide lawn. There was some kind of bowling game in progress— eccentric balls that bounced and darted with no apparent design. The players were young men in a common costume of… Giedi Prime!“They are practicing to be old men,” he said. He remembered saying that. His companion, a young woman,:Previous Entities: |Murbella| ::: There is a place where you can watch.” ","Murbella.F Lucilla.F Burzmali.M Duncan.M" Want to hear them?”,18945,18957,True,378:Jorge.?,": You don’t understand— VIN: Yes, I do understand. Now listen. You are on the phone. I need you to speak… more exactly. ALYSON: Oh. VIN: You understand what I am saying? ALYSON:(pause) Yes. VIN: Okay. Now. Where is the object? ALYSON:(pause) Not available. Vanished. VIN: Okay. Then I don’t see a problem. ALYSON: I am still worried. VIN: But the object did not reappear? ALYSON: No. VIN: Then I suggest there is no problem. We can discuss this further in person but not now. Are you coming back now? ALYSON: Yes. VIN: All right. See you soon. Click. Jorge said,“There are two other calls. Want to hear them?”“Maybe later.”“Okay. I’ve e- mailed them to you as.wav files. You should be able to listen to them on your computer.”“Thanks.” Peter looked back at Alyson, and shivered.“Can I take this to the police?”“No way in hell,” Jorge said.“You need a court order to access this stuff. You take it to them, you ruin any chance of prosecution. Illegal search and seizure. Also— you’ll, uh, put me in a jam.”“Then what should I do?”“Hm— yuh,” Jorge grunted.“I don’t know— get them to confess.”“How?”“Sorry, can’t help you there,",Jorge,"his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge",": You don’t understand— VIN: Yes, I do understand. Now listen. You are on the phone. I need you to speak… more exactly. ALYSON: Oh. VIN: You understand what I am saying? ALYSON:(pause) Yes. VIN: Okay. Now. Where is the object? ALYSON:(pause) Not available. Vanished. VIN: Okay. Then I don’t see a problem. ALYSON: I am still worried. VIN: But the object did not reappear? ALYSON: No. VIN: Then I suggest there is no problem. We can discuss this further in person but not now. Are you coming back now? ALYSON: Yes. VIN: All right. See you soon. Click. Jorge said,“There are two other calls. Want to hear them?”“Maybe later.”“Okay. I’ve e- mailed them to you as.wav files. You should be able to listen to them on your computer.”“Thanks.” Peter looked back at Alyson, and shivered.“Can I take this to the police?”“No way in hell,” Jorge said.“You need a court order to access this stuff. You take it to them, you ruin any chance of prosecution. Illegal search and seizure. Also— you’ll, uh, put me in a jam.”“Then what should I do?”“Hm— yuh,” Jorge grunted.“I don’t know— get them to confess.”“How?”“Sorry, can’t help you there,:Previous Entities: |his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge| ::: Want to hear them?” ",Jorge.M "You always have your shadow.""",132482,132489,True,393:Stein.M,"Why should it enter his mind? As he rose silently through black water, he increasingly felt a kind of split inside himself, an almost schizophrenic internal division. Something was wrong, he sensed. There was something he hadn't considered yet. But what could he have overlooked? Nothing, he decided, because, unlike Beth and Harry, I am fully conscious; I am aware of everything that is happening inside me. Except Norman didn't really believe that. Complete awareness might be a philosophical goal, but it was not really attainable. Consciousness was like a pebble that rippled the surface of the unconscious. As consciousness widened, there was still more unconsciousness beyond. There was always more, just beyond reach. Even for a humanistic psychologist. Stein, his old professor:"" You always have your shadow."" What was Norman's shadow side doing now? What was happening in the unconscious, denied parts of his own brain? Nothing. Keep going up. He shifted uneasily in the pilot's chair. He wanted to go to the surface so badly, he felt such conviction... I hate Beth. I hate Harry. I hate worrying about these people, caring for them. I don't want to care any more. It's not my responsibility. I want to save myself. I hate them. I hate them. He was shocked. Shocked by his own thoughts, the vehemence of them. I must go back, he thought. If I go back I will die. But some other part of himself was growing stronger with each moment. What Beth had",Stein,"man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein","Why should it enter his mind? As he rose silently through black water, he increasingly felt a kind of split inside himself, an almost schizophrenic internal division. Something was wrong, he sensed. There was something he hadn't considered yet. But what could he have overlooked? Nothing, he decided, because, unlike Beth and Harry, I am fully conscious; I am aware of everything that is happening inside me. Except Norman didn't really believe that. Complete awareness might be a philosophical goal, but it was not really attainable. Consciousness was like a pebble that rippled the surface of the unconscious. As consciousness widened, there was still more unconsciousness beyond. There was always more, just beyond reach. Even for a humanistic psychologist. Stein, his old professor:"" You always have your shadow."" What was Norman's shadow side doing now? What was happening in the unconscious, denied parts of his own brain? Nothing. Keep going up. He shifted uneasily in the pilot's chair. He wanted to go to the surface so badly, he felt such conviction... I hate Beth. I hate Harry. I hate worrying about these people, caring for them. I don't want to care any more. It's not my responsibility. I want to save myself. I hate them. I hate them. He was shocked. Shocked by his own thoughts, the vehemence of them. I must go back, he thought. If I go back I will die. But some other part of himself was growing stronger with each moment. What Beth had:Previous Entities: |man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician, An ensign, One Senior Undersecretary of State, A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein| ::: You always have your shadow."" ",Stein.M "You forgot your sombrero,""",23520,23526,True,2712:the butler.M,"us right up to the front gates, where several men in white uniforms stood about looking very butler- y. One stepped up to our carriage."" Invitation?"" he asked."" We don't have one,"" Folsom said, blushing.' Ah, well, then,"" the butler said, pointing."" You can pull around that direction to leave, then–“"" We don't need an invitation,"" I said, gathering my confidence."" I'm Alcatraz Smedry."" The butler gave me a droll glance."" I'm sure you are. Now, you go that way to leave–“"" No,"" I said, standing up."" Really, I'm him. Look."" I held up the book cover."" You forgot your sombrero,"" the butler said flatly."" But it does look like me."""" I'll admit that you are a good look- alike, but I hardly think that a mythical legend has suddenly appeared just so that he can go to a lunch party.” I blinked. It was the first time in my life someone had refused to believe that I was me."" Surely you recognize me,” Folsom said, stepping up beside me."" Folsom Smedry."""" The critic,"" the butler said."" Er, yes,"" Folsom replied."" The one who panned His Highness's latest book."""" Just... well, trying to offer some constructive advice,"" Folsom said, blushing again."" You should be ashamed of trying to",the butler,"The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler","us right up to the front gates, where several men in white uniforms stood about looking very butler- y. One stepped up to our carriage."" Invitation?"" he asked."" We don't have one,"" Folsom said, blushing.' Ah, well, then,"" the butler said, pointing."" You can pull around that direction to leave, then–“"" We don't need an invitation,"" I said, gathering my confidence."" I'm Alcatraz Smedry."" The butler gave me a droll glance."" I'm sure you are. Now, you go that way to leave–“"" No,"" I said, standing up."" Really, I'm him. Look."" I held up the book cover."" You forgot your sombrero,"" the butler said flatly."" But it does look like me."""" I'll admit that you are a good look- alike, but I hardly think that a mythical legend has suddenly appeared just so that he can go to a lunch party.” I blinked. It was the first time in my life someone had refused to believe that I was me."" Surely you recognize me,” Folsom said, stepping up beside me."" Folsom Smedry."""" The critic,"" the butler said."" Er, yes,"" Folsom replied."" The one who panned His Highness's latest book."""" Just... well, trying to offer some constructive advice,"" Folsom said, blushing again."" You should be ashamed of trying to:Previous Entities: |The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler| ::: You forgot your sombrero,"" ",Butler.M And the sorceress Pasiphaë—”,65564,65582,True,366:Pluto.M,"to you, she wanted to say. She didn’t want to take any pleasure in his compliment, but her eyes still prickled.“I thought you major gods were incapacitated,” she managed.“Your Greek and Roman personalities fighting against one another.”“We are,” Pluto agreed.“But you invoked me so strongly that you allowed me to appear… if only for a moment.”“I didn’t invoke you.” But even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true. For the first time, willingly, she’d embraced her lineage as a child of Pluto. She’d tried to understand her father’s powers and use them to the fullest.“When you come to my house in Epirus,” Pluto said,“you must be prepared. The dead will not welcome you. And the sorceress Pasiphaë—”“Pacify?” Hazel asked. Then she realized that must be the woman’s name.“She will not be fooled as easily as Sciron.” Pluto’s eyes glittered like volcanic stone.“You succeeded in your first test, but Pasiphaë intends to rebuild her domain, which will endanger all demigods. Unless you stop her at the House of Hades…” His form flickered. For a moment he was bearded, in Greek robes with a golden laurel wreath in his hair. Around his feet, skeletal hands broke through the earth. The god gritted his teeth and scowled. His Roman form stabilized. The skeletal hands dissolved back into the earth.“We do not have much time.” He looked like a man who’d just been violently ill.“Know",Pluto,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto","to you, she wanted to say. She didn’t want to take any pleasure in his compliment, but her eyes still prickled.“I thought you major gods were incapacitated,” she managed.“Your Greek and Roman personalities fighting against one another.”“We are,” Pluto agreed.“But you invoked me so strongly that you allowed me to appear… if only for a moment.”“I didn’t invoke you.” But even as she said it, she knew it wasn’t true. For the first time, willingly, she’d embraced her lineage as a child of Pluto. She’d tried to understand her father’s powers and use them to the fullest.“When you come to my house in Epirus,” Pluto said,“you must be prepared. The dead will not welcome you. And the sorceress Pasiphaë—”“Pacify?” Hazel asked. Then she realized that must be the woman’s name.“She will not be fooled as easily as Sciron.” Pluto’s eyes glittered like volcanic stone.“You succeeded in your first test, but Pasiphaë intends to rebuild her domain, which will endanger all demigods. Unless you stop her at the House of Hades…” His form flickered. For a moment he was bearded, in Greek robes with a golden laurel wreath in his hair. Around his feet, skeletal hands broke through the earth. The god gritted his teeth and scowled. His Roman form stabilized. The skeletal hands dissolved back into the earth.“We do not have much time.” He looked like a man who’d just been violently ill.“Know:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto| ::: And the sorceress Pasiphaë—” ",Pluto.M "They didn't tell me anything.""",3782,3790,True,510:a politician.?,"middle forties, Hal Barnes had erect military bearing, an alert expression, short hair, a flat gut, and a politician's firm handshake."" Welcome aboard the Hawes, Dr. Johnson. How're you feeling?"""" Tired,"" Norman said."" I'm sure, I'm sure. You came from San Diego?"""" Yes."""" So it's fifteen hours, give or take. Like to have a rest?"""" I'd like to know what's going on,"" Norman said."" Perfectly understandable."" Barnes nodded."" What'd they tell you?"""" Who?"""" The men who picked you up in San Diego, the men who flew you out here, the men in Guam. Whatever."""" They didn't tell me anything."""" And did you see any reporters, any press?"""" No, nothing like that."" Barnes smiled."" Good. I'm glad to hear it."" He waved Norman to a seat. Norman sat gratefully."" How about some coffee?"" Barnes said, moving to a coffee maker behind his desk, and then the lights went out. The room was dark except for the light that streamed in from a side porthole."" God damn it!"" Barnes said."" Not again. Emerson! Emerson!"" An ensign came in a side door."" Sir! Working on it, Captain."""" What was it this time?"""" Blew out in ROV Bay 2, sir."""" I thought we added extra lines to",a politician,"Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician","middle forties, Hal Barnes had erect military bearing, an alert expression, short hair, a flat gut, and a politician's firm handshake."" Welcome aboard the Hawes, Dr. Johnson. How're you feeling?"""" Tired,"" Norman said."" I'm sure, I'm sure. You came from San Diego?"""" Yes."""" So it's fifteen hours, give or take. Like to have a rest?"""" I'd like to know what's going on,"" Norman said."" Perfectly understandable."" Barnes nodded."" What'd they tell you?"""" Who?"""" The men who picked you up in San Diego, the men who flew you out here, the men in Guam. Whatever."""" They didn't tell me anything."""" And did you see any reporters, any press?"""" No, nothing like that."" Barnes smiled."" Good. I'm glad to hear it."" He waved Norman to a seat. Norman sat gratefully."" How about some coffee?"" Barnes said, moving to a coffee maker behind his desk, and then the lights went out. The room was dark except for the light that streamed in from a side porthole."" God damn it!"" Barnes said."" Not again. Emerson! Emerson!"" An ensign came in a side door."" Sir! Working on it, Captain."""" What was it this time?"""" Blew out in ROV Bay 2, sir."""" I thought we added extra lines to:Previous Entities: |Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, The operator, Crichton, a uniformed Navy man, a politician| ::: They didn't tell me anything."" ","Hal Barnes.M Norman.M Emerson.M" ‘ Can we get into Camp Half- Blood safely?,105629,105645,True,518:Tyson.M,".’‘ Yeah.’ Dakota nodded vigorously.‘ The legion’s not nearly as united as Michael claimed. We don’t trust all the auxilia forces Octavian has gathered.’ Nico laughed bitterly.‘ A little late for doubts. You’re surrounded. As soon as Camp Half- Blood is destroyed, those allies will turn on you.’‘ So what do we do?’ asked Dakota.‘ We have an hour at most until sunrise.’‘ Five fifty- two a.m.,’ said Ella, still perched on the boathouse.‘ Sunrise, Eastern seaboard, August first. Timetables for Naval Meteorology. One hour and twelve minutes is more than one hour.’ Dakota’s eye ticked.‘ I stand corrected.’ Coach Hedge looked at Tyson.‘ Can we get into Camp Half- Blood safely? Is Mellie all right?’ Tyson scratched his chin thoughtfully.‘ She is very round.’‘ But she’s okay?’ Hedge persisted.‘ She hasn’t given birth yet?’‘“Delivery occurs at the end of the third trimester”,’ Ella advised.‘ Page forty- three, The New Mother’s Guide to–’‘ I got ta get over there!’ Hedge looked like he was ready to jump overboard and swim. Reyna put her hand on his shoulder.‘ Coach, we’ll get you to your wife, but let’s do it right. Tyson, how did you and Ella get out to this ship?’‘ Rainbow!’‘ You… took a rainbow?’‘ He is my fish pony friend.’‘ A hippocampus,’",Tyson,Leila,".’‘ Yeah.’ Dakota nodded vigorously.‘ The legion’s not nearly as united as Michael claimed. We don’t trust all the auxilia forces Octavian has gathered.’ Nico laughed bitterly.‘ A little late for doubts. You’re surrounded. As soon as Camp Half- Blood is destroyed, those allies will turn on you.’‘ So what do we do?’ asked Dakota.‘ We have an hour at most until sunrise.’‘ Five fifty- two a.m.,’ said Ella, still perched on the boathouse.‘ Sunrise, Eastern seaboard, August first. Timetables for Naval Meteorology. One hour and twelve minutes is more than one hour.’ Dakota’s eye ticked.‘ I stand corrected.’ Coach Hedge looked at Tyson.‘ Can we get into Camp Half- Blood safely? Is Mellie all right?’ Tyson scratched his chin thoughtfully.‘ She is very round.’‘ But she’s okay?’ Hedge persisted.‘ She hasn’t given birth yet?’‘“Delivery occurs at the end of the third trimester”,’ Ella advised.‘ Page forty- three, The New Mother’s Guide to–’‘ I got ta get over there!’ Hedge looked like he was ready to jump overboard and swim. Reyna put her hand on his shoulder.‘ Coach, we’ll get you to your wife, but let’s do it right. Tyson, how did you and Ella get out to this ship?’‘ Rainbow!’‘ You… took a rainbow?’‘ He is my fish pony friend.’‘ A hippocampus,’:Previous Entities: |Leila| ::: ‘ Can we get into Camp Half- Blood safely? ","Dakota.M Nico.M Ella.F Coach Hedge.M Tyson.M Reyna.F " Cap.,5649,5662,True,190:Chix.M,"flicking the setting up to three. She wasn't taking any chances with the snipers. Presuming they were goblins from the B'wa Kell triad, on this setting the first shot would knock them unconscious for eight hours at the very least. She gathered her legs beneath her and rocketed out from behind the statue. Immediately a hail of gunfire blew chunks from the structure. Holly raced towards her fallen comrade, projectiles buzzing around her head like supersonic bees. Generally, in a situation of this kind, the last thing you do is move the victim, but with gunfire raining down on them, there was no choice. Holly grabbed the private by his epaulettes, hauling him behind a rusted- out delivery shuttle. Chix had been out there a long time. He was grinning feebly.' You came for me, Cap. I knew you would.' Holly tried to keep the worry from her voice.' Of course I came, Chix. Never leave a man behind.'' I knew you couldn't resist me,' he breathed.' I knew it.' Then he closed his eyes. There was a lot of damage done here. Maybe too much. Holly concentrated on the wound. Heal, she thought, and the magic welled up inside her like a million pins and needles. It spread through her arms and ran down to her fingers. She placed her hands on Verbil's wound. Blue sparks tingled from her fingers into the hole. The sparks played around the wound, repairing the scorched tissue and replicating spilt blood. The sprite's breathing calmed, and a healthy green tinge started to return to",Chix,"Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix","flicking the setting up to three. She wasn't taking any chances with the snipers. Presuming they were goblins from the B'wa Kell triad, on this setting the first shot would knock them unconscious for eight hours at the very least. She gathered her legs beneath her and rocketed out from behind the statue. Immediately a hail of gunfire blew chunks from the structure. Holly raced towards her fallen comrade, projectiles buzzing around her head like supersonic bees. Generally, in a situation of this kind, the last thing you do is move the victim, but with gunfire raining down on them, there was no choice. Holly grabbed the private by his epaulettes, hauling him behind a rusted- out delivery shuttle. Chix had been out there a long time. He was grinning feebly.' You came for me, Cap. I knew you would.' Holly tried to keep the worry from her voice.' Of course I came, Chix. Never leave a man behind.'' I knew you couldn't resist me,' he breathed.' I knew it.' Then he closed his eyes. There was a lot of damage done here. Maybe too much. Holly concentrated on the wound. Heal, she thought, and the magic welled up inside her like a million pins and needles. It spread through her arms and ran down to her fingers. She placed her hands on Verbil's wound. Blue sparks tingled from her fingers into the hole. The sparks played around the wound, repairing the scorched tissue and replicating spilt blood. The sprite's breathing calmed, and a healthy green tinge started to return to:Previous Entities: |Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix| ::: Cap. ",Holly. "you have to calculate wind...""",46859,46879,True,192:Thor.M,"the ground."" Do you mind if we take this?"" he said."" You won't be needing it."" He took a packet of potato crisps too."" Trillian?"" shouted Arthur in a shocked and weakened voice. In the smoking mess he could see nothing."" Earthman, we must go,"" said Slartibartfast nervously."" Trillian?"" shouted Arthur again. A moment or two later, Trillian staggered, shaking, into view, supported by her new friend the Thunder God."" The girl stays with me,"" said Thor."" There's a great party going on in Valhalla, we'll be flying off..."""" Where were you when all this was going on?"" said Arthur."" Upstairs,"" said Thor,"" I was weighing her. Flying's a tricky business you see, you have to calculate wind..."""" She comes with us,"" said Arthur."" Hey,"" said Trillian,"" don't I..."""" No,"" said Arthur,"" you come with us."" Thor looked at him with slowly smouldering eyes. He was making some point about godliness and it had nothing to do with being clean."" She comes with me,"" he said quietly."" Come on, Earthman,"" said Slartibartfast nervously, picking at Arthur's sleeve."" Come on, Slartibartfast,"" said Ford, picking at the old man's sleeve. Slartibartfast had the teleport device. The party lurched and swayed, sending everyone reeling, except for Thor and except for Arthur, who stared, shaking, into the Thunder God's black eyes. Slowly, incredibly,",Thor,"Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108, Thor","the ground."" Do you mind if we take this?"" he said."" You won't be needing it."" He took a packet of potato crisps too."" Trillian?"" shouted Arthur in a shocked and weakened voice. In the smoking mess he could see nothing."" Earthman, we must go,"" said Slartibartfast nervously."" Trillian?"" shouted Arthur again. A moment or two later, Trillian staggered, shaking, into view, supported by her new friend the Thunder God."" The girl stays with me,"" said Thor."" There's a great party going on in Valhalla, we'll be flying off..."""" Where were you when all this was going on?"" said Arthur."" Upstairs,"" said Thor,"" I was weighing her. Flying's a tricky business you see, you have to calculate wind..."""" She comes with us,"" said Arthur."" Hey,"" said Trillian,"" don't I..."""" No,"" said Arthur,"" you come with us."" Thor looked at him with slowly smouldering eyes. He was making some point about godliness and it had nothing to do with being clean."" She comes with me,"" he said quietly."" Come on, Earthman,"" said Slartibartfast nervously, picking at Arthur's sleeve."" Come on, Slartibartfast,"" said Ford, picking at the old man's sleeve. Slartibartfast had the teleport device. The party lurched and swayed, sending everyone reeling, except for Thor and except for Arthur, who stared, shaking, into the Thunder God's black eyes. Slowly, incredibly,:Previous Entities: |Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108, Thor| ::: you have to calculate wind..."" ","Arthur.M Trillian.F Slartibartfast.? Thor.M Ford.?" “A grand maze of plot twists...,148,187,True,393:The New York Times Book Review.?,"PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CRICHTON AIRFRAME“The pacing is fast, the suspense nonstop.”— People“A one- sitting read that will cause a lifetime of white- knuckled nightmares”— The Philadelphia Inquirer“Dramatically vivid.”— The New York Times THE LOST WORLD“Fast and gripping.”— The Washington Post Book World“Action- packed.”— New York Daily News“A very scary read:’— Entertainment Weekly DISCLOSURE“A fresh and provocative story.”— People“Expertly crafted, ingenious and absorbing.”— The Philadelphia Inquirer Please turn the page for more reviews.... RISING SUN“Dazzling... A bravura performance... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be.”— The New York Times Book Review“A grand maze of plot twists... Crichton’s gift for spinning a timely yarn is going to be enough, once again, to serve a current tenant of the bestseller list with an eviction notice.”— New York Daily News JURASSIC PARK“Wonderful... Powerful:’— The Washington Post Book World“Frighteningly real... Compelling... It’ll keep you riveted.”— The Detroit News SPHERE“A page- turner... Crichton’s writing is cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action. This book should come with hot buttered popcorn.”— Newsweek“The suspense is real.... You know they’re going to make it. Or do you? The last ten pages are exactly what they should be.”— The New York Times Book Review CONGO“Thrilling.”— The New York Times Book Review“Fascinating.”— The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY“A work of intelligence and craftsmanship... Written with grace and wit.”— Los Angeles",The New York Times Book Review,"the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review","PRAISE FOR MICHAEL CRICHTON AIRFRAME“The pacing is fast, the suspense nonstop.”— People“A one- sitting read that will cause a lifetime of white- knuckled nightmares”— The Philadelphia Inquirer“Dramatically vivid.”— The New York Times THE LOST WORLD“Fast and gripping.”— The Washington Post Book World“Action- packed.”— New York Daily News“A very scary read:’— Entertainment Weekly DISCLOSURE“A fresh and provocative story.”— People“Expertly crafted, ingenious and absorbing.”— The Philadelphia Inquirer Please turn the page for more reviews.... RISING SUN“Dazzling... A bravura performance... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be.”— The New York Times Book Review“A grand maze of plot twists... Crichton’s gift for spinning a timely yarn is going to be enough, once again, to serve a current tenant of the bestseller list with an eviction notice.”— New York Daily News JURASSIC PARK“Wonderful... Powerful:’— The Washington Post Book World“Frighteningly real... Compelling... It’ll keep you riveted.”— The Detroit News SPHERE“A page- turner... Crichton’s writing is cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action. This book should come with hot buttered popcorn.”— Newsweek“The suspense is real.... You know they’re going to make it. Or do you? The last ten pages are exactly what they should be.”— The New York Times Book Review CONGO“Thrilling.”— The New York Times Book Review“Fascinating.”— The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY“A work of intelligence and craftsmanship... Written with grace and wit.”— Los Angeles:Previous Entities: |the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host, the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress, Clytius, People, The New York Times Book Review| ::: “A grand maze of plot twists... ",The Loremaster.M "Father,",75863,75868,True,126:Attica.M,"."" I knew you'd figure it out, son!"" The man turned, pointing at the hovering Curators."" Thank you kindly for the time you let me spend rummaging through your books, you old spooks! I beat you. I told you I would!"""" Oh, dear,"" Grandpa Smedry said, smiling.“We'll never shut him up now. He's gone and come back from the dead."""" It's him, then?"" I asked."" My... father?"""" Indeed,"" Grandpa Smedry said."" Attica Smedry, in the flesh. Ha! I should have known. If ever there were a man to lose his soul and then find it again, it would be Attica!"""" Father, Kaz!"" Attica said, walking over, putting an arm around each one."" We have work to do! The Free Kingdoms are in deep danger! Did you retrieve my possessions?"""" Actually,"" I said."" Your wife did that."" Attica froze, looking back at me. Even though he’d addressed me earlier, it seemed that now he was seeing me for the first time.“Ah,” he said."" She has my Translator’s Lenses, then?"""" We assume so, son,"" Grandpa Smedry said. Well then, that means we have even more work to do!"" And with that, my father strode down the hallway, walking as if he expected everyone to hop quickly and follow. I stood, staring after",Attica,"Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica","."" I knew you'd figure it out, son!"" The man turned, pointing at the hovering Curators."" Thank you kindly for the time you let me spend rummaging through your books, you old spooks! I beat you. I told you I would!"""" Oh, dear,"" Grandpa Smedry said, smiling.“We'll never shut him up now. He's gone and come back from the dead."""" It's him, then?"" I asked."" My... father?"""" Indeed,"" Grandpa Smedry said."" Attica Smedry, in the flesh. Ha! I should have known. If ever there were a man to lose his soul and then find it again, it would be Attica!"""" Father, Kaz!"" Attica said, walking over, putting an arm around each one."" We have work to do! The Free Kingdoms are in deep danger! Did you retrieve my possessions?"""" Actually,"" I said."" Your wife did that."" Attica froze, looking back at me. Even though he’d addressed me earlier, it seemed that now he was seeing me for the first time.“Ah,” he said."" She has my Translator’s Lenses, then?"""" We assume so, son,"" Grandpa Smedry said. Well then, that means we have even more work to do!"" And with that, my father strode down the hallway, walking as if he expected everyone to hop quickly and follow. I stood, staring after:Previous Entities: |Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch, the other two, Selwyn, Draco, Travers, Michael Corner, Amycus, Flitwick, a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica| ::: Father, ",Attica.M Eddie.,42693,42704,True,4902:man.?,"with another man. In Cheryl’s room at the Imperial Arms.” Eddie threw his arms in the air.“Jesus. Captain. You listen. That girl wouldn’t know, she saw me last night or last month, man. That girl is a fucking hophead. You look between her toes you find the marks. You look under her tongue. Look on her pussy lips You find‘ em. That’s a dream girl, man. She doesn’t know when things happen. Man. You come here, give me this. I don’t like this.” Eddie tossed his cigarette away, and immediately lit another.“I don’t like this one bit. You don’t see what’s going on?”“No,” Connor said.“Tell me, Eddie. What’s going on?”“This shit’s not true, man. None of this true.” He puffed rapidly.“You know what this is about? It’s not about some fucking girl, man. It’s about Saturday meetings. The Doyou kai, Connor- san. The secret meetings. That’s what it’s about.” Connor snapped,“Sonna bakana.”“No bakana, Connor- san. Not bullshit.”“What does a girl from Texas know about Doyou kai?”“She knows something. Honto nan da And she likes to cause trouble, this girl. She likes to make turmoil.”“Eddie, I think maybe you better come in with us.”“Fine. Perfect. You do their job for them. For the kuromaku",man,"a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man","with another man. In Cheryl’s room at the Imperial Arms.” Eddie threw his arms in the air.“Jesus. Captain. You listen. That girl wouldn’t know, she saw me last night or last month, man. That girl is a fucking hophead. You look between her toes you find the marks. You look under her tongue. Look on her pussy lips You find‘ em. That’s a dream girl, man. She doesn’t know when things happen. Man. You come here, give me this. I don’t like this.” Eddie tossed his cigarette away, and immediately lit another.“I don’t like this one bit. You don’t see what’s going on?”“No,” Connor said.“Tell me, Eddie. What’s going on?”“This shit’s not true, man. None of this true.” He puffed rapidly.“You know what this is about? It’s not about some fucking girl, man. It’s about Saturday meetings. The Doyou kai, Connor- san. The secret meetings. That’s what it’s about.” Connor snapped,“Sonna bakana.”“No bakana, Connor- san. Not bullshit.”“What does a girl from Texas know about Doyou kai?”“She knows something. Honto nan da And she likes to cause trouble, this girl. She likes to make turmoil.”“Eddie, I think maybe you better come in with us.”“Fine. Perfect. You do their job for them. For the kuromaku:Previous Entities: |a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man| ::: Eddie. ",Eddie.M "Not that cold one.""",152721,152727,True,1394:the Old Baron.M,"spools reassured her. Farad'n had sent a contingent of his household guard"" to help you in troubles and to prepare the way for the Official Rite of Betrothal."" Alia smiled to herself and shared the chuckle which rumbled in her skull. That plan, at least, remained intact. Logical explanations would be found to dispel all of this other superstitious nonsense. Meanwhile she'd use Farad'n's men to help close down Shuloch and to arrest the known dissidents, especially among the Naibs. She debated moving against Stilgar, but the inner voice cautioned against this."" Not yet."""" My mother and the Sisterhood still have some plan of their own,"" Alia whispered."" Why is she training Farad'n?"""" Perhaps he excites her,"" the Old Baron said."" Not that cold one."""" You're not thinking of asking Farad'n to return her?"""" I know the dangers in that!"""" Good. Meanwhile, that young aide Zia recently brought in. I believe his name's Agarves-- Buer Agarves. If you'd invite him here tonight..."""" No!"""" Alia..."""" It's almost dawn, you insatiable old fool! There's a Military Council meeting this morning, the Priests will have--"""" Don't trust them, darling Alia."""" Of course not!"""" Very well. Now, this Buer Agarves..."""" I said no!"" The Old Baron remained silent within her, but she began to feel a headache. A slow pain crept upward from her",the Old Baron,"his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one","spools reassured her. Farad'n had sent a contingent of his household guard"" to help you in troubles and to prepare the way for the Official Rite of Betrothal."" Alia smiled to herself and shared the chuckle which rumbled in her skull. That plan, at least, remained intact. Logical explanations would be found to dispel all of this other superstitious nonsense. Meanwhile she'd use Farad'n's men to help close down Shuloch and to arrest the known dissidents, especially among the Naibs. She debated moving against Stilgar, but the inner voice cautioned against this."" Not yet."""" My mother and the Sisterhood still have some plan of their own,"" Alia whispered."" Why is she training Farad'n?"""" Perhaps he excites her,"" the Old Baron said."" Not that cold one."""" You're not thinking of asking Farad'n to return her?"""" I know the dangers in that!"""" Good. Meanwhile, that young aide Zia recently brought in. I believe his name's Agarves-- Buer Agarves. If you'd invite him here tonight..."""" No!"""" Alia..."""" It's almost dawn, you insatiable old fool! There's a Military Council meeting this morning, the Priests will have--"""" Don't trust them, darling Alia."""" Of course not!"""" Very well. Now, this Buer Agarves..."""" I said no!"" The Old Baron remained silent within her, but she began to feel a headache. A slow pain crept upward from her:Previous Entities: |his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts, the handsome one, Herb, Conley - White, a woman in her mid - fifties, Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one| ::: Not that cold one."" ",Alia.F I really had no one else to turn to.,24744,24832,True,1412:your sister.?,"my sister. I was given to gray scale, which made for unsightly splotches where the feathers fell off. As a matter of fact, my stepmother used to call me‘ Splotch.’”“How mean!” Gylfie said.“What is your real name?” Will she say what it is? Soren thought. He looked at her closely.“My true name?”“Yes,” Gylfie said in a barely audible voice. It was as if she sensed she had ventured into forbidden territory.“That is for me to know, and only me.” But what about your sister? Soren thought. Doesn’t she know your true name? And what is the difference between a true name and a real name? Is there a difference?“So, as I was saying, I was looking for something new and different. I really wanted to separate myself from the Plonks. My sister had been good to me, but my father seemed not to care. I really had no one else to turn to. So I just left. I flew about in the Northern Kingdoms for a year or more, and then I came upon Octavia. You know Oc- tavia, don’t you?”“Of course,” they all cried.“She’s Ezylryb’s and your sister’s nest- maid snake,” said Soren.“Oh, she’s working for my sister now, is she? Well, she’s a good old soul. I, of course, met her before she was blind.” The owls all gasped in disbelief.“You mean,” said Gylfie,“she wasn’t born blind?”“I had heard a rumor that she had not been born blind, but I really didn’t believe it. I thought all nest- maid snakes were born blind,” Soren said.“They are— except for Octavia. Haven’t you noticed that she’s not rosy- scaled like the others?” Soren had noticed",your sister,"her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister","my sister. I was given to gray scale, which made for unsightly splotches where the feathers fell off. As a matter of fact, my stepmother used to call me‘ Splotch.’”“How mean!” Gylfie said.“What is your real name?” Will she say what it is? Soren thought. He looked at her closely.“My true name?”“Yes,” Gylfie said in a barely audible voice. It was as if she sensed she had ventured into forbidden territory.“That is for me to know, and only me.” But what about your sister? Soren thought. Doesn’t she know your true name? And what is the difference between a true name and a real name? Is there a difference?“So, as I was saying, I was looking for something new and different. I really wanted to separate myself from the Plonks. My sister had been good to me, but my father seemed not to care. I really had no one else to turn to. So I just left. I flew about in the Northern Kingdoms for a year or more, and then I came upon Octavia. You know Oc- tavia, don’t you?”“Of course,” they all cried.“She’s Ezylryb’s and your sister’s nest- maid snake,” said Soren.“Oh, she’s working for my sister now, is she? Well, she’s a good old soul. I, of course, met her before she was blind.” The owls all gasped in disbelief.“You mean,” said Gylfie,“she wasn’t born blind?”“I had heard a rumor that she had not been born blind, but I really didn’t believe it. I thought all nest- maid snakes were born blind,” Soren said.“They are— except for Octavia. Haven’t you noticed that she’s not rosy- scaled like the others?” Soren had noticed:Previous Entities: |her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister| ::: I really had no one else to turn to. ",Soren.M "sweep,",32746,32753,True,5800:The Titan.M,". In his hand was a massive push broom. His name tag, incredibly, read BOB. Annabeth yelped and tried to crawl away, but the giant janitor wasn’t interested in her. He turned to the two remaining empousai, who stood over Percy. One was foolish enough to attack. She lunged with the speed of a tiger, but she never stood a chance. A spearhead jutted from the end of Bob’s broom. With a single deadly swipe, he cut her to dust. The last vampire tried to run. Bob threw his broom like a massive boomerang(was there such a thing as a broomerang?). It sliced through the vampire and returned to Bob’s hand.“SWEEP!” The Titan grinned with delight and did a victory dance.“Sweep, sweep, sweep!” Percy couldn’t speak. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that something good had actually happened. Annabeth looked just as shocked.“H- how…?” she stammered.“Percy called me!” the janitor said happily.“Yes, he did.” Annabeth crawled a little farther away. Her arm was bleeding badly.“Called you? He— wait. You’re Bob? The Bob?” The janitor frowned when he noticed Annabeth’s wounds.“Owie.” Annabeth flinched as he knelt next to her.“It’s okay,” Percy said, still woozy with pain.“He’s friendly.” He remembered when he’d first met Bob. The Titan had healed a bad wound on Percy’s shoulder just by touching it.",The Titan,"Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan",". In his hand was a massive push broom. His name tag, incredibly, read BOB. Annabeth yelped and tried to crawl away, but the giant janitor wasn’t interested in her. He turned to the two remaining empousai, who stood over Percy. One was foolish enough to attack. She lunged with the speed of a tiger, but she never stood a chance. A spearhead jutted from the end of Bob’s broom. With a single deadly swipe, he cut her to dust. The last vampire tried to run. Bob threw his broom like a massive boomerang(was there such a thing as a broomerang?). It sliced through the vampire and returned to Bob’s hand.“SWEEP!” The Titan grinned with delight and did a victory dance.“Sweep, sweep, sweep!” Percy couldn’t speak. He couldn’t bring himself to believe that something good had actually happened. Annabeth looked just as shocked.“H- how…?” she stammered.“Percy called me!” the janitor said happily.“Yes, he did.” Annabeth crawled a little farther away. Her arm was bleeding badly.“Called you? He— wait. You’re Bob? The Bob?” The janitor frowned when he noticed Annabeth’s wounds.“Owie.” Annabeth flinched as he knelt next to her.“It’s okay,” Percy said, still woozy with pain.“He’s friendly.” He remembered when he’d first met Bob. The Titan had healed a bad wound on Percy’s shoulder just by touching it.:Previous Entities: |Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan| ::: sweep, ",Bob.M "silly!""",5737,5745,True,"416:a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl.F","n't see you fall, I was too busy with the explosion. Did you see it?"""" Um, yes, Australia,"" I said."" It kind of blew me off of the Hawkwind.”"" Oh, right,"" she said, bouncing slightly up and down on her heels."" If Bastille hadn't been watching, we'd have never seen where you hit! It didn't hurt too much when I dropped you on the top of the tower here, did it? I had to scoop you up in the Hawkwind's leg and set you down here so that I could land. It's missing a leg now. I don't know if you noticed."""" Yeah,"" I said tiredly."" Explosion, remember?"""" Of course I remember, silly!"" That's Australia. She's not dim- witted, she just has trouble remembering to be smart. The last person off the Hawkwind was my father, Attica Smedry. He was a tall man with messy hair, and he wore a pair of red- tinted Oculator's Lenses. Somehow, on him, they didn't look pinkish and silly like I always felt they did on me. He walked over to Grandpa Smedry and me.“Ah, well,"" he said."" Everyone's all right, I see. That's great."" We watched each other awkwardly for a moment. My father didn't seem to know what else to say, as if made uncomfortable by the need to act parental. He seemed relieved when Bastille charged back up the steps","a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl","the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl","n't see you fall, I was too busy with the explosion. Did you see it?"""" Um, yes, Australia,"" I said."" It kind of blew me off of the Hawkwind.”"" Oh, right,"" she said, bouncing slightly up and down on her heels."" If Bastille hadn't been watching, we'd have never seen where you hit! It didn't hurt too much when I dropped you on the top of the tower here, did it? I had to scoop you up in the Hawkwind's leg and set you down here so that I could land. It's missing a leg now. I don't know if you noticed."""" Yeah,"" I said tiredly."" Explosion, remember?"""" Of course I remember, silly!"" That's Australia. She's not dim- witted, she just has trouble remembering to be smart. The last person off the Hawkwind was my father, Attica Smedry. He was a tall man with messy hair, and he wore a pair of red- tinted Oculator's Lenses. Somehow, on him, they didn't look pinkish and silly like I always felt they did on me. He walked over to Grandpa Smedry and me.“Ah, well,"" he said."" Everyone's all right, I see. That's great."" We watched each other awkwardly for a moment. My father didn't seem to know what else to say, as if made uncomfortable by the need to act parental. He seemed relieved when Bastille charged back up the steps:Previous Entities: |the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl| ::: silly!"" ",Australia.F What can they offer?'',28679,28717,True,174:Zenth.F,"a pact might take us? One need look no further than our relationship with the Blues to see where accommodation can lead."" Enore felt her implant start to tingle. Security had been breached, robots were on their way, and her presence was requested. Cognizant of the fact that the outcome of the debate was far from certain, and concerned lest her absence tip the balance in the wrong direction, the Mothri ignored the page."" Rota's right,"" Huubath put in."" Dangers abound. Besides, by what authority would we enter such an alliance?"""" By the authority of the egg,"" Tortna replied thoughtfully."" An imperative more legitimate than a decree from the Blue throne."""" Yes, I can see that,"" Zenth allowed."" But authority is one thing... the humans are another. All of our surveillance nano report the same things: The humans bicker among themselves and listen to Zid theology. What can they offer?'' Enore had anticipated the objection— and was ready with a response."" Zenth is correct. The humans do bicker among themselves— and some have joined the Church. There are exceptions, however— important exceptions, such as the facility known as' Mountain That Is Flat.' Nano- supplied video will support my argument."" Enore vanished off their screens, video appeared, and her implant continued to tingle. A layer of sleet had started to form on the north side of Android Annie's face. She had pale blue eyes, wrinkles that exploded down across her cheeks, and a smear of snot just below her nose.“You okay, scrap?'' Becka looked down from her perch at the top of the cone and wondered about their relationship. Did Annie think",Zenth,"Zenth, Becka","a pact might take us? One need look no further than our relationship with the Blues to see where accommodation can lead."" Enore felt her implant start to tingle. Security had been breached, robots were on their way, and her presence was requested. Cognizant of the fact that the outcome of the debate was far from certain, and concerned lest her absence tip the balance in the wrong direction, the Mothri ignored the page."" Rota's right,"" Huubath put in."" Dangers abound. Besides, by what authority would we enter such an alliance?"""" By the authority of the egg,"" Tortna replied thoughtfully."" An imperative more legitimate than a decree from the Blue throne."""" Yes, I can see that,"" Zenth allowed."" But authority is one thing... the humans are another. All of our surveillance nano report the same things: The humans bicker among themselves and listen to Zid theology. What can they offer?'' Enore had anticipated the objection— and was ready with a response."" Zenth is correct. The humans do bicker among themselves— and some have joined the Church. There are exceptions, however— important exceptions, such as the facility known as' Mountain That Is Flat.' Nano- supplied video will support my argument."" Enore vanished off their screens, video appeared, and her implant continued to tingle. A layer of sleet had started to form on the north side of Android Annie's face. She had pale blue eyes, wrinkles that exploded down across her cheeks, and a smear of snot just below her nose.“You okay, scrap?'' Becka looked down from her perch at the top of the cone and wondered about their relationship. Did Annie think:Previous Entities: |Zenth, Becka| ::: What can they offer?'' ",Enore. ' Peters asked.,15985,15988,True,849:the dispatcher.M,"dispatcher said.` We've got a regulation for two men in the cab, and another for staying under forty- five miles an hour. That's it. We can take all the roads, all the tunnels and bridges. Much easier than explosives.' Peters nodded.` What exactly is it?' The dispatcher consulted his clipboard.` Mostly hospital supplies. Cases of intravenous saline, twelve quarts to the case, thirty cases in all. Cases of pennicillin G, forty- eight ampoules to the case, fifteen cases in all. And two rad cartridges.'` Rad cartridges?'` Two bars of plutonium-238 oxide. That's a radioactive isotope. One thousand grammes each- they're packed in lead cylinders.'` That's our dangerous cargo?' Peters asked.` You bet,' the dispatcher said. The driver finished his check and came over to join them.` What was that all about?'` Insurance,' the dispatcher said.` You have to be cleared before exposure to the cargo., in order for our coverage to be effective. We should also do a blood test, but we don't bother.' He turned to Peters.` Reeves, this is your rider, Peters. Peters, Reeves.' Reeves shook hands with Peters. As he did so he gave him a slightly surprised look, as if something were mildly wrong. The dispatcher nodded across the warehouse.` Truck's over there,' he said.` Have a good trip.' Peters blinked in the sun and put",the dispatcher,"a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher","dispatcher said.` We've got a regulation for two men in the cab, and another for staying under forty- five miles an hour. That's it. We can take all the roads, all the tunnels and bridges. Much easier than explosives.' Peters nodded.` What exactly is it?' The dispatcher consulted his clipboard.` Mostly hospital supplies. Cases of intravenous saline, twelve quarts to the case, thirty cases in all. Cases of pennicillin G, forty- eight ampoules to the case, fifteen cases in all. And two rad cartridges.'` Rad cartridges?'` Two bars of plutonium-238 oxide. That's a radioactive isotope. One thousand grammes each- they're packed in lead cylinders.'` That's our dangerous cargo?' Peters asked.` You bet,' the dispatcher said. The driver finished his check and came over to join them.` What was that all about?'` Insurance,' the dispatcher said.` You have to be cleared before exposure to the cargo., in order for our coverage to be effective. We should also do a blood test, but we don't bother.' He turned to Peters.` Reeves, this is your rider, Peters. Peters, Reeves.' Reeves shook hands with Peters. As he did so he gave him a slightly surprised look, as if something were mildly wrong. The dispatcher nodded across the warehouse.` Truck's over there,' he said.` Have a good trip.' Peters blinked in the sun and put:Previous Entities: |a totally imaginary visitor, Inmeir, the Fish Speaker escort, the women, Nyshae, Garun, his God Emperor, Erudite, factions, Therese, the woman who stands at the end, God, The young man, your mother, this man, Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher| ::: ' Peters asked. ",Peters.M "“Get him,",20217,20223,True,702:the assistant.M,".“Dear me, what’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don’t even pay you well for it?” Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,” he said.“Clearly,” said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively.“The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower—” There was a thud of metal as Ginny’s cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of,“Get him, Dad!” from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking,“No, Arthur, no!”; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over;“Gentlemen, please— please!” cried the assistant, and then, louder than all—“Break it up, there, gents, break it up—” Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny’s old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.“Here, girl— take your book— it’s the best your father can give you—” Pulling",the assistant,"Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls",".“Dear me, what’s the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don’t even pay you well for it?” Mr. Weasley flushed darker than either Ron or Ginny.“We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy,” he said.“Clearly,” said Mr. Malfoy, his pale eyes straying to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, who were watching apprehensively.“The company you keep, Weasley… and I thought your family could sink no lower—” There was a thud of metal as Ginny’s cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. Dozens of heavy spellbooks came thundering down on all their heads; there was a yell of,“Get him, Dad!” from Fred or George; Mrs. Weasley was shrieking,“No, Arthur, no!”; the crowd stampeded backward, knocking more shelves over;“Gentlemen, please— please!” cried the assistant, and then, louder than all—“Break it up, there, gents, break it up—” Hagrid was wading toward them through the sea of books. In an instant he had pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. He was still holding Ginny’s old Transfiguration book. He thrust it at her, his eyes glittering with malice.“Here, girl— take your book— it’s the best your father can give you—” Pulling:Previous Entities: |Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls| ::: “Get him, ","Fred.M George.M" and-”,20717,20722,True,316:The boy.M,"the room. It didn't look ancient, but then it wouldn't, because it wasn't, yet. Everywhere in time was now, once you were there, or then. He tried to remember what little he knew of classical history, but it was just a confusion of battles, one- eyed giants and women launching thousands of ships with their faces.“Don't you see?” hissed Eric, his glasses aglow.“They must have brought the horse in before the soldiers had hidden in it! We know what's going to happen! We could make a fortune!”“How, exactly?”“Well...” The boy hesitated.“We could bet on horses, sort of thing.”“Good idea,” said Rincewind.“Yes, and-”“All we've got to do is escape, then find out if they have horse races here, and then really try hard to remember the names of the horses that won races in Tsort thousands of years ago.” They went back to looking glumly at the floor. That was the thing about time travel. You were never ready for it. About the only thing he could hope for, Rincewind decided, was finding da Quirm's Fountain of Youth and managing to stay alive for a few thousand years so he'd be ready to kill his own grandfather which was the only aspect of time travel that had ever remotely appealed to him. He had always felt that his ancestors had it coming to them. Funny thing, though. He could remember the famous wooden horse,",The boy,"one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl","the room. It didn't look ancient, but then it wouldn't, because it wasn't, yet. Everywhere in time was now, once you were there, or then. He tried to remember what little he knew of classical history, but it was just a confusion of battles, one- eyed giants and women launching thousands of ships with their faces.“Don't you see?” hissed Eric, his glasses aglow.“They must have brought the horse in before the soldiers had hidden in it! We know what's going to happen! We could make a fortune!”“How, exactly?”“Well...” The boy hesitated.“We could bet on horses, sort of thing.”“Good idea,” said Rincewind.“Yes, and-”“All we've got to do is escape, then find out if they have horse races here, and then really try hard to remember the names of the horses that won races in Tsort thousands of years ago.” They went back to looking glumly at the floor. That was the thing about time travel. You were never ready for it. About the only thing he could hope for, Rincewind decided, was finding da Quirm's Fountain of Youth and managing to stay alive for a few thousand years so he'd be ready to kill his own grandfather which was the only aspect of time travel that had ever remotely appealed to him. He had always felt that his ancestors had it coming to them. Funny thing, though. He could remember the famous wooden horse,:Previous Entities: |one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl| ::: and-” ",Eric.M “He’s the most expensive and most sought- after commercial director in the world.,92631,92669,True,4094:Senator.?,"the sun is too bright. And can we do something about his eyes? I need a little fill in the eyes, please. Ellen? You see the shine on his right shoulder. Flag it, love. Pull the collar smooth. The microphone is visible on his tie. And I can’t see the gray in his hair. Bring it up. And straighten out the carpeting on the ground so he doesn’t trip when he walks, people. Please. Come on now. We’re losing our lovely light.” Connor and I; xere standing to one side, with a cute production assistant named Debbie who held a clipboard across her breasts and said meaningfully,“The director is Edgar Lynn.”“Should we recognize that name?” Connor said.“He’s the most expensive and most sought- after commercial director in the world. He is a great artist. Edgar did the fantastic Apple 1984 commercial, and... oh, lots of others. And he has directed famous movies, too. Edgar is just the best.” She paused.“And not too crazy. Really.” Across from the camera, Senator John Morton stood patiently while four people fussed with his tie, his jacket, his hair, his makeup. Morton was wearing a suit. He was standing under a tree with the rolling golf course and the skyscrapers of Beverly Hills in the background. The production crew had laid down a strip of carpet for him to walk on as he approached the camera. I said,“And how is the senator?” Debbie nodded.“Pretty good. I think he has a shot.” Connor said,“You mean a chance for the presidency?”“Yeah. Especially if Edgar can do",Senator,"The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator","the sun is too bright. And can we do something about his eyes? I need a little fill in the eyes, please. Ellen? You see the shine on his right shoulder. Flag it, love. Pull the collar smooth. The microphone is visible on his tie. And I can’t see the gray in his hair. Bring it up. And straighten out the carpeting on the ground so he doesn’t trip when he walks, people. Please. Come on now. We’re losing our lovely light.” Connor and I; xere standing to one side, with a cute production assistant named Debbie who held a clipboard across her breasts and said meaningfully,“The director is Edgar Lynn.”“Should we recognize that name?” Connor said.“He’s the most expensive and most sought- after commercial director in the world. He is a great artist. Edgar did the fantastic Apple 1984 commercial, and... oh, lots of others. And he has directed famous movies, too. Edgar is just the best.” She paused.“And not too crazy. Really.” Across from the camera, Senator John Morton stood patiently while four people fussed with his tie, his jacket, his hair, his makeup. Morton was wearing a suit. He was standing under a tree with the rolling golf course and the skyscrapers of Beverly Hills in the background. The production crew had laid down a strip of carpet for him to walk on as he approached the camera. I said,“And how is the senator?” Debbie nodded.“Pretty good. I think he has a shot.” Connor said,“You mean a chance for the presidency?”“Yeah. Especially if Edgar can do:Previous Entities: |The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator| ::: “He’s the most expensive and most sought- after commercial director in the world. ",Debbie.F or it isn’t.,85359,85407,True,2479:the monarchical expert.M,"“Sort of, well, sleek. Nice and smart. Not scruffy. Takes a bit of a pride in itself.” She glared at some of the younger revellers further down the table.“The trouble with people today is they don’t take pride in themselves.”“And there’s foreign policy, of course,” said a third, helping himself to a rib.“When you come to think about it.”“What d’you mean?”“Diplomacy,” said the rib- eater, flatly. They thought about it. And then you could see them turning the idea around and thinking about it the other way, in a polite effort to see what the hell he was getting at.“Dunno,” said the monarchical expert slowly.“I mean, your actual dragon, it’s got these, basically, two sort of ways of negotiation. Hasn’t it? I mean, it’s either roasting you alive, or it isn’t. Correct me if I’m wrong,” he added.“That’s my point. I mean, let’s say the ambassador from Klatch comes along, you know how arrogant that lot are, suppose he says: we want this, we want that, we want the other thing. Well,” he said, beaming at them,“what we say is, shut your face unless you want to go home in a jar.” They tried out this idea for mental fit. It had that certain something.“They’ve got a big fleet, Klatch,” said the monarchist uncertainly.“Could be a bit risky, roasting diplomats. People see a pile of charcoal come back on the boat, they tend to look a bit askance.”“Ah, then we say, Ho there,",the monarchical expert,"Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert","“Sort of, well, sleek. Nice and smart. Not scruffy. Takes a bit of a pride in itself.” She glared at some of the younger revellers further down the table.“The trouble with people today is they don’t take pride in themselves.”“And there’s foreign policy, of course,” said a third, helping himself to a rib.“When you come to think about it.”“What d’you mean?”“Diplomacy,” said the rib- eater, flatly. They thought about it. And then you could see them turning the idea around and thinking about it the other way, in a polite effort to see what the hell he was getting at.“Dunno,” said the monarchical expert slowly.“I mean, your actual dragon, it’s got these, basically, two sort of ways of negotiation. Hasn’t it? I mean, it’s either roasting you alive, or it isn’t. Correct me if I’m wrong,” he added.“That’s my point. I mean, let’s say the ambassador from Klatch comes along, you know how arrogant that lot are, suppose he says: we want this, we want that, we want the other thing. Well,” he said, beaming at them,“what we say is, shut your face unless you want to go home in a jar.” They tried out this idea for mental fit. It had that certain something.“They’ve got a big fleet, Klatch,” said the monarchist uncertainly.“Could be a bit risky, roasting diplomats. People see a pile of charcoal come back on the boat, they tend to look a bit askance.”“Ah, then we say, Ho there,:Previous Entities: |Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert| ::: or it isn’t. ",the rib-eater.M "“You will call me Tormsa,”",159644,159651,True,5365:The guide.?,"and deepened the cleft of a narrow chin. Creases of time all over his face. Appetizing odors began to arise from the black object in front of Ambitorm.“We will eat here and wait a bit before we continue,” Ambitorm said. He spoke Old Galach but with that guttural accent which Duncan had never heard before, an odd stress on adjacent vowels. Was Ambitorm from the Scattering or a Gammu native? There obviously had been many linguistic drifts since the Dune days of Muad’dib. For that matter, Duncan recognized that all of the people in the Gammu Keep, including Teg and Lucilla, spoke a Galach that had shifted from the one he had learned as a pre- ghola child.“Ambitorm,” Duncan said.“Is that a Gammu name?”“You will call me Tormsa,” the guide said.“Is that a nickname?”“It is what you will call me.”“Why did those people back there call you Ambitorm.”“That was the name I gave them.”“But why would you…”“You lived under the Harkonnens and you did not learn how to change your identity?” Duncan fell silent. Was that it? Another disguise. Ambi… Tormsa had not changed his appearance. Tormsa. Was it a Tleilaxu name? The guide extended a steaming cup toward Duncan.“A drink to restore you, Wose. Drink it fast. It will keep you warm.” Duncan closed both hands around the cup. Wose. Wose and Tormsa. Tleilaxu Master and his Face Dancer companion. Duncan lifted the",The guide,"the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly","and deepened the cleft of a narrow chin. Creases of time all over his face. Appetizing odors began to arise from the black object in front of Ambitorm.“We will eat here and wait a bit before we continue,” Ambitorm said. He spoke Old Galach but with that guttural accent which Duncan had never heard before, an odd stress on adjacent vowels. Was Ambitorm from the Scattering or a Gammu native? There obviously had been many linguistic drifts since the Dune days of Muad’dib. For that matter, Duncan recognized that all of the people in the Gammu Keep, including Teg and Lucilla, spoke a Galach that had shifted from the one he had learned as a pre- ghola child.“Ambitorm,” Duncan said.“Is that a Gammu name?”“You will call me Tormsa,” the guide said.“Is that a nickname?”“It is what you will call me.”“Why did those people back there call you Ambitorm.”“That was the name I gave them.”“But why would you…”“You lived under the Harkonnens and you did not learn how to change your identity?” Duncan fell silent. Was that it? Another disguise. Ambi… Tormsa had not changed his appearance. Tormsa. Was it a Tleilaxu name? The guide extended a steaming cup toward Duncan.“A drink to restore you, Wose. Drink it fast. It will keep you warm.” Duncan closed both hands around the cup. Wose. Wose and Tormsa. Tleilaxu Master and his Face Dancer companion. Duncan lifted the:Previous Entities: |the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly| ::: “You will call me Tormsa,” ",Tormsa.M “data salvage.”,6822,6826,True,368:ERTS.?,"?”“No,” Travis said.“But we will.”“How?”“From the tapes.”“Those tapes are a mess.”“So far,” Travis said. And he called in the specialty teams of console hotdoggers. Travis had long since concluded that although ERTS could wake up political advisers around the world, they were most likely to get information in- house.“Everything we know from the Congo field expedition,” he said,“is registered on that final videotape. I want a seven- band visual and audio salvage, starting right now. Because that tape is all we have.” The specialty teams went to work. 3. Recovery ERTS REFERRED TO THE PROCESS AS“DATA RECOVERY,” or sometimes as“data salvage.” The terms evoked images of deep- sea operations, and they were oddly appropriate. To recover or salvage data meant that coherent meaning was pulled to the surface from the depths of massive electronic information storage. And, like salvage from the sea, it was a slow and delicate process, where a single false step meant the irretrievable loss of the very elements one was trying to bring up. ERTS had whole salvage crews skilled in the art of data recovery. One crew immediately went to work on the audio recovery, another on the visual recovery. But Karen Ross was already engaged in a visual recovery. The procedures she followed were highly sophisticated, and only possible at ERTS. Earth Resources Technology was a relatively new company, formed in 1975 in response to the explosive growth of information",ERTS,"the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians","?”“No,” Travis said.“But we will.”“How?”“From the tapes.”“Those tapes are a mess.”“So far,” Travis said. And he called in the specialty teams of console hotdoggers. Travis had long since concluded that although ERTS could wake up political advisers around the world, they were most likely to get information in- house.“Everything we know from the Congo field expedition,” he said,“is registered on that final videotape. I want a seven- band visual and audio salvage, starting right now. Because that tape is all we have.” The specialty teams went to work. 3. Recovery ERTS REFERRED TO THE PROCESS AS“DATA RECOVERY,” or sometimes as“data salvage.” The terms evoked images of deep- sea operations, and they were oddly appropriate. To recover or salvage data meant that coherent meaning was pulled to the surface from the depths of massive electronic information storage. And, like salvage from the sea, it was a slow and delicate process, where a single false step meant the irretrievable loss of the very elements one was trying to bring up. ERTS had whole salvage crews skilled in the art of data recovery. One crew immediately went to work on the audio recovery, another on the visual recovery. But Karen Ross was already engaged in a visual recovery. The procedures she followed were highly sophisticated, and only possible at ERTS. Earth Resources Technology was a relatively new company, formed in 1975 in response to the explosive growth of information:Previous Entities: |the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians| ::: “data salvage.” ",Karen Ross "honey,’ fore you kill me!”",221515,221529,True,11361:the lady.F,"low- slung, leaping grace of a weasel on a crust of snow. While he’s still seven feet away from her(seven at least), he jumps into the air, his shadow flying fleetly over the packed dirt of the street. She grabs him like a deep receiver hauling in a Hail Mary pass. The force of his forward motion knocks the breath from her and bowls her over in a puff of dust, but the first breath she’s able to take in goes back out as laughter. She’s still laughing as he stands with his stubby front legs on her chest and his stubby rear ones on her belly, ears up, squiggly tail wagging, licking her cheeks, her nose, her eyes.“Let up on it!” she cries.“Let up on it, honey,’ fore you kill me!” She hears this, so lightly meant, and her laughter stops. Oy steps off her, sits, tilts his snout at the empty blue socket of the sky, and lets loose a single long howl that tells her everything she would need to know, had she not known already. For Oy has more eloquent ways of speaking than his few words. She sits up, slapping puffs of dust out of her shirt, and a shadow falls over her. She looks up but at first can not see Roland’s face. His head is directly in front of the sun, and it makes a fierce corona around him. His features are lost in blackness. But he’s holding out his hands. Part of her doesn’t want to take them, and do ya not kennit",the lady,"Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy","low- slung, leaping grace of a weasel on a crust of snow. While he’s still seven feet away from her(seven at least), he jumps into the air, his shadow flying fleetly over the packed dirt of the street. She grabs him like a deep receiver hauling in a Hail Mary pass. The force of his forward motion knocks the breath from her and bowls her over in a puff of dust, but the first breath she’s able to take in goes back out as laughter. She’s still laughing as he stands with his stubby front legs on her chest and his stubby rear ones on her belly, ears up, squiggly tail wagging, licking her cheeks, her nose, her eyes.“Let up on it!” she cries.“Let up on it, honey,’ fore you kill me!” She hears this, so lightly meant, and her laughter stops. Oy steps off her, sits, tilts his snout at the empty blue socket of the sky, and lets loose a single long howl that tells her everything she would need to know, had she not known already. For Oy has more eloquent ways of speaking than his few words. She sits up, slapping puffs of dust out of her shirt, and a shadow falls over her. She looks up but at first can not see Roland’s face. His head is directly in front of the sun, and it makes a fierce corona around him. His features are lost in blackness. But he’s holding out his hands. Part of her doesn’t want to take them, and do ya not kennit:Previous Entities: |Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy| ::: honey,’ fore you kill me!” ",this woman.F "The puffin said he wasn’t sure if it was a Great Horned,",11626,11686,True,227:Namara.F,"thought that, too, but Coryn told me that the legends, are not mere legends. This book, the one they called the Book of Kreeth, was an ancient tome that had belonged to an arch hagsfiend. It was thought to have formulas and designs for all sorts of haggish inventions and creations. That is why the Guardians fought so hard in the Beyond, to keep it from Nyra and the Pure Ones, and why we helped them.” Sveep knew that Gyllbane and Coryn were about as close as a wolf and an owl could be. It was Gyllbane who had been there when Coryn had retrieved the Ember of Hoole.“And tell me, Sveep,” the wolf continued,“the other owl— what did the puffin say it looked like?”“Terrible. The puffin said he wasn’t sure if it was a Great Horned, a Barn Owl, or what. He thought maybe a Barn Owl, but its feathers were dark and raggedy at the ends. Almost black like a crow’s and when it turned its face, it was terribly scarred.” Namara lowered her head and shook it back and forth mournfully.“How has this happened? Cody can’t have died in vain. It can’t be true.” But she knew it was. Somehow an evil had started to seep back into their peaceful universe. What was the word owls used? Nachtmagen? Yes, nachtmagen was… The wolf could not finish the thought. She trotted out of the Gadderheal. A full moon blazed in the sky. She stood in a silver column of its light and, throwing her head back, began to howl the strange mad music of wolves. These were not the cries of mourning. Of this much even Sveep could tell. Savage and untamed, this was a howl of rage. Namara’s wolves stirred in their dens,",Namara,"the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara","thought that, too, but Coryn told me that the legends, are not mere legends. This book, the one they called the Book of Kreeth, was an ancient tome that had belonged to an arch hagsfiend. It was thought to have formulas and designs for all sorts of haggish inventions and creations. That is why the Guardians fought so hard in the Beyond, to keep it from Nyra and the Pure Ones, and why we helped them.” Sveep knew that Gyllbane and Coryn were about as close as a wolf and an owl could be. It was Gyllbane who had been there when Coryn had retrieved the Ember of Hoole.“And tell me, Sveep,” the wolf continued,“the other owl— what did the puffin say it looked like?”“Terrible. The puffin said he wasn’t sure if it was a Great Horned, a Barn Owl, or what. He thought maybe a Barn Owl, but its feathers were dark and raggedy at the ends. Almost black like a crow’s and when it turned its face, it was terribly scarred.” Namara lowered her head and shook it back and forth mournfully.“How has this happened? Cody can’t have died in vain. It can’t be true.” But she knew it was. Somehow an evil had started to seep back into their peaceful universe. What was the word owls used? Nachtmagen? Yes, nachtmagen was… The wolf could not finish the thought. She trotted out of the Gadderheal. A full moon blazed in the sky. She stood in a silver column of its light and, throwing her head back, began to howl the strange mad music of wolves. These were not the cries of mourning. Of this much even Sveep could tell. Savage and untamed, this was a howl of rage. Namara’s wolves stirred in their dens,:Previous Entities: |the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara| ::: The puffin said he wasn’t sure if it was a Great Horned, ","The puffin.? Namara.F Sveep.?" "“Step out here,",11669,11676,True,127:Mericet.M,"well be that, as you travel across the city on your lawful occasions, you will find yourselves in opposition to fellow members, even one of the gentlemen, with whom you are currently sharing a bench. And this is quite right and what are you doing Mr. Chidder no don’t tell me I’m sure I wouldn’t want to know see me afterward proper. It is open to everyone to defend themselves as best they may. There are, however, other enemies who will dog your steps and against whom you are all ill- prepared who are they Mr. Cheesewright?” Mericet spun around from his blackboard like a vulture who has just heard a death- rattle and pointed the chalk at Cheesewright, who gulped.“Thieves’ Guild, sir?” he managed.“Step out here, boy.” There were whispered rumors in the dormitories about what Mericet had done to slovenly pupils in the past, which were always vague but horrifying. The class relaxed. Mericet usually concentrated on one victim at a time, so all they had to do now was look keen and enjoy the show. Crimson to his ears, Cheesewright got to his feet and trooped down the aisle between the desks. The master inspected him thoughtfully.“Well, now,” he said,“and here we have Cheesewright, G., skulking across the quaking rooftops. See the determined ears. See the firm set of those knees.” The class tittered dutifully. Cheesewright gave them an idiotic grin and rolled his eyes.“But what are these sinister figures that march in step with him, hey?",Mericet,"Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright","well be that, as you travel across the city on your lawful occasions, you will find yourselves in opposition to fellow members, even one of the gentlemen, with whom you are currently sharing a bench. And this is quite right and what are you doing Mr. Chidder no don’t tell me I’m sure I wouldn’t want to know see me afterward proper. It is open to everyone to defend themselves as best they may. There are, however, other enemies who will dog your steps and against whom you are all ill- prepared who are they Mr. Cheesewright?” Mericet spun around from his blackboard like a vulture who has just heard a death- rattle and pointed the chalk at Cheesewright, who gulped.“Thieves’ Guild, sir?” he managed.“Step out here, boy.” There were whispered rumors in the dormitories about what Mericet had done to slovenly pupils in the past, which were always vague but horrifying. The class relaxed. Mericet usually concentrated on one victim at a time, so all they had to do now was look keen and enjoy the show. Crimson to his ears, Cheesewright got to his feet and trooped down the aisle between the desks. The master inspected him thoughtfully.“Well, now,” he said,“and here we have Cheesewright, G., skulking across the quaking rooftops. See the determined ears. See the firm set of those knees.” The class tittered dutifully. Cheesewright gave them an idiotic grin and rolled his eyes.“But what are these sinister figures that march in step with him, hey?:Previous Entities: |Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright| ::: “Step out here, ",Cheesewright.M "She keeps me in shape.""",51311,51323,True,287:Brigit.F,"it?"" Randall said."" Yes, we've met several times."" He picked up the rat again and chuckled."" In fact, my brother just called me about you. You've got him quite ruffled— a snot- nosed snoop, I believe his words were."" He seemed to find this very amusing. He laughed again and said,"" It's what you get for pestering his dearly beloved. Apparently you upset her."""" I'm sorry about that."""" Don't be,"" Peter said cheerfully. He turned to Brigit and said,"" Call the others, will you? We have to get this thing going."" Brigit wrinkled her nose, and Peter winked at her. When she was gone, he said,"" Adorable creature, Brigit. She keeps me in shape."""" In shape?"""" Indeed,"" he said, patting his stomach."" One of the great pitfalls to modern, easy living is weak eye muscles. Television's to blame; we sit there and don't exercise our eyes. The result is flabby eyes, a terrible tragedy. But Brigit prevents all that. Preventive medicine of the finest sort."" He sighed happily."" But what can I do for you? I can't imagine why you'd want to see me. Brigit, yes, but not me."" I said,"" You were Karen's physician."""" So I was, so I was."" He took the rat and placed it in a small cage. Then he looked among a row of larger cages for another.",Brigit,"Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit","it?"" Randall said."" Yes, we've met several times."" He picked up the rat again and chuckled."" In fact, my brother just called me about you. You've got him quite ruffled— a snot- nosed snoop, I believe his words were."" He seemed to find this very amusing. He laughed again and said,"" It's what you get for pestering his dearly beloved. Apparently you upset her."""" I'm sorry about that."""" Don't be,"" Peter said cheerfully. He turned to Brigit and said,"" Call the others, will you? We have to get this thing going."" Brigit wrinkled her nose, and Peter winked at her. When she was gone, he said,"" Adorable creature, Brigit. She keeps me in shape."""" In shape?"""" Indeed,"" he said, patting his stomach."" One of the great pitfalls to modern, easy living is weak eye muscles. Television's to blame; we sit there and don't exercise our eyes. The result is flabby eyes, a terrible tragedy. But Brigit prevents all that. Preventive medicine of the finest sort."" He sighed happily."" But what can I do for you? I can't imagine why you'd want to see me. Brigit, yes, but not me."" I said,"" You were Karen's physician."""" So I was, so I was."" He took the rat and placed it in a small cage. Then he looked among a row of larger cages for another.:Previous Entities: |Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit| ::: She keeps me in shape."" ",Peter.M where we are content to flollop and vollue and regard the wetness in a fairly floopy manner.,16317,16391,True,543:the mattress.?,"he never married, the word is only ever used in a negative or speculative sense, and there is an ever- increasing body of opinion which holds that The Ultra- Complete Maximegalon Dictionary is not worth the fleet of lorries it takes to cart its microstored edition around in. Strangely enough, the dictionary omits the word"" floopily"", which simply means"" in the manner of something which is floopy"". The mattress globbered again."" I sense a deep dejection in your diodes,"" it vollued(for the meaning of the word"" vollue"", buy a copy of Squornshellous Swamptalk at any remaindered bookshop, or alternatively buy The Ultra- Complete Maximegalon Dictionary, as the University will be very glad to get it off their hands and regain some valuable parking lots),"" and it saddens me. You should be more mattresslike. We live quiet retired lives in the swamp, where we are content to flollop and vollue and regard the wetness in a fairly floopy manner. Some of us are killed, but all of us are called Zem, so we never know which and globbering is thus kept to a minimum. Why are you walking in circles?"""" Because my leg is stuck,"" said Marvin simply."" It seems to me,"" said the mattress eyeing it compassionately,"" that it is a pretty poor sort of leg."""" You are right,"" said Marvin,"" it is."""" Voon,"" said the mattress."" I expect so,"" said Marvin,"" and I also expect that you find the idea of a robot with an artificial leg pretty amusing. You should tell your friends Zem and Zem when you see them later; they'll laugh, if I know them, which I don't of course- except insofar as I know all organic life forms, which is much better than I would wish to. Ha, but my life is but a box of wormgears",the mattress,"Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress","he never married, the word is only ever used in a negative or speculative sense, and there is an ever- increasing body of opinion which holds that The Ultra- Complete Maximegalon Dictionary is not worth the fleet of lorries it takes to cart its microstored edition around in. Strangely enough, the dictionary omits the word"" floopily"", which simply means"" in the manner of something which is floopy"". The mattress globbered again."" I sense a deep dejection in your diodes,"" it vollued(for the meaning of the word"" vollue"", buy a copy of Squornshellous Swamptalk at any remaindered bookshop, or alternatively buy The Ultra- Complete Maximegalon Dictionary, as the University will be very glad to get it off their hands and regain some valuable parking lots),"" and it saddens me. You should be more mattresslike. We live quiet retired lives in the swamp, where we are content to flollop and vollue and regard the wetness in a fairly floopy manner. Some of us are killed, but all of us are called Zem, so we never know which and globbering is thus kept to a minimum. Why are you walking in circles?"""" Because my leg is stuck,"" said Marvin simply."" It seems to me,"" said the mattress eyeing it compassionately,"" that it is a pretty poor sort of leg."""" You are right,"" said Marvin,"" it is."""" Voon,"" said the mattress."" I expect so,"" said Marvin,"" and I also expect that you find the idea of a robot with an artificial leg pretty amusing. You should tell your friends Zem and Zem when you see them later; they'll laugh, if I know them, which I don't of course- except insofar as I know all organic life forms, which is much better than I would wish to. Ha, but my life is but a box of wormgears:Previous Entities: |Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress| ::: where we are content to flollop and vollue and regard the wetness in a fairly floopy manner. ",the mattress.?> the only thing I did on the TV series was writing the,30697,30711,True,556:Alan Bell.?,"'s to give someone else some work. I was really furious as I became perforce` Associate Producer'. Which meant nothing. I didn't have any clout at the BBC, being just a junior producer on attachment- theoretically they could have sent me back to radio. I said I'd try to keep an eye on the occasional recording and rehearsal, but frankly I didn't have the time, and basically I had nothing to do with the TV show."" Alan Bell made a big point of this in the TV show, as when my credit comes up in the titles it explodes and shoots off into space...(It is true that John Lloyd's Associate Producer credit does explode during the end titles. However, according to Alan Bell, this is pure coincidence.)"" Really, the only thing I did on the TV series was writing the original memo, and being in on a few early discussions to get things moving, and the BBC corporate machinations booted me out."" Lloyd has mixed feelings about the director and producer of the series, Alan J.W. Bell, and on how the television shows eventually turned out."" I didn't like working with Alan. He's one of this breed of TV producers who... I'm not saying he isn't hardworking, because he is, but he wouldn't ever run over time, or overspend. He just wanted to get the job done. He's less interested in the script or the performance than he is in the logistics of how the programme gets made."" In some of the rehearsals I attended actors were saying the words in the wrong order, and mispronouncing",Alan Bell,"the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell","'s to give someone else some work. I was really furious as I became perforce` Associate Producer'. Which meant nothing. I didn't have any clout at the BBC, being just a junior producer on attachment- theoretically they could have sent me back to radio. I said I'd try to keep an eye on the occasional recording and rehearsal, but frankly I didn't have the time, and basically I had nothing to do with the TV show."" Alan Bell made a big point of this in the TV show, as when my credit comes up in the titles it explodes and shoots off into space...(It is true that John Lloyd's Associate Producer credit does explode during the end titles. However, according to Alan Bell, this is pure coincidence.)"" Really, the only thing I did on the TV series was writing the original memo, and being in on a few early discussions to get things moving, and the BBC corporate machinations booted me out."" Lloyd has mixed feelings about the director and producer of the series, Alan J.W. Bell, and on how the television shows eventually turned out."" I didn't like working with Alan. He's one of this breed of TV producers who... I'm not saying he isn't hardworking, because he is, but he wouldn't ever run over time, or overspend. He just wanted to get the job done. He's less interested in the script or the performance than he is in the logistics of how the programme gets made."" In some of the rehearsals I attended actors were saying the words in the wrong order, and mispronouncing:Previous Entities: |the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell| ::: the only thing I did on the TV series was writing the ",John Lloyd.M or your friends in the elevator?”,155954,155969,True,4663:the sorceress.F,"“Oh, not to worry.” Pasiphaë waved her hand dismissively.“Clytius will handle them. You see, when the chime sounds again, someone on our side needs to push the UP button or the Doors will fail to open and whoever is inside— poof. Gone. Or perhaps Clytius will let them out and deal with them in person. That depends on you two.” Hazel’s mouth tasted like tin. She didn’t want to ask, but she had to.“How exactly does it depend on us?”“Well, obviously, we need only one set of demigods alive,” Pasiphaë said.“The lucky two will be taken to Athens and sacrificed to Gaea at the Feast of Hope.”“Obviously,” Leo muttered.“So will it be you two, or your friends in the elevator?” The sorceress spread her hands.“Let’s see who is still alive in twelve… actually, eleven minutes, now.” The cavern dissolved into darkness. HAZEL’S INTERNAL COMPASS SPUN WILDLY. She remembered when she was very small, in New Orleans in the late 1930s, her mother had taken her to the dentist to get a bad tooth pulled. It was the first and only time Hazel had ever received ether. The dentist promised it would make her sleepy and relaxed, but Hazel felt like she was floating away from her own body, panicky and out of control. When the ether wore off, she’d been sick for three days. This felt like a massive dose of ether. Part of her knew she was still in the cavern. Pasiphaë stood only a",the sorceress,"the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress","“Oh, not to worry.” Pasiphaë waved her hand dismissively.“Clytius will handle them. You see, when the chime sounds again, someone on our side needs to push the UP button or the Doors will fail to open and whoever is inside— poof. Gone. Or perhaps Clytius will let them out and deal with them in person. That depends on you two.” Hazel’s mouth tasted like tin. She didn’t want to ask, but she had to.“How exactly does it depend on us?”“Well, obviously, we need only one set of demigods alive,” Pasiphaë said.“The lucky two will be taken to Athens and sacrificed to Gaea at the Feast of Hope.”“Obviously,” Leo muttered.“So will it be you two, or your friends in the elevator?” The sorceress spread her hands.“Let’s see who is still alive in twelve… actually, eleven minutes, now.” The cavern dissolved into darkness. HAZEL’S INTERNAL COMPASS SPUN WILDLY. She remembered when she was very small, in New Orleans in the late 1930s, her mother had taken her to the dentist to get a bad tooth pulled. It was the first and only time Hazel had ever received ether. The dentist promised it would make her sleepy and relaxed, but Hazel felt like she was floating away from her own body, panicky and out of control. When the ether wore off, she’d been sick for three days. This felt like a massive dose of ether. Part of her knew she was still in the cavern. Pasiphaë stood only a:Previous Entities: |the satyr, Pluto, The wind god, Cal, Notus, Krios, the sorceress| ::: or your friends in the elevator?” ",Pasiphaë.F "I think he's planning a story that says we're shipping the wing to China,",41541,41568,True,457:Eileen.F,"the reporters asked continuously for personal speculations. Do you think an event will be damaging? Do you think the company will suffer? Such speculation had been irrelevant to the earlier generation of reporters, who focused on the underlying events. Modem journalism was intensely subjective—""interpretive""— and speculation was its lifeblood. But she found it exhausting. And Jack Rogers, she thought, was one of the better ones. The print reporters were all better. It was the television reporters you really had to watch out for. They were the really dangerous ones. OUTSIDE HANGAR 5 10:15 a.m. Crossing the plant, she fished her cell phone out of her purse, and called Marder. His assistant, Eileen, said he was in a meeting."" I just left Jack Rogers,"" Casey said."" I think he's planning a story that says we're shipping the wing to China, and there's trouble in the executive suite."""" Uh- oh,"" Eileen said."" That's not good."""" Edgarton better talk to him, and put it to rest."""" Edgarton isn't doing any press,"" Eileen said."" John will be back at six o'clock. You want to talk to him then?"""" I better, yes."""" I'll put you down,"" Eileen said. PROOF TEST 10:19 a.m. It looked like an aviation junkyard: old fuselages, tails, and wing sections littered the landscape, raised up on rusty scaffolding. But the air was filled with the steady hum of compressors, and heavy tubing ran to the airplane parts, like intravenous lines to a patient This was Proof Test, also known as Twist- and- Shout, the domain",Eileen,"Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen","the reporters asked continuously for personal speculations. Do you think an event will be damaging? Do you think the company will suffer? Such speculation had been irrelevant to the earlier generation of reporters, who focused on the underlying events. Modem journalism was intensely subjective—""interpretive""— and speculation was its lifeblood. But she found it exhausting. And Jack Rogers, she thought, was one of the better ones. The print reporters were all better. It was the television reporters you really had to watch out for. They were the really dangerous ones. OUTSIDE HANGAR 5 10:15 a.m. Crossing the plant, she fished her cell phone out of her purse, and called Marder. His assistant, Eileen, said he was in a meeting."" I just left Jack Rogers,"" Casey said."" I think he's planning a story that says we're shipping the wing to China, and there's trouble in the executive suite."""" Uh- oh,"" Eileen said."" That's not good."""" Edgarton better talk to him, and put it to rest."""" Edgarton isn't doing any press,"" Eileen said."" John will be back at six o'clock. You want to talk to him then?"""" I better, yes."""" I'll put you down,"" Eileen said. PROOF TEST 10:19 a.m. It looked like an aviation junkyard: old fuselages, tails, and wing sections littered the landscape, raised up on rusty scaffolding. But the air was filled with the steady hum of compressors, and heavy tubing ran to the airplane parts, like intravenous lines to a patient This was Proof Test, also known as Twist- and- Shout, the domain:Previous Entities: |Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen| ::: I think he's planning a story that says we're shipping the wing to China, ",Casey.F It affects companies around the world.,38250,38291,True,2152:The waiter.F,"He ordered the same.“And how did you get to BDG?” he asked.“Two years ago. In Zurich.” Rick said,“What were the circumstances?”“I’m sorry, I can’t say. A company had a problem. BDG was brought in to solve it. I was asked to help— some technical issues. I subsequently joined them.”“A company in Zurich had a problem?” She smiled.“I’m sorry.”“What companies have you worked with, since joining BDG?”“I’m not free to say.” Rick frowned. He was thinking this was going to be a very weird interview, if she couldn’t tell him anything.“You realize,” she said,“that data theft is a global concern. It affects companies around the world. Estimated losses of one trillion euros annually. No company wishes its problems made public. So we respect the privacy of our clients.” Rick said,“What exactly can you tell me?”“Think of any large banking or scientific or pharmaceutical firm. We have probably done work for them.”“Very discreet.”“As we will be discreet with you. We will send only three persons to your company, including me. We will identify ourselves as due- diligence accountants for a VC firm that is thinking of investing. We will spend one week reviewing your status, and then report to you.” Very straightforward, very direct. He tried to focus on what she was saying, but he found her beauty distracting. She did not make the slightest sexual gesture— not a glance, not a body movement, not a touch— yet she was immensely sexy. No bra, he",The waiter,"People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy","He ordered the same.“And how did you get to BDG?” he asked.“Two years ago. In Zurich.” Rick said,“What were the circumstances?”“I’m sorry, I can’t say. A company had a problem. BDG was brought in to solve it. I was asked to help— some technical issues. I subsequently joined them.”“A company in Zurich had a problem?” She smiled.“I’m sorry.”“What companies have you worked with, since joining BDG?”“I’m not free to say.” Rick frowned. He was thinking this was going to be a very weird interview, if she couldn’t tell him anything.“You realize,” she said,“that data theft is a global concern. It affects companies around the world. Estimated losses of one trillion euros annually. No company wishes its problems made public. So we respect the privacy of our clients.” Rick said,“What exactly can you tell me?”“Think of any large banking or scientific or pharmaceutical firm. We have probably done work for them.”“Very discreet.”“As we will be discreet with you. We will send only three persons to your company, including me. We will identify ourselves as due- diligence accountants for a VC firm that is thinking of investing. We will spend one week reviewing your status, and then report to you.” Very straightforward, very direct. He tried to focus on what she was saying, but he found her beauty distracting. She did not make the slightest sexual gesture— not a glance, not a body movement, not a touch— yet she was immensely sexy. No bra, he:Previous Entities: |People, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY, Ibn Fadlan, the interpreter, my interpreter, the Northmen, Rothgar, the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy| ::: It affects companies around the world. ",Rick.M "“I have a message for the mayor,",8575,8589,True,525:a young man.M,".” All of it was interesting. She loved finding things out, and she loved running. And even by the end of the day, she wasn’t tired. Running made her feel strong and big- hearted, it made her love the places she ran through and the people whose messages she delivered. She wished she could bring all of them the good news they so desperately wanted to hear. Late in the afternoon, a young man came up to her, walking with a sort of sideways lurch. He was an odd- looking person— he had a very long neck with a bump in the middle and teeth so big they looked as if they were trying to escape from his mouth. His black, bushy hair stuck out from his head in untidy tufts.“I have a message for the mayor, at the Gathering Hall,” he said. He paused to let the importance of this be understood.“The mayor,” he said.“Did you get that?”“I got it,” said Lina.“All right. Listen carefully. Tell him: Delivery at eight. From Looper. Repeat it back.”“Delivery at eight. From Looper,” Lina repeated. It was an easy message.“All right. No answer required.” He handed her twenty cents, and she sprinted away. The Gathering Hall occupied one entire side of Harken Square, which was the city’s central plaza. The square was paved with stone. It had a few benches bolted to the ground here and there, as well as a couple of kiosks for notices. Wide steps led",a young man,"The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant",".” All of it was interesting. She loved finding things out, and she loved running. And even by the end of the day, she wasn’t tired. Running made her feel strong and big- hearted, it made her love the places she ran through and the people whose messages she delivered. She wished she could bring all of them the good news they so desperately wanted to hear. Late in the afternoon, a young man came up to her, walking with a sort of sideways lurch. He was an odd- looking person— he had a very long neck with a bump in the middle and teeth so big they looked as if they were trying to escape from his mouth. His black, bushy hair stuck out from his head in untidy tufts.“I have a message for the mayor, at the Gathering Hall,” he said. He paused to let the importance of this be understood.“The mayor,” he said.“Did you get that?”“I got it,” said Lina.“All right. Listen carefully. Tell him: Delivery at eight. From Looper. Repeat it back.”“Delivery at eight. From Looper,” Lina repeated. It was an easy message.“All right. No answer required.” He handed her twenty cents, and she sprinted away. The Gathering Hall occupied one entire side of Harken Square, which was the city’s central plaza. The square was paved with stone. It had a few benches bolted to the ground here and there, as well as a couple of kiosks for notices. Wide steps led:Previous Entities: |The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant| ::: “I have a message for the mayor, ",odd-looking young man.M "“Jamis,”",152501,152504,True,4367:the troop.?,"to be pushed into a circle of people being formed around Stilgar, who stood beneath the glowglobe and beside a bundled, curving, and angular shape gathered beneath a robe on the rock floor. The troop crouched down at a gesture from Stilgar, their robes hissing with the movement. Paul settled with them, watching Stilgar, noting the way the overhead globe made pits of his eyes and brightened the touch of green fabric at his neck. Paul shifted his attention to the robe- covered mound at Stilgar’s feet, recognized the handle of a baliset protruding from the fabric.“The spirit leaves the body’s water when the first moon rises,” Stilgar intoned.“Thus it is spoken. When we see the first moon rise this night, whom will it summon?”“Jamis,” the troop responded. Stilgar turned full circle on one heel, passing his gaze across the ring of faces.“I was a friend of Jamis,” he said.“When the hawk plane stooped upon us at Hole- in- the- Rock, it was Jamis pulled me to safety.” He bent over the pile beside him, lifted away the robe.“I take this robe as a friend of Jamis— leader’s right.” He draped the robe over a shoulder, straightening. Now, Paul saw the contents of the mound exposed: the pale glistening gray of a stillsuit, a battered literjon, a kerchief with a small book in its center, the bladeless handle of a crysknife, an empty sheath, a folded pack, a paracompass, a",the troop,"Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop","to be pushed into a circle of people being formed around Stilgar, who stood beneath the glowglobe and beside a bundled, curving, and angular shape gathered beneath a robe on the rock floor. The troop crouched down at a gesture from Stilgar, their robes hissing with the movement. Paul settled with them, watching Stilgar, noting the way the overhead globe made pits of his eyes and brightened the touch of green fabric at his neck. Paul shifted his attention to the robe- covered mound at Stilgar’s feet, recognized the handle of a baliset protruding from the fabric.“The spirit leaves the body’s water when the first moon rises,” Stilgar intoned.“Thus it is spoken. When we see the first moon rise this night, whom will it summon?”“Jamis,” the troop responded. Stilgar turned full circle on one heel, passing his gaze across the ring of faces.“I was a friend of Jamis,” he said.“When the hawk plane stooped upon us at Hole- in- the- Rock, it was Jamis pulled me to safety.” He bent over the pile beside him, lifted away the robe.“I take this robe as a friend of Jamis— leader’s right.” He draped the robe over a shoulder, straightening. Now, Paul saw the contents of the mound exposed: the pale glistening gray of a stillsuit, a battered literjon, a kerchief with a small book in its center, the bladeless handle of a crysknife, an empty sheath, a folded pack, a paracompass, a:Previous Entities: |Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop| ::: “Jamis,” ",Stilgar.M "“Whenever you have a high SO component,",73253,73343,True,1618:the swarm.?,"So if I were you I’d be careful,” she said,“when you go after the swarms. Because that’s what you’re going to do, isn’t it? Go after them?”“Yes,” I said.“That’s what I’m going to do.” DAY 6 1:12 P.M. They had all gathered in the lounge, with the video games and pinball machines. Nobody was playing them now. They were watching me with anxious eyes as I explained what we had to do. The plan was simple enough- the swarm itself was dictating what we had to do, although I was skipping that uncomfortable truth. Basically, I told them we had a runaway swarm we couldn’t control. And the swarm exhibited self- organizing behavior.“Whenever you have a high SO component, it means the swarm can reassemble itself after an injury or disruption. Just as it did with me. So this swarm has to be totally, physically destroyed. That means subjecting the particles to heat, cold, acid, or high magnetic fields. And from what I’ve seen of its behavior, I’d say our best chance to destroy it is at night when the swarm loses energy and sinks to the ground.” Ricky whined,“But we already told you, Jack, we can’t find it at night-”“That’s right, you can’t,” I said.“Because you didn’t tag it. Look, it’s a big desert out there. If you want to trace it back to its hiding place, you’ve got to tag it with something so strong you can follow its trail wherever it goes.”“Tag it with what?”“That’s my next question,” I said.“What kind of tagging agents have we got around here?” I was greeted with blank looks.“Come on, guys. This is an industrial facility. You must have something that will coat the particles and leave a trail we can follow.",the swarm,"The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm","So if I were you I’d be careful,” she said,“when you go after the swarms. Because that’s what you’re going to do, isn’t it? Go after them?”“Yes,” I said.“That’s what I’m going to do.” DAY 6 1:12 P.M. They had all gathered in the lounge, with the video games and pinball machines. Nobody was playing them now. They were watching me with anxious eyes as I explained what we had to do. The plan was simple enough- the swarm itself was dictating what we had to do, although I was skipping that uncomfortable truth. Basically, I told them we had a runaway swarm we couldn’t control. And the swarm exhibited self- organizing behavior.“Whenever you have a high SO component, it means the swarm can reassemble itself after an injury or disruption. Just as it did with me. So this swarm has to be totally, physically destroyed. That means subjecting the particles to heat, cold, acid, or high magnetic fields. And from what I’ve seen of its behavior, I’d say our best chance to destroy it is at night when the swarm loses energy and sinks to the ground.” Ricky whined,“But we already told you, Jack, we can’t find it at night-”“That’s right, you can’t,” I said.“Because you didn’t tag it. Look, it’s a big desert out there. If you want to trace it back to its hiding place, you’ve got to tag it with something so strong you can follow its trail wherever it goes.”“Tag it with what?”“That’s my next question,” I said.“What kind of tagging agents have we got around here?” I was greeted with blank looks.“Come on, guys. This is an industrial facility. You must have something that will coat the particles and leave a trail we can follow.:Previous Entities: |The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm| ::: “Whenever you have a high SO component, ",Jack.M "nay in many cases to positively embrace,",44467,44577,True,225:the Archchancellor.M,", startled into wakefulness.“We were wondering,” said the Patrician loudly,“what you were intending to do about this dragon of yours?” The Archchancellor was old, but a lifetime of survival in the world of competitive wizardry and the byzantine politics of Unseen University meant that he could whip up a defensive argument in a split second. You didn’t remain Archchancellor for long if you let that sort of ingenuous remark whizz past your ear.“My dragon?” he said.“It’s well known that the great dragons are extinct,” said the Patrician brusquely.“And, besides, their natural habitat was definitely rural. So it seems to me that this one must be mag—”“With respect, Lord Vetinari,” said the Archchancellor,“it has often been claimed that dragons are extinct, but the current evidence, if I may make so bold, tends to cast a certain doubt on the theory. As to habitat, what we are seeing here is simply a change of behavior pattern, occasioned by the spread of urban areas into the countryside which has led many hitherto rural creatures to adopt, nay in many cases to positively embrace, a more municipal mode of existence, and many of them thrive on the new opportunities thereby opened to them. For example, foxes are always knocking over my dustbins.” He beamed. He’d managed to get all the way through it without actually needing to engage his brain.“Are you saying,” said the assassin slowly,“that what we’ve got here is the first civic dragon?”“That’s evolution for you,” said the wizard, happily.“It should do well, too,” he added.“Plenty of nesting sites, and a more than adequate food supply.” Silence greeted this statement, until the merchant said,“What exactly is it that they do eat?” The thief shrugged.“I seem to recall stories about virgins chained to huge rocks,” he volunteered.“It’ll starve around here, then,” said the assassin.“We’re on loam.”",the Archchancellor,the Archchancellor,", startled into wakefulness.“We were wondering,” said the Patrician loudly,“what you were intending to do about this dragon of yours?” The Archchancellor was old, but a lifetime of survival in the world of competitive wizardry and the byzantine politics of Unseen University meant that he could whip up a defensive argument in a split second. You didn’t remain Archchancellor for long if you let that sort of ingenuous remark whizz past your ear.“My dragon?” he said.“It’s well known that the great dragons are extinct,” said the Patrician brusquely.“And, besides, their natural habitat was definitely rural. So it seems to me that this one must be mag—”“With respect, Lord Vetinari,” said the Archchancellor,“it has often been claimed that dragons are extinct, but the current evidence, if I may make so bold, tends to cast a certain doubt on the theory. As to habitat, what we are seeing here is simply a change of behavior pattern, occasioned by the spread of urban areas into the countryside which has led many hitherto rural creatures to adopt, nay in many cases to positively embrace, a more municipal mode of existence, and many of them thrive on the new opportunities thereby opened to them. For example, foxes are always knocking over my dustbins.” He beamed. He’d managed to get all the way through it without actually needing to engage his brain.“Are you saying,” said the assassin slowly,“that what we’ve got here is the first civic dragon?”“That’s evolution for you,” said the wizard, happily.“It should do well, too,” he added.“Plenty of nesting sites, and a more than adequate food supply.” Silence greeted this statement, until the merchant said,“What exactly is it that they do eat?” The thief shrugged.“I seem to recall stories about virgins chained to huge rocks,” he volunteered.“It’ll starve around here, then,” said the assassin.“We’re on loam.”:Previous Entities: |the Archchancellor| ::: nay in many cases to positively embrace, ","Archchancellor.M Patrician.M assassin.M merchant.M thief.M" child.,144663,144682,True,3068:The eldest queen.F,",“she terrorized Prythian, and when I defeated her, when I freed its people, she killed me. And before she did, I witnessed the horrors that she unleashed on human and faerie alike. One of them— just one of them was able to cause such destruction and suffering. Imagine what an army like her might do. And now their king plans to use a weapon to shatter the wall, to destroy all of you. The war will be swift, and brutal. And you will not win. We will not win. Survivors will be slaves, and their children’s children will be slaves. Please… Please, give us the other half of the Book.” The eldest queen swapped a glance with the golden one before saying gently, placatingly,“You are young, child. You have much to learn about the ways of the world—”“Do not,” Rhys said with deadly quiet,“condescend to her.” The eldest queen— who was but a child to him, to his centuries of existence— had the good sense to look nervous at that tone. Rhys’s eyes were glazed, his face as unforgiving as his voice as he went on,“Do not insult Feyre for speaking with her heart, with compassion for those who can not defend themselves, when you speak from only selfishness and cowardice.” The eldest stiffened.“For the greater good—”“Many atrocities,” Rhys purred,“have been done in the name of the greater good.” No small part of me was impressed that she held his gaze. She said simply,“The Book will remain with",The eldest queen,"her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone",",“she terrorized Prythian, and when I defeated her, when I freed its people, she killed me. And before she did, I witnessed the horrors that she unleashed on human and faerie alike. One of them— just one of them was able to cause such destruction and suffering. Imagine what an army like her might do. And now their king plans to use a weapon to shatter the wall, to destroy all of you. The war will be swift, and brutal. And you will not win. We will not win. Survivors will be slaves, and their children’s children will be slaves. Please… Please, give us the other half of the Book.” The eldest queen swapped a glance with the golden one before saying gently, placatingly,“You are young, child. You have much to learn about the ways of the world—”“Do not,” Rhys said with deadly quiet,“condescend to her.” The eldest queen— who was but a child to him, to his centuries of existence— had the good sense to look nervous at that tone. Rhys’s eyes were glazed, his face as unforgiving as his voice as he went on,“Do not insult Feyre for speaking with her heart, with compassion for those who can not defend themselves, when you speak from only selfishness and cowardice.” The eldest stiffened.“For the greater good—”“Many atrocities,” Rhys purred,“have been done in the name of the greater good.” No small part of me was impressed that she held his gaze. She said simply,“The Book will remain with:Previous Entities: |her sister, Devlon, Morrigan, Clotho, the acolyte, Him, the blacksmith, the male she ’d taken to her bed , who ’d left again last night without kissing her good - bye, Another, Balthazar, Koschei, the faerie, the first one, Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone| ::: child. ","The eldest queen.F The golden one.F Rhys.M Feyre.F" "“But… assassination… he’s so young,",3546,3565,True,474:Teppic ’s aunt.F,"the greatest mathematician on the Disc, had he not at this moment been occupied by being hit with a stick and shouted at by a small man wearing what appeared to be a nightshirt, might well have appreciated.“But,” Teppic’s aunt blew her nose,“it’s trade, after all.” His father patted her hand.“Nonsense, flower of the desert,” he said,“it is a profession, at the very least.”“What is the difference?” she sobbed. The old man sighed.“The money, I understand. It will do him good to go out into the world and make friends and have a few corners knocked off, and it will keep him occupied and prevent him from getting into mischief.”“But… assassination… he’s so young, and he’s never shown the least inclination…” She dabbed at her eyes.“It’s not from our side of the family,” she added accusingly.“That brother- in- law of yours—”“Uncle Vyrt,” said his father.“Going all over the world killing people!”“I don’t believe they use that word,” said his father.“I think they prefer words like conclude, or annul. Or inhume, I understand.”“Inhume?”“I think it’s like exhume, O flooding of the waters, only it’s before they bury you.”“I think it’s terrible.” She sniffed.“But I heard from Lady Nooni that only one boy in fifteen actually passes the final exam. Perhaps we’d just better let him",Teppic ’s aunt,"Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt","the greatest mathematician on the Disc, had he not at this moment been occupied by being hit with a stick and shouted at by a small man wearing what appeared to be a nightshirt, might well have appreciated.“But,” Teppic’s aunt blew her nose,“it’s trade, after all.” His father patted her hand.“Nonsense, flower of the desert,” he said,“it is a profession, at the very least.”“What is the difference?” she sobbed. The old man sighed.“The money, I understand. It will do him good to go out into the world and make friends and have a few corners knocked off, and it will keep him occupied and prevent him from getting into mischief.”“But… assassination… he’s so young, and he’s never shown the least inclination…” She dabbed at her eyes.“It’s not from our side of the family,” she added accusingly.“That brother- in- law of yours—”“Uncle Vyrt,” said his father.“Going all over the world killing people!”“I don’t believe they use that word,” said his father.“I think they prefer words like conclude, or annul. Or inhume, I understand.”“Inhume?”“I think it’s like exhume, O flooding of the waters, only it’s before they bury you.”“I think it’s terrible.” She sniffed.“But I heard from Lady Nooni that only one boy in fifteen actually passes the final exam. Perhaps we’d just better let him:Previous Entities: |Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison, Hubie, Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt| ::: “But… assassination… he’s so young, ",Teppic’s aunt.F "in training for a guild which demands so much in terms of manners,",13215,13297,True,161:Lady T’malia.F,"is nurtured and progresses by the dynamic interplay of interests among many large and powerful advantage cartels.“In the days before the founding of the Guild the seeking of advancement among these consortia invariably resulted in regrettable disagreements which were terminated with extreme prejudice. These were extremely deleterious to the common interest of the city. Please understand that where disharmony rules, commerce flags.“And yet, and yet.” She clasped her hands to her bosom. There was a creak like a galleon beating against a gale.“Clearly there was a need for an extreme yet responsible means of settling irreconcilable differences,” she went on,“and thus was laid the groundwork for the Guild. What bliss—” the sudden peak in her voice guiltily jerked several dozen young men out of their private reveries—“it must have been to have been present in those early days, when men of stout moral purpose set out to forge the ultimate political tool short of warfare. How fortunate you are now, in training for a guild which demands so much in terms of manners, deportment, bearing and esoteric skills, and yet offers a power once the preserve only of the gods. Truly, the world is the mollusc of your choice…” Chidder translated much of this behind the stables during the dinner break.“I know what Terminate with Extreme Prejudice means,” said Cheesewright loftily.“It means to inhume with an axe.”“It bloody well doesn’t,” said Chidder.“How do you know, then?”“My family have been in commerce for years,” said Chidder.“Huh,” said Cheesewright.“Commerce.” Chidder never went into details about what kind of commerce it was. It had something to do with moving items around and supplying needs, but exactly what items and which needs was never made clear. After hitting Cheesewright he explained carefully that Terminate with Extreme Prejudice did not simply require that the victim was inhumed, preferably in an extremely thorough way, but",Lady T’malia,"Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia","is nurtured and progresses by the dynamic interplay of interests among many large and powerful advantage cartels.“In the days before the founding of the Guild the seeking of advancement among these consortia invariably resulted in regrettable disagreements which were terminated with extreme prejudice. These were extremely deleterious to the common interest of the city. Please understand that where disharmony rules, commerce flags.“And yet, and yet.” She clasped her hands to her bosom. There was a creak like a galleon beating against a gale.“Clearly there was a need for an extreme yet responsible means of settling irreconcilable differences,” she went on,“and thus was laid the groundwork for the Guild. What bliss—” the sudden peak in her voice guiltily jerked several dozen young men out of their private reveries—“it must have been to have been present in those early days, when men of stout moral purpose set out to forge the ultimate political tool short of warfare. How fortunate you are now, in training for a guild which demands so much in terms of manners, deportment, bearing and esoteric skills, and yet offers a power once the preserve only of the gods. Truly, the world is the mollusc of your choice…” Chidder translated much of this behind the stables during the dinner break.“I know what Terminate with Extreme Prejudice means,” said Cheesewright loftily.“It means to inhume with an axe.”“It bloody well doesn’t,” said Chidder.“How do you know, then?”“My family have been in commerce for years,” said Chidder.“Huh,” said Cheesewright.“Commerce.” Chidder never went into details about what kind of commerce it was. It had something to do with moving items around and supplying needs, but exactly what items and which needs was never made clear. After hitting Cheesewright he explained carefully that Terminate with Extreme Prejudice did not simply require that the victim was inhumed, preferably in an extremely thorough way, but:Previous Entities: |Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia| ::: in training for a guild which demands so much in terms of manners, ","Chidder.M Cheesewright.M Lady T’malia.F" "You do know that,",1798,1827,True,404:The builder.M,"have the room Tuesdays. There was a bit of a mix- up.”“Oh? Well, thanks anyway.”“My pleasure.” The little door slammed shut. The robed figure glared at it for a moment, and then splashed further down the street. There was indeed another portal there. The builder hadn’t bothered to change the design much. He knocked. The little barred hatch shot back.“Yes?”“Look,‘ The significant owl hoots in the night,’ all right?”“‘ Yet many gray lords go sadly to the masterless men.’”“‘ Hooray, hooray for the spinster’s sister’s daughter,’ okay?”“‘ To the axeman, all supplicants are the same height.’”“‘ Yet verily, the rose is within the thorn.’ It’s pissing down out here. You do know that, don’t you?”“Yes,” said the voice, in the tones of one who indeed does know it, and is not the one standing in it. The visitor sighed.“‘ The cagèd whale knows nothing of the mighty deeps,’” he said.“If it makes you any happier.”“‘ The ill- built tower trembles mightily at a butterfly’s passage.’” The supplicant grabbed the bars of the window, pulled himself up to it, and hissed:“Now let us in, I’m soaked.” There was another damp pause.“These deeps… did you say mighty or nightly?”“Mighty, I said. Mighty deeps. On account of being, you know, deep. It’s me, Brother Fingers.”“",The builder,"the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder","have the room Tuesdays. There was a bit of a mix- up.”“Oh? Well, thanks anyway.”“My pleasure.” The little door slammed shut. The robed figure glared at it for a moment, and then splashed further down the street. There was indeed another portal there. The builder hadn’t bothered to change the design much. He knocked. The little barred hatch shot back.“Yes?”“Look,‘ The significant owl hoots in the night,’ all right?”“‘ Yet many gray lords go sadly to the masterless men.’”“‘ Hooray, hooray for the spinster’s sister’s daughter,’ okay?”“‘ To the axeman, all supplicants are the same height.’”“‘ Yet verily, the rose is within the thorn.’ It’s pissing down out here. You do know that, don’t you?”“Yes,” said the voice, in the tones of one who indeed does know it, and is not the one standing in it. The visitor sighed.“‘ The cagèd whale knows nothing of the mighty deeps,’” he said.“If it makes you any happier.”“‘ The ill- built tower trembles mightily at a butterfly’s passage.’” The supplicant grabbed the bars of the window, pulled himself up to it, and hissed:“Now let us in, I’m soaked.” There was another damp pause.“These deeps… did you say mighty or nightly?”“Mighty, I said. Mighty deeps. On account of being, you know, deep. It’s me, Brother Fingers.”“:Previous Entities: |the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder| ::: You do know that, ",the visitor.M “My sentiments exactly.”,41689,41694,True,2359:the PR guy.?,"bad Ethernet cable, or the routers are overheating…” And he walked on. Back inside, the argument raged, fiercer than ever. It continued for another five minutes. The glass was almost entirely soundproof, but from time to time, when they shouted, Evans could hear a phrase. He heard Morton yell,“God damn it, I want to win!” and he heard Drake reply,“It’s just too risky.” Which made Morton even angrier. And later Morton said,“Don’t we have to fight for the most important issue facing our planet?” And Drake answered something about being practical, or facing reality. And Morton said,“Fuck reality!” At which point the PR guy, Henley, glanced up and said,“My sentiments exactly.” Or something like that. Evans had the distinct impression that this argument concerned the Vanutu lawsuit, but it seemed to range over a number of other subjects as well. And then, quite abruptly, Morton came out, slamming the door so hard that the glass walls shook.“Fuck those guys!” Evans fell into step with his client. Through the glass, he saw the other two men huddle, whispering together.“Fuck’em!” George said loudly. He paused and looked back.“If we have right on our side, shouldn’t we be telling the truth?” Inside, Drake just shook his head sorrowfully.“Fuck’em,” Morton said again, walking off. Evans said,“You wanted me here?”“Yes.”",the PR guy,"Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy","bad Ethernet cable, or the routers are overheating…” And he walked on. Back inside, the argument raged, fiercer than ever. It continued for another five minutes. The glass was almost entirely soundproof, but from time to time, when they shouted, Evans could hear a phrase. He heard Morton yell,“God damn it, I want to win!” and he heard Drake reply,“It’s just too risky.” Which made Morton even angrier. And later Morton said,“Don’t we have to fight for the most important issue facing our planet?” And Drake answered something about being practical, or facing reality. And Morton said,“Fuck reality!” At which point the PR guy, Henley, glanced up and said,“My sentiments exactly.” Or something like that. Evans had the distinct impression that this argument concerned the Vanutu lawsuit, but it seemed to range over a number of other subjects as well. And then, quite abruptly, Morton came out, slamming the door so hard that the glass walls shook.“Fuck those guys!” Evans fell into step with his client. Through the glass, he saw the other two men huddle, whispering together.“Fuck’em!” George said loudly. He paused and looked back.“If we have right on our side, shouldn’t we be telling the truth?” Inside, Drake just shook his head sorrowfully.“Fuck’em,” Morton said again, walking off. Evans said,“You wanted me here?”“Yes.”:Previous Entities: |Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit, the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy| ::: “My sentiments exactly.” ",Henley.M Senator Stephen Rowe.,7116,7163,True,"985:a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar.M",", please.” I smelled whiskey. A second, younger man in a suit Instantly appeared by his side.“This elevator is going up, Senator.”“What’s that?” the gray- haired man said, turning to his aide.“This elevator’s going up, sir.”“Well. I want to go down.” He Was speaking with the careful, over- articulated speech of the drunk.“Yes, sir. I know that, sir,” the aide replied cheerfully.“Let’s take the next elevator, Senator.” He gripped the gray- haired man firmly by the elbow and led him off the elevator. The doors closed. The elevator continued up.“Your tax dollars atwork,” Graham said.“Recognize him? Senator Stephen Rowe. Nice to find him partying here, considering he’s on the Senate Finance Committee, which sets all Japanese import regulations. But like his pal Senator Kennedy, Rowe is one of the great pussy patrollers.”“Oh, yeah?”“They say he can drink pretty good, too.”“I noticed that.”“That’s why he’s got that kid with him. To keep him out of trouble.” The elevator stopped at the forty- sixth floor. There was a soft electronic ping.“Yonjfiroku kai. Goriy6 arigat,5 gozaimashita.““Finally,” Graham said.“Now maybe we can get to work.” The doors opened. We faced a solid wall of blue business suits, backs turned to us. There must have been twenty men jammed in the area just beyond the elevator. The air was thick with cigarette smoke.“Coming through, coming through,” Graham said, pushing his way roughly past the men. I followed","a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar","another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide",", please.” I smelled whiskey. A second, younger man in a suit Instantly appeared by his side.“This elevator is going up, Senator.”“What’s that?” the gray- haired man said, turning to his aide.“This elevator’s going up, sir.”“Well. I want to go down.” He Was speaking with the careful, over- articulated speech of the drunk.“Yes, sir. I know that, sir,” the aide replied cheerfully.“Let’s take the next elevator, Senator.” He gripped the gray- haired man firmly by the elbow and led him off the elevator. The doors closed. The elevator continued up.“Your tax dollars atwork,” Graham said.“Recognize him? Senator Stephen Rowe. Nice to find him partying here, considering he’s on the Senate Finance Committee, which sets all Japanese import regulations. But like his pal Senator Kennedy, Rowe is one of the great pussy patrollers.”“Oh, yeah?”“They say he can drink pretty good, too.”“I noticed that.”“That’s why he’s got that kid with him. To keep him out of trouble.” The elevator stopped at the forty- sixth floor. There was a soft electronic ping.“Yonjfiroku kai. Goriy6 arigat,5 gozaimashita.““Finally,” Graham said.“Now maybe we can get to work.” The doors opened. We faced a solid wall of blue business suits, backs turned to us. There must have been twenty men jammed in the area just beyond the elevator. The air was thick with cigarette smoke.“Coming through, coming through,” Graham said, pushing his way roughly past the men. I followed:Previous Entities: |another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide| ::: Senator Stephen Rowe. ",Senator Stephen Rowe.M "as you know,",59914,59932,True,491:Samuelson.M,":— China sale N-22? She said,"" Uh- huh..."""" I mean, let's face it,"" Samuelson continued,"" The Airbus A-340 is a superior plane in every way. It's newer than the Norton widebody. Better range. It's better in every way. We've been trying to explain this to the Chinese, and they are starting to understand our perspective. Anyway, if I had to guess, I'd guess the Norton sale to the People's Republic is going to fall apart. And of course safety concerns are part of that decision. Off the record, I think the Chinese are very concerned the plane is unsafe.""— C thinks airplane unsafe."" Who would I talk to about that?"" she said."" Well, as you know, the Chinese are generally reluctant to discuss negotiations in progress,"" Samuelson said."" But I know a guy over at Commerce who may be able to help you. He's with the Ex- Im Bank, which provides long- term financing for overseas sales."""" What's his name?"" she said. His name was Robert Gordon. It took fifteen minutes for the operator at the Commerce Department to find him. Jennifer doodled. Finally the secretary said,"" I'm sorry, Mr. Gordon is in a meeting."""" I'm calling from Newsline"" she said."" Oh."" A pause."" Just a minute, please."" She smiled. It never failed. Gordon came on, and she asked him about the JAA certification, and the Norton sale to the People's Republic."" Is it",Samuelson,"The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson",":— China sale N-22? She said,"" Uh- huh..."""" I mean, let's face it,"" Samuelson continued,"" The Airbus A-340 is a superior plane in every way. It's newer than the Norton widebody. Better range. It's better in every way. We've been trying to explain this to the Chinese, and they are starting to understand our perspective. Anyway, if I had to guess, I'd guess the Norton sale to the People's Republic is going to fall apart. And of course safety concerns are part of that decision. Off the record, I think the Chinese are very concerned the plane is unsafe.""— C thinks airplane unsafe."" Who would I talk to about that?"" she said."" Well, as you know, the Chinese are generally reluctant to discuss negotiations in progress,"" Samuelson said."" But I know a guy over at Commerce who may be able to help you. He's with the Ex- Im Bank, which provides long- term financing for overseas sales."""" What's his name?"" she said. His name was Robert Gordon. It took fifteen minutes for the operator at the Commerce Department to find him. Jennifer doodled. Finally the secretary said,"" I'm sorry, Mr. Gordon is in a meeting."""" I'm calling from Newsline"" she said."" Oh."" A pause."" Just a minute, please."" She smiled. It never failed. Gordon came on, and she asked him about the JAA certification, and the Norton sale to the People's Republic."" Is it:Previous Entities: |The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson| ::: as you know, ",Samuelson.M "I know they went to Jansen’s apartment today,",37361,37406,True,1313:the ensign.?,"location, and they needed permission of the owner to do that.“I thought the police were still inspecting the boat,” Vin said irritably. He might as well try to get some information from this numbskull.“I wouldn’t know about that,” the ensign said. The police hadn’t come to see him, he explained; it was the boat- yard owner.“I heard they were looking for a phone.”“Not that I’m aware. I think the police have finished their investigation.” Drake closed his eyes, gave a long sigh.“Christ.”“At least,” the ensign said,“as soon as they complete their inspection of his office.” Drake’s eyes snapped open.“Whose office?”“Jansen’s office. His office here, in this building. He was vice president of this company, right? I know they went to Jansen’s apartment today, and that they’re coming to look at his office here—” the ensign glanced at his watch—“any minute now, actually. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t already shown up.”“Christ,” Vin Drake said. He turned to Mirasol.“The police are going to be arriving soon,” he said,“and someone needs to show them around.”“Should I page Ms. Bender?”“No,” Vin said.“Ms. Bender will be— she will be busy working with me. I have some lab work to ship out. It can’t wait.”“Who should I call?”“Get Don Makele, the head of security,” he said.“He can show the officers around. They’ll want to see Mr. Jansen’s office.”“And wherever else",the ensign,"Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign","location, and they needed permission of the owner to do that.“I thought the police were still inspecting the boat,” Vin said irritably. He might as well try to get some information from this numbskull.“I wouldn’t know about that,” the ensign said. The police hadn’t come to see him, he explained; it was the boat- yard owner.“I heard they were looking for a phone.”“Not that I’m aware. I think the police have finished their investigation.” Drake closed his eyes, gave a long sigh.“Christ.”“At least,” the ensign said,“as soon as they complete their inspection of his office.” Drake’s eyes snapped open.“Whose office?”“Jansen’s office. His office here, in this building. He was vice president of this company, right? I know they went to Jansen’s apartment today, and that they’re coming to look at his office here—” the ensign glanced at his watch—“any minute now, actually. In fact, I’m surprised they haven’t already shown up.”“Christ,” Vin Drake said. He turned to Mirasol.“The police are going to be arriving soon,” he said,“and someone needs to show them around.”“Should I page Ms. Bender?”“No,” Vin said.“Ms. Bender will be— she will be busy working with me. I have some lab work to ship out. It can’t wait.”“Who should I call?”“Get Don Makele, the head of security,” he said.“He can show the officers around. They’ll want to see Mr. Jansen’s office.”“And wherever else:Previous Entities: |Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign| ::: I know they went to Jansen’s apartment today, ","Vin Drake.M Mirasol.F Don Makele.M Jansen.? Ms. Bender.F the ensign.M " "I've notified EMS and alerted the fire crews.""",2611,2635,True,655:a woman at traffic control.F,"problems that carriers were required to report."" Accidents"" involved deaths or structural damage to the aircraft and were always serious, but with incidents, you never knew."" Go ahead."""" It's Transpacific Flight 545, incoming from Hong Kong to Denver. Pilot's requested emergency landing at LAX. Says they encountered turbulence during flight."""" Is the plane airworthy?'"" They say it is,"" Levine said."" They've got injuries, and they've requested forty ambulances."""" Forty?"""" They've also got two stiffs."""" Great."" Greene got up from his desk."" When's it due in?"""" Eighteen minutes."""" Eighteen minutes— Jeez, why am I getting this so late?"""" Hey, the captain just told us, we're telling you. I've notified EMS and alerted the fire crews."""" Fire crews? I thought you said the plane's okay."""" Who knows?"" the woman said."" The pilot is not making much sense. Sounds like he might be in shock. We hand off to the tower in seven minutes."""" Okay,"" Greene said."" I'm on my way."" He grabbed his badge and his cell phone and went out the door. As he passed Karen, the receptionist, he said,"" Have we got anybody at the international terminal?"""" Kevin's there."""" Beep him,"" Greene said.' Tell him to get on TPA 545, inbound Hong Kong, landing in fifteen. Tell him to stay at the gate— and don't let the flight crew leave.",a woman at traffic control,"Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene","problems that carriers were required to report."" Accidents"" involved deaths or structural damage to the aircraft and were always serious, but with incidents, you never knew."" Go ahead."""" It's Transpacific Flight 545, incoming from Hong Kong to Denver. Pilot's requested emergency landing at LAX. Says they encountered turbulence during flight."""" Is the plane airworthy?'"" They say it is,"" Levine said."" They've got injuries, and they've requested forty ambulances."""" Forty?"""" They've also got two stiffs."""" Great."" Greene got up from his desk."" When's it due in?"""" Eighteen minutes."""" Eighteen minutes— Jeez, why am I getting this so late?"""" Hey, the captain just told us, we're telling you. I've notified EMS and alerted the fire crews."""" Fire crews? I thought you said the plane's okay."""" Who knows?"" the woman said."" The pilot is not making much sense. Sounds like he might be in shock. We hand off to the tower in seven minutes."""" Okay,"" Greene said."" I'm on my way."" He grabbed his badge and his cell phone and went out the door. As he passed Karen, the receptionist, he said,"" Have we got anybody at the international terminal?"""" Kevin's there."""" Beep him,"" Greene said.' Tell him to get on TPA 545, inbound Hong Kong, landing in fifteen. Tell him to stay at the gate— and don't let the flight crew leave.:Previous Entities: |Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws, Sylvana, the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister, Spotted Owl, Moss, The serpent, the snake, Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene| ::: I've notified EMS and alerted the fire crews."" ",Levine.F What kind of work have you been doing?',77520,77530,True,2091:a freak.?,"thing,"" Wilson said."" They gave me a good office with a view out to the reception desk, so that people coming in and out could see me. That kind of thing."" I knew what he was saying, but I still felt a twist of irritation. I had several friends who were young lawyers, and none of them had gotten an office of any kind for several years after joining a firm. By any objective standard, this young man was lucky, but it was no good telling him that, because we both knew why he was lucky— he was a kind of freak, a product which society had suddenly deemed valuable, an educated Negro. His horizons were now open and his future was good. But he was still a freak."" What kind of work have you been doing?'"" Tax, mostly. A few estates. One or two civil proceedings. The firm doesn't have many criminal cases, as you might expect. But when I joined them, I expressed an interest in trial work. I never expected they'd drop this one on me."""" I see."""" I just want you to understand."""" I think I do. They've stuck you with a dead horse, is that it?"""" Maybe."" He smiled."" At least, that's what they think."""" And what do you think?"""" I think,"" he said,"" that a case is decided in the courtroom, not before."""" You have an approach?"""" I'm working on one",a freak,"the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak","thing,"" Wilson said."" They gave me a good office with a view out to the reception desk, so that people coming in and out could see me. That kind of thing."" I knew what he was saying, but I still felt a twist of irritation. I had several friends who were young lawyers, and none of them had gotten an office of any kind for several years after joining a firm. By any objective standard, this young man was lucky, but it was no good telling him that, because we both knew why he was lucky— he was a kind of freak, a product which society had suddenly deemed valuable, an educated Negro. His horizons were now open and his future was good. But he was still a freak."" What kind of work have you been doing?'"" Tax, mostly. A few estates. One or two civil proceedings. The firm doesn't have many criminal cases, as you might expect. But when I joined them, I expressed an interest in trial work. I never expected they'd drop this one on me."""" I see."""" I just want you to understand."""" I think I do. They've stuck you with a dead horse, is that it?"""" Maybe."" He smiled."" At least, that's what they think."""" And what do you think?"""" I think,"" he said,"" that a case is decided in the courtroom, not before."""" You have an approach?"""" I'm working on one:Previous Entities: |the curator, A police inspector, Inspector Williams, Gran, Gramps, Khufu, Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak| ::: What kind of work have you been doing?' ",Wilson.M "So much more convenient,",16893,16984,True,207:Gorphal.M,"to protect this Twoflower person. Now it seems I must have him killed. You don’t find that surprising?”“No. The Emperor is no more than a boy. He is— idealistic. Keen. A god to his people. Whereas this afternoon’s letter is, unless I am very much mistaken, from Nine Turning Mirrors, the Grand Vizier. He has grown old in the service of several Emperors. He regards them as a necessary but tiresome ingredient in the successful running of the Empire. He does not like things out of place. The Empire was not built by allowing things to get out of place. That is his view.”“I begin to see—” said the Patrician.“Quite so.” Gorphal smiled into his beard.“This tourist is a thing that is out of place. After acceding to his master’s wishes Nine Turning Mirrors would, I am quite sure, make his own arrangements with a view to ensuring that one wanderer would not be allowed to return home bringing, perhaps, the disease of dissatisfaction. The Empire likes people to stay where it puts them. So much more convenient, then, if this Twoflower disappears for good in the barbarian lands. Meaning here, master.”“And your advice?” said the Patrician. Gorphal shrugged.“Merely that you should do nothing. Matters will undoubtedly resolve themselves. However,” he scratched an ear thoughtfully,“perhaps the Assassins’ Guild…?”“Ah yes,” said the Patrician.“The Assassins’ Guild. Who is their president at the moment?”“Zlorf Flannelfoot, master.”“Have a word with him, will you?”“Quite so, master.” The Patrician nodded. It was all rather a relief. He agreed with Nine Turning Mirrors— life was difficult enough. People ought to stay where they were put. Brilliant constellations shone down on the Discworld. One by one the traders shuttered their shops. One by one the ganefs, thieves",Gorphal,"Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal","to protect this Twoflower person. Now it seems I must have him killed. You don’t find that surprising?”“No. The Emperor is no more than a boy. He is— idealistic. Keen. A god to his people. Whereas this afternoon’s letter is, unless I am very much mistaken, from Nine Turning Mirrors, the Grand Vizier. He has grown old in the service of several Emperors. He regards them as a necessary but tiresome ingredient in the successful running of the Empire. He does not like things out of place. The Empire was not built by allowing things to get out of place. That is his view.”“I begin to see—” said the Patrician.“Quite so.” Gorphal smiled into his beard.“This tourist is a thing that is out of place. After acceding to his master’s wishes Nine Turning Mirrors would, I am quite sure, make his own arrangements with a view to ensuring that one wanderer would not be allowed to return home bringing, perhaps, the disease of dissatisfaction. The Empire likes people to stay where it puts them. So much more convenient, then, if this Twoflower disappears for good in the barbarian lands. Meaning here, master.”“And your advice?” said the Patrician. Gorphal shrugged.“Merely that you should do nothing. Matters will undoubtedly resolve themselves. However,” he scratched an ear thoughtfully,“perhaps the Assassins’ Guild…?”“Ah yes,” said the Patrician.“The Assassins’ Guild. Who is their president at the moment?”“Zlorf Flannelfoot, master.”“Have a word with him, will you?”“Quite so, master.” The Patrician nodded. It was all rather a relief. He agreed with Nine Turning Mirrors— life was difficult enough. People ought to stay where they were put. Brilliant constellations shone down on the Discworld. One by one the traders shuttered their shops. One by one the ganefs, thieves:Previous Entities: |Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal| ::: So much more convenient, ",Gorphal.M “That right?”,7878,7882,True,475:our newest chick.M,"one hundred and ninety- eighth win. When I saw our newest chick the next day, he was very badly hungover, but he bore that as calmly as he bore having Dave Sisler chuck at his head. I was starting to think we had a real big leaguer on our hands, and wouldn’t be needing Hubie Rattner after all. Or anybody else.“You and Danny are getting pretty tight, I guess,” I says.“Tight,” he agrees, rubbing his temples.“Me and The Doo are tight. He says Billy’s his good luck charm.”“Does he, now?”“Yuh. He says if we stick together, he’ll win twenty- five and they’ll have to give him the Cy Young.”“That right?”“Yessir, that’s right. Granny?”“What?” He was giving me that wide blue stare of his: twenty- twenty vision that saw everything and understood practically nothing. By then I knew he could hardly read, and the only movie he’d ever seen was Bambi. He said he went with the other kids from Ottershow or Outershow— whatever— and I assumed it was his school. I was both right and wrong about that, but it ain’t really the point. The point is that he knew how to play baseball— instinctively, I’d say— but otherwise he was a blackboard with nothing written on it.“What’s a Cy Young?” That’s how he was, you see. We went over to Baltimore for three",our newest chick,"the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick","one hundred and ninety- eighth win. When I saw our newest chick the next day, he was very badly hungover, but he bore that as calmly as he bore having Dave Sisler chuck at his head. I was starting to think we had a real big leaguer on our hands, and wouldn’t be needing Hubie Rattner after all. Or anybody else.“You and Danny are getting pretty tight, I guess,” I says.“Tight,” he agrees, rubbing his temples.“Me and The Doo are tight. He says Billy’s his good luck charm.”“Does he, now?”“Yuh. He says if we stick together, he’ll win twenty- five and they’ll have to give him the Cy Young.”“That right?”“Yessir, that’s right. Granny?”“What?” He was giving me that wide blue stare of his: twenty- twenty vision that saw everything and understood practically nothing. By then I knew he could hardly read, and the only movie he’d ever seen was Bambi. He said he went with the other kids from Ottershow or Outershow— whatever— and I assumed it was his school. I was both right and wrong about that, but it ain’t really the point. The point is that he knew how to play baseball— instinctively, I’d say— but otherwise he was a blackboard with nothing written on it.“What’s a Cy Young?” That’s how he was, you see. We went over to Baltimore for three:Previous Entities: |the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick| ::: “That right?” ",The Doo.M Now...,174193,174247,True,1792:the old Reverend Mother.F,"” the inward image said. This is hallucination, Jessica told herself.“You know better than that,” the inward image said.“Swiftly now, do not fight me. There isn’t much time. We....” There came a long pause, then:“You should’ve told us you were pregnant!” Jessica found the voice that talked within the mutual awareness.“Why?”“This changes both of you! Holy Mother, what have we done?” Jessica sensed a forced shift in the mutual awareness, saw another mote- presence with the inward eye. The other mote darted wildly here, there, circling. It radiated pure terror.“You’ll have to be strong,” the old Reverend Mother’s image- presence said.“Be thankful it’s a daughter you carry. This would’ve killed a male fetus. Now... carefully, gently... touch your daughter- presence. Be your daughter- presence. Absorb the fear... soothe... use your courage and your strength... gently now... gently....” The other whirling mote swept near, and Jessica compelled herself to touch it. Terror threatened to overwhelm her. She fought it the only way she knew:“I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer....” The litany brought a semblance of calm. The other mote lay quiescent against her. Words won’t work, Jessica told herself. She reduced herself to basic emotional reactions, radiated love, comfort, a warm snuggling of protection. The terror receded. Again, the presence of the old Reverend Mother asserted itself, but now there was a tripling of mutual awareness— two active and one that lay quietly absorbing.“Time compels me,” the Reverend Mother said within the awareness.“I have much to give you. And I do not know if",the old Reverend Mother,"the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother","” the inward image said. This is hallucination, Jessica told herself.“You know better than that,” the inward image said.“Swiftly now, do not fight me. There isn’t much time. We....” There came a long pause, then:“You should’ve told us you were pregnant!” Jessica found the voice that talked within the mutual awareness.“Why?”“This changes both of you! Holy Mother, what have we done?” Jessica sensed a forced shift in the mutual awareness, saw another mote- presence with the inward eye. The other mote darted wildly here, there, circling. It radiated pure terror.“You’ll have to be strong,” the old Reverend Mother’s image- presence said.“Be thankful it’s a daughter you carry. This would’ve killed a male fetus. Now... carefully, gently... touch your daughter- presence. Be your daughter- presence. Absorb the fear... soothe... use your courage and your strength... gently now... gently....” The other whirling mote swept near, and Jessica compelled herself to touch it. Terror threatened to overwhelm her. She fought it the only way she knew:“I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer....” The litany brought a semblance of calm. The other mote lay quiescent against her. Words won’t work, Jessica told herself. She reduced herself to basic emotional reactions, radiated love, comfort, a warm snuggling of protection. The terror receded. Again, the presence of the old Reverend Mother asserted itself, but now there was a tripling of mutual awareness— two active and one that lay quietly absorbing.“Time compels me,” the Reverend Mother said within the awareness.“I have much to give you. And I do not know if:Previous Entities: |the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm, Whang, Langton, The Reverend Mother, the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother| ::: Now... ","The Reverend Mother.F Jessica.F the old Reverend Mother.F the baby.F" "‘ Yes,",51393,51419,True,154:Captain Angua.?,"a large beam began to creak and dropped apologetically onto a pile of broken furniture.‘ I told you to find him; I didn’t tell you you were supposed to pull the doors off,’ she said. She folded her arms, and the little men huddled even closer together; the next stage of female anger would be the tapping o’ the feets, which generally led them to burst into tears and walk into trees. Now, though, they formed up neatly behind her and Mrs Proust and Captain Angua. The captain nodded at Mrs Proust and said,‘ I’m sure we can all agree that handcuffs won’t be necessary– yes, ladies?’‘ Oh, you know me, Captain,’ said Mrs Proust. Captain Angua’s eyes narrowed.‘ Yes, but I don’t know anything about your little friend. I would like you to carry the broomstick, Mrs Proust.’ Tiffany could see there was no point in arguing, and handed the stick over without complaining. They walked on in silence apart from the muted mumbling of the Nac Mac Feegles. After a while the captain said,‘ Not a good time to be wearing pointy black hats, Mrs Proust. There’s been another case, out on the plains. Some dead and alive hole you would never go to. They beat up an old lady for having a book of spells.’‘ No!’ They turned to look at Tiffany, and the Feegles walked into her ankles. Captain Angua shook her head.‘ Sorry, miss, but it’s true. Turned out to be a book of Klatchian poetry, you know. All that wiggly writing! I suppose it looks like",Captain Angua,"Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua","a large beam began to creak and dropped apologetically onto a pile of broken furniture.‘ I told you to find him; I didn’t tell you you were supposed to pull the doors off,’ she said. She folded her arms, and the little men huddled even closer together; the next stage of female anger would be the tapping o’ the feets, which generally led them to burst into tears and walk into trees. Now, though, they formed up neatly behind her and Mrs Proust and Captain Angua. The captain nodded at Mrs Proust and said,‘ I’m sure we can all agree that handcuffs won’t be necessary– yes, ladies?’‘ Oh, you know me, Captain,’ said Mrs Proust. Captain Angua’s eyes narrowed.‘ Yes, but I don’t know anything about your little friend. I would like you to carry the broomstick, Mrs Proust.’ Tiffany could see there was no point in arguing, and handed the stick over without complaining. They walked on in silence apart from the muted mumbling of the Nac Mac Feegles. After a while the captain said,‘ Not a good time to be wearing pointy black hats, Mrs Proust. There’s been another case, out on the plains. Some dead and alive hole you would never go to. They beat up an old lady for having a book of spells.’‘ No!’ They turned to look at Tiffany, and the Feegles walked into her ankles. Captain Angua shook her head.‘ Sorry, miss, but it’s true. Turned out to be a book of Klatchian poetry, you know. All that wiggly writing! I suppose it looks like:Previous Entities: |Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier, Little Arliss, Lisbeth, Bud Searcy, her grandpa, Ipslore, The Luggage, Wayzygoose, the wizards, Billias, Gravie, the luckless pedestrian who lay coiled around his private pain, the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy, Pestilence, Famine, Becky, ya, Tiffany ’s father, the spokesfeegle, Feegle, Miss Spruce, The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua| ::: ‘ Yes, ",Captain Angua.F "I suppose you’d better get on with it,",56627,56644,True,1901:the old boy.M,"the pen and still signed his name with an“X,” which he usually spelled wrong. On the other hand, he gravitated rapidly to anything with money in it. Rincewind looked again at the illustration, and then at Nijel.“Seven days?”“Well, I’m a slow reader.”“Ah,” said Rincewind.“And I didn’t bother with chapter six, because I promised my mother I’d stick with just the looting and pillaging, until I find the right girl.”“And this book teaches you how to be a hero?”“Oh, yes. It’s very good.” Nijel gave him a worried glance.“That’s all right, isn’t it? It cost a lot of money.”“Well, er. I suppose you’d better get on with it, then.” Nijel squared his, for want of a better word, shoulders, and waved his sword again.“You four had better just jolly well watch out,” he said,“or… hold on a moment.” He took the book from Rincewind and riffled through the pages until he found what he was looking for, and continued,“Yes, or‘ the chill winds of fate will blow through your bleached skeletons/ the legions of Hell will drown your living soul in acid.’ There. How d’you like them… excuse me a moment… apples?” There was a metallic chord as four men drew their swords in perfect harmony. Nijel’s sword became a blur. It made a complicated figure eight in the air in front of him, spun over his",the old boy,"the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy","the pen and still signed his name with an“X,” which he usually spelled wrong. On the other hand, he gravitated rapidly to anything with money in it. Rincewind looked again at the illustration, and then at Nijel.“Seven days?”“Well, I’m a slow reader.”“Ah,” said Rincewind.“And I didn’t bother with chapter six, because I promised my mother I’d stick with just the looting and pillaging, until I find the right girl.”“And this book teaches you how to be a hero?”“Oh, yes. It’s very good.” Nijel gave him a worried glance.“That’s all right, isn’t it? It cost a lot of money.”“Well, er. I suppose you’d better get on with it, then.” Nijel squared his, for want of a better word, shoulders, and waved his sword again.“You four had better just jolly well watch out,” he said,“or… hold on a moment.” He took the book from Rincewind and riffled through the pages until he found what he was looking for, and continued,“Yes, or‘ the chill winds of fate will blow through your bleached skeletons/ the legions of Hell will drown your living soul in acid.’ There. How d’you like them… excuse me a moment… apples?” There was a metallic chord as four men drew their swords in perfect harmony. Nijel’s sword became a blur. It made a complicated figure eight in the air in front of him, spun over his:Previous Entities: |the man on watch, the fat man, the shadow, the old boy| ::: I suppose you’d better get on with it, ",Rincewind.M Hermione.,101940,101977,True,429:Madam Pince.F,"anything you have borrowed to the correct– what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?’‘ It isn’t the library’s, it’s mine!’ said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion- Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand.‘ Despoiled!’ she hissed.‘ Desecrated! Befouled!’‘ It’s just a book that’s been written in!’ said Harry, tugging it out of her grip. She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.‘ She’ll ban you from the library if you’re not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?’‘ It’s not my fault she’s barking mad, Hermione. Or d’you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I’ve always thought there might be something going on between them…’‘ Oh, ha, ha…’ Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted, lamp- lit corridors back to the common room, arguing about whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.‘ Baubles,’ said Harry to the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.‘ Same to you,’ said the Fat Lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forwards to admit them.‘ Hi, Harry!’ said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole.‘ Fancy a Gillywater?’ Hermione gave him a‘ What- did- I- tell- you?’ look over her shoulder.‘ No thanks,’ said Harry quickly",Madam Pince,"Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince","anything you have borrowed to the correct– what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy?’‘ It isn’t the library’s, it’s mine!’ said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of Advanced Potion- Making off the table as she lunged at it with a clawlike hand.‘ Despoiled!’ she hissed.‘ Desecrated! Befouled!’‘ It’s just a book that’s been written in!’ said Harry, tugging it out of her grip. She looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frogmarched him away.‘ She’ll ban you from the library if you’re not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?’‘ It’s not my fault she’s barking mad, Hermione. Or d’you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I’ve always thought there might be something going on between them…’‘ Oh, ha, ha…’ Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, they made their way along the deserted, lamp- lit corridors back to the common room, arguing about whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.‘ Baubles,’ said Harry to the Fat Lady, this being the new, festive password.‘ Same to you,’ said the Fat Lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forwards to admit them.‘ Hi, Harry!’ said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole.‘ Fancy a Gillywater?’ Hermione gave him a‘ What- did- I- tell- you?’ look over her shoulder.‘ No thanks,’ said Harry quickly:Previous Entities: |Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince| ::: Hermione. ",Hermione.F “After being so gravely insulted the last time…”,204944,204954,True,3042:The ancient queen.F,"twitched upward as she claimed the seat beside her companion. Rhys did not so much as lower his head to them as he said,“We appreciate you taking the time to see us again.” The younger queen merely gave a little nod, her amber gaze leaping over to our friends behind us: Cassian and Azriel on either side of the bay of windows where Elain and Nesta stood in their finery, Elain’s garden in bloom behind them. Nesta’s shoulders were already locked. Elain bit her lip. Mor stood on Rhys’s other side, this time in blue- green that reminded me of the Sidra’s calm waters, the onyx box containing the Veritas in her tan hands. The ancient queen, surveying us all with narrowed eyes, let out a huff.“After being so gravely insulted the last time…” A simmering glare thrown at Nesta. My sister leveled a look of pure, unyielding flame right back at her. The old woman clicked her tongue.“We debated for many days whether we should return. As you can see, three of us found the insult to be unforgivable.” Liar. To blame it on Nesta, to try to sow discord between us for what Nesta had tried to defend… I said with surprising calm,“If that is the worst insult any of you have ever received in your lives, I’d say you’re all in for quite a shock when war comes.” The younger one’s lips twitched again, amber eyes alight— a lion incarnate. She purred to me,“So he won your heart after all, Cursebreaker.",The ancient queen,"Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone","twitched upward as she claimed the seat beside her companion. Rhys did not so much as lower his head to them as he said,“We appreciate you taking the time to see us again.” The younger queen merely gave a little nod, her amber gaze leaping over to our friends behind us: Cassian and Azriel on either side of the bay of windows where Elain and Nesta stood in their finery, Elain’s garden in bloom behind them. Nesta’s shoulders were already locked. Elain bit her lip. Mor stood on Rhys’s other side, this time in blue- green that reminded me of the Sidra’s calm waters, the onyx box containing the Veritas in her tan hands. The ancient queen, surveying us all with narrowed eyes, let out a huff.“After being so gravely insulted the last time…” A simmering glare thrown at Nesta. My sister leveled a look of pure, unyielding flame right back at her. The old woman clicked her tongue.“We debated for many days whether we should return. As you can see, three of us found the insult to be unforgivable.” Liar. To blame it on Nesta, to try to sow discord between us for what Nesta had tried to defend… I said with surprising calm,“If that is the worst insult any of you have ever received in your lives, I’d say you’re all in for quite a shock when war comes.” The younger one’s lips twitched again, amber eyes alight— a lion incarnate. She purred to me,“So he won your heart after all, Cursebreaker.:Previous Entities: |Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone| ::: “After being so gravely insulted the last time…” ",The ancient queen. "‘ To deceive you,’",111833,111838,True,3580:the snake king.M,". Kekrops stared at her in wonder. He began to sway. At first Piper was self- conscious, singing in front of all her friends and a snake guy. Her dad had always told her she had a good voice, but she didn’t like to draw attention to herself. She didn’t even like to participate at campfire sing- alongs. Now her words filled the mess hall. Everyone listened, transfixed. She finished the first verse. No one spoke for a count of five.‘ Pipes,’ Jason said,‘ I had no idea.’‘ That was beautiful,’ Leo agreed.‘ Maybe not… you know, Calypso beautiful, but still…’ Piper kept the snake king’s gaze.‘ What are your real intentions?’‘ To deceive you,’ he said in a trance, still swaying.‘ We hope to lead you into the tunnels and destroy you.’‘ Why?’ Piper asked.‘ The Earth Mother has promised us great rewards. If we spill your blood under the Parthenon, that will be sufficient to complete her awakening.’‘ But you serve Athena,’ Piper said.‘ You founded her city.’ Kekrops made a low hiss.‘ And in return the goddess abandoned me. Athena replaced me with a two- legged human king. She drove my daughters mad. They leaped to their deaths from the cliffs of the Acropolis. The original Athenians, the gemini, were driven underground and forgotten. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, turned her back on us, but wisdom comes from",the snake king,"Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king",". Kekrops stared at her in wonder. He began to sway. At first Piper was self- conscious, singing in front of all her friends and a snake guy. Her dad had always told her she had a good voice, but she didn’t like to draw attention to herself. She didn’t even like to participate at campfire sing- alongs. Now her words filled the mess hall. Everyone listened, transfixed. She finished the first verse. No one spoke for a count of five.‘ Pipes,’ Jason said,‘ I had no idea.’‘ That was beautiful,’ Leo agreed.‘ Maybe not… you know, Calypso beautiful, but still…’ Piper kept the snake king’s gaze.‘ What are your real intentions?’‘ To deceive you,’ he said in a trance, still swaying.‘ We hope to lead you into the tunnels and destroy you.’‘ Why?’ Piper asked.‘ The Earth Mother has promised us great rewards. If we spill your blood under the Parthenon, that will be sufficient to complete her awakening.’‘ But you serve Athena,’ Piper said.‘ You founded her city.’ Kekrops made a low hiss.‘ And in return the goddess abandoned me. Athena replaced me with a two- legged human king. She drove my daughters mad. They leaped to their deaths from the cliffs of the Acropolis. The original Athenians, the gemini, were driven underground and forgotten. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, turned her back on us, but wisdom comes from:Previous Entities: |Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king| ::: ‘ To deceive you,’ ",Piper.F and authentic classical mythology mixed in with modern life.,176027,176119,True,5025:the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune.?,"deftly develops the theme of the duality of the universe— order versus chaos, living a normal life versus risking the extraordinary, being protected by parents versus growing up and stepping out of their shadows. A rousing adventure with plenty of magic and food for thought.”— Kirkus Reviews Praise for The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan: Book One: The Lost Hero“Percy Jackson fans can rest easy: this first book in Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus spin- off series is a fast- paced adventure with enough familiar elements to immediately hook those eager to revisit his modern world of mythological mayhem. Rotating among his three protagonists, Riordan’s storytelling is as polished as ever, brimming with wit, action, and heart— his devotees won’t be disappointed.”— Publishers Weekly“Riordan[ maximizes] the elements that made the first series so popular: irreverent heroes, plenty of tension- filled moments fighting monsters, and authentic classical mythology mixed in with modern life. Completely in control of pacing and tone, he balances a faultless comic banter against deeper notes that reveal the characters’ vulnerabilities. With Percy Jackson slated to make an appearance in later volumes, fans nostalgic for the old books should find in this new series everything they’ve been pining for.”— Horn Book Book Two: The Son of Neptune“Riordan’s seamless weaving of various cultural mythologies into a modern landscape continues to shine in[ The] Son of Neptune. As in previous books, the plot is engrossing, the characters robust and compelling. Percy, Frank, and Hazel alternate as narrators without missing a beat of pace, suspense, or humor. Readers will find themselves automatically consumed by the story without having read the first book, though some knowledge of Percy’s previous adventures will help fill in minor gaps of background information.[ The] Son of Neptune is yet another absorbing and exciting addition to Riordan’s chronicles.”— VOYA(starred review)“Should pacing and wit continue unabated into the third volume, whose foretold European setting promises further freshness, fans will",the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune,"the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune","deftly develops the theme of the duality of the universe— order versus chaos, living a normal life versus risking the extraordinary, being protected by parents versus growing up and stepping out of their shadows. A rousing adventure with plenty of magic and food for thought.”— Kirkus Reviews Praise for The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan: Book One: The Lost Hero“Percy Jackson fans can rest easy: this first book in Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus spin- off series is a fast- paced adventure with enough familiar elements to immediately hook those eager to revisit his modern world of mythological mayhem. Rotating among his three protagonists, Riordan’s storytelling is as polished as ever, brimming with wit, action, and heart— his devotees won’t be disappointed.”— Publishers Weekly“Riordan[ maximizes] the elements that made the first series so popular: irreverent heroes, plenty of tension- filled moments fighting monsters, and authentic classical mythology mixed in with modern life. Completely in control of pacing and tone, he balances a faultless comic banter against deeper notes that reveal the characters’ vulnerabilities. With Percy Jackson slated to make an appearance in later volumes, fans nostalgic for the old books should find in this new series everything they’ve been pining for.”— Horn Book Book Two: The Son of Neptune“Riordan’s seamless weaving of various cultural mythologies into a modern landscape continues to shine in[ The] Son of Neptune. As in previous books, the plot is engrossing, the characters robust and compelling. Percy, Frank, and Hazel alternate as narrators without missing a beat of pace, suspense, or humor. Readers will find themselves automatically consumed by the story without having read the first book, though some knowledge of Percy’s previous adventures will help fill in minor gaps of background information.[ The] Son of Neptune is yet another absorbing and exciting addition to Riordan’s chronicles.”— VOYA(starred review)“Should pacing and wit continue unabated into the third volume, whose foretold European setting promises further freshness, fans will:Previous Entities: |the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune| ::: and authentic classical mythology mixed in with modern life. ",Rufus.M "“Yes,",70386,70393,True,1695:the operator.?,"original PREDPREY code includes a concept of a range, of a territory in which the predators will roam. And within that core range, it defines a sort of home base, which the swarm may consider to be the inside of this facility.” I said,“You believe that?”“Not really, no.” He hesitated.“Actually,” he said,“most of us think that it comes back looking for your wife, Jack. It’s looking for Julia.” DAY 6 11:42 A.M. That was how, with a splitting headache, I found myself on the phone to the hospital in San Jose.“Julia Forman, please.” I spelled the name for the operator.“She’s in the ICU,” the operator said.“Yes, that’s right.”“I’m sorry but direct calls are not allowed.”“Then the nursing station.”“Thank you, please hold.” I waited. No one was answering the phone. I called back, went through the operator again, and finally got through to the ICU nursing station. The nurse told me Julia was in X- ray and didn’t know when she would be back. I said Julia was supposed to be back by now. The nurse said rather testily that she was looking at Julia’s bed right now, and she could assure me Julia wasn’t in it. I said I’d call back. I shut the phone and turned to David.“What was Julia doing in all this?”“Helping us, Jack.”“I",the operator,"your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm","original PREDPREY code includes a concept of a range, of a territory in which the predators will roam. And within that core range, it defines a sort of home base, which the swarm may consider to be the inside of this facility.” I said,“You believe that?”“Not really, no.” He hesitated.“Actually,” he said,“most of us think that it comes back looking for your wife, Jack. It’s looking for Julia.” DAY 6 11:42 A.M. That was how, with a splitting headache, I found myself on the phone to the hospital in San Jose.“Julia Forman, please.” I spelled the name for the operator.“She’s in the ICU,” the operator said.“Yes, that’s right.”“I’m sorry but direct calls are not allowed.”“Then the nursing station.”“Thank you, please hold.” I waited. No one was answering the phone. I called back, went through the operator again, and finally got through to the ICU nursing station. The nurse told me Julia was in X- ray and didn’t know when she would be back. I said Julia was supposed to be back by now. The nurse said rather testily that she was looking at Julia’s bed right now, and she could assure me Julia wasn’t in it. I said I’d call back. I shut the phone and turned to David.“What was Julia doing in all this?”“Helping us, Jack.”“I:Previous Entities: |your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue, Rana, the swarm| ::: “Yes, ",Jack.M Research by people who are more practiced at true silimatics than that scoundrel.,17355,17426,True,753:Aunt patty.F,"yes, dear!"" Aunt patty said."" Silimatics?"""" That's right; how'd you guess?”"" Just lucky,"" I said."" Have you ever heard of a theory that says Oculators can power technological types of glass in addition to their Lenses?” She harrumphed."" Been speaking with your father, I see."""" My father?"""" I'm well aware of that paper he wrote,"" Aunt Patty continued,"" but I don't buy it. Claiming that Oculators were somehow brightsand in human form. Doesn't that seem silly to you? How can sand be human in form?”“I–“"" I'll admit that there are some discrepancies,” she continued, ignoring my attempt to interject."" However, your father is jumping to conclusions. This will require far more research than he's put into it! Research by people who are more practiced at true silimatics than that scoundrel. Oh, looks like you're getting a zit on your nose, by the way. Too bad that man in the carriage next to us just took a picture of you."" I jumped, glancing to the side where another carriage had pulled up. The man there was holding up squares of glass about a foot on each side, pointing them toward us, then tapping them. I was still new to all this, but I was pretty sure he was doing something very similar to taking pictures with a camera. When he noticed my attention, he lowered his panes of glass, tipped his cap toward me, and his carriage pulled away."" What was that all about?"" I asked."" Well, hon, you are the heir of the Smedry line– not to mention an Oculator raised inside the Hushlands. That kind of thing interests people."""" People know about me?"" I asked, surprised. I knew I'd been",Aunt patty,"YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty","yes, dear!"" Aunt patty said."" Silimatics?"""" That's right; how'd you guess?”"" Just lucky,"" I said."" Have you ever heard of a theory that says Oculators can power technological types of glass in addition to their Lenses?” She harrumphed."" Been speaking with your father, I see."""" My father?"""" I'm well aware of that paper he wrote,"" Aunt Patty continued,"" but I don't buy it. Claiming that Oculators were somehow brightsand in human form. Doesn't that seem silly to you? How can sand be human in form?”“I–“"" I'll admit that there are some discrepancies,” she continued, ignoring my attempt to interject."" However, your father is jumping to conclusions. This will require far more research than he's put into it! Research by people who are more practiced at true silimatics than that scoundrel. Oh, looks like you're getting a zit on your nose, by the way. Too bad that man in the carriage next to us just took a picture of you."" I jumped, glancing to the side where another carriage had pulled up. The man there was holding up squares of glass about a foot on each side, pointing them toward us, then tapping them. I was still new to all this, but I was pretty sure he was doing something very similar to taking pictures with a camera. When he noticed my attention, he lowered his panes of glass, tipped his cap toward me, and his carriage pulled away."" What was that all about?"" I asked."" Well, hon, you are the heir of the Smedry line– not to mention an Oculator raised inside the Hushlands. That kind of thing interests people."""" People know about me?"" I asked, surprised. I knew I'd been:Previous Entities: |YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty| ::: Research by people who are more practiced at true silimatics than that scoundrel. ",Aunt Patty.F Tom?’,68968,68981,True,1087:a girl.F,"again.‘ Morfin will attend a hearing on the fourteenth of September to answer the charges of using magic in front of a Muggle and causing harm and distress to that same Mugg—’ Ogden broke off. The jingling, clopping sounds of horses and loud, laughing voices were drifting in through the open window. Apparently the winding lane to the village passed very close to the copse where the house stood. Gaunt froze, listening, his eyes wide. Morfin hissed and turned his face towards the sounds, his expression hungry. Merope raised her head. Her face, Harry saw, was starkly white.‘ My God, what an eyesore!’ rang out a girl’s voice, as clearly audible through the open window as if she had stood in the room beside them.‘ Couldn’t your father have that hovel cleared away, Tom?’‘ It’s not ours,’ said a young man’s voice.‘ Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp called Gaunt and his children. The son’s quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village–’ The girl laughed. The jingling, clopping noises were growing louder and louder. Morfin made to get out of his armchair.‘ Keep your seat,’ said his father warningly, in Parseltongue.‘ Tom,’ said the girl’s voice again, now so close they were clearly right beside the house,‘ I might be wrong– but has somebody nailed a snake to that door?’‘ Good Lord, you’re right!’ said the man",a girl,"the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope","again.‘ Morfin will attend a hearing on the fourteenth of September to answer the charges of using magic in front of a Muggle and causing harm and distress to that same Mugg—’ Ogden broke off. The jingling, clopping sounds of horses and loud, laughing voices were drifting in through the open window. Apparently the winding lane to the village passed very close to the copse where the house stood. Gaunt froze, listening, his eyes wide. Morfin hissed and turned his face towards the sounds, his expression hungry. Merope raised her head. Her face, Harry saw, was starkly white.‘ My God, what an eyesore!’ rang out a girl’s voice, as clearly audible through the open window as if she had stood in the room beside them.‘ Couldn’t your father have that hovel cleared away, Tom?’‘ It’s not ours,’ said a young man’s voice.‘ Everything on the other side of the valley belongs to us, but that cottage belongs to an old tramp called Gaunt and his children. The son’s quite mad, you should hear some of the stories they tell in the village–’ The girl laughed. The jingling, clopping noises were growing louder and louder. Morfin made to get out of his armchair.‘ Keep your seat,’ said his father warningly, in Parseltongue.‘ Tom,’ said the girl’s voice again, now so close they were clearly right beside the house,‘ I might be wrong– but has somebody nailed a snake to that door?’‘ Good Lord, you’re right!’ said the man:Previous Entities: |the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope| ::: Tom?’ ",Harry M "Is this true?""",76984,76989,True,2308:The leader.M,"grabbed the rider's cloak, and pulled him down. The soldier hit the pavement with a loud grunt, attempted to stand, and fell as the metal- shod staff connected with the side of his head. The riders had turned by now, and their leader pointed at Crono."" Arrest that male! Bring him to me!"" Mutimals collided and grunted as they encircled the priest. Their eyes rolled and their breath fogged the air. Solly pushed between them, staggered as a whip fell across his shoulders, and made it to Crono's side."" Don't hurt him! He's a priest!"" The leader held a torch. It lit one side of a horribly scarred face. He held something shiny in his hand. A weapon of some sort."" Is this true?"" Crono reached into his robes, found the disk that functioned as a badge, and hauled it out. Light winked off metal, and the riders stirred uneasily. The leader bolstered his weapon."" Sorry, Father, we didn't know. The human possessed a tube that generated light. We had orders to purge her."" A machine that made light? Solly thought about the oil- fueled lamps and felt a knot form in his belly. Crono, his voice stiff with anger, scanned the faces around him."" Who are you that ride God- fearing parishioners down in the streets? I will have your names."" The leader spoke for the rest."" Proctor Lud, Father. Commander of Hand Company, Fourth Holy Reapers."" The tone was respectful",The leader,"the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer","grabbed the rider's cloak, and pulled him down. The soldier hit the pavement with a loud grunt, attempted to stand, and fell as the metal- shod staff connected with the side of his head. The riders had turned by now, and their leader pointed at Crono."" Arrest that male! Bring him to me!"" Mutimals collided and grunted as they encircled the priest. Their eyes rolled and their breath fogged the air. Solly pushed between them, staggered as a whip fell across his shoulders, and made it to Crono's side."" Don't hurt him! He's a priest!"" The leader held a torch. It lit one side of a horribly scarred face. He held something shiny in his hand. A weapon of some sort."" Is this true?"" Crono reached into his robes, found the disk that functioned as a badge, and hauled it out. Light winked off metal, and the riders stirred uneasily. The leader bolstered his weapon."" Sorry, Father, we didn't know. The human possessed a tube that generated light. We had orders to purge her."" A machine that made light? Solly thought about the oil- fueled lamps and felt a knot form in his belly. Crono, his voice stiff with anger, scanned the faces around him."" Who are you that ride God- fearing parishioners down in the streets? I will have your names."" The leader spoke for the rest."" Proctor Lud, Father. Commander of Hand Company, Fourth Holy Reapers."" The tone was respectful:Previous Entities: |the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer| ::: Is this true?"" ",Proctor Lud.M "“No,”",3491,3494,True,592:the other man.M,"it was no use. Sadie was already on the move. Instead of going straight across the street, she dashed up the sidewalk for half a block, ducking behind cars, then crossed to the opposite side and crouched under a low stone wall. She started sneaking toward our dad. I didn’t have much choice but to follow her example, even though it made me feel kind of stupid.“Six years in England,” I muttered,“and she thinks she’s James Bond.” Sadie swatted me without looking back and kept creeping forward. A couple more steps and we were right behind the big dead tree. I could hear my dad on the other side, saying,“— have to, Amos. You know it’s the right thing.”“No,” said the other man, who must’ve been Amos. His voice was deep and even— very insistent. His accent was American.“If I don’t stop you, Julius, they will. The Per Ankh is shadowing you.” Sadie turned to me and mouthed the words“Per what?” I shook my head, just as mystified.“Let’s get out of here,” I whispered, because I figured we’d be spotted any minute and get in serious trouble. Sadie, of course, ignored me.“They don’t know my plan,” my father was saying.“By the time they figure it out—”“And the children?” Amos asked. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.“What",the other man,"This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner","it was no use. Sadie was already on the move. Instead of going straight across the street, she dashed up the sidewalk for half a block, ducking behind cars, then crossed to the opposite side and crouched under a low stone wall. She started sneaking toward our dad. I didn’t have much choice but to follow her example, even though it made me feel kind of stupid.“Six years in England,” I muttered,“and she thinks she’s James Bond.” Sadie swatted me without looking back and kept creeping forward. A couple more steps and we were right behind the big dead tree. I could hear my dad on the other side, saying,“— have to, Amos. You know it’s the right thing.”“No,” said the other man, who must’ve been Amos. His voice was deep and even— very insistent. His accent was American.“If I don’t stop you, Julius, they will. The Per Ankh is shadowing you.” Sadie turned to me and mouthed the words“Per what?” I shook my head, just as mystified.“Let’s get out of here,” I whispered, because I figured we’d be spotted any minute and get in serious trouble. Sadie, of course, ignored me.“They don’t know my plan,” my father was saying.“By the time they figure it out—”“And the children?” Amos asked. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck.“What:Previous Entities: |This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class, Scabbers, the headmaster, the executioner| ::: “No,” ",Amos.M "But my guess is he's clean.""",64454,64463,True,276:Everts.?,"And didn't it come up at an officers' meeting last year?"""" Check the minutes,"" Garvin said."" We have no legal problem with current corporate officers, is that right?"""" That's right,"" Blackburn said."" Current corporate officers can not be questioned or deposed on these matters."""" And we haven't lost any corporate officers in the last year? Nobody retired or moved?""“No.”"" Okay. So fuck him."" Garvin turned to Everts."" Bill, I want you to go back through the HR records, and look carefully at Sanders. See if he's dotted every i and crossed every t. If he hasn't, I want to know."""" Right,"" Everts said."" But my guess is he's clean."""" All right,"" Garvin said,"" let's assume that he is. What's it going to take to make Sanders go away? What does he want?"" Blackburn said,"" I think he wants his job, Bob."""" He can't have his job."""" Well, that's the problem,"" Blackburn said. Garvin snorted."" What's our liability, assuming he ever got to trial?"""" I don't think he has a case, based on what happened in that office. Our biggest liability would come from any perceived failure to respect due process and conduct a thorough investigation. Sanders could win on that alone, if we're not careful. That's my point."""" So we'll be careful. Fine",Everts,"Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts","And didn't it come up at an officers' meeting last year?"""" Check the minutes,"" Garvin said."" We have no legal problem with current corporate officers, is that right?"""" That's right,"" Blackburn said."" Current corporate officers can not be questioned or deposed on these matters."""" And we haven't lost any corporate officers in the last year? Nobody retired or moved?""“No.”"" Okay. So fuck him."" Garvin turned to Everts."" Bill, I want you to go back through the HR records, and look carefully at Sanders. See if he's dotted every i and crossed every t. If he hasn't, I want to know."""" Right,"" Everts said."" But my guess is he's clean."""" All right,"" Garvin said,"" let's assume that he is. What's it going to take to make Sanders go away? What does he want?"" Blackburn said,"" I think he wants his job, Bob."""" He can't have his job."""" Well, that's the problem,"" Blackburn said. Garvin snorted."" What's our liability, assuming he ever got to trial?"""" I don't think he has a case, based on what happened in that office. Our biggest liability would come from any perceived failure to respect due process and conduct a thorough investigation. Sanders could win on that alone, if we're not careful. That's my point."""" So we'll be careful. Fine:Previous Entities: |Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker, Everts| ::: But my guess is he's clean."" ",Everts.M "' the driver said,",16426,16433,True,200:Peters.M,"Well,' Reeves said,` since you're new at this, you might as well learn the ropes.'. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a plastic bottle of yellow pills. He handed it to Peters.` What's this?' Peters asked.` Dex. Go ahead, take one. Feel terrific.' Peters shook a pill into his hand and paused. Reeves took one, then reached into his leather jacket and produced a flask.` Wash it down with this,' he said.` Vodka. No smell.' He handed Peters the flask. Peters dropped the pill from his hand, letting it roll down between the seats. He pretended to swig from the flask, then returned it to Reeves.` You'll learn,' the driver said, and smiled. Peters nodded and leaned forward slightly in his seat. That way he could see out the side- view mirror and keep an eye on the black Ford sedan that had been following them for the past fifteen minutes. Ten minutes later they were on the San Diego Freeway, moving down the far right lane. They passed a green and silver sign: HACKLEY RD EXIT 1 MILE. Peters shifted in his seat. Reeves was talking about his children.` They're good kids,' he was saying,` but they don't show proper respect. All this screaming about the President, all this revolution talk, it makes me want to-,' We get off at the next exit,' Peters said.` No,' Reeves said,` we don't stop",Peters,"The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves","Well,' Reeves said,` since you're new at this, you might as well learn the ropes.'. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a plastic bottle of yellow pills. He handed it to Peters.` What's this?' Peters asked.` Dex. Go ahead, take one. Feel terrific.' Peters shook a pill into his hand and paused. Reeves took one, then reached into his leather jacket and produced a flask.` Wash it down with this,' he said.` Vodka. No smell.' He handed Peters the flask. Peters dropped the pill from his hand, letting it roll down between the seats. He pretended to swig from the flask, then returned it to Reeves.` You'll learn,' the driver said, and smiled. Peters nodded and leaned forward slightly in his seat. That way he could see out the side- view mirror and keep an eye on the black Ford sedan that had been following them for the past fifteen minutes. Ten minutes later they were on the San Diego Freeway, moving down the far right lane. They passed a green and silver sign: HACKLEY RD EXIT 1 MILE. Peters shifted in his seat. Reeves was talking about his children.` They're good kids,' he was saying,` but they don't show proper respect. All this screaming about the President, all this revolution talk, it makes me want to-,' We get off at the next exit,' Peters said.` No,' Reeves said,` we don't stop:Previous Entities: |The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves| ::: ' the driver said, ",Reeves.M "of course.… You are merciful,",216565,216584,True,289:Lucius Malfoy.?,", Lucius.… Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay… but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?”“My Lord, I was constantly on the alert,” came Lucius Malfoy’s voice swiftly from beneath the hood.“Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me—”“And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?” said Voldemort lazily, and Mr. Malfoy stopped talking abruptly.“Yes, I know all about that, Lucius.… You have disappointed me.… I expect more faithful service in the future.”“Of course, my Lord, of course.… You are merciful, thank you.…” Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space— large enough for two people— that separated Malfoy and the next man.“The Lestranges should stand here,” said Voldemort quietly.“But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me.… When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us… they are our natural allies… we will recall the banished giants… I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear.…” He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he paused before others and spoke to them.“Macnair… destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of",Lucius Malfoy,"Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy",", Lucius.… Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay… but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?”“My Lord, I was constantly on the alert,” came Lucius Malfoy’s voice swiftly from beneath the hood.“Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me—”“And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?” said Voldemort lazily, and Mr. Malfoy stopped talking abruptly.“Yes, I know all about that, Lucius.… You have disappointed me.… I expect more faithful service in the future.”“Of course, my Lord, of course.… You are merciful, thank you.…” Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space— large enough for two people— that separated Malfoy and the next man.“The Lestranges should stand here,” said Voldemort quietly.“But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me.… When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us… they are our natural allies… we will recall the banished giants… I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear.…” He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he paused before others and spoke to them.“Macnair… destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of:Previous Entities: |Lavender Brown, Pansy Parkinson, somebody, Buckbeak, the house - elf, One of the men, Lucius Malfoy| ::: of course.… You are merciful, ",Lord Voldemort. M “What sort of dog?”,43914,43920,True,1535:the intellectual.?,". That’s the respect you get.”“The females are always the worst,” said another hunter gloomily.“I knew this cross- eyed gorgon once, oh, she was a terror. Kept turning her own nose to stone.”“It’s our arses on the line every time,” said the intellectual.“I mean, I wish I had a dollar for every horse I’ve had eaten out from underneath me.”“Right. Fifty thousand dollars? He can stuff it.”“Yeah.”“Right. Cheapskate.”“Let’s go and have a drink.”“Right.” They nodded in righteous agreement and strode off toward the Mended Drum, except for the intellectual, who sidled uneasily back to Vimes.“What sort of dog?” he said.“What?” said Vimes.“I said, what sort of dog?”“A small wire- haired terrier, I think,” said Vimes. The hunter thought about this for some time.“Nah,” he said eventually, and hurried off after the others.“He’s got an aunt in Pseudopolis, I believe,” Vimes called after him. There was no response. The captain of the Watch shrugged, and carried on through the throng to the Patrician’s palace…… where the Patrician was having a difficult lunchtime.“Gentlemen!” he snapped.“I really don’t see what else there is to do!” The assembled civic leaders muttered among themselves.“At times like this it’s traditional that a",the intellectual,"Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter",". That’s the respect you get.”“The females are always the worst,” said another hunter gloomily.“I knew this cross- eyed gorgon once, oh, she was a terror. Kept turning her own nose to stone.”“It’s our arses on the line every time,” said the intellectual.“I mean, I wish I had a dollar for every horse I’ve had eaten out from underneath me.”“Right. Fifty thousand dollars? He can stuff it.”“Yeah.”“Right. Cheapskate.”“Let’s go and have a drink.”“Right.” They nodded in righteous agreement and strode off toward the Mended Drum, except for the intellectual, who sidled uneasily back to Vimes.“What sort of dog?” he said.“What?” said Vimes.“I said, what sort of dog?”“A small wire- haired terrier, I think,” said Vimes. The hunter thought about this for some time.“Nah,” he said eventually, and hurried off after the others.“He’s got an aunt in Pseudopolis, I believe,” Vimes called after him. There was no response. The captain of the Watch shrugged, and carried on through the throng to the Patrician’s palace…… where the Patrician was having a difficult lunchtime.“Gentlemen!” he snapped.“I really don’t see what else there is to do!” The assembled civic leaders muttered among themselves.“At times like this it’s traditional that a:Previous Entities: |Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter| ::: “What sort of dog?” ",the intellectual.M "We imagine the world of the dinosaurs,""",57253,57262,True,403:Richard Kiley.?,"time."""" That's Richard Kiley,"" Ed Regis said."" We spared no expense."" The Land Cruiser passed through a grove of low, stumpy palm trees. Richard Kiley was saying,"" Notice, first of all, the remarkable plant life that surrounds you. Those trees to your left and right are called cycads, the prehistoric predecessors of palm trees. Cycads were a favorite food of the dinosaurs. You can also see bennettitaleans, and ginkgoes. The world of the dinosaur included more modern plants, such as pine and fir trees, and swamp cypresses. You will see these as well."" The Land Cruiser moved slowly among the foliage. Tim noticed the fences and retaining walls were screened by greenery to heighten the illusion of moving through real jungle."" We imagine the world of the dinosaurs,"" said Richard Kiley's voice,"" as a world of huge vegetarians, eating their way through the giant swampy forests of the Jurassic and Cretaceous world, a hundred million years ago. But most dinosaurs were not as large as people think. The smallest dinosaurs were no bigger than a house cat, and the average dinosaur was about as big as a pony. We are first going to visit one of these average- size animals, called hypsilophodonts. If you look to your left, you may catch a glimpse of them now."" They all looked to the left. The Land Cruiser stopped on a low rise, where a break in the foliage provided a view to the east. They could see a sloping forested area which opened into a field of yellow grass that was about",Richard Kiley,"Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley","time."""" That's Richard Kiley,"" Ed Regis said."" We spared no expense."" The Land Cruiser passed through a grove of low, stumpy palm trees. Richard Kiley was saying,"" Notice, first of all, the remarkable plant life that surrounds you. Those trees to your left and right are called cycads, the prehistoric predecessors of palm trees. Cycads were a favorite food of the dinosaurs. You can also see bennettitaleans, and ginkgoes. The world of the dinosaur included more modern plants, such as pine and fir trees, and swamp cypresses. You will see these as well."" The Land Cruiser moved slowly among the foliage. Tim noticed the fences and retaining walls were screened by greenery to heighten the illusion of moving through real jungle."" We imagine the world of the dinosaurs,"" said Richard Kiley's voice,"" as a world of huge vegetarians, eating their way through the giant swampy forests of the Jurassic and Cretaceous world, a hundred million years ago. But most dinosaurs were not as large as people think. The smallest dinosaurs were no bigger than a house cat, and the average dinosaur was about as big as a pony. We are first going to visit one of these average- size animals, called hypsilophodonts. If you look to your left, you may catch a glimpse of them now."" They all looked to the left. The Land Cruiser stopped on a low rise, where a break in the foliage provided a view to the east. They could see a sloping forested area which opened into a field of yellow grass that was about:Previous Entities: |Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley| ::: We imagine the world of the dinosaurs,"" ",Richard Kiley.M "‘ Ach,",8440,8455,True,585:A second voice.?,"any!’ said Miss Tick hurriedly.‘ She only uses creatures that have died naturally or been run over or committed suicide. Frogs can get quite depressed at times.’ The cart rolled on, down the white, dusty road, until it was lost from view. Nothing happened. Skylarks sang, so high up they were invisible. Grass seeds filled the air. Sheep baa’d, high up on the Chalk. And then something came along the road. It moved like a little slow whirlwind, so it could be seen only by the dust it stirred up. As it went past, it made a noise like a swarm of flies. Then it, too, disappeared down the hill… After a while a voice, low down in the long grass, said:‘ Ach, crivens! And it’s on her trail, right enough!’ A second voice said:‘ Surely the old hag will spot it?’“Whut? The teachin’ hag? She’s nae a proper hag!’‘ She’s got the pointy hat under all them flowers, Big Yan,’ said the second voice, a bit reproachfully.‘ I seen it. She presses a wee spring an’ the point comes up!’‘ Oh, aye, Hamish, an’ I daresay she does the readin’ and the writin’ well enough, but she disnae ken aboot stuff that’s no’ in books. An’ I’m no’ showin’ meself while she’s aroond. She’s the kind of a body that’d write things doon about a man! C’m on, let’s go and find the kelda",A second voice,"The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","any!’ said Miss Tick hurriedly.‘ She only uses creatures that have died naturally or been run over or committed suicide. Frogs can get quite depressed at times.’ The cart rolled on, down the white, dusty road, until it was lost from view. Nothing happened. Skylarks sang, so high up they were invisible. Grass seeds filled the air. Sheep baa’d, high up on the Chalk. And then something came along the road. It moved like a little slow whirlwind, so it could be seen only by the dust it stirred up. As it went past, it made a noise like a swarm of flies. Then it, too, disappeared down the hill… After a while a voice, low down in the long grass, said:‘ Ach, crivens! And it’s on her trail, right enough!’ A second voice said:‘ Surely the old hag will spot it?’“Whut? The teachin’ hag? She’s nae a proper hag!’‘ She’s got the pointy hat under all them flowers, Big Yan,’ said the second voice, a bit reproachfully.‘ I seen it. She presses a wee spring an’ the point comes up!’‘ Oh, aye, Hamish, an’ I daresay she does the readin’ and the writin’ well enough, but she disnae ken aboot stuff that’s no’ in books. An’ I’m no’ showin’ meself while she’s aroond. She’s the kind of a body that’d write things doon about a man! C’m on, let’s go and find the kelda:Previous Entities: |The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: ‘ Ach, ","Big Yan.M Hamish.M" “Me?”,19190,19193,True,147:the Glauxess.F,"We talked for a long time. I had things I needed to know. And of course, they had questions, too. It was with great patience I explained who I was and where I had come from.“So,” the Glauxess finally said,“I do believe I remember Siv talking of you that summer she came to visit. The three of you were great companions, is that not so?”“Yes, indeed, Sister, and that is why I have now come. You have heard that good King H’rath died in battle?”“Oh, yes, indeed. And I grieved for my dear cousin’s loss. Might you know where she has gone?”“I was about to ask the same of you, madam.”“Me?”“Yes, did you know that she and H’rath were expecting their first chick?”“No!” Rorkna gasped, and there was a soft tittering among the other sisters.“Yes, it is true. I thought she might have sought refuge here, but she didn’t?” I paused.“As far as you can remember?”“I don’t think so. But what with this odd sleep that overtook us”—she looked about—“do you suppose that those berries we stored from last summer could have gone bad on us, Sister Lydfryk? I mean, I know Grank thinks it was the N’yrthnookah, but it could have been the berries.” I tried to steer her gently back to the subject.“But you don’t think that Siv could have come",the Glauxess,"this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna","We talked for a long time. I had things I needed to know. And of course, they had questions, too. It was with great patience I explained who I was and where I had come from.“So,” the Glauxess finally said,“I do believe I remember Siv talking of you that summer she came to visit. The three of you were great companions, is that not so?”“Yes, indeed, Sister, and that is why I have now come. You have heard that good King H’rath died in battle?”“Oh, yes, indeed. And I grieved for my dear cousin’s loss. Might you know where she has gone?”“I was about to ask the same of you, madam.”“Me?”“Yes, did you know that she and H’rath were expecting their first chick?”“No!” Rorkna gasped, and there was a soft tittering among the other sisters.“Yes, it is true. I thought she might have sought refuge here, but she didn’t?” I paused.“As far as you can remember?”“I don’t think so. But what with this odd sleep that overtook us”—she looked about—“do you suppose that those berries we stored from last summer could have gone bad on us, Sister Lydfryk? I mean, I know Grank thinks it was the N’yrthnookah, but it could have been the berries.” I tried to steer her gently back to the subject.“But you don’t think that Siv could have come:Previous Entities: |this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna| ::: “Me?” ",Rorkna.F ' You expected him to be better than he was.,95124,95151,True,3617:a poor old geezer.?,"- eyed puzzlement as she sucked the sweet Hershey's Kiss. Canned organ music in the background. Poor old Max Devore had been crafty enough on the day of his son's viewing, I thought. Don't shut me out, indeed. I tried to buy you off and when that didn't work I upped the stakes and tried to buy the baby. When that also failed, I told my son that you and he and my grandchild could choke on the dirt of your own decision. In a way, I'm the reason he was where he was when fell and broke his neck, but don't shut me out, Mattie, I'm just a poor old geezer, so don't shut me out.' I was stupid, wasn't I?'' You expected him to be better than he was. If that makes you stupid, Mattie, the world could use more of it.'' I did have my doubts,' she said.' It's why I wouldn't take any of his money, and by last October he'd quit asking. But I let him see her. I suppose, yeah, part of it was the idea there might be something in it for Ki later on, but I honestly didn't think about that so much. Mostly it was him being her only blood link to her father. I wanted her to enjoy that the way any kid enjoys having a grandparent. What I didn't want was for her to be infected by all the crap that went on before Lance died.' At first it seemed to be working. Then, little by little, things changed. I realized that Ki didn't like her'",a poor old geezer,"The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer","- eyed puzzlement as she sucked the sweet Hershey's Kiss. Canned organ music in the background. Poor old Max Devore had been crafty enough on the day of his son's viewing, I thought. Don't shut me out, indeed. I tried to buy you off and when that didn't work I upped the stakes and tried to buy the baby. When that also failed, I told my son that you and he and my grandchild could choke on the dirt of your own decision. In a way, I'm the reason he was where he was when fell and broke his neck, but don't shut me out, Mattie, I'm just a poor old geezer, so don't shut me out.' I was stupid, wasn't I?'' You expected him to be better than he was. If that makes you stupid, Mattie, the world could use more of it.'' I did have my doubts,' she said.' It's why I wouldn't take any of his money, and by last October he'd quit asking. But I let him see her. I suppose, yeah, part of it was the idea there might be something in it for Ki later on, but I honestly didn't think about that so much. Mostly it was him being her only blood link to her father. I wanted her to enjoy that the way any kid enjoys having a grandparent. What I didn't want was for her to be infected by all the crap that went on before Lance died.' At first it seemed to be working. Then, little by little, things changed. I realized that Ki didn't like her':Previous Entities: |The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer| ::: ' You expected him to be better than he was. ",Mattie.F and we’re going to have so much fun.,15814,15850,True,1161:the mall girl.?,"!” The scuffling died down.“We will follow for now,” Serephone said.“But if you do not lead us well, if we find you have lied about the summons of Gaea—”“I don’t lie!” snapped the mall girl.“Believe me, I’ve got good reason to get into this battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you’ll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave one special morsel for me— the one named Percy Jackson.” Annabeth fought down a snarl of her own. She forgot about her fear. She wanted to jump over the boulder and slash the monsters to dust with her knife… except she didn’t have it anymore.“Believe me,” said the mall girl.“Gaea has called us, and we’re going to have so much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name— Kelli!” Annabeth almost yelped aloud. She glanced at Percy. Even in the red light of the Phlegethon, his face seemed waxy. Empousai, she mouthed. Vampires. Percy nodded grimly. She remembered Kelli. Two years ago, at Percy’s freshman orientation, he and their friend Rachel Dare had been attacked by empousai disguised as cheerleaders. One of them had been Kelli. Later, the same empousa had attacked them in Daedalus’s workshop. Annabeth had stabbed her in the back and sent her… here. To Tartarus. The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Annabeth crept to the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse. Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs— mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven- hooved on the right. Their",the mall girl,"the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl","!” The scuffling died down.“We will follow for now,” Serephone said.“But if you do not lead us well, if we find you have lied about the summons of Gaea—”“I don’t lie!” snapped the mall girl.“Believe me, I’ve got good reason to get into this battle. I have some enemies to devour, and you’ll feast on the blood of heroes. Just leave one special morsel for me— the one named Percy Jackson.” Annabeth fought down a snarl of her own. She forgot about her fear. She wanted to jump over the boulder and slash the monsters to dust with her knife… except she didn’t have it anymore.“Believe me,” said the mall girl.“Gaea has called us, and we’re going to have so much fun. Before this war is over, mortals and demigods will tremble at the sound of my name— Kelli!” Annabeth almost yelped aloud. She glanced at Percy. Even in the red light of the Phlegethon, his face seemed waxy. Empousai, she mouthed. Vampires. Percy nodded grimly. She remembered Kelli. Two years ago, at Percy’s freshman orientation, he and their friend Rachel Dare had been attacked by empousai disguised as cheerleaders. One of them had been Kelli. Later, the same empousa had attacked them in Daedalus’s workshop. Annabeth had stabbed her in the back and sent her… here. To Tartarus. The creatures shuffled off, their voices getting fainter. Annabeth crept to the edge of the boulder and risked a glimpse. Sure enough, five women staggered along on mismatched legs— mechanical bronze on the left, shaggy and cloven- hooved on the right. Their:Previous Entities: |the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl| ::: and we’re going to have so much fun. ",Kelli.F they always do in the end.,325769,325802,True,5981:somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall.F,"with a plea for their return. An odd feeling rose in Harry; an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius’s death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna.“How come people hide your stuff?” he asked her, frowning.“Oh… well…” she shrugged.“I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me‘ Loony’ Lovegood, actually.” Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully.“That’s no reason for them to take your things,” he said flatly.“D’you want help finding them?”“Oh, no,” she said, smiling at him.“They’ll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway… why aren’t you at the feast?” Harry shrugged.“Just didn’t feel like it.”“No,” said Luna, observing him with those oddly misty, protuberant eyes.“I don’t suppose you do. That man the Death Eaters killed was your godfather, wasn’t he? Ginny told me.” Harry nodded curtly, but found that for some reason he did not mind Luna talking about Sirius. He had just remembered that she, too, could see Thestrals.“Have you…” he began.“I mean, who… has anyone you known ever died?”“Yes,” said Luna simply,“my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day.",somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall,"Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","with a plea for their return. An odd feeling rose in Harry; an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius’s death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna.“How come people hide your stuff?” he asked her, frowning.“Oh… well…” she shrugged.“I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me‘ Loony’ Lovegood, actually.” Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully.“That’s no reason for them to take your things,” he said flatly.“D’you want help finding them?”“Oh, no,” she said, smiling at him.“They’ll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway… why aren’t you at the feast?” Harry shrugged.“Just didn’t feel like it.”“No,” said Luna, observing him with those oddly misty, protuberant eyes.“I don’t suppose you do. That man the Death Eaters killed was your godfather, wasn’t he? Ginny told me.” Harry nodded curtly, but found that for some reason he did not mind Luna talking about Sirius. He had just remembered that she, too, could see Thestrals.“Have you…” he began.“I mean, who… has anyone you known ever died?”“Yes,” said Luna simply,“my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day.:Previous Entities: |Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: they always do in the end. ",Luna.F ” Coryn repeated the strange- sounding word.“,25755,25764,True,189:Trail Lochinvyrr.?,"’s what I say, art for art.” But her relief was short- lived. Mags was shrieking again.“There is only one Rogue smith who makes art, only one who lives near silver to melt down. And that is the Rogue smith of the Silverveil. She would NEVER trade this for a scrap of painting— never. You ninny! How could you not have seen that something was wrong? Something terrible has happened to the Rogue smith of Silverveil. I must go. Go right away.”“It warn’t my fault, ma’am. Really, it warn’t my fault!” Bubbles was crying as Trader Mags flew out of the chapel.“Be careful of crows, ma’am, do be careful!” CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Of Sky and Trail Lochinvyrr.” Coryn repeated the strange- sounding word.“So that is what you call it, that moment when a wolf and the dying animal look at each other.” Hamish nodded.“Our ways are odd, I know.”“It is odd, but it’s beautiful. It’s as if the animal is giving permission for its death.”“Yes, and the killer acknowledges that it is a worthy life he asks for.”“Asks. Not takes.”“No, we never take. And therefore the spirit of the animal we killed will follow the spirit trail of stars to the cave of souls in the sky.”“That sounds like our owl heaven. We call it glaumora. But it is just the sky, I think, and not a cave.”“You are",Trail Lochinvyrr,"Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr","’s what I say, art for art.” But her relief was short- lived. Mags was shrieking again.“There is only one Rogue smith who makes art, only one who lives near silver to melt down. And that is the Rogue smith of the Silverveil. She would NEVER trade this for a scrap of painting— never. You ninny! How could you not have seen that something was wrong? Something terrible has happened to the Rogue smith of Silverveil. I must go. Go right away.”“It warn’t my fault, ma’am. Really, it warn’t my fault!” Bubbles was crying as Trader Mags flew out of the chapel.“Be careful of crows, ma’am, do be careful!” CHAPTER SEVENTEEN Of Sky and Trail Lochinvyrr.” Coryn repeated the strange- sounding word.“So that is what you call it, that moment when a wolf and the dying animal look at each other.” Hamish nodded.“Our ways are odd, I know.”“It is odd, but it’s beautiful. It’s as if the animal is giving permission for its death.”“Yes, and the killer acknowledges that it is a worthy life he asks for.”“Asks. Not takes.”“No, we never take. And therefore the spirit of the animal we killed will follow the spirit trail of stars to the cave of souls in the sky.”“That sounds like our owl heaven. We call it glaumora. But it is just the sky, I think, and not a cave.”“You are:Previous Entities: |Mother, the Bone Carver, The carver, the Weaver, the Attor, Those, Cresseida, Varian, I’m, The ancient queen, The golden queen, the golden one, The eldest queen, A crow, the crone, The old woman, Hybern, Silver, your sister, all three owls, The Doo, Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr| ::: ” Coryn repeated the strange- sounding word.“ ","Trader Mags.F Bubbles.? Coryn.M Hamish.M " “Ridiculous!”,125435,125438,True,3782:the pater.M,"did a search. She scanned the floor mosaic— seven pictures in a row. She studied the ghosts and noticed all of them wore some sort of badge on their toga— a raven, or a torch, or a bow.“You have rites of passage,” she blurted out.“Seven levels of membership. And the top level is the pater.” The ghosts let out a collective gasp. Then they all began shouting at once.“How does she know this?” one demanded.“The girl has gleaned our secrets!”“Silence!” the pater ordered.“But she might know about the ordeals!” another cried.“The ordeals!” Annabeth said.“I know about them!” Another round of incredulous gasping.“Ridiculous!” The pater yelled.“The girl lies! Daughter of Athena, choose your way of death. If you do not choose, the god will choose for you!”“Fire or dagger,” Annabeth guessed. Even the pater looked stunned. Apparently he hadn’t remembered there were victims of past punishments lying on the floor.“How— how did you…?” He gulped.“Who are you?”“A child of Athena,” Annabeth said again.“But not just any child. I am… uh, the mater in my sisterhood. The magna mater, in fact. There are no mysteries to me. Mithras can not hide anything from my sight.”“The magna mater!” a ghost wailed in despair.“The big",the pater,"A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater","did a search. She scanned the floor mosaic— seven pictures in a row. She studied the ghosts and noticed all of them wore some sort of badge on their toga— a raven, or a torch, or a bow.“You have rites of passage,” she blurted out.“Seven levels of membership. And the top level is the pater.” The ghosts let out a collective gasp. Then they all began shouting at once.“How does she know this?” one demanded.“The girl has gleaned our secrets!”“Silence!” the pater ordered.“But she might know about the ordeals!” another cried.“The ordeals!” Annabeth said.“I know about them!” Another round of incredulous gasping.“Ridiculous!” The pater yelled.“The girl lies! Daughter of Athena, choose your way of death. If you do not choose, the god will choose for you!”“Fire or dagger,” Annabeth guessed. Even the pater looked stunned. Apparently he hadn’t remembered there were victims of past punishments lying on the floor.“How— how did you…?” He gulped.“Who are you?”“A child of Athena,” Annabeth said again.“But not just any child. I am… uh, the mater in my sisterhood. The magna mater, in fact. There are no mysteries to me. Mithras can not hide anything from my sight.”“The magna mater!” a ghost wailed in despair.“The big:Previous Entities: |A White House staffer, the Pentagon man, The first corpsman, Levy, The sailor, Two female Navy crewmen, Stein, Terminus, the praetor, Echo, Narcissus, a nymph, Keto, the sea god, Rufus, Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater| ::: “Ridiculous!” ",The pater.M "when the house has been silent for years,",116237,116321,True,245:Scabbers.M,"come to school....” Lupin sighed, and looked directly at Harry.“I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house”— Lupin looked miserably around the room,—“the tunnel that leads to it— they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous.” Harry couldn’t see where this story was going, but he was listening raptly all the same. The only sound apart from Lupin’s voice was Scabbers’s frightened squeaking.“My transformations in those days were— were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor.... Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don’t dare approach it.... 353 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN“But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry— James Potter.“Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up al sorts of stories. I told them my mother was il, and that I had to go home to see her.... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth....“And they didn’t desert me at",Scabbers,Scabbers,"come to school....” Lupin sighed, and looked directly at Harry.“I told you, months ago, that the Whomping Willow was planted the year I came to Hogwarts. The truth is that it was planted because I came to Hogwarts. This house”— Lupin looked miserably around the room,—“the tunnel that leads to it— they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. The tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous.” Harry couldn’t see where this story was going, but he was listening raptly all the same. The only sound apart from Lupin’s voice was Scabbers’s frightened squeaking.“My transformations in those days were— were terrible. It is very painful to turn into a werewolf. I was separated from humans to bite, so I bit and scratched myself instead. The villagers heard the noise and the screaming and thought they were hearing particularly violent spirits. Dumbledore encouraged the rumor.... Even now, when the house has been silent for years, the villagers don’t dare approach it.... 353 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN“But apart from my transformations, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I had friends, three great friends. Sirius Black... Peter Pettigrew... and, of course, your father, Harry— James Potter.“Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up al sorts of stories. I told them my mother was il, and that I had to go home to see her.... I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth....“And they didn’t desert me at:Previous Entities: |Scabbers| ::: when the house has been silent for years, ",Scabbers.M "’ Nico said,‘",39008,39012,True,514:Clovis.?,"– a pot- bellied guy with unruly blond hair and a gentle bovine face.‘ Clovis,’ Nico growled,‘ for the gods’ sake, stop dreaming so powerfully!’ Clovis’s eyes fluttered open. He turned and stared at Nico, though Nico knew this was simply part of Clovis’s own dreamscape. The actual Clovis would still be snoring in his armchair back at camp.‘ Oh, hi…’ Clovis yawned wide enough to swallow a minor god.‘ Sorry. Did I pull you off course again?’ Nico gritted his teeth. There was no point getting upset. The Hypnos cabin was like Grand Central Station for dream activity. You couldn’t travel anywhere without going through it once in a while.‘ As long as I’m here,’ Nico said,‘ pass along a message. Tell Chiron I’m on my way with a couple of friends. We’re bringing the Athena Parthenos.’ Clovis rubbed his eyes.‘ So it’s true? How are you bringing it? Did you rent a van or something?’ Nico explained as concisely as possible. Messages sent through dreams tended to get fuzzy around the edges, especially when you were dealing with Clovis. The simpler, the better.‘ We’re being followed by a hunter,’ Nico said.‘ One of Gaia’s giants, I think. Can you get that message to Thalia Grace? You’re better at finding people in dreams than I am. I need her advice.’‘ I’ll try.’ Clovis fumbled for a cup of hot chocolate on",Clovis,"Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis","– a pot- bellied guy with unruly blond hair and a gentle bovine face.‘ Clovis,’ Nico growled,‘ for the gods’ sake, stop dreaming so powerfully!’ Clovis’s eyes fluttered open. He turned and stared at Nico, though Nico knew this was simply part of Clovis’s own dreamscape. The actual Clovis would still be snoring in his armchair back at camp.‘ Oh, hi…’ Clovis yawned wide enough to swallow a minor god.‘ Sorry. Did I pull you off course again?’ Nico gritted his teeth. There was no point getting upset. The Hypnos cabin was like Grand Central Station for dream activity. You couldn’t travel anywhere without going through it once in a while.‘ As long as I’m here,’ Nico said,‘ pass along a message. Tell Chiron I’m on my way with a couple of friends. We’re bringing the Athena Parthenos.’ Clovis rubbed his eyes.‘ So it’s true? How are you bringing it? Did you rent a van or something?’ Nico explained as concisely as possible. Messages sent through dreams tended to get fuzzy around the edges, especially when you were dealing with Clovis. The simpler, the better.‘ We’re being followed by a hunter,’ Nico said.‘ One of Gaia’s giants, I think. Can you get that message to Thalia Grace? You’re better at finding people in dreams than I am. I need her advice.’‘ I’ll try.’ Clovis fumbled for a cup of hot chocolate on:Previous Entities: |Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis| ::: ’ Nico said,‘ ",Nico.M I was hoping to meet him.,47026,47066,True,1484:an elderly witch.F,"a dreamy fashion and looking Harry up and down.“You look smart. I told Daddy most people would probably wear dress robes, but he believes you ought to wear sun colors to a wedding, for luck, you know.” As she drifted off after her father, Ron reappeared with an elderly witch clutching his arm. Her beaky nose, red- rimmed eyes, and feathery pink hat gave her the look of a bad- tempered flamingo.“… and your hair’s much too long, Ronald, for a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Merlin’s beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet. And who are you?” she barked at Harry.“Oh yeah, Auntie Muriel, this is our cousin Barny.”“Another Weasley? You breed like gnomes. Isn’t Harry Potter here? I was hoping to meet him. I thought he was a friend of yours, Ronald, or have you merely been boasting?”“No— he couldn’t come—”“Hmm. Made an excuse, did he? Not as gormless as he looks in press photographs, then. I’ve just been instructing the bride on how best to wear my tiara,” she shouted at Harry.“Goblin- made, you know, and been in my family for centuries. She’s a good- looking girl, but still— French. Well, well, find me a good seat, Ronald, I am a hundred and seven and I ought not to be on my feet too long.” Ron gave Harry a meaningful look as he passed and did not reappear for some time: When next they met at the entrance, Harry had shown a dozen more people to their places. The marquee",an elderly witch,"the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch","a dreamy fashion and looking Harry up and down.“You look smart. I told Daddy most people would probably wear dress robes, but he believes you ought to wear sun colors to a wedding, for luck, you know.” As she drifted off after her father, Ron reappeared with an elderly witch clutching his arm. Her beaky nose, red- rimmed eyes, and feathery pink hat gave her the look of a bad- tempered flamingo.“… and your hair’s much too long, Ronald, for a moment I thought you were Ginevra. Merlin’s beard, what is Xenophilius Lovegood wearing? He looks like an omelet. And who are you?” she barked at Harry.“Oh yeah, Auntie Muriel, this is our cousin Barny.”“Another Weasley? You breed like gnomes. Isn’t Harry Potter here? I was hoping to meet him. I thought he was a friend of yours, Ronald, or have you merely been boasting?”“No— he couldn’t come—”“Hmm. Made an excuse, did he? Not as gormless as he looks in press photographs, then. I’ve just been instructing the bride on how best to wear my tiara,” she shouted at Harry.“Goblin- made, you know, and been in my family for centuries. She’s a good- looking girl, but still— French. Well, well, find me a good seat, Ronald, I am a hundred and seven and I ought not to be on my feet too long.” Ron gave Harry a meaningful look as he passed and did not reappear for some time: When next they met at the entrance, Harry had shown a dozen more people to their places. The marquee:Previous Entities: |the management consultant, the marketing girl, the native and banged on the rock, The other, Mella, Agda, Some of the throng, Charity Burbage, Vernon Dursley, Petunia, Dedalus, Hestia, the Death Eater, Monsieur Delacour, an elderly witch| ::: I was hoping to meet him. ",Auntie Muriel.F “Uh- huh...”,2325,2330,True,335:The salesgirl.F,", hon.”“Hi, Julia. How’s it going?” I said. I could hear machinery in the background, a steady chugging. Probably the vacuum pump for the electron microscope. They had several scanning electron microscopes at her laboratory. She said,“What’re you doing?”“Buying placemats, actually.”“Where?”“Crate and Barrel.” She laughed.“You the only guy there?”“No...”“Oh, well, that’s good,” she said. I could tell Julia was completely uninterested in this conversation. Something else was on her mind.“Listen, I wanted to tell you, Jack, I’m really sorry, but it’s going to be a late night again.”“Uh- huh...” The salesgirl came back, carrying more yellow mats. Still holding the phone to my ear, I beckoned her over. I held up three fingers, and she put down three more mats. To Julia, I said,“Is everything all right?”“Yeah, it’s just crazy like normal. We’re broadcasting a demo by satellite today to the VCs in Asia and Europe, and we’re having trouble with the satellite hookup at this end because the video truck they sent- oh, you don’t want to know... anyway, we’re going to be delayed two hours, hon. Maybe more. I won’t get back until eight at the earliest. Can you feed the kids and put them to bed?”“No problem,” I said",The salesgirl,"Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl",", hon.”“Hi, Julia. How’s it going?” I said. I could hear machinery in the background, a steady chugging. Probably the vacuum pump for the electron microscope. They had several scanning electron microscopes at her laboratory. She said,“What’re you doing?”“Buying placemats, actually.”“Where?”“Crate and Barrel.” She laughed.“You the only guy there?”“No...”“Oh, well, that’s good,” she said. I could tell Julia was completely uninterested in this conversation. Something else was on her mind.“Listen, I wanted to tell you, Jack, I’m really sorry, but it’s going to be a late night again.”“Uh- huh...” The salesgirl came back, carrying more yellow mats. Still holding the phone to my ear, I beckoned her over. I held up three fingers, and she put down three more mats. To Julia, I said,“Is everything all right?”“Yeah, it’s just crazy like normal. We’re broadcasting a demo by satellite today to the VCs in Asia and Europe, and we’re having trouble with the satellite hookup at this end because the video truck they sent- oh, you don’t want to know... anyway, we’re going to be delayed two hours, hon. Maybe more. I won’t get back until eight at the earliest. Can you feed the kids and put them to bed?”“No problem,” I said:Previous Entities: |Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl| ::: “Uh- huh...” ",Jack.M are...’,44850,44869,True,1498:The dumpy girl.?,"full of plans for experimental cheeses, but now cheese was dull. Why was she here, doing silly chores, helping people too stupid to help themselves? She could be doing... anything! She looked down at the scrubbed wooden table. Someone had written on the wood in chalk. And the piece of chalk was still in her hand—‘ Petulia’s come to see you, dear,’ said Miss Level, behind her. Tiffany quickly shifted a milking bucket over the words and turned round guiltily.‘ What?’ she said.‘ Why?’‘ Just to see if you’re all right, I think,’ said Miss Level, watching Tiffany carefully. The dumpy girl stood very nervously on the doorstep, her pointy hat in her hands.‘ Um, I just thought I ought to see how you, um, are...’ she muttered, looking Tiffany squarely in the boots.‘ Um, I don’t think anyone really wanted to be unkind...’‘ You’re not very clever and you’re too fat,’ said Tiffany. She stared at the round pink face for a moment and knew things.‘ And you still have a teddy bear help me and you believe in fairies.’ She slammed the door, went back to the dairy and stared at the bowls of milk and curds as if she were seeing them for the first time. Good with Cheese. That was one of the things everyone remembered about her: Tiffany Aching, brown hair, Good with Cheese. But now the dairy looked all wrong and unfamiliar. She gritted her teeth. Good with Cheese. Was that",The dumpy girl,"the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl","full of plans for experimental cheeses, but now cheese was dull. Why was she here, doing silly chores, helping people too stupid to help themselves? She could be doing... anything! She looked down at the scrubbed wooden table. Someone had written on the wood in chalk. And the piece of chalk was still in her hand—‘ Petulia’s come to see you, dear,’ said Miss Level, behind her. Tiffany quickly shifted a milking bucket over the words and turned round guiltily.‘ What?’ she said.‘ Why?’‘ Just to see if you’re all right, I think,’ said Miss Level, watching Tiffany carefully. The dumpy girl stood very nervously on the doorstep, her pointy hat in her hands.‘ Um, I just thought I ought to see how you, um, are...’ she muttered, looking Tiffany squarely in the boots.‘ Um, I don’t think anyone really wanted to be unkind...’‘ You’re not very clever and you’re too fat,’ said Tiffany. She stared at the round pink face for a moment and knew things.‘ And you still have a teddy bear help me and you believe in fairies.’ She slammed the door, went back to the dairy and stared at the bowls of milk and curds as if she were seeing them for the first time. Good with Cheese. That was one of the things everyone remembered about her: Tiffany Aching, brown hair, Good with Cheese. But now the dairy looked all wrong and unfamiliar. She gritted her teeth. Good with Cheese. Was that:Previous Entities: |the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl| ::: are...’ ",Tiffany. “Just stop.,56243,56300,True,2437:the team leader.M,", nobody in this country wants to think of themselves as joiners or civilizers. Just the opposite— we’re all rugged individualists. We’re all rebels. We’re antiestablishment. We stand out, we strike out, we do our own thing, go our own way. The herd of independent minds, somebody called it. Nobody wants to feel they’re not a rebel. Nobody wants to admit that they just want to fit in.”“But in truth, everybody does want to fit in,” the professor said.“At least, almost everybody. About ninety- two percent of people have the conventional- wisdom gene. The real rebels lack it, and they are—”“Stop right there,” the team leader said, holding up his hand.“Just stop. You want to make your gene valuable. That means your gene creates something people want to possess— something exciting and desirable. Conventional wisdom is not exciting or desirable. It’s mundane. It’s buttered toast with grape jelly. That’s what the group is telling you.” He gestured to a chair.“You might want to take a seat, professor.” Gode turned to the group, which now looked slightly more alert.“All right. People? BlackBerrys away. Let’s hear it.”“How about the smart gene?” someone said.“Good, but inaccurate.”“Simplicity gene.”“Good direction…”“Social gene.”“Oversell.”“Socializing gene.”“Therapeutic.”“Wisdom gene. Wise gene.”“Wise gene. Good, very good.”“Right- thinking gene.”“Too Maoist. Or Buddhist. Come on, wake up here!”“Party gene.”“Fun gene.”“Stone- washed genes. Hip-",the team leader,the team leader,", nobody in this country wants to think of themselves as joiners or civilizers. Just the opposite— we’re all rugged individualists. We’re all rebels. We’re antiestablishment. We stand out, we strike out, we do our own thing, go our own way. The herd of independent minds, somebody called it. Nobody wants to feel they’re not a rebel. Nobody wants to admit that they just want to fit in.”“But in truth, everybody does want to fit in,” the professor said.“At least, almost everybody. About ninety- two percent of people have the conventional- wisdom gene. The real rebels lack it, and they are—”“Stop right there,” the team leader said, holding up his hand.“Just stop. You want to make your gene valuable. That means your gene creates something people want to possess— something exciting and desirable. Conventional wisdom is not exciting or desirable. It’s mundane. It’s buttered toast with grape jelly. That’s what the group is telling you.” He gestured to a chair.“You might want to take a seat, professor.” Gode turned to the group, which now looked slightly more alert.“All right. People? BlackBerrys away. Let’s hear it.”“How about the smart gene?” someone said.“Good, but inaccurate.”“Simplicity gene.”“Good direction…”“Social gene.”“Oversell.”“Socializing gene.”“Therapeutic.”“Wisdom gene. Wise gene.”“Wise gene. Good, very good.”“Right- thinking gene.”“Too Maoist. Or Buddhist. Come on, wake up here!”“Party gene.”“Fun gene.”“Stone- washed genes. Hip-:Previous Entities: |the team leader| ::: “Just stop. ",Professor.M "“We didn’t come here to kill you,”",56331,56341,True,1600:the other snake.?,"Pure Ones. These were the flying snakes of Ambala. The most venomous snakes in the world!“She sent you, didn’t she?” Nyroc asked.“Yesssssss,” one hissed.“I knew she would find me one way or the other,” Nyroc whispered.“Here.” He stepped into the hollow and thrust his chest out.“Just do it now. Do it quickly.”“Do what now?” the other one said. The words seemed to slither off the snake’s tongue.“Just kill me, quickly. Here, right to the heart.” He nodded his head and with his beak poked the feathers on his chest.“What issssss he talking about?” said the first snake to his companion.“We didn’t come here to kill you,” said the other snake.“But I’m not going back with you. I will never go back to her, to the Pure Ones.” There was a flash as both snakes, in one quick green fluid motion, slipped from their perches to the floor of the hollow where they arranged themselves into neat coils. With their heads waving hypnotically they spoke in unison:“We are not emisssssssssaries from the Pure Ones. We detesssst the Pure Ones.”“You do?” Nyroc blinked in amazement.“We do,” answered the first snake.“My name is Slynella and this is my mate, Stingyll.”“But you said that she sent for me?” Both snakes nodded, looping their heads into figure eights and then resting them in a",the other snake,"Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb","Pure Ones. These were the flying snakes of Ambala. The most venomous snakes in the world!“She sent you, didn’t she?” Nyroc asked.“Yesssssss,” one hissed.“I knew she would find me one way or the other,” Nyroc whispered.“Here.” He stepped into the hollow and thrust his chest out.“Just do it now. Do it quickly.”“Do what now?” the other one said. The words seemed to slither off the snake’s tongue.“Just kill me, quickly. Here, right to the heart.” He nodded his head and with his beak poked the feathers on his chest.“What issssss he talking about?” said the first snake to his companion.“We didn’t come here to kill you,” said the other snake.“But I’m not going back with you. I will never go back to her, to the Pure Ones.” There was a flash as both snakes, in one quick green fluid motion, slipped from their perches to the floor of the hollow where they arranged themselves into neat coils. With their heads waving hypnotically they spoke in unison:“We are not emisssssssssaries from the Pure Ones. We detesssst the Pure Ones.”“You do?” Nyroc blinked in amazement.“We do,” answered the first snake.“My name is Slynella and this is my mate, Stingyll.”“But you said that she sent for me?” Both snakes nodded, looping their heads into figure eights and then resting them in a:Previous Entities: |Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb| ::: “We didn’t come here to kill you,” ",Slynella. F """'cos I don't think I could bear it.""",30188,30199,True,176:Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108.M,"None of this was on the tape of Informational Illusions, and is all based on hearsay."" No,"" he added, when the thing that had made him say"" Weeeeelaaaaah"" had stopped happening. He moved his body round slightly to catch the first rays of the third and greatest of primeval Vod's three suns which was now creeping over the ludicrously beautiful horizon, and the sky now glittered with some of the greatest tanning power ever known. A fragrant breeze wandered up from the quiet sea, trailed along the beach, and drifted back to sea again, wondering where to go next. On a mad impulse it went up to the beach again. It drifted back to sea."" I hope it isn't good news,"" muttered Zipo Bibrok 5/ 108,""'cos I don't think I could bear it."""" Your Krikkit judgment was carried out today,"" said the girl sumptuously. There was no need to say such a straightforward thing sumptuously, but she went ahead and did it anyway because it was that sort of day."" I heard it on the radio,"" she said,"" when I went back to the ship for the oil."""" Uhuh,"" muttered Zipo and rested his head back on the jewelled sand."" Something happened,"" she said."" Mmmm?"""" Just after the Slo- Time envelope was locked,"" she said, and paused a moment from rubbing in the Essence of Qualactin,"" a Krikkit warship which had been missing presumed destroyed turned out to be just missing after all. It appeared and tried to seize the Key",Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108,"the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108","None of this was on the tape of Informational Illusions, and is all based on hearsay."" No,"" he added, when the thing that had made him say"" Weeeeelaaaaah"" had stopped happening. He moved his body round slightly to catch the first rays of the third and greatest of primeval Vod's three suns which was now creeping over the ludicrously beautiful horizon, and the sky now glittered with some of the greatest tanning power ever known. A fragrant breeze wandered up from the quiet sea, trailed along the beach, and drifted back to sea again, wondering where to go next. On a mad impulse it went up to the beach again. It drifted back to sea."" I hope it isn't good news,"" muttered Zipo Bibrok 5/ 108,""'cos I don't think I could bear it."""" Your Krikkit judgment was carried out today,"" said the girl sumptuously. There was no need to say such a straightforward thing sumptuously, but she went ahead and did it anyway because it was that sort of day."" I heard it on the radio,"" she said,"" when I went back to the ship for the oil."""" Uhuh,"" muttered Zipo and rested his head back on the jewelled sand."" Something happened,"" she said."" Mmmm?"""" Just after the Slo- Time envelope was locked,"" she said, and paused a moment from rubbing in the Essence of Qualactin,"" a Krikkit warship which had been missing presumed destroyed turned out to be just missing after all. It appeared and tried to seize the Key:Previous Entities: |the Reverend Mother, The fat hand, The panel speaker, Bewt, the smuggler, Scarface, the litter - bearer, Czigo, the Sardaukar, the troop, Fenring, the children, the inward image, the old Reverend Mother, Tharthar, The troubadours, the mattress, Zipo Bibrok 5 / 108| ::: ""'cos I don't think I could bear it."" ",Zipo Bibrok 5/108.M “I think so.,13468,13483,True,239:Trencher.M,"A couple of whores beat the bear with sticks. Hunter walked past, and entered the inn. Trencher was there, sitting in a corner, drinking with his one good arm. Hunter called to him, and drew him aside.“What is it, Captain?” Trencher asked eagerly.“I want you to find some mates for me.”“Say who they shall be, Captain.”“Lazue, Mr. Enders, Sanson. And the Moor.” Trencher smiled.“You want them here?”“No. Find where they are, and I’ll seek them out. Now, where is Whisper?”“In the Blue Goat,” Trencher said.“The back room.”“And Black Eye is in Farrow Street?”“I think so. You want the Jew, too, do you?”“I am trusting your tongue,” Hunter said.“Keep it still now.”“Will you take me with you, Captain?”“If you do as you are told.”“I swear by God’s wounds, Captain.”“Then look sharp,” Hunter said, and left the inn, returning to the muddy street. The night air was warm and still, as it had been during the day. He heard the soft strumming of a guitar, and, somewhere, drunken laughter, and a single gunshot. He set off down Ridge Street for the Blue Goat. The town of Port Royal was divided into rough sections, oriented around the port itself. Nearest the dockside were located the taverns and brothels and gaming houses. Farther back",Trencher,"Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher","A couple of whores beat the bear with sticks. Hunter walked past, and entered the inn. Trencher was there, sitting in a corner, drinking with his one good arm. Hunter called to him, and drew him aside.“What is it, Captain?” Trencher asked eagerly.“I want you to find some mates for me.”“Say who they shall be, Captain.”“Lazue, Mr. Enders, Sanson. And the Moor.” Trencher smiled.“You want them here?”“No. Find where they are, and I’ll seek them out. Now, where is Whisper?”“In the Blue Goat,” Trencher said.“The back room.”“And Black Eye is in Farrow Street?”“I think so. You want the Jew, too, do you?”“I am trusting your tongue,” Hunter said.“Keep it still now.”“Will you take me with you, Captain?”“If you do as you are told.”“I swear by God’s wounds, Captain.”“Then look sharp,” Hunter said, and left the inn, returning to the muddy street. The night air was warm and still, as it had been during the day. He heard the soft strumming of a guitar, and, somewhere, drunken laughter, and a single gunshot. He set off down Ridge Street for the Blue Goat. The town of Port Royal was divided into rough sections, oriented around the port itself. Nearest the dockside were located the taverns and brothels and gaming houses. Farther back:Previous Entities: |Rooster Foot, Muffin, the magician, The bearded man, Face, Bloodstained Blade, Shezmu, The old magician, Sobek, Geb, Sekhmet, a small blond girl, a man I know, A DIVERGENT STORY, Joshua, Gaffen, Blue, A slim young man in white ducks, Zenner, Brigit, seven - point - six and a potassium of one, the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher| ::: “I think so. ",Hunter.M “I wouldn’t want to guess when.,88059,88076,True,3174:A young boy in the back.M,"?”“I don’t think cloning a pet has any effect on the issues concerning human cloning.”“Would it be ethical to clone a human being?”“Fortunately,” Bellarmino said,“that issue is quite far in the future. Today, I hope we might consider real contemporary issues. We have people who express concerns about genetically modified foods; we have concerns about gene therapy, and stem cells; and these are real issues. Do any of you share that concern?” A young boy in the back raised his hand.“Yes?”“Do you think it is possible to clone a human being?” the boy asked.“Yes, I think it is possible. Not now, but eventually.”“When?”“I wouldn’t want to guess when. Are there questions on a different subject?” Another hand.“Yes?”“In your opinion, is human cloning unethical?” Again, Bellarmino hesitated. He was acutely aware his response was going to be broadcast on television. And who could know how the network would edit his remarks? They’d probably do their best to make him look as bad as possible. Reporters had a distinct prejudice against people of faith. And his words also carried professional weight, because he ran a division of NIH.“You’ve probably heard a lot about cloning, and most of it is untrue. Speaking as a scientist, I must admit I see nothing inherently wrong with cloning. I see no moral issue. It is just another genetic procedure. We already have done it with a variety of animals, as I have",A young boy in the back,"Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back","?”“I don’t think cloning a pet has any effect on the issues concerning human cloning.”“Would it be ethical to clone a human being?”“Fortunately,” Bellarmino said,“that issue is quite far in the future. Today, I hope we might consider real contemporary issues. We have people who express concerns about genetically modified foods; we have concerns about gene therapy, and stem cells; and these are real issues. Do any of you share that concern?” A young boy in the back raised his hand.“Yes?”“Do you think it is possible to clone a human being?” the boy asked.“Yes, I think it is possible. Not now, but eventually.”“When?”“I wouldn’t want to guess when. Are there questions on a different subject?” Another hand.“Yes?”“In your opinion, is human cloning unethical?” Again, Bellarmino hesitated. He was acutely aware his response was going to be broadcast on television. And who could know how the network would edit his remarks? They’d probably do their best to make him look as bad as possible. Reporters had a distinct prejudice against people of faith. And his words also carried professional weight, because he ran a division of NIH.“You’ve probably heard a lot about cloning, and most of it is untrue. Speaking as a scientist, I must admit I see nothing inherently wrong with cloning. I see no moral issue. It is just another genetic procedure. We already have done it with a variety of animals, as I have:Previous Entities: |Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back| ::: “I wouldn’t want to guess when. ",Bellarmino.M “It’s only because I don’t want that Japanese individual looking in.”,47554,47569,True,482:Tim Yoshimura.M,"it: runs.““And where’s the autopsy?”“Room two.”“Thanks, Harry.”“Close the door.”“Hi, Tim,” I said, as we came into the autopsy room. Tim Yoshimura, known to everyone as Dr. Tim, was leaning over the stainless- steel table. Even though it was one- forty in the morning, he was as usual immaculate. Everything was in place. His hair was neatly combed. His tie was perfectly knotted. The pens were lined up in the pocket of his starched lab coat.“Did you hear me?”“I’m closing it, Tim.” The door had a pneumatic self closing mechanism, but apparently that wasn’t fast enough for Dr. Tim.“It’s only because I don’t want that Japanese individual looking in.”“He’s gone, Tim.”“Oh, is he? But he may be back. He’s been unbelievably persistent and irritating. The Japanese can be a real pain in the ass.” I said,“Sounds funny coming from you, Tim.”“Oh, I’m not Japanese,” he said seriously.“I’m Japanese American which means in their eyes I’m gaijin. If I go to Japan, they treat me like any other foreigner. It doesn’t matter how I look, I was born in Torrance- and that’s the end of it.” He glanced over his shoulder.“Who’s that with you? Not John Connor? Haven’t seen you in ages, John.”“Hi, Tim.”",Tim Yoshimura,"the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura","it: runs.““And where’s the autopsy?”“Room two.”“Thanks, Harry.”“Close the door.”“Hi, Tim,” I said, as we came into the autopsy room. Tim Yoshimura, known to everyone as Dr. Tim, was leaning over the stainless- steel table. Even though it was one- forty in the morning, he was as usual immaculate. Everything was in place. His hair was neatly combed. His tie was perfectly knotted. The pens were lined up in the pocket of his starched lab coat.“Did you hear me?”“I’m closing it, Tim.” The door had a pneumatic self closing mechanism, but apparently that wasn’t fast enough for Dr. Tim.“It’s only because I don’t want that Japanese individual looking in.”“He’s gone, Tim.”“Oh, is he? But he may be back. He’s been unbelievably persistent and irritating. The Japanese can be a real pain in the ass.” I said,“Sounds funny coming from you, Tim.”“Oh, I’m not Japanese,” he said seriously.“I’m Japanese American which means in their eyes I’m gaijin. If I go to Japan, they treat me like any other foreigner. It doesn’t matter how I look, I was born in Torrance- and that’s the end of it.” He glanced over his shoulder.“Who’s that with you? Not John Connor? Haven’t seen you in ages, John.”“Hi, Tim.”:Previous Entities: |the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura| ::: “It’s only because I don’t want that Japanese individual looking in.” ",Tim Yoshimura.M ‘ DROP YOUR WEAPONS!’,122875,122880,True,521:Lou Ellen.F,"‘ Hey.’ Cecil limped over, looking like he’d pulled a muscle.‘ You guys kind of missed the fight.’ Lou Ellen followed, grinning. Behind them, all the Roman guards were tangled in a weird assortment of ropes and bones.‘ Thanks for the skeletons,’ she said.‘ Great trick.’‘ Which he won’t be doing again,’ Will said. Nico realized he was still leaning against Will. He pushed him away and stood on his own two feet.‘ I’ll do what I need to.’ Will rolled his eyes.‘ Fine, Death Boy. If you want to get yourself killed–’‘ Do not call me Death Boy!’ Lou Ellen cleared her throat.‘ Um, guys–’‘ DROP YOUR WEAPONS!’ Nico turned. The fight at the third onager had not gone unnoticed. The entire First Cohort was advancing on them, spears levelled, shields locked. In front of them marched Octavian, purple robes over his armour, Imperial gold jewellery glittering on his neck and arms, and a crown of laurels on his head as if he’d already won the battle. Next to him was the legion’s standard- bearer, Jacob, holding the golden eagle, and six huge cynocephali, their canine teeth bared, their swords glowing red.‘ Well,’ Octavian snarled,‘ Graecus saboteurs.’ He turned to his dog- headed warriors.‘ Tear them apart.’ XLVII Nico NICO WASN’T SURE whether to kick himself or Will Solace. If he hadn’t been so distracted bickering",Lou Ellen,"The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil","‘ Hey.’ Cecil limped over, looking like he’d pulled a muscle.‘ You guys kind of missed the fight.’ Lou Ellen followed, grinning. Behind them, all the Roman guards were tangled in a weird assortment of ropes and bones.‘ Thanks for the skeletons,’ she said.‘ Great trick.’‘ Which he won’t be doing again,’ Will said. Nico realized he was still leaning against Will. He pushed him away and stood on his own two feet.‘ I’ll do what I need to.’ Will rolled his eyes.‘ Fine, Death Boy. If you want to get yourself killed–’‘ Do not call me Death Boy!’ Lou Ellen cleared her throat.‘ Um, guys–’‘ DROP YOUR WEAPONS!’ Nico turned. The fight at the third onager had not gone unnoticed. The entire First Cohort was advancing on them, spears levelled, shields locked. In front of them marched Octavian, purple robes over his armour, Imperial gold jewellery glittering on his neck and arms, and a crown of laurels on his head as if he’d already won the battle. Next to him was the legion’s standard- bearer, Jacob, holding the golden eagle, and six huge cynocephali, their canine teeth bared, their swords glowing red.‘ Well,’ Octavian snarled,‘ Graecus saboteurs.’ He turned to his dog- headed warriors.‘ Tear them apart.’ XLVII Nico NICO WASN’T SURE whether to kick himself or Will Solace. If he hadn’t been so distracted bickering:Previous Entities: |The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr, Jacob, the boss, Victoria, Clovis, Chiron, Lycaon, Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil| ::: ‘ DROP YOUR WEAPONS!’ ",Octavian. Jacob. "“Carpets,",105097,105103,True,1680:a guard.M,"be growing under his feet anymore. Maybe I can put the kingdom together again, he thought. But then what can I do with it? If only we could find Dios. He always knew what to do, that was the main thing about him. A guard pushed his way through the milling throng of priests and nobles.“Excuse me, your sire,” he said.“There’s a merchant to see you. He says it’s urgent.”“Not now, man. There’s representatives of the Tsortean and Ephebian armies coming to see me in an hour, and there’s a great deal that’s got to be done first. I can’t go around seeing any salesmen who happen to be passing. What’s he selling, anyway?”“Carpets, your sire.”“Carpets?” It was Chidder, grinning like half a watermelon, followed by several of the crew. He walked up the hall staring around at the frescoes and hangings. Because it was Chidder, he was probably costing them out. By the time he reached the throne he was drawing a double line under the total.“Nice place,” he said, wrapping up thousands of years of architectural accumulation in a mere two syllables.“You’ll never guess what happened, we just happened to be sailing along the coast and suddenly there was this river. One minute cliffs, next minute river. There’s a funny thing, I thought. I bet old Teppic’s up there somewhere.”“Where’s Ptraci?”“I knew you were complaining about the",a guard,a crumbling mummy,"be growing under his feet anymore. Maybe I can put the kingdom together again, he thought. But then what can I do with it? If only we could find Dios. He always knew what to do, that was the main thing about him. A guard pushed his way through the milling throng of priests and nobles.“Excuse me, your sire,” he said.“There’s a merchant to see you. He says it’s urgent.”“Not now, man. There’s representatives of the Tsortean and Ephebian armies coming to see me in an hour, and there’s a great deal that’s got to be done first. I can’t go around seeing any salesmen who happen to be passing. What’s he selling, anyway?”“Carpets, your sire.”“Carpets?” It was Chidder, grinning like half a watermelon, followed by several of the crew. He walked up the hall staring around at the frescoes and hangings. Because it was Chidder, he was probably costing them out. By the time he reached the throne he was drawing a double line under the total.“Nice place,” he said, wrapping up thousands of years of architectural accumulation in a mere two syllables.“You’ll never guess what happened, we just happened to be sailing along the coast and suddenly there was this river. One minute cliffs, next minute river. There’s a funny thing, I thought. I bet old Teppic’s up there somewhere.”“Where’s Ptraci?”“I knew you were complaining about the:Previous Entities: |a crumbling mummy| ::: “Carpets, ",Chidder.M We,38626,38641,True,380:John Lloyd.M,"the bad ideas and keep the good."" The change in role for the black Disaster Area stunt ship was done by Douglas himself. John Lloyd was the co- writer of some episodes of the radio series, when Douglas was script editor of Dr Who and also writing Hitchhiker's, and he was quite happy to farm out to John to write the bits he couldn't write, and the Black Ship bit was one of them. When it became a big success, Douglas very much regretted having shared the credit with John on those episodes so when it came to the TV series he wouldn't at any cost do anything that John Lloyd had written because he wanted it to be all Douglas Adams. I think if I was Douglas Adams I'd do exactly the same thing."" We got on quite well, but I thought he was a hindrance. We used to tell him that the dubbing dates were in three weeks' time when we'd done it the day before, because if he came along he interfered all the time, and, I have to say, not necessarily for the better.""*************************************** PRODUCTION SUGGESTION: Mice. I've suggested using the eidophor images in case we can manage to do some very convincing puppetry to give us the appearance of talking mice, like the Muppets, or indeed Yoda in the otherwise terribly boring Empire Strikes Back. If we do that, then of course the mice must look as real as",John Lloyd,"Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience","the bad ideas and keep the good."" The change in role for the black Disaster Area stunt ship was done by Douglas himself. John Lloyd was the co- writer of some episodes of the radio series, when Douglas was script editor of Dr Who and also writing Hitchhiker's, and he was quite happy to farm out to John to write the bits he couldn't write, and the Black Ship bit was one of them. When it became a big success, Douglas very much regretted having shared the credit with John on those episodes so when it came to the TV series he wouldn't at any cost do anything that John Lloyd had written because he wanted it to be all Douglas Adams. I think if I was Douglas Adams I'd do exactly the same thing."" We got on quite well, but I thought he was a hindrance. We used to tell him that the dubbing dates were in three weeks' time when we'd done it the day before, because if he came along he interfered all the time, and, I have to say, not necessarily for the better.""*************************************** PRODUCTION SUGGESTION: Mice. I've suggested using the eidophor images in case we can manage to do some very convincing puppetry to give us the appearance of talking mice, like the Muppets, or indeed Yoda in the otherwise terribly boring Empire Strikes Back. If we do that, then of course the mice must look as real as:Previous Entities: |Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience| ::: We ","It seems like there's a mix-up in the provided context and the required format for the quote. However, I'll provide a response based on the highlighted themes and characters: ""The intricacies of creative collaboration seem to be deeply highlighted here, where credit and artistic integrity clash. Douglas Adams' desire to have singular recognition for the series, especially after sharing credit with John Lloyd, accentuates the often unseen tensions behind successful creative projects. The manipulation of production details to minimize John's involvement illustrates further the conflicts that can arise in a team due to differing visions or interference. As for the mice, using eidophor images for more realistic puppetry aligns with a dedication to quality that Douglas likely favored, aiming to bring the fiction to life as impressively as possible."" This response synthesizes the details related to Douglas Adams' creative decisions and his team dynamics, connecting them to your stated production suggestion concerning the mice and the use of puppetry." "Well,",5890,5901,True,325:the ancestor.M,""" Yeah, help, and like, now, because otherwise..."""" Help!"" repeated the old man as if he'd been asked for a lightly grilled stoat in a bun with French fries. He stood amazed."" You go swanning your way round the Galaxy with your..."" the ancestor waved a contemptuous hand,"" with your disreputable friends, too busy to put flowers on my grave, plastic ones would have done, would have been quite appropriate from you, but no. Too busy. Too modern. Too sceptical- till you suddenly find yourself in a bit of a fix and come over suddenly all astrally- minded!"" He shook his head- carefully, so as not to disturb the slumber of the other one, which was already becoming restive."" Well, I don't know, young Zaphod,"" he continued,"" I think I'll have to think about this one."""" One minute ten,"" said Ford hollowly. Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth peered at him curiously."" Why does that man keep talking in numbers?"" he said."" Those numbers,"" said Zaphod tersely,"" are the time we've got left to live."""" Oh,"" said his great grandfather. He grunted to himself."" Doesn't apply to me, of course,"" he said and moved off to a dimmer recess of the bridge in search of something else to poke around at. Zaphod felt he was teetering on the edge of madness and wondered if he shouldn't just jump over and have done with it."" Great Grandfather,"" he said,",the ancestor,"Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor",""" Yeah, help, and like, now, because otherwise..."""" Help!"" repeated the old man as if he'd been asked for a lightly grilled stoat in a bun with French fries. He stood amazed."" You go swanning your way round the Galaxy with your..."" the ancestor waved a contemptuous hand,"" with your disreputable friends, too busy to put flowers on my grave, plastic ones would have done, would have been quite appropriate from you, but no. Too busy. Too modern. Too sceptical- till you suddenly find yourself in a bit of a fix and come over suddenly all astrally- minded!"" He shook his head- carefully, so as not to disturb the slumber of the other one, which was already becoming restive."" Well, I don't know, young Zaphod,"" he continued,"" I think I'll have to think about this one."""" One minute ten,"" said Ford hollowly. Zaphod Beeblebrox the Fourth peered at him curiously."" Why does that man keep talking in numbers?"" he said."" Those numbers,"" said Zaphod tersely,"" are the time we've got left to live."""" Oh,"" said his great grandfather. He grunted to himself."" Doesn't apply to me, of course,"" he said and moved off to a dimmer recess of the bridge in search of something else to poke around at. Zaphod felt he was teetering on the edge of madness and wondered if he shouldn't just jump over and have done with it."" Great Grandfather,"" he said,:Previous Entities: |Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor| ::: Well, ",Zaphod. "“The post office,",51688,51721,True,324:Dervish.?,"his empty teacup. The empty goblet was still smoking.“There you go,” said Ron.“We got as much as we could carry.” A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry’s lap. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink- faced from the cold wind and looking as though they’d had the time of their lives. 157 CHAPTER EIGHT“Thanks,” said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps.“What’s Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?” By the sound of it— everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko’s Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides.“The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color- coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!”“Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there’s a bit, look—”“We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks—”“Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up—”“What did you do?” said Hermione, looking anxious.“Did you get any work done?”“No,” said Harry.“Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in....” He told them all about the goblet. Ron’s mouth fell open.“Lupin drank it?” he gasped.“Is he mad?” Hermione checked her watch.“We’d better",Dervish,"The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish","his empty teacup. The empty goblet was still smoking.“There you go,” said Ron.“We got as much as we could carry.” A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry’s lap. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink- faced from the cold wind and looking as though they’d had the time of their lives. 157 CHAPTER EIGHT“Thanks,” said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps.“What’s Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?” By the sound of it— everywhere. Dervish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko’s Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides.“The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color- coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!”“Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there’s a bit, look—”“We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks—”“Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up—”“What did you do?” said Hermione, looking anxious.“Did you get any work done?”“No,” said Harry.“Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in....” He told them all about the goblet. Ron’s mouth fell open.“Lupin drank it?” he gasped.“Is he mad?” Hermione checked her watch.“We’d better:Previous Entities: |The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish| ::: “The post office, ",Ron.M ' Don't you find that doing the crossword in the Derry News is sort of like striking out the pitcher in a baseball game?',27494,27520,True,1831:an old man that I knew but could n't quite place.M,"' Could I share your booth, Mr. Noonan? It's pretty crowded in here today.' I looked up and saw an old man that I knew but couldn't quite place.' Ralph Roberts,' he said.' I volunteer down at the Red Cross. Me and my wife, Lois.'' Oh, okay, sure,' I said. I give blood at the Red Cross every six weeks or so. Ralph Roberts was one of the old parties who passed out juice and cookies afterward, telling you not to get up or make any sudden movements if you felt woozy.' Please, sit down.' He looked at my paper, folded open to the crossword and lying in a patch of sun, as he slid into the booth.' Don't you find that doing the crossword in the Derry News is sort of like striking out the pitcher in a baseball game?' he asked. I laughed and nodded.' I do it for the same reason folks climb Mount Everest, Mr. Roberts... because it's there. Only with the News crossword, no one ever falls off.'' Call me Ralph. Please.'' Okay. And I'm Mike.'' Good.' He grinned, revealing teeth that were crooked and a little yellow, but all his own.' I like getting to the first names. It's like being able to take off your tie. Was quite a little cap of wind we had, wasn't it?'' Yes,' I said,' but it's warming up nicely now.' The thermometer had made one of its nimble March leaps, climbing from twenty-",an old man that I knew but could n't quite place,"the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place","' Could I share your booth, Mr. Noonan? It's pretty crowded in here today.' I looked up and saw an old man that I knew but couldn't quite place.' Ralph Roberts,' he said.' I volunteer down at the Red Cross. Me and my wife, Lois.'' Oh, okay, sure,' I said. I give blood at the Red Cross every six weeks or so. Ralph Roberts was one of the old parties who passed out juice and cookies afterward, telling you not to get up or make any sudden movements if you felt woozy.' Please, sit down.' He looked at my paper, folded open to the crossword and lying in a patch of sun, as he slid into the booth.' Don't you find that doing the crossword in the Derry News is sort of like striking out the pitcher in a baseball game?' he asked. I laughed and nodded.' I do it for the same reason folks climb Mount Everest, Mr. Roberts... because it's there. Only with the News crossword, no one ever falls off.'' Call me Ralph. Please.'' Okay. And I'm Mike.'' Good.' He grinned, revealing teeth that were crooked and a little yellow, but all his own.' I like getting to the first names. It's like being able to take off your tie. Was quite a little cap of wind we had, wasn't it?'' Yes,' I said,' but it's warming up nicely now.' The thermometer had made one of its nimble March leaps, climbing from twenty-:Previous Entities: |the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place| ::: ' Don't you find that doing the crossword in the Derry News is sort of like striking out the pitcher in a baseball game?' ",Ralph. "God’s blood,",9962,9980,True,231:Levasseur.?,"failed to pay his debts, or to divide spoils equally. On a privateering raid, any man who tried to conceal a part of the general booty was always put to death. Hunter himself had shot more than one thieving seaman through the heart and kicked the corpse overboard without a second thought.“You cheated me at cards,” Levasseur said.“You were too drunk to know the difference.”“You cheated me. You took fifty pounds. I want it back.” Hunter looked around the room. There were no witnesses, which was unfortunate. He did not want to kill Levasseur without witnesses. He had too many enemies.“How did I cheat you at cards?” he asked. As he spoke, he moved slightly closer to Levasseur.“How? Who cares a damn for how? God’s blood, you cheated me.” Levasseur raised the tankard to his lips. Hunter chose that moment to lunge. He pushed his palm flat against the upturned tankard, ramming it back against Levasseur’s face, which thudded against the back wall. Levasseur gurgled and collapsed, blood dripping from his mouth. Hunter grabbed the tankard and crashed it down on Levasseur’s skull. The Frenchman lay unconscious. Hunter shook his hand free of the wine on his fingers, turned, and walked out of Mrs. Denby’s Inn. He stepped ankle- deep into the mud of the street, but paid no attention. He was thinking of Levasseur’s drunkenness. It was sloppy of him to be so drunk while waiting for someone. It was time for another raid, Hunter thought. They were all getting soft. He himself had",Levasseur,"the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur","failed to pay his debts, or to divide spoils equally. On a privateering raid, any man who tried to conceal a part of the general booty was always put to death. Hunter himself had shot more than one thieving seaman through the heart and kicked the corpse overboard without a second thought.“You cheated me at cards,” Levasseur said.“You were too drunk to know the difference.”“You cheated me. You took fifty pounds. I want it back.” Hunter looked around the room. There were no witnesses, which was unfortunate. He did not want to kill Levasseur without witnesses. He had too many enemies.“How did I cheat you at cards?” he asked. As he spoke, he moved slightly closer to Levasseur.“How? Who cares a damn for how? God’s blood, you cheated me.” Levasseur raised the tankard to his lips. Hunter chose that moment to lunge. He pushed his palm flat against the upturned tankard, ramming it back against Levasseur’s face, which thudded against the back wall. Levasseur gurgled and collapsed, blood dripping from his mouth. Hunter grabbed the tankard and crashed it down on Levasseur’s skull. The Frenchman lay unconscious. Hunter shook his hand free of the wine on his fingers, turned, and walked out of Mrs. Denby’s Inn. He stepped ankle- deep into the mud of the street, but paid no attention. He was thinking of Levasseur’s drunkenness. It was sloppy of him to be so drunk while waiting for someone. It was time for another raid, Hunter thought. They were all getting soft. He himself had:Previous Entities: |the operator, Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur| ::: God’s blood, ",Hunter.M “Because of all the pollution…”,74727,74734,True,697:Sanger.?,"natural world had gone badly wrong. Everything that mankind was doing on the planet had upset the delicate balance of nature. The pollution, the rampant industrialization, the loss of habitat— when animals were squeezed and cornered, they behaved viciously, in a desperate effort to survive. That was the explanation for the ghastly attack he had witnessed. The natural world was in collapse. He mentioned this to the very handsome naturalist Ramon Valdez, who had accompanied him. Valdez shook his head.“No, Señor Sanger, this is always the way it has been since my father and grandfather, and grandfather before. They always spoke of the jaguar attacks in the night. It is part of the cycle of life.”“But there are more attacks now,” Sanger said.“Because of all the pollution…”“No, señor. There is no change. Every month, the jaguars take two to four turtles. We have records going back many years.”“The violence we see here is not normal.” A short distance away, the jaguar was still eating the mother. Bones still crunching.“But it is normal,” Ramon Valdez said.“It is the way things are.” Sanger did not want to talk about it anymore. Clearly, Valdez was an apologist for the industrialists and polluters, the big American companies that dominated Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. Not surprising to find such a person here, since the CIA had controlled Costa Rica for decades. This wasn’t a country; it was a subsidiary of American business interests. And American",Sanger,"Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger","natural world had gone badly wrong. Everything that mankind was doing on the planet had upset the delicate balance of nature. The pollution, the rampant industrialization, the loss of habitat— when animals were squeezed and cornered, they behaved viciously, in a desperate effort to survive. That was the explanation for the ghastly attack he had witnessed. The natural world was in collapse. He mentioned this to the very handsome naturalist Ramon Valdez, who had accompanied him. Valdez shook his head.“No, Señor Sanger, this is always the way it has been since my father and grandfather, and grandfather before. They always spoke of the jaguar attacks in the night. It is part of the cycle of life.”“But there are more attacks now,” Sanger said.“Because of all the pollution…”“No, señor. There is no change. Every month, the jaguars take two to four turtles. We have records going back many years.”“The violence we see here is not normal.” A short distance away, the jaguar was still eating the mother. Bones still crunching.“But it is normal,” Ramon Valdez said.“It is the way things are.” Sanger did not want to talk about it anymore. Clearly, Valdez was an apologist for the industrialists and polluters, the big American companies that dominated Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. Not surprising to find such a person here, since the CIA had controlled Costa Rica for decades. This wasn’t a country; it was a subsidiary of American business interests. And American:Previous Entities: |Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist, the Citibank guy, An Asian girl, Marliee Hunter, Congressman Henry Waters, The older lawyer, The older attorney, the team leader, One of the scientists, the scientists, Yoshi, Maria Gonzales, Tracy, Ramon Valdez, Sanger| ::: “Because of all the pollution…” ",Ramon Valdez.M "With all the radiation in that carriage,",37134,37183,True,270:Aymon.M,"to the squad's junior member.' Idiot,' he snapped, administering a swift slap to the head.' That thing is radioactive, can't you smell it? One stray burst and we'll all be ash floating on the breeze.'' Good point,' admitted Nyle.' You're not as stupid as you look.'' Thank you.'' Welcome.' Aymon throttled down, descending to a hundred and fifty metres. It was so tempting. One tightly focused burst to take out the elf clinging to the carriage, another to dispatch the human on the roof. But he couldn't risk it. One degree off target and he'd sucked his last stink- worm spaghetti.' OK,' he announced into his helmet mike.' Here's the plan. With all the radiation in that carriage, chances are the targets will be dead in minutes. We follow the train for a while just to make sure. Then we go back and tell the general we saw the bodies.' D'Nall buzzed down beside him.' And do we see the bodies?' Aymon groaned.' Of course not, you fool! Do you want your eyeballs to dry up and fall out?'' Duh;' Exactly. So are we clear?'' Crystal,' said Nyle, drawing his Softnose Redboy handgun. He shot his comrades from behind. Close range, point blank. They never had a chance. He followed their bodies to Earth on full magnification. The snow would cover them in minutes. Nobody would be stumbling over those particular corpses until the polar caps melted. Nyle bolstered his weapon, punching in the coordinates for the shuttle terminal on his flight computer. If you studied his reptilian face carefully, it was just possible to make out a grin",Aymon,"Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle","to the squad's junior member.' Idiot,' he snapped, administering a swift slap to the head.' That thing is radioactive, can't you smell it? One stray burst and we'll all be ash floating on the breeze.'' Good point,' admitted Nyle.' You're not as stupid as you look.'' Thank you.'' Welcome.' Aymon throttled down, descending to a hundred and fifty metres. It was so tempting. One tightly focused burst to take out the elf clinging to the carriage, another to dispatch the human on the roof. But he couldn't risk it. One degree off target and he'd sucked his last stink- worm spaghetti.' OK,' he announced into his helmet mike.' Here's the plan. With all the radiation in that carriage, chances are the targets will be dead in minutes. We follow the train for a while just to make sure. Then we go back and tell the general we saw the bodies.' D'Nall buzzed down beside him.' And do we see the bodies?' Aymon groaned.' Of course not, you fool! Do you want your eyeballs to dry up and fall out?'' Duh;' Exactly. So are we clear?'' Crystal,' said Nyle, drawing his Softnose Redboy handgun. He shot his comrades from behind. Close range, point blank. They never had a chance. He followed their bodies to Earth on full magnification. The snow would cover them in minutes. Nobody would be stumbling over those particular corpses until the polar caps melted. Nyle bolstered his weapon, punching in the coordinates for the shuttle terminal on his flight computer. If you studied his reptilian face carefully, it was just possible to make out a grin:Previous Entities: |Ramon Valdez, Sanger, the aide to Senator Wilson, Marco Svabo, Charlton, the security temp, Richard, A young boy in the back, a kid to the left, Georgia, Zanger, Beverly, The woman standing in the doorway, the policewoman, Officer Lowry, Feinstein, Jeff, A pimply , gangly kid, Hensley, the cowboys, Wexler, Erickson, one of Henry ’s graduate students from France, Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle| ::: With all the radiation in that carriage, ","Aymon.M D'Nall.M Nyle.M" "“My name is Twoflower,”",7331,7337,True,621:The visitor.?,"so much about them, you know. All these quaint old beams. And so reasonable, too.” Rincewind glanced around quickly, in case some leakage of enchantment from the Magician’s Quarter across the river had momentarily transported them to some other place. No— this was still the interior of the Drum, its walls stained with smoke, its floor a compost of old rushes and nameless beetles, its sour beer not so much purchased as merely hired for a while. He tried to fit the image around the word“quaint,” or rather the nearest Trob equivalent, which was“that pleasant oddity of design found in the little coral houses of the sponge- eating pigmies on the Orohai peninsular.” His mind reeled back from the effort. The visitor went on,“My name is Twoflower,” and extended his hand. Instinctively, the other three looked down to see if there was a coin in it.“Pleased to meet you,” said Rincewind.“I’m Rincewind. Look, I wasn’t joking. This is a tough place.”“Good! Exactly what I wanted!”“Eh?”“What is this stuff in the mugs?”“This? Beer. Thanks, Broadman. Yes. Beer. You know. Beer.”“Ah. The so- typical drink. A small gold piece will be sufficient payment, do you think? I do not want to cause offense.” It was already half out of his purse.“Yarrt,” croaked Rincewind.“I mean, no, it won’t cause",The visitor,"Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor","so much about them, you know. All these quaint old beams. And so reasonable, too.” Rincewind glanced around quickly, in case some leakage of enchantment from the Magician’s Quarter across the river had momentarily transported them to some other place. No— this was still the interior of the Drum, its walls stained with smoke, its floor a compost of old rushes and nameless beetles, its sour beer not so much purchased as merely hired for a while. He tried to fit the image around the word“quaint,” or rather the nearest Trob equivalent, which was“that pleasant oddity of design found in the little coral houses of the sponge- eating pigmies on the Orohai peninsular.” His mind reeled back from the effort. The visitor went on,“My name is Twoflower,” and extended his hand. Instinctively, the other three looked down to see if there was a coin in it.“Pleased to meet you,” said Rincewind.“I’m Rincewind. Look, I wasn’t joking. This is a tough place.”“Good! Exactly what I wanted!”“Eh?”“What is this stuff in the mugs?”“This? Beer. Thanks, Broadman. Yes. Beer. You know. Beer.”“Ah. The so- typical drink. A small gold piece will be sufficient payment, do you think? I do not want to cause offense.” It was already half out of his purse.“Yarrt,” croaked Rincewind.“I mean, no, it won’t cause:Previous Entities: |Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor| ::: “My name is Twoflower,” ",Twoflower.? “Merry— hic— Christmas!,75941,75950,True,282:Sir Cadogan.M,"much difference,” said Professor McGonagall coldly,“unless a mad axe- man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall.” Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted.“Coming?” Harry said to Hermione.“No,” Hermione muttered,“I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall.”“Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes,” yawned Ron as they made their way into the entrance hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe- men. When they reached the portrait hole, they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas party with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts, and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor and toasted them with a flagon of mead.“Merry— hic— Christmas! Password?”“Scurvy cur,” said Ron. 230 THE FIREBOLT“And the same to you, sir!” roared Sir Cadogan as the painting swung forward to admit them. Harry went straight up to the dormitory, collected the Firebolt and the Broomstick Servicing Kit Hermione had given him for his birthday, brought them downstairs, and tried to find something to do to the Firebolt; however, there were no bent twigs to clip, and the handle was so shiny already it seemed pointless to polish it. He and Ron simply sat admiring it from every angle until the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. Though Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, Harry had seen her in the common room only once before, and that had been to make a",Sir Cadogan,"Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class","much difference,” said Professor McGonagall coldly,“unless a mad axe- man is waiting outside the doors to slaughter the first into the entrance hall.” Even Ron laughed. Professor Trelawney looked highly affronted.“Coming?” Harry said to Hermione.“No,” Hermione muttered,“I want a quick word with Professor McGonagall.”“Probably trying to see if she can take any more classes,” yawned Ron as they made their way into the entrance hall, which was completely devoid of mad axe- men. When they reached the portrait hole, they found Sir Cadogan enjoying a Christmas party with a couple of monks, several previous headmasters of Hogwarts, and his fat pony. He pushed up his visor and toasted them with a flagon of mead.“Merry— hic— Christmas! Password?”“Scurvy cur,” said Ron. 230 THE FIREBOLT“And the same to you, sir!” roared Sir Cadogan as the painting swung forward to admit them. Harry went straight up to the dormitory, collected the Firebolt and the Broomstick Servicing Kit Hermione had given him for his birthday, brought them downstairs, and tried to find something to do to the Firebolt; however, there were no bent twigs to clip, and the handle was so shiny already it seemed pointless to polish it. He and Ron simply sat admiring it from every angle until the portrait hole opened, and Hermione came in, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. Though Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, Harry had seen her in the common room only once before, and that had been to make a:Previous Entities: |Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class| ::: “Merry— hic— Christmas! ",Sir Cadogan.M ’ Reyna realized.,14619,14622,True,1206:The satyr.?,"front of her, a bronze faun stood in the middle of a sunken fountain decorated with mosaic tile. Crepe myrtles and rosebushes bloomed in a nearby garden. Palm trees and pines stretched skyward. Cobblestone paths led from the courtyard in several directions– straight, level roads of good Roman construction, edging low stone houses with colonnaded porches. Reyna turned. Behind her, the Athena Parthenos stood intact and upright, dominating the courtyard like a ridiculously oversized lawn ornament. The little bronze faun in the fountain had both his arms raised, facing Athena, so he seemed to be cowering in fear of the new arrival. On the horizon, Mount Vesuvius loomed– a dark, humpbacked shape now several miles away. Thick pillars of steam curled from the crest.‘ We’re in Pompeii,’ Reyna realized.‘ Oh, that’s not good,’ Nico said, and he immediately collapsed.‘ Whoa!’ Coach Hedge caught him before he hit the ground. The satyr propped him against Athena’s feet and loosened the harness that attached Nico to the statue. Reyna’s own knees buckled. She’d expected some backlash; it happened every time she shared her strength. But she hadn’t anticipated so much raw anguish from Nico di Angelo. She sat down heavily, just managing to stay conscious. Gods of Rome. If this was only a portion of Nico’s pain… how could he bear it? She tried to steady her breathing while Coach Hedge rummaged through his camping supplies. Around Nico’s boots, the stones cracked. Dark seams radiated outwards like a shotgun blast of",The satyr,"The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr","front of her, a bronze faun stood in the middle of a sunken fountain decorated with mosaic tile. Crepe myrtles and rosebushes bloomed in a nearby garden. Palm trees and pines stretched skyward. Cobblestone paths led from the courtyard in several directions– straight, level roads of good Roman construction, edging low stone houses with colonnaded porches. Reyna turned. Behind her, the Athena Parthenos stood intact and upright, dominating the courtyard like a ridiculously oversized lawn ornament. The little bronze faun in the fountain had both his arms raised, facing Athena, so he seemed to be cowering in fear of the new arrival. On the horizon, Mount Vesuvius loomed– a dark, humpbacked shape now several miles away. Thick pillars of steam curled from the crest.‘ We’re in Pompeii,’ Reyna realized.‘ Oh, that’s not good,’ Nico said, and he immediately collapsed.‘ Whoa!’ Coach Hedge caught him before he hit the ground. The satyr propped him against Athena’s feet and loosened the harness that attached Nico to the statue. Reyna’s own knees buckled. She’d expected some backlash; it happened every time she shared her strength. But she hadn’t anticipated so much raw anguish from Nico di Angelo. She sat down heavily, just managing to stay conscious. Gods of Rome. If this was only a portion of Nico’s pain… how could he bear it? She tried to steady her breathing while Coach Hedge rummaged through his camping supplies. Around Nico’s boots, the stones cracked. Dark seams radiated outwards like a shotgun blast of:Previous Entities: |The trainee guard, A slightly different Feegle voice, the coachman, Mr Carpetlayer, the dwarf who was in charge of the clanging , echoing workshop, the first dwarf, Captain Carrot, Captain Angua, a tall and skinny watchman , who touched his helmet politely to Mrs Proust, the young Baron, the same voice behind her, an old person looking so young, The warden, the warder, Derek, Pastor Egg, miss, The ghoul, Eurymachus, Beryl Grace, Juno, Gleeson Hedge, The satyr| ::: ’ Reyna realized. ",Reyna.F how even at night the comet makes this color?”,61736,61754,True,1325:the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three.?,"Plonk’s blind nest- maid snake TRADER MAGS: Magpie, a traveling merchant OTULISSA: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, a student of prestigious lineage at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree PRIMROSE: Pygmy Owl, Glaucidium gnoma, rescued from a forest fire and brought to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree the night of Soren and his friends’ arrival MARTIN: Northern Saw- whet Owl, Aegolius acadicus, rescued and brought to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree the same night as Primrose RUBY: Short- eared Owl, Asio flammeus; lost her family under mysterious circumstances and was brought to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three: The Rescue The dawn bled into night, faying the darkness, turning the black red, and Soren, with Digger by his side, flew through it.“Strange isn’t it, Soren, how even at night the comet makes this color?”“I know. And look at those sparks from the tail just below the moon. Great Glaux, even the moon is beginning to look red.” Digger’s voice was quavery with worry.“I told you about Octavia. How she thinks it’s an omen, or at least I think she thinks it is, even though she won’t really admit it.”“Why won’t she admit it?” Digger asked.“I think she’s sensitive about coming from the great North Waters. She says everyone there is very superstitious, but I don’t know, I guess she just thinks the owls here will laugh at her or something. I’m not sure.” Suddenly, Soren was experiencing a tight, uncomfortable feeling as he flew. He had",the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three,"a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three","Plonk’s blind nest- maid snake TRADER MAGS: Magpie, a traveling merchant OTULISSA: Spotted Owl, Strix occidentalis, a student of prestigious lineage at the Great Ga’Hoole Tree PRIMROSE: Pygmy Owl, Glaucidium gnoma, rescued from a forest fire and brought to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree the night of Soren and his friends’ arrival MARTIN: Northern Saw- whet Owl, Aegolius acadicus, rescued and brought to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree the same night as Primrose RUBY: Short- eared Owl, Asio flammeus; lost her family under mysterious circumstances and was brought to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three: The Rescue The dawn bled into night, faying the darkness, turning the black red, and Soren, with Digger by his side, flew through it.“Strange isn’t it, Soren, how even at night the comet makes this color?”“I know. And look at those sparks from the tail just below the moon. Great Glaux, even the moon is beginning to look red.” Digger’s voice was quavery with worry.“I told you about Octavia. How she thinks it’s an omen, or at least I think she thinks it is, even though she won’t really admit it.”“Why won’t she admit it?” Digger asked.“I think she’s sensitive about coming from the great North Waters. She says everyone there is very superstitious, but I don’t know, I guess she just thinks the owls here will laugh at her or something. I’m not sure.” Suddenly, Soren was experiencing a tight, uncomfortable feeling as he flew. He had:Previous Entities: |a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three| ::: how even at night the comet makes this color?” ",Soren.M Her father picked her up last night.’,73046,73070,True,1790:the Patil twins.?,"overheard talking about the Death Eaters’ secret plans in a pub.’ She looked up with a troubled expression on her face.‘ If he was under the Imperius Curse, he’d hardly stand around gossiping about their plans, would he?’‘ It sounds like he was trying to make out he knew more than he did,’ said Ron.‘ Isn’t he the one who claimed he was going to become Minister for Magic when he was trying to chat up those Veela?’‘ Yeah, that’s him,’ said Harry.‘ I dunno what they’re playing at, taking Stan seriously.’‘ They probably want to look as though they’re doing something,’ said Hermione, frowning.‘ People are terrified– you know the Patil twins’ parents want them to go home? And Eloise Midgeon has already been withdrawn. Her father picked her up last night.’‘ What!’ said Ron, goggling at Hermione.‘ But Hogwarts is safer than their homes, bound to be! We’ve got Aurors, and all those extra protective spells, and we’ve got Dumbledore!’‘ I don’t think we’ve got him all the time,’ said Hermione very quietly, glancing towards the staff table over the top of the Prophet.‘ Haven’t you noticed? His seat’s been empty as often as Hagrid’s this past week.’ Harry and Ron looked up at the staff table. The Headmaster’s chair was indeed empty. Now Harry came to think of it, he had not seen Dumbledore since their private lesson a week ago.‘ I think he’s left the school to do something with the Order,’",the Patil twins,"the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins","overheard talking about the Death Eaters’ secret plans in a pub.’ She looked up with a troubled expression on her face.‘ If he was under the Imperius Curse, he’d hardly stand around gossiping about their plans, would he?’‘ It sounds like he was trying to make out he knew more than he did,’ said Ron.‘ Isn’t he the one who claimed he was going to become Minister for Magic when he was trying to chat up those Veela?’‘ Yeah, that’s him,’ said Harry.‘ I dunno what they’re playing at, taking Stan seriously.’‘ They probably want to look as though they’re doing something,’ said Hermione, frowning.‘ People are terrified– you know the Patil twins’ parents want them to go home? And Eloise Midgeon has already been withdrawn. Her father picked her up last night.’‘ What!’ said Ron, goggling at Hermione.‘ But Hogwarts is safer than their homes, bound to be! We’ve got Aurors, and all those extra protective spells, and we’ve got Dumbledore!’‘ I don’t think we’ve got him all the time,’ said Hermione very quietly, glancing towards the staff table over the top of the Prophet.‘ Haven’t you noticed? His seat’s been empty as often as Hagrid’s this past week.’ Harry and Ron looked up at the staff table. The Headmaster’s chair was indeed empty. Now Harry came to think of it, he had not seen Dumbledore since their private lesson a week ago.‘ I think he’s left the school to do something with the Order,’:Previous Entities: |the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some, an old man, a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin, Borgin, Romilda Vane, Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins| ::: Her father picked her up last night.’ ",Hermione.F "“You can take him now,",250542,250559,True,173:Koschei.M,"rush in for the kill, brute that you are.” They could make out nothing of him beyond the shadows of his form. Even Azriel’s own shadows kept tucked behind his wings. Koschei laughed, and Azriel stiffened. Like his shadows had murmured a warning. His Siphons flared again.“Run,” Az breathed, and the pure terror on his brother’s face had Cassian spreading his wings, readying to launch— But his wings halted. His entire body halted. Azriel grabbed Eris and shot into the skies, the Made dagger with them. They had to get it far from Koschei. Yet Cassian could not move. Cassian’s Siphons glowed like fresh blood, then sputtered out. Azriel shouted his name from high above. Koschei drifted closer to the shore.“You can take him now, Briallyn. You have plenty of time before dawn.” A small, hunched figure emerged from behind the trees. A crone. A golden crown sat upon her head, right above her arched ears. Hate burned in her eyes. Koschei said,“Tell my Vassa I’m waiting.” His shadows swirled. Azriel soared back toward the ground, his Siphons creating a blue orb of power encircling him, but Briallyn had already reached Cassian.“I have need of you, Lord of Bastards,” the ancient- looking queen seethed. Cassian could say nothing. Couldn’t move. The Crown glowed like molten iron. Briallyn ordered Koschei,“Winnow us.” The death- lord pointed a long- fingered hand at Briallyn and Cassian. Flicked his fingers once. And the world vanished, spinning into blackness and wind.",Koschei,"the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick","rush in for the kill, brute that you are.” They could make out nothing of him beyond the shadows of his form. Even Azriel’s own shadows kept tucked behind his wings. Koschei laughed, and Azriel stiffened. Like his shadows had murmured a warning. His Siphons flared again.“Run,” Az breathed, and the pure terror on his brother’s face had Cassian spreading his wings, readying to launch— But his wings halted. His entire body halted. Azriel grabbed Eris and shot into the skies, the Made dagger with them. They had to get it far from Koschei. Yet Cassian could not move. Cassian’s Siphons glowed like fresh blood, then sputtered out. Azriel shouted his name from high above. Koschei drifted closer to the shore.“You can take him now, Briallyn. You have plenty of time before dawn.” A small, hunched figure emerged from behind the trees. A crone. A golden crown sat upon her head, right above her arched ears. Hate burned in her eyes. Koschei said,“Tell my Vassa I’m waiting.” His shadows swirled. Azriel soared back toward the ground, his Siphons creating a blue orb of power encircling him, but Briallyn had already reached Cassian.“I have need of you, Lord of Bastards,” the ancient- looking queen seethed. Cassian could say nothing. Couldn’t move. The Crown glowed like molten iron. Briallyn ordered Koschei,“Winnow us.” The death- lord pointed a long- fingered hand at Briallyn and Cassian. Flicked his fingers once. And the world vanished, spinning into blackness and wind.:Previous Entities: |the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick| ::: “You can take him now, ","Azriel.M Koschei.M Cassian.M Briallyn.F Eris.M" “Carrier fix.,4569,4577,True,797:One of the technicians.?,"Everything in the CCR was recorded, not only incoming data but room voice responses, so the exact conversation on the night of June 13, 1979, is known. One of the technicians said to her,“We’ll have the transponders hooked in in a minute. You want coffee?”“No,” Ross said.“You want to be out there, right?”“I earned it,” she said. She stared at the video screens, at the bewildering display of rotating and shifting forms as the technicians began the litany of locking in the bird bounce, a transmission from a satellite in orbit, 720 miles over their heads.“Signal key.”“Signal key. Password mark.”“Password mark.”“Carrier fix.”“Carrier fix. We’re rolling.” She paid hardly any attention to the familiar phrases. She watched as the screens displayed gray fields of crackling static.“Did we open or did they open?” she asked.“We initiated,” a technician said.“We had it down on the call sheet to check them at dawn local time. So when they didn’t initiate, we did.”“I wonder why they didn’t initiate,” Ross said.“Is something wrong?”“I don’t think so. We put out the initiation trigger and they picked it up and locked in within fifteen seconds, all the appropriate codes. Ah, here we go.” At 6:22 A.M. Congo time, the transmission came through: there was a final blur of gray static and then the",One of the technicians,"one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians","Everything in the CCR was recorded, not only incoming data but room voice responses, so the exact conversation on the night of June 13, 1979, is known. One of the technicians said to her,“We’ll have the transponders hooked in in a minute. You want coffee?”“No,” Ross said.“You want to be out there, right?”“I earned it,” she said. She stared at the video screens, at the bewildering display of rotating and shifting forms as the technicians began the litany of locking in the bird bounce, a transmission from a satellite in orbit, 720 miles over their heads.“Signal key.”“Signal key. Password mark.”“Password mark.”“Carrier fix.”“Carrier fix. We’re rolling.” She paid hardly any attention to the familiar phrases. She watched as the screens displayed gray fields of crackling static.“Did we open or did they open?” she asked.“We initiated,” a technician said.“We had it down on the call sheet to check them at dawn local time. So when they didn’t initiate, we did.”“I wonder why they didn’t initiate,” Ross said.“Is something wrong?”“I don’t think so. We put out the initiation trigger and they picked it up and locked in within fifteen seconds, all the appropriate codes. Ah, here we go.” At 6:22 A.M. Congo time, the transmission came through: there was a final blur of gray static and then the:Previous Entities: |one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians| ::: “Carrier fix. ",Technician.M this is serious.,156377,156396,True,453:Siddy.M,"surprise?'' A big one,' I said.' Daddy was a lobsterman—'' Bite your tongue, he was an artist—' a seacoast primitive.' Ma still calls him that.' Siddy wasn't quite laughing.' Shit, he sold lobster- pot coffee- tables and lawn- puffins to the tourists when he got too rheumatic to go out on the bay and haul traps.'' I know that, but Ma's got her marriage edited like a movie for television.' How true. Our own version of Blanche Du Bois.' Dad was a lobster- man in Prout's Neck. He—' Siddy interrupted, singing the first verse of' Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' in a horrible off key tenor.' Come on, this is serious. He had his first boat from his father, right?'' That's the story,' Sid agreed.' Jack Noonan's Lazy Betty, original owner Paul Noonan. Also of Prout's. Boat took a hell of a pasting in Hurricane Donna, back in 1960. I think it was Donna.' Two years after I was born.' And Daddy put it up for sale in' 63.'' Yep. I don't know whatever became of it, but it was Grampy Paul's to begin with, all right. Do you remember all the lobster stew we ate when we were kids, Mikey?'' Seacoast meatloaf,' I said, hardly thinking about it. Like most kids raised on the coast of Maine, I can't imagine ordering lobster in a restaurant— that's for flatlanders. I",Siddy,"his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy","surprise?'' A big one,' I said.' Daddy was a lobsterman—'' Bite your tongue, he was an artist—' a seacoast primitive.' Ma still calls him that.' Siddy wasn't quite laughing.' Shit, he sold lobster- pot coffee- tables and lawn- puffins to the tourists when he got too rheumatic to go out on the bay and haul traps.'' I know that, but Ma's got her marriage edited like a movie for television.' How true. Our own version of Blanche Du Bois.' Dad was a lobster- man in Prout's Neck. He—' Siddy interrupted, singing the first verse of' Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' in a horrible off key tenor.' Come on, this is serious. He had his first boat from his father, right?'' That's the story,' Sid agreed.' Jack Noonan's Lazy Betty, original owner Paul Noonan. Also of Prout's. Boat took a hell of a pasting in Hurricane Donna, back in 1960. I think it was Donna.' Two years after I was born.' And Daddy put it up for sale in' 63.'' Yep. I don't know whatever became of it, but it was Grampy Paul's to begin with, all right. Do you remember all the lobster stew we ate when we were kids, Mikey?'' Seacoast meatloaf,' I said, hardly thinking about it. Like most kids raised on the coast of Maine, I can't imagine ordering lobster in a restaurant— that's for flatlanders. I:Previous Entities: |his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy| ::: this is serious. ",Siddy.M "and his brother,",24941,24984,True,259:Uklah.F,"than a year ago, did I go yeep? It was the magic of higher magnetics.”“No, it wasn’t magic,” Otulissa replied.“It was science. Magic and science aren’t the same thing. I don’t know anything about magic. Higher magnetics is science.”“Tell us about it,” Spoorn urged.“What makes us feel strange when we are in our battle claws around flecks? Where do flecks get their power?” Otulissa was debating with herself just how much she should tell them. This was different from giving them information about the Northern Kingdoms. They could do real damage with what they might find out about flecks. Uklah stepped forward.“There was a terrible battle in the woods,” she said,“between the High Tyto, Kludd, and his brother, and owls from the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Those owls did something to the bags of flecks that destroyed their power. What was it? We need to know.” That was when it clicked in Otulissa’s mind. Owls like this did not need to know. They needed to be kept ignorant. She would feed them false information— just for a little while, just long enough so she could gain their confidence and the Chaw of Chaws could escape. As far as Otulissa was concerned, their mission was accomplished. They had found out what they had come to learn. There were infiltrators. A few, like Uklah, were double agents, actually working for St. Aggie’s. The rulers of St. Aggie’s didn’t know much about flecks. The Pure Ones were planning to take over St. Aggie’s but because of the double agents, they might be thwarted. It was time to get out. But first Otulissa wanted to know something",Uklah,"yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah","than a year ago, did I go yeep? It was the magic of higher magnetics.”“No, it wasn’t magic,” Otulissa replied.“It was science. Magic and science aren’t the same thing. I don’t know anything about magic. Higher magnetics is science.”“Tell us about it,” Spoorn urged.“What makes us feel strange when we are in our battle claws around flecks? Where do flecks get their power?” Otulissa was debating with herself just how much she should tell them. This was different from giving them information about the Northern Kingdoms. They could do real damage with what they might find out about flecks. Uklah stepped forward.“There was a terrible battle in the woods,” she said,“between the High Tyto, Kludd, and his brother, and owls from the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. Those owls did something to the bags of flecks that destroyed their power. What was it? We need to know.” That was when it clicked in Otulissa’s mind. Owls like this did not need to know. They needed to be kept ignorant. She would feed them false information— just for a little while, just long enough so she could gain their confidence and the Chaw of Chaws could escape. As far as Otulissa was concerned, their mission was accomplished. They had found out what they had come to learn. There were infiltrators. A few, like Uklah, were double agents, actually working for St. Aggie’s. The rulers of St. Aggie’s didn’t know much about flecks. The Pure Ones were planning to take over St. Aggie’s but because of the double agents, they might be thwarted. It was time to get out. But first Otulissa wanted to know something:Previous Entities: |yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah| ::: and his brother, ",Uklah.F "The named recipients are the Bene Gesserit,",14479,14548,True,930:The woman working at the small wall desk.F,"that neither piece of furniture had been designed for the occupant. She wore a one- piece pajama suit of dark blue which stretched tightly across her wide shoulders as she hunched over the desk. The glowglobe illuminated closely cropped blonde hair and the right side of her face, emphasizing the square block of jaw. The jaw moved with silent words as her thick fingers carefully depressed the keys of a thin keyboard on the desk. She handled the machine with a deference which had originated as awe and moved reluctantly into fearsome excitement. Long familiarity with the machine had eliminated neither emotion. As she wrote, words appeared on a screen concealed within the wall rectangle exposed by the downward folding of the desk.“Siona continues actions which predict violent attack on Your Holy Person,” she wrote.“Siona remains unswerving in her avowed purpose. She told me today that she will give copies of the stolen books to groups whose loyalty to You can not be trusted. The named recipients are the Bene Gesserit, the Guild and the Ixians. She says the books contain Your enciphered words and, by this gift, she seeks help in translating Your Holy Words.“Lord, I do not know what great revelations may be concealed on those pages but if they contain anything of threat to Your Holy Person, I beg You to relieve me from my vow of obedience to Siona. I do not understand why You made me take this vow, but I fear it.“I remain Your worshipful servant, Nayla.” The chair creaked as Nayla sat back and thought about her words. The room fell into the almost soundless withdrawal of thick insulation. There was only Nayla’s faint breathing and a distant throbbing of machinery felt more in the floor than in the air. Nayla stared at her message on the screen. Destined only for the eyes of the God Emperor, it required more than holy truthfulness. It demanded a deep candor which she",The woman working at the small wall desk,"Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk","that neither piece of furniture had been designed for the occupant. She wore a one- piece pajama suit of dark blue which stretched tightly across her wide shoulders as she hunched over the desk. The glowglobe illuminated closely cropped blonde hair and the right side of her face, emphasizing the square block of jaw. The jaw moved with silent words as her thick fingers carefully depressed the keys of a thin keyboard on the desk. She handled the machine with a deference which had originated as awe and moved reluctantly into fearsome excitement. Long familiarity with the machine had eliminated neither emotion. As she wrote, words appeared on a screen concealed within the wall rectangle exposed by the downward folding of the desk.“Siona continues actions which predict violent attack on Your Holy Person,” she wrote.“Siona remains unswerving in her avowed purpose. She told me today that she will give copies of the stolen books to groups whose loyalty to You can not be trusted. The named recipients are the Bene Gesserit, the Guild and the Ixians. She says the books contain Your enciphered words and, by this gift, she seeks help in translating Your Holy Words.“Lord, I do not know what great revelations may be concealed on those pages but if they contain anything of threat to Your Holy Person, I beg You to relieve me from my vow of obedience to Siona. I do not understand why You made me take this vow, but I fear it.“I remain Your worshipful servant, Nayla.” The chair creaked as Nayla sat back and thought about her words. The room fell into the almost soundless withdrawal of thick insulation. There was only Nayla’s faint breathing and a distant throbbing of machinery felt more in the floor than in the air. Nayla stared at her message on the screen. Destined only for the eyes of the God Emperor, it required more than holy truthfulness. It demanded a deep candor which she:Previous Entities: |Nobody, One of them, Ms, Eleanor, Cohen, the angel, The figure, the man walking up to the mediation center, his dad, Gus ’s dad, his mom, Alison, Gus ’s mom, one of the kids, Julie, Computer, the Levenbrech, Javid, Fremen, her brother, the Old Baron, the youth, al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk| ::: The named recipients are the Bene Gesserit, ",Nayla.F ‘ I’m,15385,15387,True,825:Both witches.?,". I’ve never got on very well with clever people,’ said Miss Level.‘ Oh, she’s a good child at heart,’ said Miss Tick, which annoyed Tiffany rather more than‘ frighteningly precocious’ had.‘ Of course, you know my situation,’ said Miss Level as the invisible Tiffany inched closer.‘ Yes, Miss Level, but your work does you great credit. That’s why Mistress Weatherwax suggested you.’‘ But I am afraid I’m getting a bit absent- minded,’ Miss Level worried.‘ It was terrible flying down here, because like a big silly I left my long- distance spectacles on my other nose…’ Her other nose? thought Tiffany. Both witches froze, at exactly the same time.‘ I’m without an egg!’ said Miss Tick.‘ I have a beetle in a matchbox against just such an emergency!’ squeaked Miss Level. Their hands flew to their pockets and pulled out string and feathers and bits of coloured cloth— They know I’m here! thought Tiffany, and whispered,‘ See me not!’ She blinked and rocked on her heels as she arrived back in the patient little figure by the holly bushes. In the distance, Miss Level was frantically making a shamble and Miss Tick was staring around the wood.‘ Tiffany, come here at once!’ she shouted.‘ Yes, Miss Tick,’ said Tiffany, trotting forward like a good girl. They spotted me somehow, she thought. Well, they are witches, after all",Both witches,"the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches",". I’ve never got on very well with clever people,’ said Miss Level.‘ Oh, she’s a good child at heart,’ said Miss Tick, which annoyed Tiffany rather more than‘ frighteningly precocious’ had.‘ Of course, you know my situation,’ said Miss Level as the invisible Tiffany inched closer.‘ Yes, Miss Level, but your work does you great credit. That’s why Mistress Weatherwax suggested you.’‘ But I am afraid I’m getting a bit absent- minded,’ Miss Level worried.‘ It was terrible flying down here, because like a big silly I left my long- distance spectacles on my other nose…’ Her other nose? thought Tiffany. Both witches froze, at exactly the same time.‘ I’m without an egg!’ said Miss Tick.‘ I have a beetle in a matchbox against just such an emergency!’ squeaked Miss Level. Their hands flew to their pockets and pulled out string and feathers and bits of coloured cloth— They know I’m here! thought Tiffany, and whispered,‘ See me not!’ She blinked and rocked on her heels as she arrived back in the patient little figure by the holly bushes. In the distance, Miss Level was frantically making a shamble and Miss Tick was staring around the wood.‘ Tiffany, come here at once!’ she shouted.‘ Yes, Miss Tick,’ said Tiffany, trotting forward like a good girl. They spotted me somehow, she thought. Well, they are witches, after all:Previous Entities: |the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female, Bess, the pup, The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king, Clover, Taya, The H’ryth, Cletus, Tavis, The polar bear, the Snowy Owl, the old Barred Owl, Quentin, Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches| ::: ‘ I’m ",Tiffany. "But the prophecy was made to somebody,",317009,317046,True,590:Fawkes.M,"body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you.” The sun had risen fully now: Dumbledore’s office was bathed in it. The glass case in which the sword of Godric Gryffindor resided gleamed white and opaque, the fragments of the instruments Harry had thrown to the floor glistened like raindrops, and behind him, the baby Fawkes made soft chirruping noises in his nest of ashes.“The prophecy’s smashed,” Harry said blankly.“I was pulling Neville up those benches in the- the room where the archway was, and I ripped his robes and it fell…”“The thing that smashed was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly”“Who heard it?” asked Harry, though he thought he knew the answer already“I did,” said Dumbledore.“On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog’s Head inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great- great- granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post",Fawkes,"The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty","body, and particularly since your extraordinary escape from him last year, he has been determined to hear that prophecy in its entirety. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you.” The sun had risen fully now: Dumbledore’s office was bathed in it. The glass case in which the sword of Godric Gryffindor resided gleamed white and opaque, the fragments of the instruments Harry had thrown to the floor glistened like raindrops, and behind him, the baby Fawkes made soft chirruping noises in his nest of ashes.“The prophecy’s smashed,” Harry said blankly.“I was pulling Neville up those benches in the- the room where the archway was, and I ripped his robes and it fell…”“The thing that smashed was merely the record of the prophecy kept by the Department of Mysteries. But the prophecy was made to somebody, and that person has the means of recalling it perfectly”“Who heard it?” asked Harry, though he thought he knew the answer already“I did,” said Dumbledore.“On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog’s Head inn. I had gone there to see an applicant for the post of Divination teacher, though it was against my inclination to allow the subject of Divination to continue at all. The applicant, however, was the great- great- granddaughter of a very famous, very gifted Seer and I thought it common politeness to meet her. I was disappointed. It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself. I told her, courteously I hope, that I did not think she would be suitable for the post:Previous Entities: |The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty| ::: But the prophecy was made to somebody, ",Dumbledore.M Now he’s going mad because he doesn’t know whether it’s an earlier version of him or someone he hasn’t been yet.,52220,52293,True,1857:one of the IIbs.?,"a lot of the workers looped themselves unofficially so that they could stay at home and send themselves out to work.”“But that’s ridiculous,” Ptaclusp protested weakly.“They’re not different people, they’re just doing it to themselves.”“That’s never stopped anyone, father,” said IIa.“How many men have stopped drinking themselves stupid at the age of twenty to save a stranger dying of liver failure at forty?” There was silence while they tried to work this one out.“A stranger—?” said Ptaclusp uncertainly.“I mean himself, when older,” snapped IIa.“That was philosophy,” he added.“One of the masons beat himself up yesterday,” said one of the IIbs gloomily.“He was fighting with himself over his wife. Now he’s going mad because he doesn’t know whether it’s an earlier version of him or someone he hasn’t been yet. He’s afraid he’s going to creep up on him. There’s worse than that, too. Dad, we’re paying forty thousand people, and we’re only employing two thousand.”“It’s going to bankrupt us, that’s what you’re going to say,” said Ptaclusp.“I know. It’s all my fault. I just wanted something to hand on to you, you know. I didn’t expect all this. It seemed too easy to start with.” One of the IIas cleared his throat.“It’s… uh… not quite as bad as all that,” he said quietly.“What do you mean?” The accountant laid a dozen copper coins on the table.“Well, er,” he said.“You see, eh, it occurred to me, since there’s all this movement in time, that it’s not just people who can be looped, and, er, look,",one of the IIbs,"Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs","a lot of the workers looped themselves unofficially so that they could stay at home and send themselves out to work.”“But that’s ridiculous,” Ptaclusp protested weakly.“They’re not different people, they’re just doing it to themselves.”“That’s never stopped anyone, father,” said IIa.“How many men have stopped drinking themselves stupid at the age of twenty to save a stranger dying of liver failure at forty?” There was silence while they tried to work this one out.“A stranger—?” said Ptaclusp uncertainly.“I mean himself, when older,” snapped IIa.“That was philosophy,” he added.“One of the masons beat himself up yesterday,” said one of the IIbs gloomily.“He was fighting with himself over his wife. Now he’s going mad because he doesn’t know whether it’s an earlier version of him or someone he hasn’t been yet. He’s afraid he’s going to creep up on him. There’s worse than that, too. Dad, we’re paying forty thousand people, and we’re only employing two thousand.”“It’s going to bankrupt us, that’s what you’re going to say,” said Ptaclusp.“I know. It’s all my fault. I just wanted something to hand on to you, you know. I didn’t expect all this. It seemed too easy to start with.” One of the IIas cleared his throat.“It’s… uh… not quite as bad as all that,” he said quietly.“What do you mean?” The accountant laid a dozen copper coins on the table.“Well, er,” he said.“You see, eh, it occurred to me, since there’s all this movement in time, that it’s not just people who can be looped, and, er, look,:Previous Entities: |Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs| ::: Now he’s going mad because he doesn’t know whether it’s an earlier version of him or someone he hasn’t been yet. ",IIa.M Nor did I care to.,227408,227547,True,947:Fred Dean.M,"cold baking off him. I am saying exactly what I mean, expressing what I remember as clearly as I can: I could feel the cold baking off him. And yes, it was Max Devore all right, but got up like a logger at a costume party and looking the way he must have around the time his son Lance was born. Old but hale. The sort of man younger men might well look up to. And now, as if the thought had called them, I could see the rest shimmer into faint being behind him, standing in a line across the path. These were the ones who had been with Jared at the Fryeburg Fair, and now I knew who some of them were. Fred Dean, of course, only nineteen years old in' 01, the drowning of his daughter still over thirty years away. And the one who had reminded me of myself was Harry Auster, the firstborn of my great- grandfather's sister. He would have been sixteen, barely old enough to raise a fuzz but old enough to work in the woods with Jared. Old enough to shit in the same pit as Jared. To mistake Jared's poison for wisdom. One of the others twisted his head and squinted at the same time— I'd seen that tic before. Where? Then it came to me: in the Lake- view General. This young man was the late Royce Merrill's father. The others I didn't know. Nor did I care to.' You ain't a- passing by us,' Devore said. He held up both hands.' Don't even think about trying. Am I right, boys?' They murmured growling agreement— the sort you could hear coming from any present- day gang of headbangers or taggers, I imagine— but their voices were distant; actually more sad than menacing. There was some substance to the man in Jared Devore's clothes, perhaps because in life he had been a man of enormous vitality, perhaps because he was so recently dead, but the others were little more than projected images. I started forward, moving into that baking cold, moving into the smell of him— the same invalid odors which had surrounded him when I'd met him here before.'",Fred Dean,"Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore","cold baking off him. I am saying exactly what I mean, expressing what I remember as clearly as I can: I could feel the cold baking off him. And yes, it was Max Devore all right, but got up like a logger at a costume party and looking the way he must have around the time his son Lance was born. Old but hale. The sort of man younger men might well look up to. And now, as if the thought had called them, I could see the rest shimmer into faint being behind him, standing in a line across the path. These were the ones who had been with Jared at the Fryeburg Fair, and now I knew who some of them were. Fred Dean, of course, only nineteen years old in' 01, the drowning of his daughter still over thirty years away. And the one who had reminded me of myself was Harry Auster, the firstborn of my great- grandfather's sister. He would have been sixteen, barely old enough to raise a fuzz but old enough to work in the woods with Jared. Old enough to shit in the same pit as Jared. To mistake Jared's poison for wisdom. One of the others twisted his head and squinted at the same time— I'd seen that tic before. Where? Then it came to me: in the Lake- view General. This young man was the late Royce Merrill's father. The others I didn't know. Nor did I care to.' You ain't a- passing by us,' Devore said. He held up both hands.' Don't even think about trying. Am I right, boys?' They murmured growling agreement— the sort you could hear coming from any present- day gang of headbangers or taggers, I imagine— but their voices were distant; actually more sad than menacing. There was some substance to the man in Jared Devore's clothes, perhaps because in life he had been a man of enormous vitality, perhaps because he was so recently dead, but the others were little more than projected images. I started forward, moving into that baking cold, moving into the smell of him— the same invalid odors which had surrounded him when I'd met him here before.':Previous Entities: |Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore| ::: Nor did I care to. ","Yvette.F Earl.M Rommie.? Whitmore.M" "“Er,”",15200,15203,True,733:the thief.M,". They were never quite sure whether he meant he’d deal with it now, or just deal with it briefly. And no one ever dared ask. Van Pew backed down.“A full apology, mark you. I have a position to maintain,” he added.“Thank you. Do not let me detain you,” said the Patrician, once again giving the language his own individual spin.“Right. Good. Thank you. Very well,” said the thief.“After all, you have such a lot of work to do,” Lord Vetinari went on.“Well, of course this is the case.” The thief hesitated. The Patrician’s last remark had barbs on it. You found yourself waiting for him to strike.“Er,” he said, hoping for a clue.“With so much business being conducted, that is.” Panic took over the thief’s features. Randomized guilt flooded his mind. It wasn’t a case of what had he done, it was a question of what the Patrician had found out about. The man had eyes everywhere, none of them so terrifying as the icy blue ones just above his nose.“I, er, don’t quite follow…” he began.“Curious choice of targets.” The Patrician picked up a sheet of paper.“For example, a crystal ball belonging to a fortune teller in Sheer Street. A small ornament from the temple of Offler the Crocodile God. And so on. Gewgaws.”“I am afraid I really",the thief,"the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief",". They were never quite sure whether he meant he’d deal with it now, or just deal with it briefly. And no one ever dared ask. Van Pew backed down.“A full apology, mark you. I have a position to maintain,” he added.“Thank you. Do not let me detain you,” said the Patrician, once again giving the language his own individual spin.“Right. Good. Thank you. Very well,” said the thief.“After all, you have such a lot of work to do,” Lord Vetinari went on.“Well, of course this is the case.” The thief hesitated. The Patrician’s last remark had barbs on it. You found yourself waiting for him to strike.“Er,” he said, hoping for a clue.“With so much business being conducted, that is.” Panic took over the thief’s features. Randomized guilt flooded his mind. It wasn’t a case of what had he done, it was a question of what the Patrician had found out about. The man had eyes everywhere, none of them so terrifying as the icy blue ones just above his nose.“I, er, don’t quite follow…” he began.“Curious choice of targets.” The Patrician picked up a sheet of paper.“For example, a crystal ball belonging to a fortune teller in Sheer Street. A small ornament from the temple of Offler the Crocodile God. And so on. Gewgaws.”“I am afraid I really:Previous Entities: |the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief| ::: “Er,” ",the thief.M "Oh,",85142,85147,True,3616:the trail boss.M,"point in monitoring his progress. Time passed, a mutimal snorted, and the rider pulled alongside. The trail boss turned. It was a tail- biter, all right— the one with the coffin. He rode well, however, as if born to the saddle. Something was wrong, though... something Aoki couldn't put his finger on. He summoned an all- purpose scowl."" Yes? What do you want?"" The brusque manner might have deterred other supplicants, but not this one. The rider pulled a scarf away from his face and yelled into the wind."" We're being tracked... by bandits."" Aoki's frown grew deeper."" Says who?"""" Says I,"" Doon responded."" I've seen them."""" Oh, really,"" the trail boss said sarcastically."" My scouts say the way is clear... but a tail- biter sees bandits. Who shall I believe?"" Doon knew how to convince the trail boss, or thought he did, but hesitated to take the risk. Could Aoki keep his mouth shut? Mary's life, not to mention his own, would hang in the balance. He took the chance."" I'm the one you should believe... because I'm an android."" Aoki was startled. An android? It seemed hard to believe. Especially in light of how many had perished since the Cleansing. He squinted into the wind."" Prove it."" Doon retrieved the packer's file. He read it aloud."" Your name is Noah James Aoki.",the trail boss,"the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss","point in monitoring his progress. Time passed, a mutimal snorted, and the rider pulled alongside. The trail boss turned. It was a tail- biter, all right— the one with the coffin. He rode well, however, as if born to the saddle. Something was wrong, though... something Aoki couldn't put his finger on. He summoned an all- purpose scowl."" Yes? What do you want?"" The brusque manner might have deterred other supplicants, but not this one. The rider pulled a scarf away from his face and yelled into the wind."" We're being tracked... by bandits."" Aoki's frown grew deeper."" Says who?"""" Says I,"" Doon responded."" I've seen them."""" Oh, really,"" the trail boss said sarcastically."" My scouts say the way is clear... but a tail- biter sees bandits. Who shall I believe?"" Doon knew how to convince the trail boss, or thought he did, but hesitated to take the risk. Could Aoki keep his mouth shut? Mary's life, not to mention his own, would hang in the balance. He took the chance."" I'm the one you should believe... because I'm an android."" Aoki was startled. An android? It seemed hard to believe. Especially in light of how many had perished since the Cleansing. He squinted into the wind."" Prove it."" Doon retrieved the packer's file. He read it aloud."" Your name is Noah James Aoki.:Previous Entities: |the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss| ::: Oh, ",Aoki.M "“I see that you have thought about this,”",21116,21126,True,1075:the masked woman.F,"” Luli asked. She had him there. Idaho nodded, turning his head slightly to stare at the enigmatic masked woman.“Why are you masked?”“It must not be known that I serve the Lord Leto,” she said. Her voice was a pleasant contralto, but Idaho suspected that this, too, was masked by the cibus hood.“Then why are you here?”“The Lord Leto trusts me to determine if you have been tampered with by the dirty Tleilaxu.” Idaho tried to swallow in a suddenly dry throat. This thought had occurred to him several times aboard the Guild transport. If the Tleilaxu could condition a ghola to attempt the murder of a dear friend, what else might they plant in the psyche of the regrown flesh?“I see that you have thought about this,” the masked woman said.“Are you a mentat?” Idaho asked.“Oh, no!” Luli interrupted.“The Lord Leto does not permit the training of mentats.” Idaho glanced at Luli, then returned his attention to the masked woman. No mentats. The Tleilaxu history had not mentioned that interesting fact. Why would Leto prohibit mentats? Surely, the human mind trained in the super abilities of computation still had its uses. The Tleilaxu had assured him that the Great Convention remained in force and that mechanical computers were still anathema. Surely, these women would know that the Atreides themselves had used mentats.“What is your opinion?” the masked woman asked.“Have the dirty Tleilaxu tampered with your psyche?”“I don’t… think",the masked woman,"al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman","” Luli asked. She had him there. Idaho nodded, turning his head slightly to stare at the enigmatic masked woman.“Why are you masked?”“It must not be known that I serve the Lord Leto,” she said. Her voice was a pleasant contralto, but Idaho suspected that this, too, was masked by the cibus hood.“Then why are you here?”“The Lord Leto trusts me to determine if you have been tampered with by the dirty Tleilaxu.” Idaho tried to swallow in a suddenly dry throat. This thought had occurred to him several times aboard the Guild transport. If the Tleilaxu could condition a ghola to attempt the murder of a dear friend, what else might they plant in the psyche of the regrown flesh?“I see that you have thought about this,” the masked woman said.“Are you a mentat?” Idaho asked.“Oh, no!” Luli interrupted.“The Lord Leto does not permit the training of mentats.” Idaho glanced at Luli, then returned his attention to the masked woman. No mentats. The Tleilaxu history had not mentioned that interesting fact. Why would Leto prohibit mentats? Surely, the human mind trained in the super abilities of computation still had its uses. The Tleilaxu had assured him that the Great Convention remained in force and that mechanical computers were still anathema. Surely, these women would know that the Atreides themselves had used mentats.“What is your opinion?” the masked woman asked.“Have the dirty Tleilaxu tampered with your psyche?”“I don’t… think:Previous Entities: |al - Fali, Tyek, a young woman, the Lady Jessica, this one, Agarves, the Duncan, The woman working at the small wall desk, Topri, Luli, the masked woman| ::: “I see that you have thought about this,” ",Luli. "He is,",32159,32167,True,5452:the pathologist.M,", and preferably from several different places on each organ. That was why Dr. Roberts was required to take so many tissue samples, and why it would have to be done at the hospital, not at the grave site. Dr. Roberts raised the lid and turned to the family on the opposite side of the grave.“Would one of you make the identification, please?”“I will,” Tom said. He walked around the grave and looked into the coffin. His father appeared surprisingly unchanged, except the skin was much grayer, a dark gray now, and the limbs seemed to have shrunk, to have lost mass, especially the legs inside the trousers. In a formal voice, the pathologist said,“Is this your father, John J. Weller?”“Yes. He is, yes.”“All right. Thank you.” Tom said,“Dr. Roberts, I know you have your procedures, but… if there is any way you can take the tissues here… so my mother doesn’t have to go through another day and another burial…”“I’m sorry,” Marty Roberts said.“My actions are governed by state law. We’re required to take the body to the hospital for examination.”“If you could… just this once… bend…”“I’m sorry. I wish I could.” Tom nodded and walked back to his mother and sister. His mother said,“What was all that about?”“Just asking a question.” Tom looked back and saw that Dr. Roberts was now bent over",the pathologist,"the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist",", and preferably from several different places on each organ. That was why Dr. Roberts was required to take so many tissue samples, and why it would have to be done at the hospital, not at the grave site. Dr. Roberts raised the lid and turned to the family on the opposite side of the grave.“Would one of you make the identification, please?”“I will,” Tom said. He walked around the grave and looked into the coffin. His father appeared surprisingly unchanged, except the skin was much grayer, a dark gray now, and the limbs seemed to have shrunk, to have lost mass, especially the legs inside the trousers. In a formal voice, the pathologist said,“Is this your father, John J. Weller?”“Yes. He is, yes.”“All right. Thank you.” Tom said,“Dr. Roberts, I know you have your procedures, but… if there is any way you can take the tissues here… so my mother doesn’t have to go through another day and another burial…”“I’m sorry,” Marty Roberts said.“My actions are governed by state law. We’re required to take the body to the hospital for examination.”“If you could… just this once… bend…”“I’m sorry. I wish I could.” Tom nodded and walked back to his mother and sister. His mother said,“What was all that about?”“Just asking a question.” Tom looked back and saw that Dr. Roberts was now bent over:Previous Entities: |the tengol, Wrightwood, Goodrich, Sjogren, Cantrell, Diehl, The lawyer, The jury, The tourists, Some ditsy secretary from the National Institutes of Health, A young man wearing horn - rimmed glasses, McCormick, Whitey, the pathologist| ::: He is, ",Tom.M ' But I done him a receipt!',74280,74288,True,209:Boggis.?,", look at him, how much would you expect him to have on him? Couple of coppers, right? I mean, we'd never have done for him, only it was on our way home. You try and do someone a favour, this is what happens.'' How much has he got, then?' said Tomjon.' There must be a hundred silver dollars in here,' moaned Boggis, waving a purse.' I mean, that's not my league. That's not my class. I can't handle that sort of money. You've got to be in the Guild of Lawyers or something to steal that much. It's way over my quota, is that.'' Give it back then,' said Tomjon.' But I done him a receipt!'' They've all got, you know, numbers on,' explained the younger of the nephews.' The Guild checks up, sort of...' Hwel grabbed Tomjon's hand.' Will you excuse us a moment?' he said to the frantic thief, and dragged Tomjon to the other side of the alley.' Okay,' he said.' Who's gone mad? Them? Me? You?' Tomjon explained.' It's legal?'' Up to a certain point. Fascinating, isn't it? Man in a pub told me about it, sort of thing.'' But he's stolen too much?'' So it appears. I gather the Guild is very strict about it.' There was a groan",Boggis,"the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis",", look at him, how much would you expect him to have on him? Couple of coppers, right? I mean, we'd never have done for him, only it was on our way home. You try and do someone a favour, this is what happens.'' How much has he got, then?' said Tomjon.' There must be a hundred silver dollars in here,' moaned Boggis, waving a purse.' I mean, that's not my league. That's not my class. I can't handle that sort of money. You've got to be in the Guild of Lawyers or something to steal that much. It's way over my quota, is that.'' Give it back then,' said Tomjon.' But I done him a receipt!'' They've all got, you know, numbers on,' explained the younger of the nephews.' The Guild checks up, sort of...' Hwel grabbed Tomjon's hand.' Will you excuse us a moment?' he said to the frantic thief, and dragged Tomjon to the other side of the alley.' Okay,' he said.' Who's gone mad? Them? Me? You?' Tomjon explained.' It's legal?'' Up to a certain point. Fascinating, isn't it? Man in a pub told me about it, sort of thing.'' But he's stolen too much?'' So it appears. I gather the Guild is very strict about it.' There was a groan:Previous Entities: |the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis| ::: ' But I done him a receipt!' ",Tomjon. M ' It's all in the mind.,6258,6275,True,461:the old ghost.?,"do we go about getting breakfast?' he said. Champot's head looked surprised.' We don't,' he said.' We're ghosts.'' But I'm hungry!'' You're not, you know. It's just your imagination.' There was a clattering from the kitchens. The cooks were already up and, in the absence of any other instructions, were preparing the castle's normal breakfast menu. Familiar smells were wafting up from the dark archway that led to the kitchens. Verence sniffed.' Sausages,' he said dreamily.' Bacon. Eggs. Smoked fish.' He stared at Champot.' Black pudding,' he whispered.' You haven't actually got a stomach,' the old ghost pointed out.' It's all in the mind. Just force of habit. You just think you're hungry.'' I think I'm ravenous.'' Yes, but you can't actually touch anything, you see,' Champot explained gently.' Nothing at all.' Verence lowered himself gently on to a bench, so that he did not drift through it, and sank his head in his hands. He'd heard that death could be bad. He just hadn't realised how bad. He wanted revenge. He wanted to get out of this suddenly horrible castle, to find his son. But he was even more terrified to find that what he really wanted, right now, was a plate of kidneys. A damp dawn flooded across the landscape, scaled the battlements of Lancre Castle, stormed the keep and finally made it through the casement of the solar",the old ghost,"one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot","do we go about getting breakfast?' he said. Champot's head looked surprised.' We don't,' he said.' We're ghosts.'' But I'm hungry!'' You're not, you know. It's just your imagination.' There was a clattering from the kitchens. The cooks were already up and, in the absence of any other instructions, were preparing the castle's normal breakfast menu. Familiar smells were wafting up from the dark archway that led to the kitchens. Verence sniffed.' Sausages,' he said dreamily.' Bacon. Eggs. Smoked fish.' He stared at Champot.' Black pudding,' he whispered.' You haven't actually got a stomach,' the old ghost pointed out.' It's all in the mind. Just force of habit. You just think you're hungry.'' I think I'm ravenous.'' Yes, but you can't actually touch anything, you see,' Champot explained gently.' Nothing at all.' Verence lowered himself gently on to a bench, so that he did not drift through it, and sank his head in his hands. He'd heard that death could be bad. He just hadn't realised how bad. He wanted revenge. He wanted to get out of this suddenly horrible castle, to find his son. But he was even more terrified to find that what he really wanted, right now, was a plate of kidneys. A damp dawn flooded across the landscape, scaled the battlements of Lancre Castle, stormed the keep and finally made it through the casement of the solar:Previous Entities: |one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation, Stanley, ERTS, One of the technicians, Irving, David Bergman, Jensen, Signatures THE SOFT MURMUR OF VOICES WOKE, The orderly, Herbert Ward, Lady Elizabeth Forstmann, Berensky, None, The conjurer, The boy, its colleagues, the statue, Quezovercoatl, the soldier, the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot| ::: ' It's all in the mind. ",Champot.M Daddy.”,122893,122899,True,3427:a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets.M,"had told him to stand, I saw a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, looking up at us. Eddie Sakamura. Of course Connor had put it all together. When he opened the door to my living room and saw my daughter sitting on the floor, playing with her Tinkertoys with Eddie Sakamura, he hadn’t even blinked. He just said,“Hello, Eddie. I was wondering how long it’d take you to get here.”“I’ve been here all day,” Eddie said. He sounded put out.“You guys. Never come here. I wait and wait. Have a peanut butter jelly sandwich with Shelly. You have nice girl, Lieutenant. Cute girl.”“Eddie is funny,” my daughter said.“He smokes, Daddy.”“I see that,” I said. I felt slow and stupid. I was still trying to understand. My daughter came over and held her arms up.“Pick me up, Daddy.” I picked her up.“Very nice girl,” Eddie said.“We made a windmill. See?” He spun the spokes of the Tinkertoy,“Works.” I said,“I thought you were dead.”“Me?” He laughed.“No. Never dead. Tanaka dead. Mess hell out of my car, too.” He shrugged.“I have bad luck with Ferraris.”“So does Tanaka,” Connor said. I said,“Tanaka?” Michelle said,“Daddy, can I watch Cinderella",a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets,"Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets","had told him to stand, I saw a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets, looking up at us. Eddie Sakamura. Of course Connor had put it all together. When he opened the door to my living room and saw my daughter sitting on the floor, playing with her Tinkertoys with Eddie Sakamura, he hadn’t even blinked. He just said,“Hello, Eddie. I was wondering how long it’d take you to get here.”“I’ve been here all day,” Eddie said. He sounded put out.“You guys. Never come here. I wait and wait. Have a peanut butter jelly sandwich with Shelly. You have nice girl, Lieutenant. Cute girl.”“Eddie is funny,” my daughter said.“He smokes, Daddy.”“I see that,” I said. I felt slow and stupid. I was still trying to understand. My daughter came over and held her arms up.“Pick me up, Daddy.” I picked her up.“Very nice girl,” Eddie said.“We made a windmill. See?” He spun the spokes of the Tinkertoy,“Works.” I said,“I thought you were dead.”“Me?” He laughed.“No. Never dead. Tanaka dead. Mess hell out of my car, too.” He shrugged.“I have bad luck with Ferraris.”“So does Tanaka,” Connor said. I said,“Tanaka?” Michelle said,“Daddy, can I watch Cinderella:Previous Entities: |Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides, The teacher, a familiar figure with his hands in his pockets| ::: Daddy.” ",Eddie Sakamura.M "Thank you,",22598,22614,True,871:the taxman.M,"the floor, and she opened the door and glared at me: it was that look. But the worst thing was, they knew it.'' Not nice,' said the duke.' No, sir.' The duke drummed the fingers of his left hand on the arm of his throne. The tax gatherer coughed again.' You're– you're not going to force me to go back, are you?' he said.' Um?' said the duke. He waved a hand irritably.' No, no,' he said.' Not at all. Just call in at the torturer on your way out. See when he can fit you in.' The taxman gave him a look of gratitude, and bobbed a bow.' Yes, sir. At once, sir. Thank you, sir. You're very—'' Yes, yes,' said Lord Felmet, absently.' You may go.' The duke was left alone in the vastness of the hall. It was raining again. Every once in a while a piece of plaster smashed down on the tiles, and there was a crunching from the walls as they settled still further. The air smelled of old cellars. Gods, he hated this kingdom. It was so small, only forty miles long and maybe ten miles wide, and nearly all of it was cruel mountains with ice- green slopes and knife- edge crests, or dense huddled forests. A kingdom like that shouldn't be any trouble. What he couldn't quite fathom was this feeling that it had depth. It seemed to contain far too",the taxman,"the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman","the floor, and she opened the door and glared at me: it was that look. But the worst thing was, they knew it.'' Not nice,' said the duke.' No, sir.' The duke drummed the fingers of his left hand on the arm of his throne. The tax gatherer coughed again.' You're– you're not going to force me to go back, are you?' he said.' Um?' said the duke. He waved a hand irritably.' No, no,' he said.' Not at all. Just call in at the torturer on your way out. See when he can fit you in.' The taxman gave him a look of gratitude, and bobbed a bow.' Yes, sir. At once, sir. Thank you, sir. You're very—'' Yes, yes,' said Lord Felmet, absently.' You may go.' The duke was left alone in the vastness of the hall. It was raining again. Every once in a while a piece of plaster smashed down on the tiles, and there was a crunching from the walls as they settled still further. The air smelled of old cellars. Gods, he hated this kingdom. It was so small, only forty miles long and maybe ten miles wide, and nearly all of it was cruel mountains with ice- green slopes and knife- edge crests, or dense huddled forests. A kingdom like that shouldn't be any trouble. What he couldn't quite fathom was this feeling that it had depth. It seemed to contain far too:Previous Entities: |the owner, Urglefloggah, another voice, the witches, the old ghost, Champot, Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman| ::: Thank you, ",Lord Felmet.M which you see before you.,26213,26264,True,873:the man on Doon ’s left.?,"again to wrench himself free, but the men’s grip on him only tightened. The other people came up close to him and stared. They all wore the candle- caps. One was a woman in dark clothes with black hair pulled tight against her head. She peered at him with small, mournful eyes.“Oh, trouble,” she said.“Woe and alas. Daughter, come close.” A girl who looked about Doon’s age came and stood beside her mother. She was wide- shouldered and rusty- haired like the older man. She squinted at Doon, grinning. In her hand was a long fork, with which she gave Doon a poke in the leg.“Now, boy,” said the man on Doon’s left.“You have blundered into the domain of the Trogg family, which you see before you. Myself, Washton Trogg, known as Trogg to the world and Pa to the family. My wife, Minny. My son, Yorick, and my daughter, Kanza.” Someone else lurked behind them— a boy, Doon thought, though he couldn’t tell for sure. He didn’t look like a member of the Trogg family; his hair was frizzy and pale, like a handful of soap suds, and he was small and flimsy- looking and had an oddly lopsided way of standing.“What about that one?” Doon asked, tipping his head toward the boy.“Oh, him,” said Trogg.“He’s not one of ours. We brought him with us out of pity.”“Why?”“Bandits killed his parents,” Trogg said.“So we took him in. Extra hands always welcome, I say.” He pointed a finger at the pale- haired boy.“You",the man on Doon ’s left,"Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left","again to wrench himself free, but the men’s grip on him only tightened. The other people came up close to him and stared. They all wore the candle- caps. One was a woman in dark clothes with black hair pulled tight against her head. She peered at him with small, mournful eyes.“Oh, trouble,” she said.“Woe and alas. Daughter, come close.” A girl who looked about Doon’s age came and stood beside her mother. She was wide- shouldered and rusty- haired like the older man. She squinted at Doon, grinning. In her hand was a long fork, with which she gave Doon a poke in the leg.“Now, boy,” said the man on Doon’s left.“You have blundered into the domain of the Trogg family, which you see before you. Myself, Washton Trogg, known as Trogg to the world and Pa to the family. My wife, Minny. My son, Yorick, and my daughter, Kanza.” Someone else lurked behind them— a boy, Doon thought, though he couldn’t tell for sure. He didn’t look like a member of the Trogg family; his hair was frizzy and pale, like a handful of soap suds, and he was small and flimsy- looking and had an oddly lopsided way of standing.“What about that one?” Doon asked, tipping his head toward the boy.“Oh, him,” said Trogg.“He’s not one of ours. We brought him with us out of pity.”“Why?”“Bandits killed his parents,” Trogg said.“So we took him in. Extra hands always welcome, I say.” He pointed a finger at the pale- haired boy.“You:Previous Entities: |Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain, his son, The face on the other side of the slit, one of the IIbs, the accountant, the tall man, the priests, the high priest of Cephut, Endos, Krona, the ancient king, the Ephebian, The other man, Autocue, a crumbling mummy, the chief builder, the assistant, Barton Snode, Arlin, Sadge, The guide, Evaleen Murdo, The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left| ::: which you see before you. ","Doon.M Washton Trogg.M Minny.F Yorick.M Kanza.F Pale-haired boy.? " Diggory… second field… ask for Mr. Payne.”,24696,24731,True,249:Basil.M,"tweed suit with thigh- length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.“Morning, Basil,” said Mr. Weasley, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Harry could see an old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football.“Hello there, Arthur,” said Basil wearily.“Not on duty, eh? It’s all right for some.… We’ve been here all night.… You’d better get out of the way, we’ve got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five- fifteen. Hang on, I’ll find your campsite.… Weasley… Weasley…” He consulted his parchment list.“About a quarter of a mile’s walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager’s called Mr. Roberts. Diggory… second field… ask for Mr. Payne.”“Thanks, Basil,” said Mr. Weasley, and he beckoned everyone to follow him. They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Harry could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They said good- bye to the Diggorys and approached the cottage door. A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Harry knew at a glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.“Morning!”",Basil,Basil,"tweed suit with thigh- length galoshes; his colleague, a kilt and a poncho.“Morning, Basil,” said Mr. Weasley, picking up the boot and handing it to the kilted wizard, who threw it into a large box of used Portkeys beside him; Harry could see an old newspaper, an empty drinks can, and a punctured football.“Hello there, Arthur,” said Basil wearily.“Not on duty, eh? It’s all right for some.… We’ve been here all night.… You’d better get out of the way, we’ve got a big party coming in from the Black Forest at five- fifteen. Hang on, I’ll find your campsite.… Weasley… Weasley…” He consulted his parchment list.“About a quarter of a mile’s walk over there, first field you come to. Site manager’s called Mr. Roberts. Diggory… second field… ask for Mr. Payne.”“Thanks, Basil,” said Mr. Weasley, and he beckoned everyone to follow him. They set off across the deserted moor, unable to make out much through the mist. After about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. Beyond it, Harry could just make out the ghostly shapes of hundreds and hundreds of tents, rising up the gentle slope of a large field toward a dark wood on the horizon. They said good- bye to the Diggorys and approached the cottage door. A man was standing in the doorway, looking out at the tents. Harry knew at a glance that this was the only real Muggle for several acres. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head to look at them.“Morning!”:Previous Entities: |Basil| ::: Diggory… second field… ask for Mr. Payne.” ",Weasley.M "But,",9937,9967,True,620:the toad.?,"’‘ Ah, that’ll be the readin’ side o’ things,’ said Jeannie.‘ That’s where the lettery things make a sound in yer heid?’ said Rob.‘ That’s the bunny,’ said the toad.‘ But we thought you’d like to start with the more physical aspect of the procedure.’‘ Could I no’ mebbe just learn the writin’ and leave the readin’ to someone else?’ Rob asked, without much hope.‘ No, my man’s got to do both,’ said Jeannie, folding her arms. When a female Feegle does that, there’s no hope left.‘ Ach, it’s a terrible thing for a man when his wumman gangs up on him wi’ a toad,’ said Rob, shaking his head. But, when he turned to look at the grubby paper, there was just a hint of pride in his face.‘ Still, that’s my name, right?’ he said, grinning. Jeannie nodded.‘ Just there, all by itself and no’ on a Wanted poster or anything. My name, drawn by me.’‘ Yes, Rob,’ said the kelda.‘ My name, under my thumb. No scunner can do anythin’ aboot it? I’ve got my name, nice and safe?’ Jeannie looked at the toad, who shrugged. It was generally held by those who knew them that most of the brains in the Nac Mac Feegle clans ended up in the women.‘ A man’s a man o’ some standin’ when he’s got his own name where no one can touch it,’ said Rob Anybody.‘ That’s",the toad,"Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall","’‘ Ah, that’ll be the readin’ side o’ things,’ said Jeannie.‘ That’s where the lettery things make a sound in yer heid?’ said Rob.‘ That’s the bunny,’ said the toad.‘ But we thought you’d like to start with the more physical aspect of the procedure.’‘ Could I no’ mebbe just learn the writin’ and leave the readin’ to someone else?’ Rob asked, without much hope.‘ No, my man’s got to do both,’ said Jeannie, folding her arms. When a female Feegle does that, there’s no hope left.‘ Ach, it’s a terrible thing for a man when his wumman gangs up on him wi’ a toad,’ said Rob, shaking his head. But, when he turned to look at the grubby paper, there was just a hint of pride in his face.‘ Still, that’s my name, right?’ he said, grinning. Jeannie nodded.‘ Just there, all by itself and no’ on a Wanted poster or anything. My name, drawn by me.’‘ Yes, Rob,’ said the kelda.‘ My name, under my thumb. No scunner can do anythin’ aboot it? I’ve got my name, nice and safe?’ Jeannie looked at the toad, who shrugged. It was generally held by those who knew them that most of the brains in the Nac Mac Feegle clans ended up in the women.‘ A man’s a man o’ some standin’ when he’s got his own name where no one can touch it,’ said Rob Anybody.‘ That’s:Previous Entities: |Edmond J, This beast, the faerie in the birch glen, The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall| ::: But, ","Jeannie.F Rob.M the toad.? the kelda.F" “I would have thought it was standard procedure.,12478,12499,True,1723:the man in the shiny suit.M,"current delta cellular?”“Cellular traffic is accelerating. E- mail is heavily encrypted. STF rate is up. It is clear there is a project under way— global in scope, immensely complicated, extremely expensive.”“But we don’t know what it is.”“Not yet.”“Then you’d better follow the money.”“We are doing it. Everywhere.” Hitomi smiled grimly.“It is only a matter of time before one of these fishes takes the hook.” VANCOUVER TUESDAY, JUNE 8 4:55 P.M. Nat Damon signed the paper with a flourish.“I’ve never been asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement before.”“I’m surprised,” the man in the shiny suit said, taking the paper back.“I would have thought it was standard procedure. We don’t want our proprietary information to be disclosed.” He was a lawyer accompanying his client, a bearded man with glasses, wearing jeans and a work shirt. This bearded man said he was a petroleum geologist, and Damon believed him. He certainly looked like the other petroleum geologists he had dealt with. Damon’s company was called Canada Marine RS Technologies; from a tiny, cramped office outside Vancouver, Damon leased research submarines and remote submersibles to clients around the world. Damon didn’t own these subs; he just leased them. The subs were located all over the world— in Yokohama, Dubai, Melbourne, San Diego. They ranged from fully operational fifty- foot submersibles with crews of six, capable of traveling around the globe, to tiny one- man diving machines and even smaller remote robotic vehicles that operated from a",the man in the shiny suit,"Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit","current delta cellular?”“Cellular traffic is accelerating. E- mail is heavily encrypted. STF rate is up. It is clear there is a project under way— global in scope, immensely complicated, extremely expensive.”“But we don’t know what it is.”“Not yet.”“Then you’d better follow the money.”“We are doing it. Everywhere.” Hitomi smiled grimly.“It is only a matter of time before one of these fishes takes the hook.” VANCOUVER TUESDAY, JUNE 8 4:55 P.M. Nat Damon signed the paper with a flourish.“I’ve never been asked to sign a nondisclosure agreement before.”“I’m surprised,” the man in the shiny suit said, taking the paper back.“I would have thought it was standard procedure. We don’t want our proprietary information to be disclosed.” He was a lawyer accompanying his client, a bearded man with glasses, wearing jeans and a work shirt. This bearded man said he was a petroleum geologist, and Damon believed him. He certainly looked like the other petroleum geologists he had dealt with. Damon’s company was called Canada Marine RS Technologies; from a tiny, cramped office outside Vancouver, Damon leased research submarines and remote submersibles to clients around the world. Damon didn’t own these subs; he just leased them. The subs were located all over the world— in Yokohama, Dubai, Melbourne, San Diego. They ranged from fully operational fifty- foot submersibles with crews of six, capable of traveling around the globe, to tiny one- man diving machines and even smaller remote robotic vehicles that operated from a:Previous Entities: |Dylan, a freak, Hardin, the governor, Levasseur, Trencher, Black Eye, The Jew, L’Olonnais, Edwards, Emerson, The Frenchman, Foster, an old bawdy woman, the matriarch of their little family, a long - dead woman, the Hilltop Bastion, The boyfriend, the man in the shiny suit| ::: “I would have thought it was standard procedure. ",The man in the shiny suit.M back in 1987 we learned that Toshiba sold the Russians critical technology that allowed the Soviets to silence their submarine propellers.,39855,40004,True,1717:a large man in a sport coat.M,"perfect. Not a brush stroke, not a blemish. A perfect surface.”“Well, it has to be,” she said.“It’s integral to his whole conception.”“It’s really quite daring,” the man said.“Daring?” I said.“What are they talking about? It’s just an empty room.” Connor smiled.“I call it faux zen. Style without substance.” I scanned the crowd.“Senator Morton’s here.” He was standing in the corner, holding forth. Looking very much like a presidential candidate.“So he is.” The guard hadn’t returned, so we stepped a few feet into the room. As I approached Senator Morton, I heard him say,“Yes, I can tell you exactly why I’m disturbed about the extent of Japanese ownership of American industry. If we lose the ability to make our own products, we lose control over our destiny. It’s that simple. For example, back in 1987 we learned that Toshiba sold the Russians critical technology that allowed the Soviets to silence their submarine propellers. Russian nuclear subs now sit right off the coast and we can’t track them, because they got technology from Japan. Congress was furious, and the American people were up in arms. And rightly so, it was outrageous. Congress planned economic retaliation against Toshiba. But the lobbyists for American companies pleaded their case for them, because American companies like Hewlett- Packard and Compaq were dependent on Toshiba for computer parts. They couldn’t stand a boycott because they had no other source of supply. The fact was, we couldn’t afford to retaliate. They could sell vital technology to our enemy, and there wasn’t a damned thing we could do about it. That’s the problem. We’re now dependent on Japan- and I believe America shouldn’t be dependent on any nation.” Somebody asked a question, and Morton nodded.“Yes, it’s true that our industry is not doing well. Real wages in this country are now at 1962 levels. The purchasing power of American workers is back where it was thirty- odd years ago. And that matters, even to the well- to- do folks that I see in this room, because it means American consumers do",a large man in a sport coat,"The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple","perfect. Not a brush stroke, not a blemish. A perfect surface.”“Well, it has to be,” she said.“It’s integral to his whole conception.”“It’s really quite daring,” the man said.“Daring?” I said.“What are they talking about? It’s just an empty room.” Connor smiled.“I call it faux zen. Style without substance.” I scanned the crowd.“Senator Morton’s here.” He was standing in the corner, holding forth. Looking very much like a presidential candidate.“So he is.” The guard hadn’t returned, so we stepped a few feet into the room. As I approached Senator Morton, I heard him say,“Yes, I can tell you exactly why I’m disturbed about the extent of Japanese ownership of American industry. If we lose the ability to make our own products, we lose control over our destiny. It’s that simple. For example, back in 1987 we learned that Toshiba sold the Russians critical technology that allowed the Soviets to silence their submarine propellers. Russian nuclear subs now sit right off the coast and we can’t track them, because they got technology from Japan. Congress was furious, and the American people were up in arms. And rightly so, it was outrageous. Congress planned economic retaliation against Toshiba. But the lobbyists for American companies pleaded their case for them, because American companies like Hewlett- Packard and Compaq were dependent on Toshiba for computer parts. They couldn’t stand a boycott because they had no other source of supply. The fact was, we couldn’t afford to retaliate. They could sell vital technology to our enemy, and there wasn’t a damned thing we could do about it. That’s the problem. We’re now dependent on Japan- and I believe America shouldn’t be dependent on any nation.” Somebody asked a question, and Morton nodded.“Yes, it’s true that our industry is not doing well. Real wages in this country are now at 1962 levels. The purchasing power of American workers is back where it was thirty- odd years ago. And that matters, even to the well- to- do folks that I see in this room, because it means American consumers do:Previous Entities: |The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple| ::: back in 1987 we learned that Toshiba sold the Russians critical technology that allowed the Soviets to silence their submarine propellers. ",Senator Morton.M "We have long ago identified several reasons for acquisition of this company,",46734,46791,True,1191:the thin investment banker.M,". Abruptly, Nichols sat forward."" I'm afraid I need some help here,"" he said."" With figures like that, on what do you base your confidence in the Twinkle drive?"""" The reason is that we've seen all this before,"" Sanders replied."" We've seen production problems that look insurmountable but then get resolved quickly."""" I see. So you think your past experience will hold true here."""" Yes, I do."" Nichols sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked extremely dissatisfied. Jim Daly, the thin investment banker, sat forward and said,"" Please don't misunderstand, Tom. We're not trying to put you on the spot,"" he said."" We have long ago identified several reasons for acquisition of this company, irrespective of any specific problem with Twinkle. So I don't think Twinkle is a critical issue today. We just want to know where we stand on it. And we'd like you to be as frank as possible."""" Well, there are problems,"" Sanders said."" We're in the midst of assessing them now. We have some ideas. But some of the problems may go back to design."" Daly said,"" Give us worst case."""" Worst case? We pull the line, rework the housings and perhaps the controller chips, and then go back on."""" Causing a delay of?"" Nine to twelve months."" Up to six months,"" Sanders said.` Jesus,"" somebody whispered. Daly said,` Johnson suggested that the maximum delay would be six weeks."""" I hope that's right. But you asked for worst case."""" Do you really think it will take six months?"""" You asked for",the thin investment banker,"the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker",". Abruptly, Nichols sat forward."" I'm afraid I need some help here,"" he said."" With figures like that, on what do you base your confidence in the Twinkle drive?"""" The reason is that we've seen all this before,"" Sanders replied."" We've seen production problems that look insurmountable but then get resolved quickly."""" I see. So you think your past experience will hold true here."""" Yes, I do."" Nichols sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked extremely dissatisfied. Jim Daly, the thin investment banker, sat forward and said,"" Please don't misunderstand, Tom. We're not trying to put you on the spot,"" he said."" We have long ago identified several reasons for acquisition of this company, irrespective of any specific problem with Twinkle. So I don't think Twinkle is a critical issue today. We just want to know where we stand on it. And we'd like you to be as frank as possible."""" Well, there are problems,"" Sanders said."" We're in the midst of assessing them now. We have some ideas. But some of the problems may go back to design."" Daly said,"" Give us worst case."""" Worst case? We pull the line, rework the housings and perhaps the controller chips, and then go back on."""" Causing a delay of?"" Nine to twelve months."" Up to six months,"" Sanders said.` Jesus,"" somebody whispered. Daly said,` Johnson suggested that the maximum delay would be six weeks."""" I hope that's right. But you asked for worst case."""" Do you really think it will take six months?"""" You asked for:Previous Entities: |the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak, his daughter, his assistant, Jesus, Robert T, Daly, a new assistant, This woman from his past, the thin investment banker| ::: We have long ago identified several reasons for acquisition of this company, ",Daly.M "“Die,",52640,52645,True,1741:The Loremaster.M,",” he hazarded, giving up, and added“As the challenged parties my lords Lio!rt and Liartes have choice of weapons.”“Dragons,” they said together. Liessa snorted.“Dragons can be used offensively, therefore they are weapons,” said Lio!rt firmly.“If you disagree we can fight over it.”“Yah,” said his brother, nodding at Hrun. The Loremaster felt a ghostly finger prod him in the chest.“Don’t stand there with your mouth open,” said Greicha’s graveyard voice.“Just hurry up, will you?” Hrun stepped back, shaking his head.“Oh no,” he said.“Once was enough. I’d rather be dead than fight on one of those things.”“Die, then,” said the Loremaster, as kindly as he could manage. Lio!rt and Liartes were already striding back across the turf to where the servants stood waiting with their mounts. Hrun turned to Liessa. She shrugged.“Don’t I even get a sword?” he pleaded.“A knife, even?”“No,” she said.“I didn’t expect this.” She suddenly looked smaller, all defiance gone.“I’m sorry.”“You’re sorry?”“Yes. I’m sorry.”“Yes, I thought you said you’re sorry.”“Don’t glare at me like that! I can imagine you the finest dragon to ride—”“No!” The Loremaster wiped his nose on a handkerchief, held the",The Loremaster,"Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster",",” he hazarded, giving up, and added“As the challenged parties my lords Lio!rt and Liartes have choice of weapons.”“Dragons,” they said together. Liessa snorted.“Dragons can be used offensively, therefore they are weapons,” said Lio!rt firmly.“If you disagree we can fight over it.”“Yah,” said his brother, nodding at Hrun. The Loremaster felt a ghostly finger prod him in the chest.“Don’t stand there with your mouth open,” said Greicha’s graveyard voice.“Just hurry up, will you?” Hrun stepped back, shaking his head.“Oh no,” he said.“Once was enough. I’d rather be dead than fight on one of those things.”“Die, then,” said the Loremaster, as kindly as he could manage. Lio!rt and Liartes were already striding back across the turf to where the servants stood waiting with their mounts. Hrun turned to Liessa. She shrugged.“Don’t I even get a sword?” he pleaded.“A knife, even?”“No,” she said.“I didn’t expect this.” She suddenly looked smaller, all defiance gone.“I’m sorry.”“You’re sorry?”“Yes. I’m sorry.”“Yes, I thought you said you’re sorry.”“Don’t glare at me like that! I can imagine you the finest dragon to ride—”“No!” The Loremaster wiped his nose on a handkerchief, held the:Previous Entities: |Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster| ::: “Die, ","Liessa.F Lio!rt.M Liartes.M Hrun.M The Loremaster.M" There’s no Mr. Sakamura here.”,40409,40420,True,1291:the doorman.?,"can’t afford a house. The dollar buys less, everything is more expensive. People struggle just to hold on to what they have. They can’t get ahead.” I found myself nodding as I listened. About a month before, I had gone looking for a house, hoping to get a backyard for Michelle. But housing prices were just impossible in L.A. I was never going to be able to afford one, unless I remarried. Maybe not even then, consideringI felt a sharp jab in the ribs. I turned around and saw the doorman. He jerked his head toward the front door.“Back, fella.” I was angry. I glanced at Connor, but he just quietly moved back to the entrance. In the entryway, the doorman said,“I checked. There’s no Mr. Sakamura here.”“Mr. Sakamura,” Connor said,“is the Japanese gentleman standing at the back of the room, to your right. Talking to the redhead.” The doorman shook his head.“I’m sorry, fellas. Unless you have a search warrant, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”“There isn’t a problem here,” Connor said.“Mr. Sakamura is a friend of mine. I know he’d like to talk to me.”“I’m sorry. Do you have a search warrant?”“No,” Connor said.“Then you’re trespassing. And I’m asking you to leave.” Connor just stood there. The doorman stepped back and planted his feet wide. He said,“I think you",the doorman,"Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple","can’t afford a house. The dollar buys less, everything is more expensive. People struggle just to hold on to what they have. They can’t get ahead.” I found myself nodding as I listened. About a month before, I had gone looking for a house, hoping to get a backyard for Michelle. But housing prices were just impossible in L.A. I was never going to be able to afford one, unless I remarried. Maybe not even then, consideringI felt a sharp jab in the ribs. I turned around and saw the doorman. He jerked his head toward the front door.“Back, fella.” I was angry. I glanced at Connor, but he just quietly moved back to the entrance. In the entryway, the doorman said,“I checked. There’s no Mr. Sakamura here.”“Mr. Sakamura,” Connor said,“is the Japanese gentleman standing at the back of the room, to your right. Talking to the redhead.” The doorman shook his head.“I’m sorry, fellas. Unless you have a search warrant, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”“There isn’t a problem here,” Connor said.“Mr. Sakamura is a friend of mine. I know he’d like to talk to me.”“I’m sorry. Do you have a search warrant?”“No,” Connor said.“Then you’re trespassing. And I’m asking you to leave.” Connor just stood there. The doorman stepped back and planted his feet wide. He said,“I think you:Previous Entities: |Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple| ::: There’s no Mr. Sakamura here.” ",the doorman.M "Kreacher wants his new mistress,",17155,17197,True,964:the house - elf.F,"a loud crack and a house- elf appeared, with a snout for a nose, giant bat’s ears and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the Dursleys’ shagpile carpet and covered in grimy rags. Aunt Petunia let out a hair- raising shriek: nothing this filthy had entered her house in living memory; Dudley drew his large bare pink feet off the floor and sat with them raised almost above his head, as though he thought the creature might run up his pyjama trousers, and Uncle Vernon bellowed,‘ What the hell is that?’‘ Kreacher,’ finished Dumbledore.‘ Kreacher won’t, Kreacher won’t, Kreacher won’t!’ croaked the house- elf, quite as loudly as Uncle Vernon, stamping his long gnarled feet and pulling his ears.‘ Kreacher belongs to Miss Bellatrix, oh, yes, Kreacher belongs to the Blacks, Kreacher wants his new mistress, Kreacher won’t go to the Potter brat, Kreacher won’t, won’t, won’t–’‘ As you can see, Harry,’ said Dumbledore loudly, over Kreacher’s continued croaks of‘ won’t, won’t, won’t’,‘ Kreacher is showing a certain reluctance to pass into your ownership.’‘ I don’t care,’ said Harry again, looking with disgust at the writhing, stamping house- elf.‘ I don’t want him.’‘ Won’t, won’t, won’t, won’t–’‘ You would prefer him to pass into the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange? Bearing in mind that he has lived at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for the past year?’‘ Won’t, won’t, won’t, won’t–’ Harry stared at Dumbledore. He knew that Kreacher could not",the house - elf,"the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some","a loud crack and a house- elf appeared, with a snout for a nose, giant bat’s ears and enormous bloodshot eyes, crouching on the Dursleys’ shagpile carpet and covered in grimy rags. Aunt Petunia let out a hair- raising shriek: nothing this filthy had entered her house in living memory; Dudley drew his large bare pink feet off the floor and sat with them raised almost above his head, as though he thought the creature might run up his pyjama trousers, and Uncle Vernon bellowed,‘ What the hell is that?’‘ Kreacher,’ finished Dumbledore.‘ Kreacher won’t, Kreacher won’t, Kreacher won’t!’ croaked the house- elf, quite as loudly as Uncle Vernon, stamping his long gnarled feet and pulling his ears.‘ Kreacher belongs to Miss Bellatrix, oh, yes, Kreacher belongs to the Blacks, Kreacher wants his new mistress, Kreacher won’t go to the Potter brat, Kreacher won’t, won’t, won’t–’‘ As you can see, Harry,’ said Dumbledore loudly, over Kreacher’s continued croaks of‘ won’t, won’t, won’t’,‘ Kreacher is showing a certain reluctance to pass into your ownership.’‘ I don’t care,’ said Harry again, looking with disgust at the writhing, stamping house- elf.‘ I don’t want him.’‘ Won’t, won’t, won’t, won’t–’‘ You would prefer him to pass into the ownership of Bellatrix Lestrange? Bearing in mind that he has lived at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix for the past year?’‘ Won’t, won’t, won’t, won’t–’ Harry stared at Dumbledore. He knew that Kreacher could not:Previous Entities: |the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy, the Glauxess, Rorkna, the lady, Harry Nason, The saleslady, Nancy Moldow, the stockboy, Martin Coslaw, The Law, an elderly woman, the announcer, Granger, Brant, Holloway, Franklin, The floorwalker, Burgess, wizards, Some| ::: Kreacher wants his new mistress, ",Kreacher.M Don't you ever come back!,183749,183773,True,588:Yvette.F,"had such a deadly conversation with Bill Dean, could I? Bill who had reproached me for not letting folks down here share— and perhaps ease— my grief for Jo, Bill who had welcomed me back so warmly? Then I heard a clack sound. He might not have locked his door while he was at home in his entire life, but he had locked it now. The clack was very clear in the breathless July air. It told me everything I had to know about my long friendship with Bill Dean. I turned and walked back to my car, my head down. Nor did I turn when I heard a window run up behind me.' Don't you ever come back here, you town bastard!' Yvette Dean cried across the sweltering dooryard.' You've broken his heart! Don't you ever come back! Don't you ever! Don't you ever!'' Please,' Mrs. M. said.' Don't ask me any more questions, Mike. I can't afford to get in Bill Dean's bad books, any more'n my ma could afford to get into Normal Auster's or Fred Dean's.' I shifted the phone to my other ear.' All I want to know is—'' In this part of the world caretakers pretty well run the whole show. If they say to a summer fella that he should hire this carpenter or that' lectrician, why, that's who the summer fella hires. Or if a caretaker says this one should be fired because he ain't proving reliable, he is fired. Or she. Because what goes once for plumbers and landscapers and' lectricians has always gone twice",Yvette,"The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette","had such a deadly conversation with Bill Dean, could I? Bill who had reproached me for not letting folks down here share— and perhaps ease— my grief for Jo, Bill who had welcomed me back so warmly? Then I heard a clack sound. He might not have locked his door while he was at home in his entire life, but he had locked it now. The clack was very clear in the breathless July air. It told me everything I had to know about my long friendship with Bill Dean. I turned and walked back to my car, my head down. Nor did I turn when I heard a window run up behind me.' Don't you ever come back here, you town bastard!' Yvette Dean cried across the sweltering dooryard.' You've broken his heart! Don't you ever come back! Don't you ever! Don't you ever!'' Please,' Mrs. M. said.' Don't ask me any more questions, Mike. I can't afford to get in Bill Dean's bad books, any more'n my ma could afford to get into Normal Auster's or Fred Dean's.' I shifted the phone to my other ear.' All I want to know is—'' In this part of the world caretakers pretty well run the whole show. If they say to a summer fella that he should hire this carpenter or that' lectrician, why, that's who the summer fella hires. Or if a caretaker says this one should be fired because he ain't proving reliable, he is fired. Or she. Because what goes once for plumbers and landscapers and' lectricians has always gone twice:Previous Entities: |The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie, Siddy, Sid, The Castle Rockers, Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette| ::: Don't you ever come back! ",Yvette Dean.F "‘ Dimity Hubbub,",37737,37760,True,"1357:Another one , sitting on a log.?","there, now covered mostly in brambles. You might miss it completely if you didn’t spot the rampant growth of lilac and the gooseberry bushes, now a forest of thorns. Someone had lived here once, and had a garden. Someone else, now, had lit a fire. Badly. And they had found that lying down flat to blow on a fire because you hadn’t started it with enough paper and dry twigs was not a good idea, because it would then cause your pointy hat, which you had forgotten to take off, to fall into the smoking mess and then, because it was dry, catch fire. A young witch was now flailing desperately at her burning hat, watched by several interested spectators. Another one, sitting on a log, said:‘ Dimity Hubbub, that is literally the most stupid thing anyone has ever done anywhere in the whole world, ever.’ It was a sharp, not very nice voice, the sort most people used for being sarcastic with.‘ Sorry, Annagramma!’ said Miss Hubbub, pulling off the hat and stamping on the point.‘ I mean, just look at you, will you? You really are letting everyone down.’‘ Sorry, Annagramma!’‘ Um,’ said Petulia. Everyone turned to look at the new arrivals.‘ You’re late, Petulia Gristle!’ snapped Annagramma.‘ And who’s this?’‘ Um, you did ask me to call in at Miss Level’s to bring the new girl, Annagramma,’ said Petulia, as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. Annagramma stood up. She was at least a head taller than Tiffany","Another one , sitting on a log","Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log","there, now covered mostly in brambles. You might miss it completely if you didn’t spot the rampant growth of lilac and the gooseberry bushes, now a forest of thorns. Someone had lived here once, and had a garden. Someone else, now, had lit a fire. Badly. And they had found that lying down flat to blow on a fire because you hadn’t started it with enough paper and dry twigs was not a good idea, because it would then cause your pointy hat, which you had forgotten to take off, to fall into the smoking mess and then, because it was dry, catch fire. A young witch was now flailing desperately at her burning hat, watched by several interested spectators. Another one, sitting on a log, said:‘ Dimity Hubbub, that is literally the most stupid thing anyone has ever done anywhere in the whole world, ever.’ It was a sharp, not very nice voice, the sort most people used for being sarcastic with.‘ Sorry, Annagramma!’ said Miss Hubbub, pulling off the hat and stamping on the point.‘ I mean, just look at you, will you? You really are letting everyone down.’‘ Sorry, Annagramma!’‘ Um,’ said Petulia. Everyone turned to look at the new arrivals.‘ You’re late, Petulia Gristle!’ snapped Annagramma.‘ And who’s this?’‘ Um, you did ask me to call in at Miss Level’s to bring the new girl, Annagramma,’ said Petulia, as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. Annagramma stood up. She was at least a head taller than Tiffany:Previous Entities: |Q, the shepherds, A second voice, This toad, the toad, Mr Crabber, Both witches, the Miss Level on the right, the other Miss Level, the first Miss Level, The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log| ::: ‘ Dimity Hubbub, ","Annagramma.F Dimity Hubbub.F Petulia Gristle.F" it is only that we feel deprived.,118400,118433,True,459:Albertus.?,"you believed were secrets between you and your god. For Albertus, his present situation could be little different from death and that ultimate submission to the final judgment of his god. That surely described the unconscious setting for the way Albertus let his will power crumble now. All of his religious fears had been called up and were focused on a Reverend Mother. In her driest tones, not even compelling him with Voice, Odrade said:“I want this farce ended immediately.” Albertus tried to swallow. He knew he could not lie. He might know a remote capability of lying but that was useless. Submissively, he looked up at Odrade’s forehead where the line of her stillsuit cap had been drawn tightly across her brow. He spoke in little more than a whisper:“Reverend Mother, it is only that we feel deprived. You and the Tleilaxu go into the desert with our Sheeana. Both of you will learn from her and…” His shoulders sagged.“Why do you take the Tleilaxu?”“Sheeana wishes it,” Odrade lied. Albertus opened his mouth and closed it without speaking. She could see acceptance flood through him.“You will return to your fellows with my warning,” Odrade said.“The survival of Rakis and of your priesthood depend utterly on how well you obey me. You will not hinder us in the slightest! And as to these puerile plots against us— Sheeana reveals to us your every evil thought!” Albertus surprised her then. He shook his head and emitted a dry chuckle. Odrade already had noted that many of these priests enjoyed discomfiture but had not suspected that they might find amusement in their own failures.“I find your laughter shallow,” she",Albertus,"Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus","you believed were secrets between you and your god. For Albertus, his present situation could be little different from death and that ultimate submission to the final judgment of his god. That surely described the unconscious setting for the way Albertus let his will power crumble now. All of his religious fears had been called up and were focused on a Reverend Mother. In her driest tones, not even compelling him with Voice, Odrade said:“I want this farce ended immediately.” Albertus tried to swallow. He knew he could not lie. He might know a remote capability of lying but that was useless. Submissively, he looked up at Odrade’s forehead where the line of her stillsuit cap had been drawn tightly across her brow. He spoke in little more than a whisper:“Reverend Mother, it is only that we feel deprived. You and the Tleilaxu go into the desert with our Sheeana. Both of you will learn from her and…” His shoulders sagged.“Why do you take the Tleilaxu?”“Sheeana wishes it,” Odrade lied. Albertus opened his mouth and closed it without speaking. She could see acceptance flood through him.“You will return to your fellows with my warning,” Odrade said.“The survival of Rakis and of your priesthood depend utterly on how well you obey me. You will not hinder us in the slightest! And as to these puerile plots against us— Sheeana reveals to us your every evil thought!” Albertus surprised her then. He shook his head and emitted a dry chuckle. Odrade already had noted that many of these priests enjoyed discomfiture but had not suspected that they might find amusement in their own failures.“I find your laughter shallow,” she:Previous Entities: |Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus| ::: it is only that we feel deprived. ",Albertus.M "cowhage- in- ordinary,",44526,44545,True,1501:the peasant.M,"someone whispered to Granny.' And foul tortures, they say!'' Nonsense,' said Granny.' It couldn't be. I expect Nanny Ogg has just gone to advise the king, or something.'' They say Jason Ogg's gone to fetch his brothers,' said a stallholder, in awe.' I really advise you all to return home,' said Granny Weatherwax.' There has probably been a misunderstanding. Everyone knows a witch can not be held against her will.'' It's gone too far this time,' said a peasant.' All this burning and taxing and now this. I blame you witches. It's got to stop. I know my rights.'' What rights are they?' said Granny.' Dunnage, cowhage- in- ordinary, badinage, leftovers, scrommidge, clary and spunt,' said the peasant promptly.' And acornage, every other year, and the right to keep two- thirds of a goat on the common. Until he set fire to it. It was a bloody good goat, too.'' A man could go far, knowing his rights like you do,' said Granny.' But right now he should go home.' She turned and looked at the gates. There were two extremely apprehensive guards on duty. She walked up to them, and fixed one of them with a look.' I am a harmless old seller of apples,' she said, in a voice more appropriate for the opening of hostilities in a middle- range war.' Pray let me past, dearie.' The last word had knives",the peasant,"the taxman, the peasant","someone whispered to Granny.' And foul tortures, they say!'' Nonsense,' said Granny.' It couldn't be. I expect Nanny Ogg has just gone to advise the king, or something.'' They say Jason Ogg's gone to fetch his brothers,' said a stallholder, in awe.' I really advise you all to return home,' said Granny Weatherwax.' There has probably been a misunderstanding. Everyone knows a witch can not be held against her will.'' It's gone too far this time,' said a peasant.' All this burning and taxing and now this. I blame you witches. It's got to stop. I know my rights.'' What rights are they?' said Granny.' Dunnage, cowhage- in- ordinary, badinage, leftovers, scrommidge, clary and spunt,' said the peasant promptly.' And acornage, every other year, and the right to keep two- thirds of a goat on the common. Until he set fire to it. It was a bloody good goat, too.'' A man could go far, knowing his rights like you do,' said Granny.' But right now he should go home.' She turned and looked at the gates. There were two extremely apprehensive guards on duty. She walked up to them, and fixed one of them with a look.' I am a harmless old seller of apples,' she said, in a voice more appropriate for the opening of hostilities in a middle- range war.' Pray let me past, dearie.' The last word had knives:Previous Entities: |the taxman, the peasant| ::: cowhage- in- ordinary, ","Granny Weatherwax.F Nanny Ogg.F Jason Ogg.M the stallholder.? the peasant.M the taxman.M the guards.? " would you?,23990,24004,True,1043:The LEP captain.F,"Artemis stopped himself. Selling fairy technology was what had got Butler hurt in the first place. They slowed sufficiently for Artemis to make out individual landmarks. Dublin squatted to the east, an aura of yellow light buzzing over its highway system. Holly skirted the city, heading for the less populated north of the county. In the centre of a large dark patch sat a single building, painted white by external spotlights: Artemis's ancestral home, Fowl Manor. FOWL MANOR, DUBLIN, IRELAND' Now, explain yourself,' said Holly, once they had floated Butler safely to bed. She sat on the great stairway's bottom step. Generations of Fowls glared down at her from oil portraits on the walls. The LEP captain activated her helmet mike and switched it to loudspeaker.' Foaly, record this, would you? I have a feeling we're going to want to hear it again.'' This entire incident began at a business meeting this afternoon,' began Artemis.' Go on.'' I was meeting Jon Spiro, an American industrialist.' Holly heard keys being tapped in her ear. Undoubtedly Foaly was running a background check on this Spiro character.' Jon Spiro,' said the centaur, almost immediately.' A shady character, even by human standards. Mud Man security agencies have been trying to put this guy away for thirty years. His companies are eco- disasters. And that's only the tip of the iceberg: industrial espionage, abduction, blackmail, mob connections. You name it, he's gotten away with it.'' That's the chap,' said Artemis.",The LEP captain,"Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain","Artemis stopped himself. Selling fairy technology was what had got Butler hurt in the first place. They slowed sufficiently for Artemis to make out individual landmarks. Dublin squatted to the east, an aura of yellow light buzzing over its highway system. Holly skirted the city, heading for the less populated north of the county. In the centre of a large dark patch sat a single building, painted white by external spotlights: Artemis's ancestral home, Fowl Manor. FOWL MANOR, DUBLIN, IRELAND' Now, explain yourself,' said Holly, once they had floated Butler safely to bed. She sat on the great stairway's bottom step. Generations of Fowls glared down at her from oil portraits on the walls. The LEP captain activated her helmet mike and switched it to loudspeaker.' Foaly, record this, would you? I have a feeling we're going to want to hear it again.'' This entire incident began at a business meeting this afternoon,' began Artemis.' Go on.'' I was meeting Jon Spiro, an American industrialist.' Holly heard keys being tapped in her ear. Undoubtedly Foaly was running a background check on this Spiro character.' Jon Spiro,' said the centaur, almost immediately.' A shady character, even by human standards. Mud Man security agencies have been trying to put this guy away for thirty years. His companies are eco- disasters. And that's only the tip of the iceberg: industrial espionage, abduction, blackmail, mob connections. You name it, he's gotten away with it.'' That's the chap,' said Artemis.:Previous Entities: |Helen, Doyle, Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain| ::: would you? ",Holly. ” Ron said.,86353,86356,True,2684:a blond woman.F,"listening to him.”“The sale is going through anyway?”“That’s what I heard today. The Japanese PR machine is hard at work cranking out favorable publicity. And they are tenacious. They are on top of everything. I mean everything-“There was a knock at the door, and a blond woman stuck her head in.“Sorry to disturb you, Ron,” she said,“but Keith just got a call from the Los Angeles representative for NHK, Japanese national television. He wants to know why our reporter is bashing Japan.” Ron frowned.“Bashing Japan? What’s he talking about?”“He claims our reporter said on air,“The damn Japanese are taking over this country.”““Come on,” Ron said.“Nobody would say that- on air. Who’s supposed to have said that?”“Lenny. In New York. Over the backhaul,” the woman said. Ron shifted in his chair.“Uh- oh,” he said.“Did you check the tapes?”“Yeah,” she said.“They’re tracing the download now in the main control room. But I assume it’s true.”“Hell.” I said,“What’s the backhaul?”“Our satellite feed. We pick up segments from New York and Washington every day, and replay them. There’s always about a minute before and after that isn’t aired. We cut it out, but the ravt transmission can be picked up by anybody with",a blond woman,"Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman","listening to him.”“The sale is going through anyway?”“That’s what I heard today. The Japanese PR machine is hard at work cranking out favorable publicity. And they are tenacious. They are on top of everything. I mean everything-“There was a knock at the door, and a blond woman stuck her head in.“Sorry to disturb you, Ron,” she said,“but Keith just got a call from the Los Angeles representative for NHK, Japanese national television. He wants to know why our reporter is bashing Japan.” Ron frowned.“Bashing Japan? What’s he talking about?”“He claims our reporter said on air,“The damn Japanese are taking over this country.”““Come on,” Ron said.“Nobody would say that- on air. Who’s supposed to have said that?”“Lenny. In New York. Over the backhaul,” the woman said. Ron shifted in his chair.“Uh- oh,” he said.“Did you check the tapes?”“Yeah,” she said.“They’re tracing the download now in the main control room. But I assume it’s true.”“Hell.” I said,“What’s the backhaul?”“Our satellite feed. We pick up segments from New York and Washington every day, and replay them. There’s always about a minute before and after that isn’t aired. We cut it out, but the ravt transmission can be picked up by anybody with:Previous Entities: |Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman| ::: ” Ron said. ",the blond woman.F ‘ Watch where you’re,37077,37081,True,272:Madam Malkin.F,"peer through the window.‘ I’ll stand guard outside, all righ’?’ So Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.‘… not a child, in case you haven’t noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone.’ There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognised as that of Madam Malkin said,‘ Now, dear, your mother’s quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own any more, it’s nothing to do with being a child–’‘ Watch where you’re sticking that pin, will you!’ A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white- blond hair appeared from behind the rack wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light grey eyes narrowed.‘ If you’re wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in,’ said Draco Malfoy.‘ I don’t think there’s any need for language like that!’ said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand.‘ And I don’t want wands drawn in my shop",Madam Malkin,"a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin","peer through the window.‘ I’ll stand guard outside, all righ’?’ So Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.‘… not a child, in case you haven’t noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone.’ There was a clucking noise and a voice Harry recognised as that of Madam Malkin said,‘ Now, dear, your mother’s quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own any more, it’s nothing to do with being a child–’‘ Watch where you’re sticking that pin, will you!’ A teenage boy with a pale, pointed face and white- blond hair appeared from behind the rack wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Harry, Ron and Hermione reflected over his shoulder. His light grey eyes narrowed.‘ If you’re wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in,’ said Draco Malfoy.‘ I don’t think there’s any need for language like that!’ said Madam Malkin, scurrying out from behind the clothes rack holding a tape measure and a wand.‘ And I don’t want wands drawn in my shop:Previous Entities: |a girl, Potter, Madam Malkin| ::: ‘ Watch where you’re ",Draco Malfoy.M “Where you be goin’?”,14264,14270,True,140:Maisy.F,", indeed. On Penryck’s scythe. I believe the lady, good Queen Siv, saw it, too.”“Oh, my Glaux!” I gasped. The very thought of Siv seeing this grisly spectacle made my gizzard lock. The stranger went on to give details, which I was too stunned to take in but would remember later. And it was too easy to imagine Siv now, the most beautiful Spotted Owl in the world, desperate, possibly alone, and terrified that her first egg, the egg of H’rath and herself, would be seized, or worse, destroyed. I had to get flying. I started to move away from the grog tree.“Oh, darlin’.” Maisy tipped over and lay with her head on the trunk.“Where you be goin’?”“The desert, remember?’“Need company?” she asked.“I thought you didn’t like the desert. Full of low- class types. Remember?”“Did I say that?” Her eyes blinked shut for a long time. And I was already moving off. As I spiraled up and over the Shadow Forest, clawing against that hard northeasterly wind, I tried to think where Siv would have fled to in the N’yrthghar. Would she have gone farther north and west, deep into the range of the Hrath’ghar mountains? But if troops had been massing on that ridge, as I had seen in the flames, the way might be blocked. Perhaps she had flown straight west toward the Bitter Sea or the Bay of Kiel. Then I remembered",Maisy,"The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy",", indeed. On Penryck’s scythe. I believe the lady, good Queen Siv, saw it, too.”“Oh, my Glaux!” I gasped. The very thought of Siv seeing this grisly spectacle made my gizzard lock. The stranger went on to give details, which I was too stunned to take in but would remember later. And it was too easy to imagine Siv now, the most beautiful Spotted Owl in the world, desperate, possibly alone, and terrified that her first egg, the egg of H’rath and herself, would be seized, or worse, destroyed. I had to get flying. I started to move away from the grog tree.“Oh, darlin’.” Maisy tipped over and lay with her head on the trunk.“Where you be goin’?”“The desert, remember?’“Need company?” she asked.“I thought you didn’t like the desert. Full of low- class types. Remember?”“Did I say that?” Her eyes blinked shut for a long time. And I was already moving off. As I spiraled up and over the Shadow Forest, clawing against that hard northeasterly wind, I tried to think where Siv would have fled to in the N’yrthghar. Would she have gone farther north and west, deep into the range of the Hrath’ghar mountains? But if troops had been massing on that ridge, as I had seen in the flames, the way might be blocked. Perhaps she had flown straight west toward the Bitter Sea or the Bay of Kiel. Then I remembered:Previous Entities: |The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz, the older man, the younger man, Veronica Roth, Joss, H’rath, the Great Gray, A one - eyed Great Horned, Maisy| ::: “Where you be goin’?” ",Maisy.F "wherefore their Creator has not exerted his powers to make many of them.""",150,202,True,258:ERWIN CHARGAFF.?,"Jurassic Park Michael Crichton Copyright Michael Crichton(c) 1991 All Rights Reserved The right of Michael Crichton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in Great Britain in 1991 by the Random Century Group 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, London SWIV 2SA Century Hutchinson South Africa(Pty) Ltd PO Box 337, Bergvlei 2012 South Africa Random Century Australia Pty Ltd 20 Alfred St, Milsons Point, Sydney, NSW 2061 Australia Random Century New Zealand Ltd PO Box 40- 086, Glenfield, Auckland 10 New Zealand A CIP Catalogue Record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 0 7126 4686 8 Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc For A- M and T"" Reptiles are abhorrent because of their cold body, pale color, cartilaginous skeleton, filthy skin, fierce aspect, calculating eye, offensive smell, harsh voice, squalid habitation, and terrible venom; wherefore their Creator has not exerted his powers to make many of them."" LINNAEUS, 1797"" You can not recall a new form of life."" ERWIN CHARGAFF, 1972 Introduction"" The InGen Incident"" The late twentieth century has witnessed a scientific gold rush of astonishing proportions: the headlong and furious haste to commercialize genetic engineering. This enterprise has proceeded so rapidly- with so little outside commentary- that its dimensions and implications are hardly understood at all. Biotechnology promises the greatest revolution in human history. By the end of this decade, it will have outdistanced atomic power and computers in its effect on our everyday lives. In the words of one observer,"" Biotechnology is going to transform every aspect of human life: our medical care, our food, our health, our entertainment, our very bodies. Nothing will ever be the same again. It",ERWIN CHARGAFF,"Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF","Jurassic Park Michael Crichton Copyright Michael Crichton(c) 1991 All Rights Reserved The right of Michael Crichton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in Great Britain in 1991 by the Random Century Group 20 Vauxhall Bridge Rd, London SWIV 2SA Century Hutchinson South Africa(Pty) Ltd PO Box 337, Bergvlei 2012 South Africa Random Century Australia Pty Ltd 20 Alfred St, Milsons Point, Sydney, NSW 2061 Australia Random Century New Zealand Ltd PO Box 40- 086, Glenfield, Auckland 10 New Zealand A CIP Catalogue Record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 0 7126 4686 8 Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc For A- M and T"" Reptiles are abhorrent because of their cold body, pale color, cartilaginous skeleton, filthy skin, fierce aspect, calculating eye, offensive smell, harsh voice, squalid habitation, and terrible venom; wherefore their Creator has not exerted his powers to make many of them."" LINNAEUS, 1797"" You can not recall a new form of life."" ERWIN CHARGAFF, 1972 Introduction"" The InGen Incident"" The late twentieth century has witnessed a scientific gold rush of astonishing proportions: the headlong and furious haste to commercialize genetic engineering. This enterprise has proceeded so rapidly- with so little outside commentary- that its dimensions and implications are hardly understood at all. Biotechnology promises the greatest revolution in human history. By the end of this decade, it will have outdistanced atomic power and computers in its effect on our everyday lives. In the words of one observer,"" Biotechnology is going to transform every aspect of human life: our medical care, our food, our health, our entertainment, our very bodies. Nothing will ever be the same again. It:Previous Entities: |Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF| ::: wherefore their Creator has not exerted his powers to make many of them."" ",Jaideep.M "Slynella,",31353,31366,True,1162:the male eagle.?,"out an entire owl kingdom.“Slynella will fly with us to the sycamore. With a careful application of her venom to the wound, this Barn Owl might be saved.” The eagle paused.“If it isn’t too late.” Gylfie was weeping quietly in a corner of the hollow. The other five owls crouched in the shadows, helpless and too stunned with grief to move. Hortense did not hear any deep rasping breaths. He was sure that the Barn Owl must have died. But then he detected a faint movement in the sick owl’s breast feathers. The hollow was not big enough for the eagles. The female merely stuck her head in and surveyed the situation. Then, in that soundless way she had, she communicated something to her mate.“Get to work, Slynella, this is a fine owl,” said the male eagle. At that moment Digger, Gylfie, and Twilight blinked. These were the eagles who had saved them in the desert.“Zan! Streak!” Gylfie gasped.“What are you doing here?” Then there was a huge flutter. The owls all pressed themselves against the sides of the hollow as Slynella, in one sinuous movement, slid in and hung herself in an S shape from a wood spur that projected directly over Soren.“Calm yourselves. This snake is Soren’s only hope. Only one side of her forked tongue bears the poison. If she mixes it with the contents of the other side, she can provide a powerful medicine for an infection.” The six owls stepped back. The snake lowered herself until her head was",the male eagle,"the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle","out an entire owl kingdom.“Slynella will fly with us to the sycamore. With a careful application of her venom to the wound, this Barn Owl might be saved.” The eagle paused.“If it isn’t too late.” Gylfie was weeping quietly in a corner of the hollow. The other five owls crouched in the shadows, helpless and too stunned with grief to move. Hortense did not hear any deep rasping breaths. He was sure that the Barn Owl must have died. But then he detected a faint movement in the sick owl’s breast feathers. The hollow was not big enough for the eagles. The female merely stuck her head in and surveyed the situation. Then, in that soundless way she had, she communicated something to her mate.“Get to work, Slynella, this is a fine owl,” said the male eagle. At that moment Digger, Gylfie, and Twilight blinked. These were the eagles who had saved them in the desert.“Zan! Streak!” Gylfie gasped.“What are you doing here?” Then there was a huge flutter. The owls all pressed themselves against the sides of the hollow as Slynella, in one sinuous movement, slid in and hung herself in an S shape from a wood spur that projected directly over Soren.“Calm yourselves. This snake is Soren’s only hope. Only one side of her forked tongue bears the poison. If she mixes it with the contents of the other side, she can provide a powerful medicine for an infection.” The six owls stepped back. The snake lowered herself until her head was:Previous Entities: |the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle| ::: Slynella, ",Slynella.F Come ahead.”,43954,43962,True,1322:the man in blue.?,"body from all sides. My clothes were soaked. I smelled a stinging odor like acetone, or nail polish remover. I began to shiver; the liquid was really cold. The first blast of air came from above my head, a roar that quickly built to hurricane intensity. I stiffened my body to steady myself. My clothes flapped and pressed flat against my body. The wind increased, threatening to tear the bag from my hand. Then the air stopped for a moment, and a second blast came upward from the floor. It was disorienting, but it only lasted a few moments. Then with a whoosh the vacuum pumps kicked in and I felt a slight ache in my ears as the pressure dropped, like an airplane descending. Then silence. A voice said,“That’s it. Come ahead.” I opened my eyes. The liquid they’d sprayed on me had evaporated; my clothes were dry. The doors hissed open before me. I stepped out and the man in blue looked at me quizzically.“Feel okay?”“Yeah, I think so.”“No itching?”“No...”“Good. We had a few people who were allergic to the stuff. But we’ve got to do this routine, for the clean rooms.” I nodded. It was obviously a procedure to remove dust and other contaminants. The dousing fluid was highly volatile, evaporating at room temperature, drawing off microparticles on my body and clothes. The air jets and vacuum completed the scrub. The procedure would remove any loose particles on my body and suck them",the man in blue,"the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue","body from all sides. My clothes were soaked. I smelled a stinging odor like acetone, or nail polish remover. I began to shiver; the liquid was really cold. The first blast of air came from above my head, a roar that quickly built to hurricane intensity. I stiffened my body to steady myself. My clothes flapped and pressed flat against my body. The wind increased, threatening to tear the bag from my hand. Then the air stopped for a moment, and a second blast came upward from the floor. It was disorienting, but it only lasted a few moments. Then with a whoosh the vacuum pumps kicked in and I felt a slight ache in my ears as the pressure dropped, like an airplane descending. Then silence. A voice said,“That’s it. Come ahead.” I opened my eyes. The liquid they’d sprayed on me had evaporated; my clothes were dry. The doors hissed open before me. I stepped out and the man in blue looked at me quizzically.“Feel okay?”“Yeah, I think so.”“No itching?”“No...”“Good. We had a few people who were allergic to the stuff. But we’ve got to do this routine, for the clean rooms.” I nodded. It was obviously a procedure to remove dust and other contaminants. The dousing fluid was highly volatile, evaporating at room temperature, drawing off microparticles on my body and clothes. The air jets and vacuum completed the scrub. The procedure would remove any loose particles on my body and suck them:Previous Entities: |the baby, a video technician, The technician, all men, Growly, the heavyset man, the man with the briefcase, the timid man, the man in blue| ::: Come ahead.” ",the man in blue.M "Can you try and understand,""",62982,62989,True,1708:the marketing girl.F,"the crowd. Ford rounded on him angrily."" Very funny,"" he said,"" but have you noticed that they're dying out?"" On their journey back, Ford and Arthur had come across two derelict villages and the bodies of many natives in the woods, where they had crept away to die. Those that still lived were stricken and listless, as if they were suffering some disease of the spirit rather than the body. They moved sluggishly and with an infinite sadness. Their future had been taken away from them."" Dying out!"" repeated Ford."" Do you know what that means?"""" Er... we shouldn't sell them any life insurance?"" called out the wag again. Ford ignored him, and appealed to the whole crowd."" Can you try and understand,"" he said,"" that it's just since we've arrived that they've started dying out!"""" In fact that comes over terribly well in this film,"" said the marketing girl,"" and just gives it that poignant twist which is the hallmark of the really great documentary. The producer's very committed."""" He should be,"" muttered Ford."" I gather,"" said the girl, turning to address the Captain who was beginning to nod off,"" that he wants to make one about you next, Captain."""" Oh really?"" he said, coming to with a start,"" that's awfully nice."""" He's got a very strong angle on it, you know, the burden of responsibility, the loneliness of",the marketing girl,"Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl","the crowd. Ford rounded on him angrily."" Very funny,"" he said,"" but have you noticed that they're dying out?"" On their journey back, Ford and Arthur had come across two derelict villages and the bodies of many natives in the woods, where they had crept away to die. Those that still lived were stricken and listless, as if they were suffering some disease of the spirit rather than the body. They moved sluggishly and with an infinite sadness. Their future had been taken away from them."" Dying out!"" repeated Ford."" Do you know what that means?"""" Er... we shouldn't sell them any life insurance?"" called out the wag again. Ford ignored him, and appealed to the whole crowd."" Can you try and understand,"" he said,"" that it's just since we've arrived that they've started dying out!"""" In fact that comes over terribly well in this film,"" said the marketing girl,"" and just gives it that poignant twist which is the hallmark of the really great documentary. The producer's very committed."""" He should be,"" muttered Ford."" I gather,"" said the girl, turning to address the Captain who was beginning to nod off,"" that he wants to make one about you next, Captain."""" Oh really?"" he said, coming to with a start,"" that's awfully nice."""" He's got a very strong angle on it, you know, the burden of responsibility, the loneliness of:Previous Entities: |Lady Felmet, The soldier, Lord Felmet, the chamberlain, Mrs Vitoller, The tax gatherer, the taxman, the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge, the invisible sergeant, sire, the Vogon, Halfrunt, the machine, Zaphod Beeblebrox, the ancestor, his great grandfather, the apparition, the insect, the owner of the metal hand, the elevator, the battle machine, the computer, the animal, A computer voice, the reporter, Number Two, the management consultant, the marketing girl| ::: Can you try and understand,"" ",Ford,"the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman","the big guys in their pocket. We can’t beat‘ em now. You two guys’ll never beat I em. They’re just too good.” Outside, beneath the crackling neon sign, Connor said,“Come on, time is wasting.” We got in the car. He handed me the bar napkin. On it was scrawled in block letters: THEY STOLE THE TAPES“Let’s get going,” Connor said. I started the car. The eleven o’clock news was finished for the night, and the newsroom was nparly deserted. Connor and I went down the hall to the sound stage where the Action News set was still lit up. On the set, the evening broadcast was being replayed with the sound off. The anchorman pointed to the monitor.“I’m not stupid, Bobby. I watch these things. She did the lead- in and the wrap- up the last three nights.” He sat back in his chair and crossed his, arms“I’m waiting to hear what you have to say, Bobby.” My friend Bob Arthur, the heavyset, tired producer of the eleven o’clock news, sipped a tumbler of straight scotch as big as his fist. He said,“Jim, it justworked out that way.”“Worked out that way my ass,” the anchorman said. The anchorwoman was a gorgeous redhead with a killer figure. She was taking a long time to shuffle through her notes, making sure she stayed to overhear the conversation between Bob and her co anchor“Look,” the anchorman said.“It’s in my contract. Half the lead- ins and half the:Previous Entities: |the lawyer, Janis, The receptionist, Bren, the PR guy, The graphic artists, the first rep, the Weddell chief, Perry, The detective, another one, the first kid, Arlette, Rex, a portly man wrapped in a flapping gray duster, Poor feller, Lester, Some devil, Harl, Victoria Hallett, a young man with a flat cap pulled low on his forehead and a bandanna over his mouth and nose, The girl who could do triggeronomy and might have been the first female graduate of the normal school in Omaha, a lawman who would never be confused with Sherlock Holmes, The man who answered my knock, I’d, Quarles, Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman| ::: She did the lead- in and ",Bob. M ‘ And to new friends!’,136793,136799,True,404:Chiron.M,"!’ The Aphrodite and Athena girls alike cooed over the feisty little satyr baby, who waved his pudgy fists, kicked his tiny hooves and bleated,‘ Baaaa! Baaaa!’ Clarisse, who had been named the baby’s godmother, trailed behind the coach like a bodyguard and occasionally muttered,‘ All right, all right. Give the kid some space.’ At announcement time, Chiron stepped forward and raised his goblet.‘ Out of every tragedy,’ he said,‘ comes new strength. Today, we thank the gods for this victory. To the gods!’ The demigods all joined the toast, but their enthusiasm seemed muted. Nico understood the feeling: We saved the gods again, and now we’re supposed to thank them? Then Chiron said,‘ And to new friends!’‘ TO NEW FRIENDS!’ Hundreds of demigod voices echoed across the hills. At the campfire, everyone kept looking at the stars, as if they expected Leo to come back in some dramatic, last- minute surprise. Maybe he’d swoop in, jump off Festus’s back and launch into corny jokes. It didn’t happen. After a few songs, Reyna and Frank were called to the front. They got a thunderous round of applause from both the Greeks and Romans. Up on Half- Blood Hill, the Athena Parthenos glowed more brightly in moonlight, as if to signal: These kids are all right.‘ Tomorrow,’ Reyna said,‘ we Romans must return home. We appreciate your hospitality, especially since we almost killed you–’‘ You almost",Chiron,"Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil","!’ The Aphrodite and Athena girls alike cooed over the feisty little satyr baby, who waved his pudgy fists, kicked his tiny hooves and bleated,‘ Baaaa! Baaaa!’ Clarisse, who had been named the baby’s godmother, trailed behind the coach like a bodyguard and occasionally muttered,‘ All right, all right. Give the kid some space.’ At announcement time, Chiron stepped forward and raised his goblet.‘ Out of every tragedy,’ he said,‘ comes new strength. Today, we thank the gods for this victory. To the gods!’ The demigods all joined the toast, but their enthusiasm seemed muted. Nico understood the feeling: We saved the gods again, and now we’re supposed to thank them? Then Chiron said,‘ And to new friends!’‘ TO NEW FRIENDS!’ Hundreds of demigod voices echoed across the hills. At the campfire, everyone kept looking at the stars, as if they expected Leo to come back in some dramatic, last- minute surprise. Maybe he’d swoop in, jump off Festus’s back and launch into corny jokes. It didn’t happen. After a few songs, Reyna and Frank were called to the front. They got a thunderous round of applause from both the Greeks and Romans. Up on Half- Blood Hill, the Athena Parthenos glowed more brightly in moonlight, as if to signal: These kids are all right.‘ Tomorrow,’ Reyna said,‘ we Romans must return home. We appreciate your hospitality, especially since we almost killed you–’‘ You almost:Previous Entities: |Enceladus, Mimas, The Hunter, Polybotes, Ella, Hygeia, Dakota, Tyson, Leila, Athena, The leader, the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil| ::: ‘ And to new friends!’ ",Chiron.M “Do you think that Captain Connor’s Japan- bashing represents another example of the department’s lack of judgment in racially sensitive cases?”,101590,101616,True,513:the Weasel.M,", smiling at me.“I’m told the D.A.”s office has started an investigation.” I said nothing. I wondered if it was true.“Under the circumstances, Lieutenant, do you think the court made a mistake in granting you custody of your young daughter?” All I said was,“Sorry. No comment, Willy.” I tried to sound confident. I was starting to sweat. Connor said,“Come on, come on. No time.” I got into the car. Connor said to Wilhelm,“Son, I’m sorry, but we’re busy. Got to go.” He slammed the car door. I started the engine.“Let’s go,” Connor said. Willy stuck his head in the window.“Do you think that Captain Connor’s Japan- bashing represents another example of the department’s lack of judgment in racially sensitive cases?”“See you, Willy.” I rolled up the window, and started driving down the hill.“A little faster wouldn’t bother me,” Connor said.“Sure,” I said. I stepped on the gas. In the rearview mirror, I saw the Weasel running for his Mercedes. I took the turn faster, tires squealing.“How did that lowlife know where to find us? He monitoring the radio?”“We haven’t been on the radio,” Connor said.“You know I’m careful about the radio. But maybe the patrol car phoned in something when we arrived. Maybe we have a bug in this car. Maybe he just figured we’d turn up here. He’s a scum bag And he’s connected to",the Weasel,"Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides",", smiling at me.“I’m told the D.A.”s office has started an investigation.” I said nothing. I wondered if it was true.“Under the circumstances, Lieutenant, do you think the court made a mistake in granting you custody of your young daughter?” All I said was,“Sorry. No comment, Willy.” I tried to sound confident. I was starting to sweat. Connor said,“Come on, come on. No time.” I got into the car. Connor said to Wilhelm,“Son, I’m sorry, but we’re busy. Got to go.” He slammed the car door. I started the engine.“Let’s go,” Connor said. Willy stuck his head in the window.“Do you think that Captain Connor’s Japan- bashing represents another example of the department’s lack of judgment in racially sensitive cases?”“See you, Willy.” I rolled up the window, and started driving down the hill.“A little faster wouldn’t bother me,” Connor said.“Sure,” I said. I stepped on the gas. In the rearview mirror, I saw the Weasel running for his Mercedes. I took the turn faster, tires squealing.“How did that lowlife know where to find us? He monitoring the radio?”“We haven’t been on the radio,” Connor said.“You know I’m careful about the radio. But maybe the patrol car phoned in something when we arrived. Maybe we have a bug in this car. Maybe he just figured we’d turn up here. He’s a scum bag And he’s connected to:Previous Entities: |Michael Crichton, the cheerful woman, Hoffmann, a gray - haired , suntanned man who looked vaguely familiar, the aide, The other woman, A voice on the intercom, the doorman, the Japanese, the anchorman, the producer, Rowe, a large man in a sport coat, A couple, man, the DHD operator, the man in the bathrobe, the thin , angular deaner, The deaner, Tim Yoshimura, Cheryl, my daughter, my editors, Orr, a blond woman, Greiman, The Japanese receptionist, Richmond, Debbie, Senator, Edgar Lynn, two u aides| ::: “Do you think that Captain Connor’s Japan- bashing represents another example of the department’s lack of judgment in racially sensitive cases?” ",Willy. "How did the baby die?""",24259,24266,True,4198:one of the kids.?,", and vicious, able to attack with sharp jaws, powerful clawed forearms, and the devastating single claw on the foot. Velociraptors hunted in packs, and Grant thought it must have been a sight to see a dozen of these animals racing at full speed, leaping onto the back of a much larger dinosaur, tearing at the neck and slashing at the ribs and belly...."" We're running out of time,"" Ellie said, bringing him back. Grant gave instructions for the trench. From the computer image, they knew the skeleton lay in a relatively confined area; a ditch around a two- meter square would be sufficient. Meanwhile, Ellie lashed down the tarp that covered the side of the hill. Grant helped her pound in the final stakes."" How did the baby die?"" one of the kids asked."" I doubt we'll know,"" Grant replied."" Infant mortality in the wild is high. In African parks, it runs seventy percent among some carnivores. It could have been anything- disease, separation from the group, anything. Or even attack by an adult. We know these animals hunted in packs, but we don't know anything about their social behavior in a group."" The students nodded. They had all studied animal behavior, and they knew, for example, that when a new male took over a lion pride, the first thing he did was kill all the cubs. The reason was apparently genetic: the male had evolved to disseminate his genes as widely as possible, and by killing the cubs he brought all",one of the kids,"Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin",", and vicious, able to attack with sharp jaws, powerful clawed forearms, and the devastating single claw on the foot. Velociraptors hunted in packs, and Grant thought it must have been a sight to see a dozen of these animals racing at full speed, leaping onto the back of a much larger dinosaur, tearing at the neck and slashing at the ribs and belly...."" We're running out of time,"" Ellie said, bringing him back. Grant gave instructions for the trench. From the computer image, they knew the skeleton lay in a relatively confined area; a ditch around a two- meter square would be sufficient. Meanwhile, Ellie lashed down the tarp that covered the side of the hill. Grant helped her pound in the final stakes."" How did the baby die?"" one of the kids asked."" I doubt we'll know,"" Grant replied."" Infant mortality in the wild is high. In African parks, it runs seventy percent among some carnivores. It could have been anything- disease, separation from the group, anything. Or even attack by an adult. We know these animals hunted in packs, but we don't know anything about their social behavior in a group."" The students nodded. They had all studied animal behavior, and they knew, for example, that when a new male took over a lion pride, the first thing he did was kill all the cubs. The reason was apparently genetic: the male had evolved to disseminate his genes as widely as possible, and by killing the cubs he brought all:Previous Entities: |Fred Dean, Lila, Yvette, Earl, Rommie, Whitmore, Ridgewick, Jed, Jaideep, Vish, Edgar, Huff, Phyl, The scribe, el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin| ::: How did the baby die?"" ",Ellie.F "of course,",37958,37995,True,205:Horrified Disdain.?,"He will certainly live.”“But why?”“I did explain, sire. He can not use the hand again without defiling it. He is a devout man and knows this very well. You see, sire, you are a god, sire.”“But you can touch me. So can the servants!”“I am a priest, sire,” said Dios gently.“And the servants have special dispensation.” Teppic bit his lip.“This is barbaric,” he said. Dios’s features did not move.“It will not be done,” Teppic said.“I am the king. I forbid it to be done, do you understand?” Dios bowed. Teppic recognized No. 49, Horrified Disdain.“Your wish will certainly be done, O fountain of all wisdom. Although, of course, the man himself may take matters into, if you will excuse me, his own hands.”“What do you mean?” snapped Teppic.“Sire, if his colleagues had not stopped him he would have done it himself. With a chisel, I understand.” Teppic stared at him and thought, I am a stranger in a familiar land.“I see,” he said eventually. He thought a little further.“Then the— operation is to be done with all care, and the man is to be given a pension afterward, d’you see?”“As you wish, sire.”“A proper one, too.”“Indeed, sire. A golden handshake, sire,” said Dios impassively.“And perhaps we can find him some light job around the palace?”“As a one- handed stonemason, sire",Horrified Disdain,"Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain","He will certainly live.”“But why?”“I did explain, sire. He can not use the hand again without defiling it. He is a devout man and knows this very well. You see, sire, you are a god, sire.”“But you can touch me. So can the servants!”“I am a priest, sire,” said Dios gently.“And the servants have special dispensation.” Teppic bit his lip.“This is barbaric,” he said. Dios’s features did not move.“It will not be done,” Teppic said.“I am the king. I forbid it to be done, do you understand?” Dios bowed. Teppic recognized No. 49, Horrified Disdain.“Your wish will certainly be done, O fountain of all wisdom. Although, of course, the man himself may take matters into, if you will excuse me, his own hands.”“What do you mean?” snapped Teppic.“Sire, if his colleagues had not stopped him he would have done it himself. With a chisel, I understand.” Teppic stared at him and thought, I am a stranger in a familiar land.“I see,” he said eventually. He thought a little further.“Then the— operation is to be done with all care, and the man is to be given a pension afterward, d’you see?”“As you wish, sire.”“A proper one, too.”“Indeed, sire. A golden handshake, sire,” said Dios impassively.“And perhaps we can find him some light job around the palace?”“As a one- handed stonemason, sire:Previous Entities: |Quillan, Jon Spiro, The American, Grub, The goblin, the teenager, Barre, Doctor Lane, the fairy, the LEP elf, The LEP captain, Madame Ko, Pearson, geddin, The chief security official, Commons, Mericet, the old assassin, Teppic ’s aunt, the pharaoh, the master, Cheesewright, Lady T’malia, The new king, the architect, the sculptor, Horrified Disdain| ::: of course, ",Teppic.M 're makin it tough on yourself.',133795,133802,True,4460:a strange man.M,"sleep four or even five in a bed when it was January and true cold. If everyone rests easy, you do all right. But if one person gets restless, gets tossing and turning, no one can sleep. Right now you're the restless one. That's how people see it.' He waited to see what I'd say. When almost twenty seconds passed without a word from me(Harold Oblowski would have been proud), he shuffled his feet and went on.' There are people in town uneasy about the interest you've taken in Mattie Devore, for instance. Now I'm not sayin there's anythin going on between the two of you— although there's folks who do say it— but if you want to stay on the TR you're makin it tough on yourself.'' Why?'' Comes back to what I said a week and a half ago. She's trouble.'' As I recall, Bill, you said she was in trouble. And she is. I'm trying to help her out of it. There's nothing going on between us but that.'' I seem to recall telling you that Max Devore is nuts,' he said.' If you make him mad, we all pay the price.' The pump clicked off and he racked it up. Then he sighed, raised his hands, dropped them.' You think this is easy for me to say?'' You think it's easy for me to listen to?'' All right, ayuh, we're in the same",a strange man,a strange man,"sleep four or even five in a bed when it was January and true cold. If everyone rests easy, you do all right. But if one person gets restless, gets tossing and turning, no one can sleep. Right now you're the restless one. That's how people see it.' He waited to see what I'd say. When almost twenty seconds passed without a word from me(Harold Oblowski would have been proud), he shuffled his feet and went on.' There are people in town uneasy about the interest you've taken in Mattie Devore, for instance. Now I'm not sayin there's anythin going on between the two of you— although there's folks who do say it— but if you want to stay on the TR you're makin it tough on yourself.'' Why?'' Comes back to what I said a week and a half ago. She's trouble.'' As I recall, Bill, you said she was in trouble. And she is. I'm trying to help her out of it. There's nothing going on between us but that.'' I seem to recall telling you that Max Devore is nuts,' he said.' If you make him mad, we all pay the price.' The pump clicked off and he racked it up. Then he sighed, raised his hands, dropped them.' You think this is easy for me to say?'' You think it's easy for me to listen to?'' All right, ayuh, we're in the same:Previous Entities: |a strange man| ::: 're makin it tough on yourself.' ",boat here.' "It’s monochrome from now on,",15130,15179,True,803:the homunculus.?,"with the hypnotic glass eye, would submissively obey the most peremptory orders about stance and expression. It was while he was thus engaged in the Plaza of Broken Moons that disaster struck. Twoflower had posed alongside a bewildered charm seller, his crowd of newfound admirers watching him with interest in case he did something humorously lunatic. Rincewind got down on one knee, the better to arrange the picture, and pressed the enchanted lever. The box said,“It’s no good. I’ve run out of pink.” A hitherto unnoticed door opened in front of his eyes. A small, green and hideously warty humanoid figure leaned out, pointed at a color- encrusted palette in one clawed hand, and screamed at him.“No pink! See?” screeched the homunculus.“No good you going on pressing the lever when there’s no pink, is there? If you wanted pink you shouldn’t of took all those pictures of young ladies, should you? It’s monochrome from now on, friend. All right?”“All right. Yeah, Sure,” said Rincewind. In one dim corner of the little box he thought he could see an easel, and a tiny unmade bed. He hoped he couldn’t.“So long as that’s understood,” said the imp, and shut the door. Rincewind thought he could hear the muffled sound of grumbling and the scrape of a stool being dragged across the floor.“Twoflower—” he began, and looked up. Twoflower had vanished. As Rincewind stared at the crowd, with sensations of prickly horror traveling up his spine, there came a gentle prod in the small of his back.“Turn without haste,” said a voice like black silk.“Or kiss your kidneys goodbye.” The crowd watched with interest",the homunculus,"Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus","with the hypnotic glass eye, would submissively obey the most peremptory orders about stance and expression. It was while he was thus engaged in the Plaza of Broken Moons that disaster struck. Twoflower had posed alongside a bewildered charm seller, his crowd of newfound admirers watching him with interest in case he did something humorously lunatic. Rincewind got down on one knee, the better to arrange the picture, and pressed the enchanted lever. The box said,“It’s no good. I’ve run out of pink.” A hitherto unnoticed door opened in front of his eyes. A small, green and hideously warty humanoid figure leaned out, pointed at a color- encrusted palette in one clawed hand, and screamed at him.“No pink! See?” screeched the homunculus.“No good you going on pressing the lever when there’s no pink, is there? If you wanted pink you shouldn’t of took all those pictures of young ladies, should you? It’s monochrome from now on, friend. All right?”“All right. Yeah, Sure,” said Rincewind. In one dim corner of the little box he thought he could see an easel, and a tiny unmade bed. He hoped he couldn’t.“So long as that’s understood,” said the imp, and shut the door. Rincewind thought he could hear the muffled sound of grumbling and the scrape of a stool being dragged across the floor.“Twoflower—” he began, and looked up. Twoflower had vanished. As Rincewind stared at the crowd, with sensations of prickly horror traveling up his spine, there came a gentle prod in the small of his back.“Turn without haste,” said a voice like black silk.“Or kiss your kidneys goodbye.” The crowd watched with interest:Previous Entities: |Cania, Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus| ::: It’s monochrome from now on, ",Rincewind.M "It needs a coat of paint,""",79884,79892,True,3527:the vendor.?,"only opportunity in sight."" Piping hot tea! Just the thing to warm hands and stomach."" Though reluctant to part with any of his remaining money, Solly recognized the vendor for what he was, a potentially valuable source of information, and fished a coin from his purse."" That sounds good... I'll take one."" Surprised, but pleasantly so, the vendor opened his cart, removed the pot from the charcoal- fed fire, and poured water into a badly chipped cup. The leaves had been secured within a ceramic strainer. It entered the liquid exactly eight times before being put to rest. Solly accepted the heavily stained mug, expressed his appreciation, and nodded toward Number Six."" What can you tell me about the building over there?"""" It needs a coat of paint,"" the vendor said unhelpfully. Who was this youth anyway? An informant? Possibly, but only if the Church had fallen even further than appearances would suggest."" Why do you ask?"""" I saw an acquaintance of mine go in there,"" Solly replied cautiously."" Will she be okay?"""" Well, that depends,"" the vendor answered thoughtfully."" Mother Juma does a pretty good job, but some demons are stronger than others, and that's what kills them."" Solly waved the cup. Hot tea slopped over the side."" Kills them? What are you talking about?''"" I'll take my mug now,"" the vendor said, his breath filtering out through the scarf's loose weave."" Unless you wish to buy",the vendor,"The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor","only opportunity in sight."" Piping hot tea! Just the thing to warm hands and stomach."" Though reluctant to part with any of his remaining money, Solly recognized the vendor for what he was, a potentially valuable source of information, and fished a coin from his purse."" That sounds good... I'll take one."" Surprised, but pleasantly so, the vendor opened his cart, removed the pot from the charcoal- fed fire, and poured water into a badly chipped cup. The leaves had been secured within a ceramic strainer. It entered the liquid exactly eight times before being put to rest. Solly accepted the heavily stained mug, expressed his appreciation, and nodded toward Number Six."" What can you tell me about the building over there?"""" It needs a coat of paint,"" the vendor said unhelpfully. Who was this youth anyway? An informant? Possibly, but only if the Church had fallen even further than appearances would suggest."" Why do you ask?"""" I saw an acquaintance of mine go in there,"" Solly replied cautiously."" Will she be okay?"""" Well, that depends,"" the vendor answered thoughtfully."" Mother Juma does a pretty good job, but some demons are stronger than others, and that's what kills them."" Solly waved the cup. Hot tea slopped over the side."" Kills them? What are you talking about?''"" I'll take my mug now,"" the vendor said, his breath filtering out through the scarf's loose weave."" Unless you wish to buy:Previous Entities: |The engineer, Dom, Tony, Raphael, Professor Lana, Eli, the farmer, the man on Doon ’s left, Kanza, Minny, Scawgo, the mum, The old ryb, Sojo, the other man, The synthetic, The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor| ::: It needs a coat of paint,"" ",the vendor.M “It works on imagination.”,43179,43185,True,1918:the taheen.M,"portals to other where s and whens— but those were the only ones that still worked. And the one to Fedic, of course. The one up ahead.“’ Tis a mirage- maker,” the stoat- thing said. Its voice was wet and rumbling and very far from human.“‘ Yon machine trolls for what ye fear and makes it real. Sayre would’ve turned it on when he and his tet passed with the blackskin jilly. To keep’ is backtrail safe, ye do ken.” Flaherty nodded. A mind- trap. Very clever. Yet how good was it, really? Somehow the cursed shitting boy had passed, hadn’t he?“Whatever the boy saw will turn into what we fear,” the taheen said.“It works on imagination.” Imagination. Flaherty seized on the word.“Fine. Whatevah they see down theah, tell em to just ignore it.” He raised an arm to motion his men onward, greatly relieved by what Lam had told him. Because they had to press the chase, didn’t they? Sayre(or Walter o’ Dim, who was even worse) would very likely kill the lot of them if they failed to stop yon snot- babby. And Flaherty really did fear the idea of dragons, that was the other thing; had ever since his father had read him a story about such when he was a boy. The taheen stopped him before he could complete the let’s- go gesture.“What now, Lam?” Flaherty snarled.“You don’t understand",the taheen,"the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen","portals to other where s and whens— but those were the only ones that still worked. And the one to Fedic, of course. The one up ahead.“’ Tis a mirage- maker,” the stoat- thing said. Its voice was wet and rumbling and very far from human.“‘ Yon machine trolls for what ye fear and makes it real. Sayre would’ve turned it on when he and his tet passed with the blackskin jilly. To keep’ is backtrail safe, ye do ken.” Flaherty nodded. A mind- trap. Very clever. Yet how good was it, really? Somehow the cursed shitting boy had passed, hadn’t he?“Whatever the boy saw will turn into what we fear,” the taheen said.“It works on imagination.” Imagination. Flaherty seized on the word.“Fine. Whatevah they see down theah, tell em to just ignore it.” He raised an arm to motion his men onward, greatly relieved by what Lam had told him. Because they had to press the chase, didn’t they? Sayre(or Walter o’ Dim, who was even worse) would very likely kill the lot of them if they failed to stop yon snot- babby. And Flaherty really did fear the idea of dragons, that was the other thing; had ever since his father had read him a story about such when he was a boy. The taheen stopped him before he could complete the let’s- go gesture.“What now, Lam?” Flaherty snarled.“You don’t understand:Previous Entities: |the snake king, Lou Ellen, Cecil, The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen| ::: “It works on imagination.” ",Lam.M It is the single most,82862,82867,True,1385:the Doctor.M,"and emotionless team, club those in their immediate vicinity with their bats, seize the urn containing the Ashes and file back towards their Pavilion. Before they depart two of them use their bats as beam projectors to fire a few warning shots of stunray into the crowd. Another tosses what appears to be a red ball into the air, and with a devastating hook smacks it straight into a Tea Tent which promptly explodes. The doors of the Pavilion close behind them and it vanishes again. After a few seconds of stunned shock the Doctor struggles back to his feet."" My God,"" he breathes,"" so they've come back..."""" But it's preposterous... absurd!"" people exclaim."" It is neither,"" pronounces the Doctor."" It is the single most frightening thing I have seen in my entire existence. Oh, I've heard of the Krikkitmen, I used to be frightened with stories of them when I was a child. But till now I've never seen them. They were supposed to have been destroyed over two million years ago."""" But why,"" people demand,"" were they dressed as a cricket team? It's ridiculous!"" The Doctor brusquely explains that the English game of cricket derives from one of those curious freaks of racial memory which can keep images alive in the mind eons after their true significance has been lost in the mists of time. Of all the races in the Galaxy only the English could possibly revive the memory of the most horrific star wars that ever sundered the Universe and transform it",the Doctor,"one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor","and emotionless team, club those in their immediate vicinity with their bats, seize the urn containing the Ashes and file back towards their Pavilion. Before they depart two of them use their bats as beam projectors to fire a few warning shots of stunray into the crowd. Another tosses what appears to be a red ball into the air, and with a devastating hook smacks it straight into a Tea Tent which promptly explodes. The doors of the Pavilion close behind them and it vanishes again. After a few seconds of stunned shock the Doctor struggles back to his feet."" My God,"" he breathes,"" so they've come back..."""" But it's preposterous... absurd!"" people exclaim."" It is neither,"" pronounces the Doctor."" It is the single most frightening thing I have seen in my entire existence. Oh, I've heard of the Krikkitmen, I used to be frightened with stories of them when I was a child. But till now I've never seen them. They were supposed to have been destroyed over two million years ago."""" But why,"" people demand,"" were they dressed as a cricket team? It's ridiculous!"" The Doctor brusquely explains that the English game of cricket derives from one of those curious freaks of racial memory which can keep images alive in the mind eons after their true significance has been lost in the mists of time. Of all the races in the Galaxy only the English could possibly revive the memory of the most horrific star wars that ever sundered the Universe and transform it:Previous Entities: |one of the soldiers, Angola, one of the knights, a female warrior, Dink, Aluki, nest - maids, Soren ’s father, Marella, father, this owl, The immense , ragged Great Horned Owl, the first owl, The little Spotted Owl, The owlet, Number 47 - 2, an owlet working at the same ledge, the other owl, 12 - 8, The little owl, Spoorn, No one, an actress, these two, the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor| ::: It is the single most ",the Doctor.M "‘ cos that creature made you take my burying money,",75539,75558,True,2054:yourn.?,"for a while. Then he said,‘ Far too much money here to pay for a buryin’. I don’t recall savin’ all this. I reckon you could bury a king for this amount of money.’ Tiffany swallowed. She couldn’t leave things like this. She just couldn’t.‘ Mr Weavall, I’ve got something I must tell you,’ she said. And she told him. She told him all of it, not just the good bits. He sat and listened carefully.‘ Well, now, isn’t that interesting,’ he said when she’d finished.‘ Um… I’m sorry,’ said Tiffany. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.‘ So what you’re saying, right, is‘ cos that creature made you take my burying money, right, you think these fairy friends o’ yourn filled my ol’ box with gold so’s you wouldn’t get into trouble, right?’‘ I think so,’ said Tiffany.‘ Well, it looks like I should thank you, then,’ said Mr Weavall.‘ What?’‘ Well, it seems to I, if you hadn’t ha’ took the silver and copper, there wouldn’t have been any room for all this gold, right?’ said Mr Weavall.‘ And I shouldn’t reckon that ol’ dead king up on yon hills needs it now.’‘ Yes, but—’ Mr Weavall fumbled in the box and held up a gold coin that would have bought his cottage.‘ A little something for you, then, girl,’ he said.‘ Buy",yourn,"The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man","for a while. Then he said,‘ Far too much money here to pay for a buryin’. I don’t recall savin’ all this. I reckon you could bury a king for this amount of money.’ Tiffany swallowed. She couldn’t leave things like this. She just couldn’t.‘ Mr Weavall, I’ve got something I must tell you,’ she said. And she told him. She told him all of it, not just the good bits. He sat and listened carefully.‘ Well, now, isn’t that interesting,’ he said when she’d finished.‘ Um… I’m sorry,’ said Tiffany. She couldn’t think of anything else to say.‘ So what you’re saying, right, is‘ cos that creature made you take my burying money, right, you think these fairy friends o’ yourn filled my ol’ box with gold so’s you wouldn’t get into trouble, right?’‘ I think so,’ said Tiffany.‘ Well, it looks like I should thank you, then,’ said Mr Weavall.‘ What?’‘ Well, it seems to I, if you hadn’t ha’ took the silver and copper, there wouldn’t have been any room for all this gold, right?’ said Mr Weavall.‘ And I shouldn’t reckon that ol’ dead king up on yon hills needs it now.’‘ Yes, but—’ Mr Weavall fumbled in the box and held up a gold coin that would have bought his cottage.‘ A little something for you, then, girl,’ he said.‘ Buy:Previous Entities: |The faerie in black, Chix, Terryl, The manservant, D'Nall, Aymon, Nyle, The pixie, Harry ’s uncle, Madam Bones, a Ministry insider, Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man| ::: ‘ cos that creature made you take my burying money, ",Mr Weavall.M "“And you,",16693,16746,True,884:The young king.M,"of his parents, Kludd and Nyra. Raised by the most ruthless mother owl imaginable, he was no stranger to tyranny. He now turned to the puffin, Gwyndor, and Bess, who stood side by side, and began to speak.“You three birds have shown extraordinary courage and wit.” Dumpy blinked. Wit! He’s saying I have wit!“Each of you was alert and ready to act. Gwyndor, with your keen ear for the wolves, you were able to discern the voice of my dear friend Gyllbane and realized that even though you were not sure of the exact meaning of the howls, that she was deeply agitated. You knew that she was skreeling as she had when she led the byrrgis for the battle of the Book of Kreeth.“And you, dear Bess, defended the ember with a courage the equal of any in battle. You left your cherished refuge and flew for the first time into the night world of owls and crossed the Sea of Hoolemere. We know how difficult this must have been.” Coryn took a step closer to the puffin.“And you, Dumpy, the debt we owe you is incalculable. You observed carefully, remembered all, and first flew to the polar bear. It was she who said‘ This is owl business’ and that you must go to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. And you did! You found us and you related what you saw and what you heard with great intelligence.” Dumpy blinked rapidly.“I think I’m going to faint.” His squat, usually well- balanced body suddenly wobbled. Bubo stepped in and propped him up.“Here you go, lad. Now steady there.” When Dumpy had regained his balance, Coryn continued.“It seems we have a situation developing here. There are two",The young king,"The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king","of his parents, Kludd and Nyra. Raised by the most ruthless mother owl imaginable, he was no stranger to tyranny. He now turned to the puffin, Gwyndor, and Bess, who stood side by side, and began to speak.“You three birds have shown extraordinary courage and wit.” Dumpy blinked. Wit! He’s saying I have wit!“Each of you was alert and ready to act. Gwyndor, with your keen ear for the wolves, you were able to discern the voice of my dear friend Gyllbane and realized that even though you were not sure of the exact meaning of the howls, that she was deeply agitated. You knew that she was skreeling as she had when she led the byrrgis for the battle of the Book of Kreeth.“And you, dear Bess, defended the ember with a courage the equal of any in battle. You left your cherished refuge and flew for the first time into the night world of owls and crossed the Sea of Hoolemere. We know how difficult this must have been.” Coryn took a step closer to the puffin.“And you, Dumpy, the debt we owe you is incalculable. You observed carefully, remembered all, and first flew to the polar bear. It was she who said‘ This is owl business’ and that you must go to the Great Ga’Hoole Tree. And you did! You found us and you related what you saw and what you heard with great intelligence.” Dumpy blinked rapidly.“I think I’m going to faint.” His squat, usually well- balanced body suddenly wobbled. Bubo stepped in and propped him up.“Here you go, lad. Now steady there.” When Dumpy had regained his balance, Coryn continued.“It seems we have a situation developing here. There are two:Previous Entities: |The wolf, Blair, Namara, the thing, The young king| ::: “And you, ",Dumpy.M “That seems a simple enough order.,42224,42237,True,378:Kipuna.F,". She understood the question. Had Sheeana spoken with preemptory command? Tamalane resumed scanning the report, looking for the sensitive signals. She was glad they had sent Kipuna herself. Tamalane respected the abilities of this Rakian woman. Kipuna had the soft round features and fuzzy hair common among much of the Rakian priestly class, but there was no fuzzy brain under that hair.“Sheeana was displeased,” Kipuna said.“The’ thopter passed nearby the rooftop and she saw the two manacled prisoners in it quite clearly. She knew they were being taken to death in the desert.” Tamalane put down the report and smiled.“So she ordered the prisoners brought back to her. I find her choice of words fascinating.”“Bring them back?” Kipuna asked.“That seems a simple enough order. How is it fascinating?” Tamalane admired the directness of the acolyte’s interest. Kipuna was not about to pass up a chance at learning how a real Reverend Mother’s mind worked.“It was not that part of her performance that interested me,” Tamalane said. She bent to the report, reading aloud:“‘ You are servants unto Shaitan, not servants unto servants.”’ Tamalane looked up at Kipuna.“You saw and heard all of this yourself?”“Yes, Reverend Mother. It was judged important that I report to you personally should you have other questions.”“She still calls him Shaitan,” Tamalane said.“How that must gall them! Of course, the Tyrant himself said it:‘ They will call me Shaitan.’”“I have",Kipuna,"The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna",". She understood the question. Had Sheeana spoken with preemptory command? Tamalane resumed scanning the report, looking for the sensitive signals. She was glad they had sent Kipuna herself. Tamalane respected the abilities of this Rakian woman. Kipuna had the soft round features and fuzzy hair common among much of the Rakian priestly class, but there was no fuzzy brain under that hair.“Sheeana was displeased,” Kipuna said.“The’ thopter passed nearby the rooftop and she saw the two manacled prisoners in it quite clearly. She knew they were being taken to death in the desert.” Tamalane put down the report and smiled.“So she ordered the prisoners brought back to her. I find her choice of words fascinating.”“Bring them back?” Kipuna asked.“That seems a simple enough order. How is it fascinating?” Tamalane admired the directness of the acolyte’s interest. Kipuna was not about to pass up a chance at learning how a real Reverend Mother’s mind worked.“It was not that part of her performance that interested me,” Tamalane said. She bent to the report, reading aloud:“‘ You are servants unto Shaitan, not servants unto servants.”’ Tamalane looked up at Kipuna.“You saw and heard all of this yourself?”“Yes, Reverend Mother. It was judged important that I report to you personally should you have other questions.”“She still calls him Shaitan,” Tamalane said.“How that must gall them! Of course, the Tyrant himself said it:‘ They will call me Shaitan.’”“I have:Previous Entities: |The roboticist, the security system, Hairball, his grandfather, the monk, Mother Orlono, Grandfather Raswa, Ahl, the satellite, Enore, Rota, Zenth, Becka, Salls, Kev, Dara, Pomo, The human, Lars, the innkeeper, Wringer, the vendor, Aoki, the trail boss, The sentry, Drog, Cantwell, FRANK HERBERT, Mirlat, Loschy Teg, Cania, Dromind, Kipuna| ::: “That seems a simple enough order. ",Kipuna.F "“This is a solemn moment in our tree’s history,",36398,36473,True,1324:the weather and colliering chaws.?,"We will persevere at war. We will make war to the very best of our ability. They are nothing but a seething mass of criminals. On our side there is quality and there is a cause that sparks the spirit and rouses the gizzard. For we fight for a good cause— the cause of compassion, of freedom, of the belief that no one owl is better than another due to birth, breed, or kind of feather.“Now the mists and storms of the winterlies wrap our island. The so- called Pure Ones, although their numbers are great, fear flying in such weather. But we owls of Ga’Hoole fear no such whimsies of weather. Have we not flown through worse?” There was a loud cheer from the weather and colliering chaws.“This is a solemn moment in our tree’s history, but one supported by determination and hope. I would be foolish to say that the task ahead of us is not of a most grievous kind. There will be struggle. But let us not despair, for we are owls of valor, Guardians of Ga’Hoole— every one of us, young or old, Barn Owl or Pygmy, Burrowing Owl or Boreal, Short- eared or Long- eared, Great Gray or Elf. It is in the very diversity of our breeds, the rainbow of our colors, the multiplicity of our shapes, that we find richness. We shall never submit to such a terrible and lamentable notion as that of owl purity or owl superiority. And in service to defeating such an evil and ruinous idea, we shall wage war against this monstrous tyranny that threatens all owl kingdoms. We shall wage war over sea and on the land with all the strength that Glaux gives us. Our aim is victory— victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror. Victory, however long and hard the war may be. For without victory, there will be no survival for Ga’Hoole,",the weather and colliering chaws,"The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws","We will persevere at war. We will make war to the very best of our ability. They are nothing but a seething mass of criminals. On our side there is quality and there is a cause that sparks the spirit and rouses the gizzard. For we fight for a good cause— the cause of compassion, of freedom, of the belief that no one owl is better than another due to birth, breed, or kind of feather.“Now the mists and storms of the winterlies wrap our island. The so- called Pure Ones, although their numbers are great, fear flying in such weather. But we owls of Ga’Hoole fear no such whimsies of weather. Have we not flown through worse?” There was a loud cheer from the weather and colliering chaws.“This is a solemn moment in our tree’s history, but one supported by determination and hope. I would be foolish to say that the task ahead of us is not of a most grievous kind. There will be struggle. But let us not despair, for we are owls of valor, Guardians of Ga’Hoole— every one of us, young or old, Barn Owl or Pygmy, Burrowing Owl or Boreal, Short- eared or Long- eared, Great Gray or Elf. It is in the very diversity of our breeds, the rainbow of our colors, the multiplicity of our shapes, that we find richness. We shall never submit to such a terrible and lamentable notion as that of owl purity or owl superiority. And in service to defeating such an evil and ruinous idea, we shall wage war against this monstrous tyranny that threatens all owl kingdoms. We shall wage war over sea and on the land with all the strength that Glaux gives us. Our aim is victory— victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror. Victory, however long and hard the war may be. For without victory, there will be no survival for Ga’Hoole,:Previous Entities: |The others, a gonnagle, the other one, the one just here, the bearded mystery man, Another one , sitting on a log, the girls, Harrieta, the huddled witches, The dumpy girl, a witch, mistress, Nearly Big Angus, a wizard, the big wee hag, a Feegle, The young gonnagle, Mildred, the barman, The scarecrow man, the customers, Sensibility Bustle, the hazy tall figure, the sneaky thieves, yourn, the old lady, Dimity Hubbub, Miss Casement, The first head, Mr Aching, Matron, her stone pit guardian, Uklah, the High Tyto, Wortmore, the male eagle, Slynella, the weather and colliering chaws| ::: “This is a solemn moment in our tree’s history, ",High Tyto.M ' Nah.,28080,28100,True,551:Ralph.M,"at your cheeks and eyes. Stick around a long while and you end up looking like Jake La Motta after a hard fifteen. I opened my mouth to say what I always do when someone asks me if I'm all right, then wondered why I always felt I had to pull that tiresome Marlboro Man shit, just who I was trying to fool. What did I think would happen if I told the guy who gave me a chocolate- chip cookie down at the Red Cross after the nurse took the needle out of my arm that I wasn't feeling a hundred percent? Earthquakes? Fire and flood? Shit.' No,' I said,' I really haven't been feeling so great, Ralph.'' Flu? It's been going around.'' Nah. The flu missed me this time, actually. And I've been sleeping all right.' Which was true— there had been no recurrence of the Sara Laughs dream in either the normal or the high- octane version.' I think I've just got the blues.'' Well, you ought to take a vacation,' he said, then sipped his coffee. When he looked up at me again, he frowned and set his cup down.' What? Is something wrong?' No, I thought of saying. You were just the first bird to sing into the silence, Ralph, that's all.' No, nothing wrong,' I said, and then, because I sort of wanted to see how the words tasted coming out of my own mouth, I repeated them.' A vacation.'' Ayuh,' he said",Ralph,"the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph","at your cheeks and eyes. Stick around a long while and you end up looking like Jake La Motta after a hard fifteen. I opened my mouth to say what I always do when someone asks me if I'm all right, then wondered why I always felt I had to pull that tiresome Marlboro Man shit, just who I was trying to fool. What did I think would happen if I told the guy who gave me a chocolate- chip cookie down at the Red Cross after the nurse took the needle out of my arm that I wasn't feeling a hundred percent? Earthquakes? Fire and flood? Shit.' No,' I said,' I really haven't been feeling so great, Ralph.'' Flu? It's been going around.'' Nah. The flu missed me this time, actually. And I've been sleeping all right.' Which was true— there had been no recurrence of the Sara Laughs dream in either the normal or the high- octane version.' I think I've just got the blues.'' Well, you ought to take a vacation,' he said, then sipped his coffee. When he looked up at me again, he frowned and set his cup down.' What? Is something wrong?' No, I thought of saying. You were just the first bird to sing into the silence, Ralph, that's all.' No, nothing wrong,' I said, and then, because I sort of wanted to see how the words tasted coming out of my own mouth, I repeated them.' A vacation.'' Ayuh,' he said:Previous Entities: |the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph| ::: ' Nah. ",Ralph.M That they were together picking flowers?,118702,118754,True,4133:the old guy.M,"talked about.'' I really can't say,' I told him in a stolid, colorless voice. For a moment Durgin looked almost panicky. Then his features smoothed. One polished fingernail slipped back and forth over keys marked rew, ff, play, and rec.' How did Mr. Devore begin the conversation?' he asked.' He said hello,' I said mildly, and there was a short muffled sound from behind the Stenomask. It could have been the old guy clearing his throat; it could have been a suppressed laugh. Spots of color were blooming in Durgin's cheeks.' After hello? What then?'' I don't recall.'' Did he ask you about that morning?'' I don't recall.'' Didn't you tell him that Mary Devore and her daughter were together, Mr. Noonan? That they were together picking flowers? Isn't that what you told this worried grandfather when he inquired about the incident which was the talk of the township that Fourth of July?'' Oh boy,' Bissonette said. He raised one hand over the table, then touched the palm with the fingers of the other, making a ref's T.' Time out.' Durgin looked at him. The flush in his cheeks was more pronounced now, and his lips had pulled back enough to show the tips of small, neatly capped teeth.' What do you want?' he almost snarled, as if Bissonette had just dropped by to tell him about the Mormon Way or perhaps the Rosicrucians.' I want you to stop leading this guy, and I want that whole thing about picking flowers stricken from the record,' Bissonette said.' Why?' Durgin snapped.' Because you're trying to get stuff on the record that this witness wo",the old guy,"Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy","talked about.'' I really can't say,' I told him in a stolid, colorless voice. For a moment Durgin looked almost panicky. Then his features smoothed. One polished fingernail slipped back and forth over keys marked rew, ff, play, and rec.' How did Mr. Devore begin the conversation?' he asked.' He said hello,' I said mildly, and there was a short muffled sound from behind the Stenomask. It could have been the old guy clearing his throat; it could have been a suppressed laugh. Spots of color were blooming in Durgin's cheeks.' After hello? What then?'' I don't recall.'' Did he ask you about that morning?'' I don't recall.'' Didn't you tell him that Mary Devore and her daughter were together, Mr. Noonan? That they were together picking flowers? Isn't that what you told this worried grandfather when he inquired about the incident which was the talk of the township that Fourth of July?'' Oh boy,' Bissonette said. He raised one hand over the table, then touched the palm with the fingers of the other, making a ref's T.' Time out.' Durgin looked at him. The flush in his cheeks was more pronounced now, and his lips had pulled back enough to show the tips of small, neatly capped teeth.' What do you want?' he almost snarled, as if Bissonette had just dropped by to tell him about the Mormon Way or perhaps the Rosicrucians.' I want you to stop leading this guy, and I want that whole thing about picking flowers stricken from the record,' Bissonette said.' Why?' Durgin snapped.' Because you're trying to get stuff on the record that this witness wo:Previous Entities: |Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy| ::: That they were together picking flowers? ","Durgin. Bissonette. " I would have done it.,50160,50170,True,611:Kmart.?,"grinned.' Good title.'' Thanks. You better get your buddy back home before she breaks your arm.'' Yeah.' There are people in this world who have a knack for asking embarrassing, awkward questions without meaning to— it's like a talent for walking into doors. I am one of that tribe, and as I walked with her toward the passenger side of the Scout, I found a good one. And yet it was hard to blame myself too enthusiastically. I had seen the wedding ring on her hand, after all.' Will you tell your husband?' Her smile stayed on, but it paled somehow. And tightened. If it were possible to delete a spoken question the way you can delete a line of type when you're writing a story, I would have done it.' He died last August.'' Mattie, I'm sorry. Open mouth, insert foot.'' You couldn't know. A girl my age isn't even supposed to be married, is she? And if she is, her husband's supposed to be in the army, or something.' There was a pink baby- seat— also Kmart, I guessed— on the passenger side of the Scout. Mattie tried to boost Kyra in, but I could see she was struggling. I stepped forward to help her, and for just a moment, as I reached past her to grab a plump leg, the back of my hand brushed her breast. She couldn't step back unless she wanted to risk Kyra's slithering out of the seat and onto",Kmart,"Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart","grinned.' Good title.'' Thanks. You better get your buddy back home before she breaks your arm.'' Yeah.' There are people in this world who have a knack for asking embarrassing, awkward questions without meaning to— it's like a talent for walking into doors. I am one of that tribe, and as I walked with her toward the passenger side of the Scout, I found a good one. And yet it was hard to blame myself too enthusiastically. I had seen the wedding ring on her hand, after all.' Will you tell your husband?' Her smile stayed on, but it paled somehow. And tightened. If it were possible to delete a spoken question the way you can delete a line of type when you're writing a story, I would have done it.' He died last August.'' Mattie, I'm sorry. Open mouth, insert foot.'' You couldn't know. A girl my age isn't even supposed to be married, is she? And if she is, her husband's supposed to be in the army, or something.' There was a pink baby- seat— also Kmart, I guessed— on the passenger side of the Scout. Mattie tried to boost Kyra in, but I could see she was struggling. I stepped forward to help her, and for just a moment, as I reached past her to grab a plump leg, the back of my hand brushed her breast. She couldn't step back unless she wanted to risk Kyra's slithering out of the seat and onto:Previous Entities: |Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl, the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart| ::: I would have done it. ",Mattie,"Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz",".“HE’S TALKING, OF COURSE, ABOUT SKIPPING TO THE ENDS OF BOOKS AND READING THE LAST PAGES FIRST.”“WE CALL IT‘ LAST- PAGING’” ALCATRAZ SAYS.“YOU MAY THINK IT DOESN’T INVOLVE YOU OR YOUR FRIENDS, BUT STUDIES SHOW THAT THERE HAS BEEN A 4000.024 PERCENT INCREASE IN LAST- PAGING DURING THE PAST SEVEN MINUTES ALONE.”“THAT’S RIGHT, ALCATRAZ,” BASTILLE SAYS.“AND DID YOU KNOW THAT LAST- PAGING IS THE LARGEST CAUSE OF CANCER IN DOMESTICATED FRUIT BATS?”“REALLY?”“YES INDEED. ALSO, LAST- PAGING MAKES YOU LOSE SLEEP, GROW HAIR IN FUNNY PLACES, AND CAN DECREASE YOUR ABILITY TO PLAY HALO BY FORTY- FIVE PERCENT.”“WOW,” ALCATRAZ SAYS.“WHY WOULD ANYONE DO IT?”“WE’RE NOT CERTAIN. WE ONLY KNOW THAT IT HAPPENS, AND THAT THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE ISN’T FULLY UNDERSTOOD. FORTUNATELY, WE’VE TAKEN ACTIONS TO COMBAT IT.”“SUCH AS PUTTING TERRIBLE AFTER- BOOK SPECIALS AT THE BACKS OF BOOKS TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SICK?” ALCATRAZ ASKS HELPFULLY.“THAT’S RIGHT,” BASTILLE SAYS.“STAY AWAY FROM LAST- PAGING, KIDS! REMEMBER, THE MORE YOU KNOW...”“... THE MORE YOU CAN FORGET TOMORROW!” ALCATRAZ SAYS.“GOOD NIGHT, FOLKS. AND BE SURE TO JOIN US FOR NEXT WEEK’S AFTER- BOOK SPECIAL, WHERE WE EXPOSE THE DANGERS OF GERBIL SNORTING!” AUTHOR’S AFTERWORD NO, WE’RE NOT DONE YET. BE PATIENT. WE’VE ONLY HAD THREE ENDINGS SO:Previous Entities: |Rafi, Reggie, The nurse who dabs my arm with antiseptic, the other guard, Shelly, Hana, YOUNG ADULTS ALA QUICK PICK FOR RELUCTANT YOUNG ADULT READERS, the receptionist, Fong, Kalama, Jorge, this girlfriend, the ensign, Catel, The security man, The men, Johnstone, Dorothy Girt, the young woman, Emily St, E ric Jansen, sir, gentlemen, the dispatcher, Peters, Reeves, Morrison, a plump , sixteen - year - old Mokian girl, Attica Smedry, The dragon, Aunt patty, the butler, The knight, the aged knight, Alcatraz| ::: “WHY WOULD ANYONE DO IT?” ",Alcatraz.M Let’s help!”,45354,45379,True,223:Doc Finebeak.M,"will. Yes, he had come here of his own free will. And Mist! Dear Mist. But right now he wanted to find Hamish and Gyllbane.“Stop her!” he heard someone scream. What was it? Coryn turned around. Nyra!“Come to Mama! Give it here!” His gizzard screamed, No! Coryn went into a steep spiral up, but then something caught his eye on the ground. A wolf was staggering near the edges of the ember beds. Sizzles went up as foam dripped from his mouth. The sick wolf! Suddenly, he had an idea. He spiraled down directly toward the foaming- mouthed wolf that was trying to bite its own tail.“Look what the lad is doing!” Doc Finebeak said.“Brilliant! He’s herding the old witch right into the jaws of the wolf with the foaming disease. Let’s help!” Uglamore and he were off the ice shelf in a split second. In no time, others picked up on Coryn’s strategy. Hamish and Gyllbane seemed to come out of nowhere and began lurching at the sick wolf, driving him toward Nyra. Coryn was determined to keep flying low. If he flew low, Nyra would fly low. Everyone was joining in the attempt to drive the hated owl into the jaws of the sick wolf. They were in a fever. For eons, they had waited for a king, and now their young king was threatened. Nyra did not quite know what was happening. She had thought it would be an air battle between her and Coryn, but she was actually being forced toward the ground. She wasn’t a good ground fighter. What",Doc Finebeak,"Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak","will. Yes, he had come here of his own free will. And Mist! Dear Mist. But right now he wanted to find Hamish and Gyllbane.“Stop her!” he heard someone scream. What was it? Coryn turned around. Nyra!“Come to Mama! Give it here!” His gizzard screamed, No! Coryn went into a steep spiral up, but then something caught his eye on the ground. A wolf was staggering near the edges of the ember beds. Sizzles went up as foam dripped from his mouth. The sick wolf! Suddenly, he had an idea. He spiraled down directly toward the foaming- mouthed wolf that was trying to bite its own tail.“Look what the lad is doing!” Doc Finebeak said.“Brilliant! He’s herding the old witch right into the jaws of the wolf with the foaming disease. Let’s help!” Uglamore and he were off the ice shelf in a split second. In no time, others picked up on Coryn’s strategy. Hamish and Gyllbane seemed to come out of nowhere and began lurching at the sick wolf, driving him toward Nyra. Coryn was determined to keep flying low. If he flew low, Nyra would fly low. Everyone was joining in the attempt to drive the hated owl into the jaws of the sick wolf. They were in a fever. For eons, they had waited for a king, and now their young king was threatened. Nyra did not quite know what was happening. She had thought it would be an air battle between her and Coryn, but she was actually being forced toward the ground. She wasn’t a good ground fighter. What:Previous Entities: |Pinky, our newest chick, Wenders, Lombardazzi, Billy Blockade, Silvertip, The older one, Tup, the other snake, Stingyll, owls, the mother, the father, a Burrowing Owl, Flint, another owl, the Masked Owl, Trader Mags, Trail Lochinvyrr, Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath, a wolf, Doc Finebeak| ::: Let’s help!” ",Doc Finebeak.M Can you show these new arrivals to that hollow we cleaned out yesterday?”,19920,19940,True,654:A young Spotted Owl.?,"branches themselves.“Now, I want you young’uns to stay out of the way. We’ve got some wounded owls coming in and I have to arrange for their care.” They were flying up through the branches, following the Short- eared Owl to the hollow that would be theirs.“Matron, we’re going to need moss and down. Search- and- rescue’s coming in with two more little ones. Nest decimation.” Another Short- eared Owl flew by with a wad of something fluffy in her talons.“Oh, no! Poor little things.”“Nest decimation. What’s that?” Soren asked.“Accidental destruction of nests.” A young Spotted Owl flew up as they landed on a branch midway up the tree.“Otulissa, thank goodness. Can you show these new arrivals to that hollow we cleaned out yesterday?”“Certainly, Matron.”“And see if Cook has any tea or cakes left over. They look half starved.”“Certainly.” The Spotted Owl named Otulissa showed them to their hollow.“What is going on here?” Twilight asked her.“Oh, there’ve been some skirmishes up in the borderlands, nothing too serious.”“Is it St. Aggie’s?” Soren asked.“We know all about St. Aggie’s. Gylfie and I escaped.” Otulissa blinked.“And we killed their top two lieutenants when they came after Digger here. So we’re ready to fight,” Twilight added. The Spotted Owl blinked again.“I mean, we’re in the right place, aren’t we? The Great Ga’Hoole Tree",A young Spotted Owl,"The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl","branches themselves.“Now, I want you young’uns to stay out of the way. We’ve got some wounded owls coming in and I have to arrange for their care.” They were flying up through the branches, following the Short- eared Owl to the hollow that would be theirs.“Matron, we’re going to need moss and down. Search- and- rescue’s coming in with two more little ones. Nest decimation.” Another Short- eared Owl flew by with a wad of something fluffy in her talons.“Oh, no! Poor little things.”“Nest decimation. What’s that?” Soren asked.“Accidental destruction of nests.” A young Spotted Owl flew up as they landed on a branch midway up the tree.“Otulissa, thank goodness. Can you show these new arrivals to that hollow we cleaned out yesterday?”“Certainly, Matron.”“And see if Cook has any tea or cakes left over. They look half starved.”“Certainly.” The Spotted Owl named Otulissa showed them to their hollow.“What is going on here?” Twilight asked her.“Oh, there’ve been some skirmishes up in the borderlands, nothing too serious.”“Is it St. Aggie’s?” Soren asked.“We know all about St. Aggie’s. Gylfie and I escaped.” Otulissa blinked.“And we killed their top two lieutenants when they came after Digger here. So we’re ready to fight,” Twilight added. The Spotted Owl blinked again.“I mean, we’re in the right place, aren’t we? The Great Ga’Hoole Tree:Previous Entities: |The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl| ::: Can you show these new arrivals to that hollow we cleaned out yesterday?” ",Otulissa.F I’ll speak to Professor Snape.,60609,60630,True,1191:the class.?,"more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape’s behavior while Lupin had been ill.“It’s not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?”“We don’t know anything about werewolves—”“— two rolls of parchment!”“Did you tell Professor Snape we haven’t covered them yet?” Lupin asked, frowning slightly. The babble broke out again.“Yes, but he said we were really behind—”“— he wouldn’t listen—”“— two rolls of parchment!” Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.“Don’t worry. I’ll speak to Professor Snape. You don’t have to do the essay.” 185 CHAPTER TEN“Oh no,” said Hermione, looking very disappointed.“I’ve already finished it!” They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one- legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless- looking.“Lures travelers into bogs,” said Professor Lupin as they took notes.“You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead— people follow the light— then—” The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass. When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them, but—“Wait a moment, Harry,” Lupin called.“I’d",the class,"Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class","more loosely on him and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes; nevertheless, he smiled at the class as they took their seats, and they burst at once into an explosion of complaints about Snape’s behavior while Lupin had been ill.“It’s not fair, he was only filling in, why should he give us homework?”“We don’t know anything about werewolves—”“— two rolls of parchment!”“Did you tell Professor Snape we haven’t covered them yet?” Lupin asked, frowning slightly. The babble broke out again.“Yes, but he said we were really behind—”“— he wouldn’t listen—”“— two rolls of parchment!” Professor Lupin smiled at the look of indignation on every face.“Don’t worry. I’ll speak to Professor Snape. You don’t have to do the essay.” 185 CHAPTER TEN“Oh no,” said Hermione, looking very disappointed.“I’ve already finished it!” They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one- legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless- looking.“Lures travelers into bogs,” said Professor Lupin as they took notes.“You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead— people follow the light— then—” The hinkypunk made a horrible squelching noise against the glass. When the bell rang, everyone gathered up their things and headed for the door, Harry among them, but—“Wait a moment, Harry,” Lupin called.“I’d:Previous Entities: |Alicia, Madam Hooch, a medieval wizard, A motherly - looking Healer wearing a tinsel wreath in her hair, a spokeswizard for the hospital, Magorian, the grey centaur, Professor Tofty, somebody up ahead fastening a note to a board on the wall, Mildred Pusher, some shouting angry man, the manager, the knight, Seamus Finnigan, Dervish, GRIM DEFEAT, Sir Cadogan, the class| ::: I’ll speak to Professor Snape. ",Professor Lupin.M "Especially you,",41359,41384,True,198:Beau.?,". He tried to smile endearingly, something he didn't spend a lot of time practising in the mirror.' We are the chocolate fairies. And we have a special gift for you.' He waved the chocolate bar, hoping the theatrical presentation would make the cheap candy seem more impressive than it was.' Chocolate fairies?' said the boy, climbing from his car.' Sugar- free chocolate, I hope. Because I get hyper with sugar, and Daddy says that God knows I'm already hyper enough without it, but he still loves me.' Mulch glanced at the label. Eighteen per cent sugar.' Yep. Sugar- free. Would you like a square?' Beau took the entire bar and demolished it in less than ten seconds.' You fairies stink. Especially you, hairy. You stink worse than the blocked toilet in Aunty Morgana's. Stinky fairy.' Doodah laughed.' What can I tell you. The kid tells it like it is, Mulch.'' Do you live in a blocked toilet, Mister Fatty Chocolate Fairy?'' Hey,' said Mulch brightly.' How about a nap? Would you like a nap, kid?' Beau Paradizo punched Mulch in the stomach.' I had a nap, stupid. More chocolate! Now!'' No punching! I don't have more chocolate.' Beau punched him again.' I said more chocolate! Or I'm going to call the guards. And Pierre will reach down your throat and pull out your guts. That's what he does. He told me. Mulch sniggered.' I'd like to see him reach into my insides",Beau,"a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau",". He tried to smile endearingly, something he didn't spend a lot of time practising in the mirror.' We are the chocolate fairies. And we have a special gift for you.' He waved the chocolate bar, hoping the theatrical presentation would make the cheap candy seem more impressive than it was.' Chocolate fairies?' said the boy, climbing from his car.' Sugar- free chocolate, I hope. Because I get hyper with sugar, and Daddy says that God knows I'm already hyper enough without it, but he still loves me.' Mulch glanced at the label. Eighteen per cent sugar.' Yep. Sugar- free. Would you like a square?' Beau took the entire bar and demolished it in less than ten seconds.' You fairies stink. Especially you, hairy. You stink worse than the blocked toilet in Aunty Morgana's. Stinky fairy.' Doodah laughed.' What can I tell you. The kid tells it like it is, Mulch.'' Do you live in a blocked toilet, Mister Fatty Chocolate Fairy?'' Hey,' said Mulch brightly.' How about a nap? Would you like a nap, kid?' Beau Paradizo punched Mulch in the stomach.' I had a nap, stupid. More chocolate! Now!'' No punching! I don't have more chocolate.' Beau punched him again.' I said more chocolate! Or I'm going to call the guards. And Pierre will reach down your throat and pull out your guts. That's what he does. He told me. Mulch sniggered.' I'd like to see him reach into my insides:Previous Entities: |a man with a newspaper, Molly, Robert, a woman in a blue dress, his older sister, the girl on my left, Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau| ::: Especially you, ",Mulch.M "“What’s he saying,",9878,9886,True,523:his sister.F,", do you?” Soren challenged his sister and took a small step forward.“Few words speak sister… me speak little bit Hoole.” The polar bear raised his other huge paw, which had been underwater and, with the longest, deadliest claws Soren had ever seen, tried to indicate the“little bit” of Hoole he spoke by holding together his pinky claw with his first claw. It was a gizzard- freezing sight. Meanwhile, Eglantine pressed on, and Soren listened to one of the oddest conversations he had ever heard.“Phawish prak nraggg grash m’whocki,” said the polar bear.“You don’t say?” said Eglantine. Does she really understand all this or is she just pretending? I bet she’s pretending, Soren thought.“What’s he saying, Eglantine?”“Uh, it’s something about lemmings and…”“And mice and all things owl eats,” rumbled the polar bear.“Huh?” said Soren. He blinked in amazement. Eglantine had understood some of this.“Ja! Ja! Ja!” The polar bear was nodding his head and saying yes in Krakish. To do this he dropped his jaws wide open. His mouth was as big as a tree hollow. Four owls could have easily fit in it.“I no tell owl what to eat. Rodents disgusting, snake never. You no tell polar bear what to eat. Mishnacht?”“Mishnacht means‘ understand,’ Soren,” Eglantine said primly.“You do understand, don’t you?” she said in a",his sister,"the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister",", do you?” Soren challenged his sister and took a small step forward.“Few words speak sister… me speak little bit Hoole.” The polar bear raised his other huge paw, which had been underwater and, with the longest, deadliest claws Soren had ever seen, tried to indicate the“little bit” of Hoole he spoke by holding together his pinky claw with his first claw. It was a gizzard- freezing sight. Meanwhile, Eglantine pressed on, and Soren listened to one of the oddest conversations he had ever heard.“Phawish prak nraggg grash m’whocki,” said the polar bear.“You don’t say?” said Eglantine. Does she really understand all this or is she just pretending? I bet she’s pretending, Soren thought.“What’s he saying, Eglantine?”“Uh, it’s something about lemmings and…”“And mice and all things owl eats,” rumbled the polar bear.“Huh?” said Soren. He blinked in amazement. Eglantine had understood some of this.“Ja! Ja! Ja!” The polar bear was nodding his head and saying yes in Krakish. To do this he dropped his jaws wide open. His mouth was as big as a tree hollow. Four owls could have easily fit in it.“I no tell owl what to eat. Rodents disgusting, snake never. You no tell polar bear what to eat. Mishnacht?”“Mishnacht means‘ understand,’ Soren,” Eglantine said primly.“You do understand, don’t you?” she said in a:Previous Entities: |the Burrowing Owl, the polar bear, his sister| ::: “What’s he saying, ",Eglantine.F “Dad?,23499,23507,True,315:the baby.F,"had been corroded. The whole chip was etched in rivulets, a miniature river delta. I understood now where the dust had come from. It was the disintegrated remains of the chip.“Can you fix it, Dad?” Eric said.“Can you?” What could have caused this? The rest of the motherboard seemed fine. The controller chip was untouched. Only the memory chip was damaged. I wasn’t a hardware guy, but I knew enough to do basic computer repairs. I could install hard drives, add memory, things like that. I’d handled memory chips before, and I’d never seen anything like this. All I could think was that it was a faulty chip. These MP3 players were probably built with the cheapest components available.“Dad? Can you fix it?”“No,” I said.“It needs another chip. I’ll get you one tomorrow.”“’Cause she slimed it, right?”“No. I think it’s just a faulty chip.”“Dad. It was fine for a whole year. She slimed it. It’s not fair!” As if on cue, the baby started crying. I left the MP3 player on the garage table, and went back inside the house. I looked at my watch. I would just have time to change Amanda’s diaper, and mix her cereal for dinner, before the pot roast came out. By nine, the younger kids were asleep, and the house was quiet except for Nicole’s voice, saying,“That sounds pretty serious.",the baby,"Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician","had been corroded. The whole chip was etched in rivulets, a miniature river delta. I understood now where the dust had come from. It was the disintegrated remains of the chip.“Can you fix it, Dad?” Eric said.“Can you?” What could have caused this? The rest of the motherboard seemed fine. The controller chip was untouched. Only the memory chip was damaged. I wasn’t a hardware guy, but I knew enough to do basic computer repairs. I could install hard drives, add memory, things like that. I’d handled memory chips before, and I’d never seen anything like this. All I could think was that it was a faulty chip. These MP3 players were probably built with the cheapest components available.“Dad? Can you fix it?”“No,” I said.“It needs another chip. I’ll get you one tomorrow.”“’Cause she slimed it, right?”“No. I think it’s just a faulty chip.”“Dad. It was fine for a whole year. She slimed it. It’s not fair!” As if on cue, the baby started crying. I left the MP3 player on the garage table, and went back inside the house. I looked at my watch. I would just have time to change Amanda’s diaper, and mix her cereal for dinner, before the pot roast came out. By nine, the younger kids were asleep, and the house was quiet except for Nicole’s voice, saying,“That sounds pretty serious.:Previous Entities: |Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila, her boss, your counterpart, my student, Anna, Daryl, Benjie, Sabaya, the ex - boss, reporter, your counterparts, the agent, the broker, The salesgirl, Don Gross, Gary, the baby, a video technician, The technician| ::: “Dad? ",Eric.M "“The one time we went to see her she told us we were living in adultery even though we were hitched,",18534,18643,True,318:Harold Allison.?,"expected her daughter to remain a spinster the rest of her life. In the more pungent phraseology of her soon- to- be stepfather,“Margaret had a face like the ass end of a gasoline truck and a body to match.” He also referred to her as“a little prayin' Jesus.” Margaret refused to leave until 1960, when she met Ralph White at a revival meeting. In September of that year she left the Brigham residence in Motton and moved to a small flat in Chamberlain Center. The courtship of Margaret Brigham and Ralph White terminated in marriage on March 23, 1962. On April 3, 1962, Margaret White was admitted briefly to Westover Doctors Hospital.“Nope, she wouldn't tell us what was wrong,” Harold Allison said.“The one time we went to see her she told us we were living in adultery even though we were hitched, and we were going to hell. She said God had put an invisible mark on our foreheads, but she could see it. Acted crazy as a bat in a henhouse, she did. Her mom tried to be nice, tried to find out what the matter with her was. She got hysterical and started to rave about an angel with a sword who would walk through the parking lots of roadhouses and cut down the wicked. We left.” Judith Allison, however, had at least an idea of what might have been wrong with her daughter; she thought that Margaret had gone through a miscarriage. If so, the baby was conceived out of wedlock. Confirmation of this would shed an interesting light on the character of Carrie's mother. In a long and rather hysterical letter to her mother dated August 19, 1962, Margaret said that she and Ralph were living sinlessly, without“the Curse of Intercourse.” She urged Harold and Judith Allison to close their“abode of wickedness” and do likewise.“It is,” Margaret declares near the end of her letter,“the oney[ sic] way you& That Man can avoid the Rain of Blood yet to come. Ralph& I, like Mary",Harold Allison,"The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison","expected her daughter to remain a spinster the rest of her life. In the more pungent phraseology of her soon- to- be stepfather,“Margaret had a face like the ass end of a gasoline truck and a body to match.” He also referred to her as“a little prayin' Jesus.” Margaret refused to leave until 1960, when she met Ralph White at a revival meeting. In September of that year she left the Brigham residence in Motton and moved to a small flat in Chamberlain Center. The courtship of Margaret Brigham and Ralph White terminated in marriage on March 23, 1962. On April 3, 1962, Margaret White was admitted briefly to Westover Doctors Hospital.“Nope, she wouldn't tell us what was wrong,” Harold Allison said.“The one time we went to see her she told us we were living in adultery even though we were hitched, and we were going to hell. She said God had put an invisible mark on our foreheads, but she could see it. Acted crazy as a bat in a henhouse, she did. Her mom tried to be nice, tried to find out what the matter with her was. She got hysterical and started to rave about an angel with a sword who would walk through the parking lots of roadhouses and cut down the wicked. We left.” Judith Allison, however, had at least an idea of what might have been wrong with her daughter; she thought that Margaret had gone through a miscarriage. If so, the baby was conceived out of wedlock. Confirmation of this would shed an interesting light on the character of Carrie's mother. In a long and rather hysterical letter to her mother dated August 19, 1962, Margaret said that she and Ralph were living sinlessly, without“the Curse of Intercourse.” She urged Harold and Judith Allison to close their“abode of wickedness” and do likewise.“It is,” Margaret declares near the end of her letter,“the oney[ sic] way you& That Man can avoid the Rain of Blood yet to come. Ralph& I, like Mary:Previous Entities: |The Central Maine Power guy, the power guy, Scowther, Mia, Sayre, the washerboy, the taheen, Lamla, the bumbler, the newcomer, the voice from the tape recorder, a hell of a good tale - spinner, Tammy, Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup, her mum, The Sooty Owl, The dignified Snowy, My real mum, The gannet, the old ryb, the plump , elderly nest - maid snake, The Boreal Owl, Harold Allison| ::: “The one time we went to see her she told us we were living in adultery even though we were hitched, ","Margaret White.F Ralph White.M Harold Allison.M Judith Allison.F" The Gaddernock we call it;,11065,11103,True,231:Blair.?,"spare.”“She might have died had you not.” She sighed.“But she did not tell you of our peculiar ways, I suppose. You saw what I did—” She paused.“— And what my son did not do— when I first came up to you?”“Yes.”“I made the gestures a wolf would make to one of higher rank.” She then turned to her pup, who was still groveling on the ground.“And until this young’un learns, he shall not go on any byrrgis.” A little whine came from the pile of fur. The pup had hidden his eyes behind his paws in shame. Only the pink of his nose could be seen. Blair continued in her lilting voice.“We have our codes of conduct. The Gaddernock we call it; the way of the dire wolf clans. Now follow me and I will take you to the Gadderheal, our ceremonial cave.”“But I just want to see Gyll… I mean, Namara, in her own den. This need not be so… so formal.”“Oh, it’s not a matter of formality.”“What is it, then?”“It’s the only place you’ll fit.” CHAPTER SIX Namara Howls You say the puffin said something about hagsfiends.” Namara’s eyes glistened like resplendent twin emeralds in the dark gloom of the cave. Outside, tree limbs creaked in a sudden wind. Sveep nodded.“And then you say the other owl, the blue one, said something about the Ember of Hoole?”“Not exactly in that order,” Sveep replied.“First, the blue owl said that he knew all about the ember",Blair,"the pup, The wolf, Blair","spare.”“She might have died had you not.” She sighed.“But she did not tell you of our peculiar ways, I suppose. You saw what I did—” She paused.“— And what my son did not do— when I first came up to you?”“Yes.”“I made the gestures a wolf would make to one of higher rank.” She then turned to her pup, who was still groveling on the ground.“And until this young’un learns, he shall not go on any byrrgis.” A little whine came from the pile of fur. The pup had hidden his eyes behind his paws in shame. Only the pink of his nose could be seen. Blair continued in her lilting voice.“We have our codes of conduct. The Gaddernock we call it; the way of the dire wolf clans. Now follow me and I will take you to the Gadderheal, our ceremonial cave.”“But I just want to see Gyll… I mean, Namara, in her own den. This need not be so… so formal.”“Oh, it’s not a matter of formality.”“What is it, then?”“It’s the only place you’ll fit.” CHAPTER SIX Namara Howls You say the puffin said something about hagsfiends.” Namara’s eyes glistened like resplendent twin emeralds in the dark gloom of the cave. Outside, tree limbs creaked in a sudden wind. Sveep nodded.“And then you say the other owl, the blue one, said something about the Ember of Hoole?”“Not exactly in that order,” Sveep replied.“First, the blue owl said that he knew all about the ember:Previous Entities: |the pup, The wolf, Blair| ::: The Gaddernock we call it; ",Blair.F "Come,",59323,59345,True,272:Dactylos.M,"and then hamstrung me so that I could not escape. As a result I was put to some inconvenience to use the silk and some bamboo to build a flying machine from which I could launch myself from the topmost turret of my prison.”“Bringing you, by various diversions, to Krull,” said the Arch- astronomer.“And one can not help feeling that some alternative occupation— lettuce farming, say— would offer somewhat less of a risk of being put to death by installments. Why do you persist in it?” Goldeneyes Dactylos shrugged.“I’m good at it,” he said. The Arch- astronomer looked up again at the bronze fish, shining now like a gong in the noontime sun.“Such beauty,” he murmured.“And unique. Come, Dactylos. Recall to me what it was that I promised should be your reward?”“You asked me to design a fish that would swim through the seas of space that lie between the worlds,” intoned the master craftsman.“In return for which— in return—”“Yes? My memory is not what it used to be,” purred the Arch- astronomer, stroking the warm bronze.“In return,” continued Dactylos, without much apparent hope,“you would set me free, and refrain from chopping off any appendages. I require no treasure.”“Ah, yes. I recall now.” The old man raised a blue- veined hand, and added,“I lied.” There was the merest whisper of sound, and the goldeneyed man rocked on his feet. Then he looked down at the arrowhead protruding",Dactylos,"Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos","and then hamstrung me so that I could not escape. As a result I was put to some inconvenience to use the silk and some bamboo to build a flying machine from which I could launch myself from the topmost turret of my prison.”“Bringing you, by various diversions, to Krull,” said the Arch- astronomer.“And one can not help feeling that some alternative occupation— lettuce farming, say— would offer somewhat less of a risk of being put to death by installments. Why do you persist in it?” Goldeneyes Dactylos shrugged.“I’m good at it,” he said. The Arch- astronomer looked up again at the bronze fish, shining now like a gong in the noontime sun.“Such beauty,” he murmured.“And unique. Come, Dactylos. Recall to me what it was that I promised should be your reward?”“You asked me to design a fish that would swim through the seas of space that lie between the worlds,” intoned the master craftsman.“In return for which— in return—”“Yes? My memory is not what it used to be,” purred the Arch- astronomer, stroking the warm bronze.“In return,” continued Dactylos, without much apparent hope,“you would set me free, and refrain from chopping off any appendages. I require no treasure.”“Ah, yes. I recall now.” The old man raised a blue- veined hand, and added,“I lied.” There was the merest whisper of sound, and the goldeneyed man rocked on his feet. Then he looked down at the arrowhead protruding:Previous Entities: |Dromind, Kipuna, their old Bashar, Albertus, Yar, Materly, Tormsa, The ruined man, Murbella, Delnay, Cole, Lore, Del Toro, Sloan, Nelson, the big one, Weasel, Bravd, Hugh, Withel, The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos| ::: Come, ",Goldeneyes Dactylos.M "' Mike,'",135188,135191,True,724:Bonnie.F,"to Jo... the Jo I knew... that I couldn't figure out what you were talking about. I thought maybe you meant a shrink, but you didn't, did you? You meant seeing someone like seeing a guy. A boyfriend.'' That's what I meant.' Thumbing through the faxed calendar sheets now, my hand not quite back to its proper distance from my eyes but getting there, getting there. I felt relief at the honest bewilderment in Bonnie's voice, but not as much as I'd expected. Because I'd known. I hadn't even needed the woman in the old Perry Mason episode to put in her two cents, not really. It was Jo we were talking about, after all. Jo.' Mike,' Bonnie was saying, very softly, as if I might be crazy,' she loved you. She loved you.' Yes. I suppose she did.' The calendar pages showed how busy my wife had been. How productive. S- Ks of Maine... the soup kitchens. WomShel, a county- to- county network of shelters for battered women. TeenShel. Friends of Me. Libes. She had been at two or three meetings a month— two or three a week at some points— and I'd barely noticed. I had been too busy with my women in jeopardy.' I loved her too, Bonnie, but she was up to something in the last ten months of her life. She didn't give you any hint of what",Bonnie,"the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie","to Jo... the Jo I knew... that I couldn't figure out what you were talking about. I thought maybe you meant a shrink, but you didn't, did you? You meant seeing someone like seeing a guy. A boyfriend.'' That's what I meant.' Thumbing through the faxed calendar sheets now, my hand not quite back to its proper distance from my eyes but getting there, getting there. I felt relief at the honest bewilderment in Bonnie's voice, but not as much as I'd expected. Because I'd known. I hadn't even needed the woman in the old Perry Mason episode to put in her two cents, not really. It was Jo we were talking about, after all. Jo.' Mike,' Bonnie was saying, very softly, as if I might be crazy,' she loved you. She loved you.' Yes. I suppose she did.' The calendar pages showed how busy my wife had been. How productive. S- Ks of Maine... the soup kitchens. WomShel, a county- to- county network of shelters for battered women. TeenShel. Friends of Me. Libes. She had been at two or three meetings a month— two or three a week at some points— and I'd barely noticed. I had been too busy with my women in jeopardy.' I loved her too, Bonnie, but she was up to something in the last ten months of her life. She didn't give you any hint of what:Previous Entities: |the little owl, the Whiskered Screech, the Great Ga’Hoole Tree A peek at THE GUARDIANS of GA’HOOLE Book Three, Denise Breedlove, Mike, nobody, an old man that I knew but could n't quite place, Ralph, The lady in question, Blueberry, ma'am, Kmart, a trembling old man, Osgood, Michael Noonan, Footman, a poor old geezer, one woman, Romeo Bissonette, the old guy, the redheaded guy, the locals, a strange man, Bonnie| ::: ' Mike,' ",Mike.M and they fall apart.,2502,2536,True,261:Sheila.F,"Federer and I had used a time machine to go back to the 1920s to play in a tennis tournament of distinguished gentlemen who wore white pantsuits and used wood rackets and had part- time training regimens. There I was with my titanium alloy racket and dedicated personal trainer and computer- strategized serve- and- volley plays. The guys I was playing were just as smart— actually, more so— and we were basically playing the same game with the same rules. But I had skills they didn’t.“You’re getting famous for your special style, Chris,” Sheila said, after I announced my second day’s results. I smiled like the Cheshire cat. Winning was fun.“Chris, why don’t you tell everybody your approach,” Sheila said.“It seems like all you do to these Harvard Law School students is say‘ No’ and stare at them, and they fall apart. Is it really that easy?” I knew what she meant: While I wasn’t actually saying“No,” the questions I kept asking sounded like it. They seemed to insinuate that the other side was being dishonest and unfair. And that was enough to make them falter and negotiate with themselves. Answering my calibrated questions demanded deep emotional strengths and tactical psychological insights that the toolbox they’d been given did not contain. I shrugged.“I’m just asking questions,” I said.“It’s a passive- aggressive approach. I just ask the same three or four open- ended questions over and over and over and over. They get worn out answering and give me everything I want.” Andy jumped in his seat as if he’d been stung by a bee.“Damn!”",Sheila,"Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila","Federer and I had used a time machine to go back to the 1920s to play in a tennis tournament of distinguished gentlemen who wore white pantsuits and used wood rackets and had part- time training regimens. There I was with my titanium alloy racket and dedicated personal trainer and computer- strategized serve- and- volley plays. The guys I was playing were just as smart— actually, more so— and we were basically playing the same game with the same rules. But I had skills they didn’t.“You’re getting famous for your special style, Chris,” Sheila said, after I announced my second day’s results. I smiled like the Cheshire cat. Winning was fun.“Chris, why don’t you tell everybody your approach,” Sheila said.“It seems like all you do to these Harvard Law School students is say‘ No’ and stare at them, and they fall apart. Is it really that easy?” I knew what she meant: While I wasn’t actually saying“No,” the questions I kept asking sounded like it. They seemed to insinuate that the other side was being dishonest and unfair. And that was enough to make them falter and negotiate with themselves. Answering my calibrated questions demanded deep emotional strengths and tactical psychological insights that the toolbox they’d been given did not contain. I shrugged.“I’m just asking questions,” I said.“It’s a passive- aggressive approach. I just ask the same three or four open- ended questions over and over and over and over. They get worn out answering and give me everything I want.” Andy jumped in his seat as if he’d been stung by a bee.“Damn!”:Previous Entities: |Sammy, Bythos, The bull - man, the river god, Her Ladyship, The golden warrior, Gaea, Tiberinus, The pretty lady, Rhea Silvia, the pater, Wolf Head, her dad, the spider, the author of the New York Times # 1 best - selling The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune, Dagdan, the shadowsinger, the Carver, the healer, Kallias, Viviane, Nuan, Graysen, Nolan, Miryam, Jutt, these two young owls, Dippet, Mnookin, Sheila| ::: and they fall apart. ",Sheila.F “What’s‘ astute’?”,5112,5119,True,528:The female.?,"it.“I’m out of here,” Svarr said.“Same time, same place, two years from now.” He yawned and began to swim off.“Hope you get some cubs. I’m sure they’ll be cute, just like their mum.” The female sighed.“As if he’ll ever bother to visit them.”“You mean he’ll never see his cubs?” said Dumpy.“Never.”“That’s very sad,” Dumpy said.“I mean, he doesn’t know what he’s missing.” The bear blinked.“What is your name, puffin?”“Dumpy.”“Well, Dumpy, mine is Sveep, and I think that is very astute of you.”“What’s‘ astute’?”“Smart, keen.” Now it was Dumpy’s turn to blink.“No… no one has ever called me— or any a puffin— smart, keen, or… or astute.”“Well, I’m calling you that. Now tell me, what is this about a blue owl?” Dumpy hoped he could give a halfway intelligible recitation of what he had seen. He began slowly.“There is this cave in the Ice Narrows. Two owls came to it. One had these feathers that you call blue, and the other… the other…” When Dumpy had finished the story, Sveep was silent for several seconds, then finally she spoke.“This does not sound good. Not good at all. But it’s owl business",The female,"the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female","it.“I’m out of here,” Svarr said.“Same time, same place, two years from now.” He yawned and began to swim off.“Hope you get some cubs. I’m sure they’ll be cute, just like their mum.” The female sighed.“As if he’ll ever bother to visit them.”“You mean he’ll never see his cubs?” said Dumpy.“Never.”“That’s very sad,” Dumpy said.“I mean, he doesn’t know what he’s missing.” The bear blinked.“What is your name, puffin?”“Dumpy.”“Well, Dumpy, mine is Sveep, and I think that is very astute of you.”“What’s‘ astute’?”“Smart, keen.” Now it was Dumpy’s turn to blink.“No… no one has ever called me— or any a puffin— smart, keen, or… or astute.”“Well, I’m calling you that. Now tell me, what is this about a blue owl?” Dumpy hoped he could give a halfway intelligible recitation of what he had seen. He began slowly.“There is this cave in the Ice Narrows. Two owls came to it. One had these feathers that you call blue, and the other… the other…” When Dumpy had finished the story, Sveep was silent for several seconds, then finally she spoke.“This does not sound good. Not good at all. But it’s owl business:Previous Entities: |the huge silvery owl, my mate, Geoffrey Perkins, John Lloyd, Alan Bell, everybody, the audience, the Doctor, the Barn Owl, Bell, Pelli, Fritha, the Chubster, The bear, Svarr, The female| ::: “What’s‘ astute’?” ",Dumpy. M Please tell me I’m not making an utter ass of myself.,334429,334478,True,9490:the man with the paper cup.M,"It’s Edward Cantor Dean. And then even that becomes secondary, because what she sees in his eyes is all she has feared. It’s total puzzlement. He doesn’t know her. Then, tentatively, he smiles, and it is the smile she remembers, the one she always loved. Also he’s clean, she knows it at once. She sees it in his face. Mostly in his eyes. The carolers from Harlem sing, and he holds out the cup of hot chocolate.“Thank God,” he says.“I’d just about decided I’d have to drink this myself. That the voices were wrong and I was going crazy after all. That… well…” He trails off, looking more than puzzled. He looks afraid.“Listen, you are here for me, aren’t you? Please tell me I’m not making an utter ass of myself. Because, lady, right now I feel as nervous as a long- tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.”“You’re not,” she says.“Making an ass of yourself, I mean.” She’s remembering Jake’s story about the voices he heard arguing in his mind, one yelling that he was dead, the other that he was alive. Both of them utterly convinced. She has at least some idea of how terrible that must be, because she knows a little about other voices. Strange voices.“Thank God,” he says.“Your name is Susannah?”“Yes,” she says.“My name is Susannah.” Her throat is terribly dry, but the words come out, at least. She takes the cup from him and sips the hot chocolate through the cream. It is sweet and good, a taste of this",the man with the paper cup,"Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup","It’s Edward Cantor Dean. And then even that becomes secondary, because what she sees in his eyes is all she has feared. It’s total puzzlement. He doesn’t know her. Then, tentatively, he smiles, and it is the smile she remembers, the one she always loved. Also he’s clean, she knows it at once. She sees it in his face. Mostly in his eyes. The carolers from Harlem sing, and he holds out the cup of hot chocolate.“Thank God,” he says.“I’d just about decided I’d have to drink this myself. That the voices were wrong and I was going crazy after all. That… well…” He trails off, looking more than puzzled. He looks afraid.“Listen, you are here for me, aren’t you? Please tell me I’m not making an utter ass of myself. Because, lady, right now I feel as nervous as a long- tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.”“You’re not,” she says.“Making an ass of yourself, I mean.” She’s remembering Jake’s story about the voices he heard arguing in his mind, one yelling that he was dead, the other that he was alive. Both of them utterly convinced. She has at least some idea of how terrible that must be, because she knows a little about other voices. Strange voices.“Thank God,” he says.“Your name is Susannah?”“Yes,” she says.“My name is Susannah.” Her throat is terribly dry, but the words come out, at least. She takes the cup from him and sips the hot chocolate through the cream. It is sweet and good, a taste of this:Previous Entities: |Gaskie, Dani, this woman, the shopkeeper, the Crimson King, a boy, the robot huckster, Referee King, his partner, this good - natured old man, the old man with the big iron on his hip, the man with the paper cup| ::: Please tell me I’m not making an utter ass of myself. ",Edward Cantor Dean.M She had just told them that she was no Rogue smith but Leader and Supreme Commander of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones.,36772,36804,True,196:Lord MacHeath.?,"green of wolves’ eyes. This was not an image of a bonk coal. This was the reflection of the Ember of Hoole! But where? How? What am I supposed to do? You will know, Coryn. You will know, a voice whispered in his head. Was it a scroom? Was it Mist? When he lifted his eyes from the bucket, he saw Gwyndor and Otulissa staring at him hard. It was Otulissa, however, who shivered.“By Glaux, I felt as if a scroom floated by me.” And then she churred a bit, as if to say, Nonsense. I don’t believe in such things. CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE A Blood Oath So I might stay as long as I care to, Lord MacHeath?” Nyra had just revealed her true identity. She had just told them that she was no Rogue smith but Leader and Supreme Commander of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones.“You bring us eyes that are green like ours. You hunt for the hare and share your meat and now you bring us what you have said is a great secret that could turn our clan into the most powerful wolf clan on Earth.”“Yes, but in exchange I need some information that you have,” Nyra said.“Sir Ross, take the talking bone to our honored guest, Nyra, Supreme Leader of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones.” This was a sign that Nyra was to give her information first. A black wolf took the bone and placed it at Nyra’s talons. She clamped it firmly down with one talon.“As the Supreme Leader of the Pure Ones, I would like to propose an alliance between the dire wolves of",Lord MacHeath,"Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath","green of wolves’ eyes. This was not an image of a bonk coal. This was the reflection of the Ember of Hoole! But where? How? What am I supposed to do? You will know, Coryn. You will know, a voice whispered in his head. Was it a scroom? Was it Mist? When he lifted his eyes from the bucket, he saw Gwyndor and Otulissa staring at him hard. It was Otulissa, however, who shivered.“By Glaux, I felt as if a scroom floated by me.” And then she churred a bit, as if to say, Nonsense. I don’t believe in such things. CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE A Blood Oath So I might stay as long as I care to, Lord MacHeath?” Nyra had just revealed her true identity. She had just told them that she was no Rogue smith but Leader and Supreme Commander of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones.“You bring us eyes that are green like ours. You hunt for the hare and share your meat and now you bring us what you have said is a great secret that could turn our clan into the most powerful wolf clan on Earth.”“Yes, but in exchange I need some information that you have,” Nyra said.“Sir Ross, take the talking bone to our honored guest, Nyra, Supreme Leader of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones.” This was a sign that Nyra was to give her information first. A black wolf took the bone and placed it at Nyra’s talons. She clamped it firmly down with one talon.“As the Supreme Leader of the Pure Ones, I would like to propose an alliance between the dire wolves of:Previous Entities: |Duncan MacDuncan, the chieftain, Lord MacHeath| ::: She had just told them that she was no Rogue smith but Leader and Supreme Commander of the Tytonic Union of Pure Ones. ",Nyra.F "But hear me,",44273,44332,True,452:Mars.M,"with dark sunglasses.“Father,” Frank managed. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done. The terror started to catch up to him. He felt like sobbing, but he guessed that would not be a good idea in front of Mars.“It’s natural to feel fear.” The war god’s voice was surprisingly warm, full of pride.“All great warriors are afraid. Only the stupid and the delusional are not. But you faced your fear, my son. You did what you had to do, like Horatius. This was your bridge, and you defended it.”“I—” Frank wasn’t sure what to say.“I… I just needed a snake.” A tiny smile tugged at Mars’s mouth.“Yes. And now you have one. Your bravery has united my forms, Greek and Roman, if only for a moment. Go. Save your friends. But hear me, Frank. Your greatest test is yet to come. When you face the armies of Gaea at Epirus, your leadership—” Suddenly the god doubled over, clutching his head. His form flickered. His fatigues turned into a toga, then a biker’s jacket and jeans. His rifle changed into a sword and then a rocket launcher.“Agony!” Mars bellowed.“Go! Hurry!” Frank didn’t ask questions. Despite his exhaustion, he turned into a giant eagle, snatched up the python in his massive claws, and launched himself into the air. When he glanced back, a miniature mushroom cloud erupted from the middle of the bridge, rings of fire washing outward, and a pair of voices— Mars and Ares— screamed,“Noooo!” Frank wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he had no time to think about it. He flew over the city",Mars,"The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host","with dark sunglasses.“Father,” Frank managed. He couldn’t believe what he’d just done. The terror started to catch up to him. He felt like sobbing, but he guessed that would not be a good idea in front of Mars.“It’s natural to feel fear.” The war god’s voice was surprisingly warm, full of pride.“All great warriors are afraid. Only the stupid and the delusional are not. But you faced your fear, my son. You did what you had to do, like Horatius. This was your bridge, and you defended it.”“I—” Frank wasn’t sure what to say.“I… I just needed a snake.” A tiny smile tugged at Mars’s mouth.“Yes. And now you have one. Your bravery has united my forms, Greek and Roman, if only for a moment. Go. Save your friends. But hear me, Frank. Your greatest test is yet to come. When you face the armies of Gaea at Epirus, your leadership—” Suddenly the god doubled over, clutching his head. His form flickered. His fatigues turned into a toga, then a biker’s jacket and jeans. His rifle changed into a sword and then a rocket launcher.“Agony!” Mars bellowed.“Go! Hurry!” Frank didn’t ask questions. Despite his exhaustion, he turned into a giant eagle, snatched up the python in his massive claws, and launched himself into the air. When he glanced back, a miniature mushroom cloud erupted from the middle of the bridge, rings of fire washing outward, and a pair of voices— Mars and Ares— screamed,“Noooo!” Frank wasn’t sure what had just happened, but he had no time to think about it. He flew over the city:Previous Entities: |The visitor, the homunculus, Gorphal, the picture imp, the thiefmaster, Zlorf, Rerpf, the Weasel, the Lady, Fate, the dryad, Druellae, Liessa, K!sdra, Lio!rt, The Loremaster, the craftsman, Dactylos, Tethis, Garhartra, the Guestmaster, the Launchcontroller, Locus, the mall girl, This lady, The Titan, Mars, the man in denim, their host| ::: But hear me, ",Mars.M Fifty thousand dollars?,43852,43864,True,1550:another hunter.?,"killed this monster in this lake, no problem, stuck its arm up over the door—”“Pour encourjay lays ortras,” said one of the listeners.“Right, and you know what? Its mum come and complained. Its actual mum come right down to the hall next day and complained. Actually complained. That’s the respect you get.”“The females are always the worst,” said another hunter gloomily.“I knew this cross- eyed gorgon once, oh, she was a terror. Kept turning her own nose to stone.”“It’s our arses on the line every time,” said the intellectual.“I mean, I wish I had a dollar for every horse I’ve had eaten out from underneath me.”“Right. Fifty thousand dollars? He can stuff it.”“Yeah.”“Right. Cheapskate.”“Let’s go and have a drink.”“Right.” They nodded in righteous agreement and strode off toward the Mended Drum, except for the intellectual, who sidled uneasily back to Vimes.“What sort of dog?” he said.“What?” said Vimes.“I said, what sort of dog?”“A small wire- haired terrier, I think,” said Vimes. The hunter thought about this for some time.“Nah,” he said eventually, and hurried off after the others.“He’s got an aunt in Pseudopolis, I believe,” Vimes called after him. There was no response. The captain of the Watch shrugged, and carried on through the",another hunter,"Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter","killed this monster in this lake, no problem, stuck its arm up over the door—”“Pour encourjay lays ortras,” said one of the listeners.“Right, and you know what? Its mum come and complained. Its actual mum come right down to the hall next day and complained. Actually complained. That’s the respect you get.”“The females are always the worst,” said another hunter gloomily.“I knew this cross- eyed gorgon once, oh, she was a terror. Kept turning her own nose to stone.”“It’s our arses on the line every time,” said the intellectual.“I mean, I wish I had a dollar for every horse I’ve had eaten out from underneath me.”“Right. Fifty thousand dollars? He can stuff it.”“Yeah.”“Right. Cheapskate.”“Let’s go and have a drink.”“Right.” They nodded in righteous agreement and strode off toward the Mended Drum, except for the intellectual, who sidled uneasily back to Vimes.“What sort of dog?” he said.“What?” said Vimes.“I said, what sort of dog?”“A small wire- haired terrier, I think,” said Vimes. The hunter thought about this for some time.“Nah,” he said eventually, and hurried off after the others.“He’s got an aunt in Pseudopolis, I believe,” Vimes called after him. There was no response. The captain of the Watch shrugged, and carried on through the:Previous Entities: |Zabini, Fawkes, Merope, a young man, the Patil twins, Fang, the commentator, Zacharias Smith, Madam Pince, Worple, the Chosen One, a few of them, Yaxley, the visitor, The builder, Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter| ::: Fifty thousand dollars? ","another hunter.M the intellectual.M" please watch carefully.,119836,119873,True,3183:a third who was working with some instrumentation.?,"cabin."" I thought we couldn't walk around."""" It's okay right now,"" Singleton said. Jennifer climbed out of her harness, and walked with Singleton up through first class, to the cockpit. She felt the faint vibration of the airplane beneath her feet. But it was quite stable. The door to the cockpit was open. She saw Rawley in there, with a second man he didn't introduce, and a third who was working with some instrumentation. Jennifer stood with Singleton just outside the cockpit looking in."" Now Ms. Malone,"" Rawley said."" You interviewed Mr. Barker, didn't you?"""" Yes."""" What did he say was the cause of the accident?"""" He said the slats deployed."""" Uh- huh. Okay, please watch carefully. This is the flaps slats handle here. We are at cruise speed, cruise altitude. I am now going to deploy the slats."" He reached his hand forward to the thing between the seats."" Wait a minute! Let me get strapped in!"""" You're perfectly safe, Ms. Malone."""" I want to sit down, at least."""" Then sit down."" Jennifer started back, then realized that Singleton was remaining standing by the cockpit door. Staring at her. Feeling foolish, Jennifer went back and stood by Singleton."" Deploying slats now."" Rawley pushed the lever down. She heard a faint rumble that lasted a few seconds. Nothing else. The nose tilted, steadied."" Slats are extended."" Rawley pointed to the instrument panel."" You see the speed? You see the altitude? And you see that indicator that says SLATS? We have just",a third who was working with some instrumentation,"Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation","cabin."" I thought we couldn't walk around."""" It's okay right now,"" Singleton said. Jennifer climbed out of her harness, and walked with Singleton up through first class, to the cockpit. She felt the faint vibration of the airplane beneath her feet. But it was quite stable. The door to the cockpit was open. She saw Rawley in there, with a second man he didn't introduce, and a third who was working with some instrumentation. Jennifer stood with Singleton just outside the cockpit looking in."" Now Ms. Malone,"" Rawley said."" You interviewed Mr. Barker, didn't you?"""" Yes."""" What did he say was the cause of the accident?"""" He said the slats deployed."""" Uh- huh. Okay, please watch carefully. This is the flaps slats handle here. We are at cruise speed, cruise altitude. I am now going to deploy the slats."" He reached his hand forward to the thing between the seats."" Wait a minute! Let me get strapped in!"""" You're perfectly safe, Ms. Malone."""" I want to sit down, at least."""" Then sit down."" Jennifer started back, then realized that Singleton was remaining standing by the cockpit door. Staring at her. Feeling foolish, Jennifer went back and stood by Singleton."" Deploying slats now."" Rawley pushed the lever down. She heard a faint rumble that lasted a few seconds. Nothing else. The nose tilted, steadied."" Slats are extended."" Rawley pointed to the instrument panel."" You see the speed? You see the altitude? And you see that indicator that says SLATS? We have just:Previous Entities: |Svall, Ifghar, the little Elf Owl, Elvan, Dustytuft, Ga’Hoole, Levine, a woman at traffic control, Greene, the secretary, the bearded man, The stewardess, The flight attendant, one of the guards, the instructor, Eileen, Jerry, Benson, Deborah, Samuelson, The wife, the cameraman, the FAA guy, the makeup woman, a third who was working with some instrumentation| ::: please watch carefully. ","Singleton.M Jennifer.F Rawley.M" "What a bloodline,",123554,123608,True,3380:A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather.F,"smell, of course. A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather caught sight of him.“Ah,” she said,“you’ll be the gallant captain.” She tucked an errant strand of white hair back under a headscarf and extended a veiny brown hand.“Brenda Rodley. That’s Rosie Devant- Molei. She runs the Sunshine Sanctuary, you know.” The other woman, who had the build of someone who could pick up carthorses in one hand and shoe them with the other, gave him a friendly grin.“Samuel Vimes,” said Vimes weakly.“My father was a Sam,” said Brenda vaguely.“You can always trust a Sam, he said.” She shooed a dragon back into its box.“We’re just helping Sybil. Old friends, you know. The collection’s all to blazes, of course. They’re all over the city, the little devils. I dare say they’ll come back when they’re hungry, though. What a bloodline, eh?”“I’m sorry?”“Sybil reckons he was a sport, but I say we should be able to breed back into the line in three or four generations. I’m famed for my stud, you know,” she said.“That’d be something, though. A whole new type of dragon.” Vimes thought of supersonic contrails criss- crossing the sky.“Er,” he said.“Yes.”“Well, we must get on.”“Er, isn’t Lady Ramkin around?” said Vimes.“I got this message that it was essential, she said, for me to come here.”“She’s indoors somewhere,” said Miss Rodley.“Said she had something important to see to. Oh,",A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather,"Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda","smell, of course. A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather caught sight of him.“Ah,” she said,“you’ll be the gallant captain.” She tucked an errant strand of white hair back under a headscarf and extended a veiny brown hand.“Brenda Rodley. That’s Rosie Devant- Molei. She runs the Sunshine Sanctuary, you know.” The other woman, who had the build of someone who could pick up carthorses in one hand and shoe them with the other, gave him a friendly grin.“Samuel Vimes,” said Vimes weakly.“My father was a Sam,” said Brenda vaguely.“You can always trust a Sam, he said.” She shooed a dragon back into its box.“We’re just helping Sybil. Old friends, you know. The collection’s all to blazes, of course. They’re all over the city, the little devils. I dare say they’ll come back when they’re hungry, though. What a bloodline, eh?”“I’m sorry?”“Sybil reckons he was a sport, but I say we should be able to breed back into the line in three or four generations. I’m famed for my stud, you know,” she said.“That’d be something, though. A whole new type of dragon.” Vimes thought of supersonic contrails criss- crossing the sky.“Er,” he said.“Yes.”“Well, we must get on.”“Er, isn’t Lady Ramkin around?” said Vimes.“I got this message that it was essential, she said, for me to come here.”“She’s indoors somewhere,” said Miss Rodley.“Said she had something important to see to. Oh,:Previous Entities: |Brother Fingers, the Grand Master, Brother Dunnykin, The dwarf, Mooty, the thief, the head thief, The secretary, The four of them, her ladyship, Cut -, the intellectual, the first speaker, another hunter, the Archchancellor, the monarchist, a guard, the first guard, Harga, the high priest, the monarchical expert, the head assassin, the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda| ::: What a bloodline, ",Brenda Rodley.F “Yes!”,160737,160740,True,5654:the other soldier.?,"“King of the Britons! Defeater of the Saxons! Sovereign of all England!” My score jumped another 500 points, and a message informed me that I’d received a bonus for my accent and inflection. I felt myself relax, and I realized I was already having fun.“Pull the other one!” the soldier replied.“I am,” I continued.“And this is my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my court at Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master!” Another 500 points. In my ear, I could hear my friends giggling and applauding.“What?” the other soldier replied.“Ridden on a horse?”“Yes!” I said. 100 points.“You’re using coconuts!”“What?” I said. 100 points.“You’ve got two empty halves of coconut and you’re bangin’’em together!”“So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Mercia, through—” Another 500 points.“Where’d you get the coconuts?” And so it went. The character I was playing changed from one scene to the next, switching to whomever had the most dialogue. Incredibly, I flubbed only six or seven lines. Each time I got stumped, all I had to do was shrug and hold out my hands, palms up— my signal that I needed some help— and Aech, Art3mis, and",the other soldier,"el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier","“King of the Britons! Defeater of the Saxons! Sovereign of all England!” My score jumped another 500 points, and a message informed me that I’d received a bonus for my accent and inflection. I felt myself relax, and I realized I was already having fun.“Pull the other one!” the soldier replied.“I am,” I continued.“And this is my trusty servant Patsy. We have ridden the length and breadth of the land in search of knights who will join me in my court at Camelot. I must speak with your lord and master!” Another 500 points. In my ear, I could hear my friends giggling and applauding.“What?” the other soldier replied.“Ridden on a horse?”“Yes!” I said. 100 points.“You’re using coconuts!”“What?” I said. 100 points.“You’ve got two empty halves of coconut and you’re bangin’’em together!”“So? We have ridden since the snows of winter covered this land, through the kingdom of Mercia, through—” Another 500 points.“Where’d you get the coconuts?” And so it went. The character I was playing changed from one scene to the next, switching to whomever had the most dialogue. Incredibly, I flubbed only six or seven lines. Each time I got stumped, all I had to do was shrug and hold out my hands, palms up— my signal that I needed some help— and Aech, Art3mis, and:Previous Entities: |el Pulpo, Monk, Ada, Marv, the lieutenant, The hologram, The AI, Inge, A Wolf Howls CHAPTER SIXTEEN The Hagsfiend of the Ice Narrows CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, Rolf, The Whiskered Screech, Penryck, MacHeath, Owls, Ygryk, ERWIN CHARGAFF, Manuel, Bobbie, Elena, Ellen Bowman, Alice Levin, Somebody, Barney, The raptor, Richard Kiley, the recording, the vet, the tyrannosaur, The guard, The officer, Christopher Farnsworth, Will Lavender, Anorak, Acererak, the teacher, HotCock007, the other soldier| ::: “Yes!” ",Arthur. "Hwel,",105020,105031,True,332:the witches.?,"be no good at it!'' That doesn't matter. A king isn't something you're good at, it's something you are.'' You can't leave me here! There's nothing but forests!' Tomjon felt the suffocating cold sensation again, and the slow buzzing in his ears. For a moment he thought he saw, faint as a mist, a tall sad man in front of him, stretching out a hand in supplication.' I'm sorry,' he whispered.' I really am.' Through the fading shape he saw the witches, watching him intently. Beside him Hwel said,' The only chance you'd have is if there was another heir. You don't remember any brothers and sisters, do you?'' I don't remember anyone! Hwel, I—' There was another ferocious argument among the witches. And then Magrat was striding, striding across the hall, moving like a tidal wave, moving like a rush of blood to the head, shaking off Granny Weatherwax's restraining hand, bearing down on the throne like a piston, and dragging the Fool behind her.' I say?'' Er. Halloee!'' Er, I say, excuse me, can anyone hear us?' The castle up above was full of hubbub and general rejoicing, and there was no- one to hear the polite and frantic voices that echoed along the dungeon passages, getting politer and more frantic with each passing hour.' Um, I say? Excuse me? Billem's got this terrible thing about rats, if you don't",the witches,"the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge","be no good at it!'' That doesn't matter. A king isn't something you're good at, it's something you are.'' You can't leave me here! There's nothing but forests!' Tomjon felt the suffocating cold sensation again, and the slow buzzing in his ears. For a moment he thought he saw, faint as a mist, a tall sad man in front of him, stretching out a hand in supplication.' I'm sorry,' he whispered.' I really am.' Through the fading shape he saw the witches, watching him intently. Beside him Hwel said,' The only chance you'd have is if there was another heir. You don't remember any brothers and sisters, do you?'' I don't remember anyone! Hwel, I—' There was another ferocious argument among the witches. And then Magrat was striding, striding across the hall, moving like a tidal wave, moving like a rush of blood to the head, shaking off Granny Weatherwax's restraining hand, bearing down on the throne like a piston, and dragging the Fool behind her.' I say?'' Er. Halloee!'' Er, I say, excuse me, can anyone hear us?' The castle up above was full of hubbub and general rejoicing, and there was no- one to hear the polite and frantic voices that echoed along the dungeon passages, getting politer and more frantic with each passing hour.' Um, I say? Excuse me? Billem's got this terrible thing about rats, if you don't:Previous Entities: |the peasant, The other guard, The guards, one of his assistants, Boggis, Thundergust, the playmaster, any judge, Gytha, Everyone, the bandit, Wimsloe, Gumridge| ::: Hwel, ",Hwel.M “You are selected to join a chaw— a small team of owls— and you will learn a skill that is helpful.”,20402,20427,True,178:The Spotted Owl.F,"off.” Gylfie was very still, however. She had said nothing. But now the Elf Owl stepped forward.“Are you trying to tell us we are not ready… that… that it takes more?”“Indeed. There is nothing that noble about slaughtering two bad owls in the desert.” The Spotted Owl rose up to her full height and looked down her beak at Gylfie. In a very haughty voice she said,“You have not been tempered by battle yet. Nor do you know the first thing about strategy. You probably don’t even know how to fly with battle claws. I have been here much longer than you and still have not yet become a member of a chaw.”“What’s a chaw?” Soren said.“You are selected to join a chaw— a small team of owls— and you will learn a skill that is helpful.”“In battle?” Twilight asked.“Not just battle— in life. There is more to life than just battles. Each chaw has its own, oh, how should I put it? Personality. Navigation chaw tends to have a kind of elegance, they are all superb flyers, as are the members of search- and- rescue, but they, of course, are less refined. Weather interpretation and colliering are decidely rough and uncouth. But,” and the Spotted Owl fixed a very intense gaze on Twilight,“they are all fiercely brave and can fight or fly to the death!” Twilight seemed to swell in anticipation, but Soren almost shrank with fear. Would he be up to it? He had to be. With his friends, he",The Spotted Owl,"the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl","off.” Gylfie was very still, however. She had said nothing. But now the Elf Owl stepped forward.“Are you trying to tell us we are not ready… that… that it takes more?”“Indeed. There is nothing that noble about slaughtering two bad owls in the desert.” The Spotted Owl rose up to her full height and looked down her beak at Gylfie. In a very haughty voice she said,“You have not been tempered by battle yet. Nor do you know the first thing about strategy. You probably don’t even know how to fly with battle claws. I have been here much longer than you and still have not yet become a member of a chaw.”“What’s a chaw?” Soren said.“You are selected to join a chaw— a small team of owls— and you will learn a skill that is helpful.”“In battle?” Twilight asked.“Not just battle— in life. There is more to life than just battles. Each chaw has its own, oh, how should I put it? Personality. Navigation chaw tends to have a kind of elegance, they are all superb flyers, as are the members of search- and- rescue, but they, of course, are less refined. Weather interpretation and colliering are decidely rough and uncouth. But,” and the Spotted Owl fixed a very intense gaze on Twilight,“they are all fiercely brave and can fight or fly to the death!” Twilight seemed to swell in anticipation, but Soren almost shrank with fear. Would he be up to it? He had to be. With his friends, he:Previous Entities: |the head merchant, The leading rat, A small wiry woman with a face like old saddle leather, Brenda, Terry Pratchett, mime artists, Althea, the policeman, the president, her aunt, A local announcer, Officer Gurney, his grandmother, a red - haired boy wearing glasses with heavy frames, Len, the professor, the Prophet, Swatums, the male puffin, A young Spotted Owl, The Spotted Owl| ::: “You are selected to join a chaw— a small team of owls— and you will learn a skill that is helpful.” ",The Spotted Owl.F "Number One,'",100843,100849,True,306:Qweffor.M,"instinctive knowledge and absolutely no expertise, No.l fed Qweffor's consciousness until it expanded, occupying the entire brain. It was not a perfect fit, and poor Qweffor would suffer from twitches and sudden loss of bowel control at public functions, a syndrome which would become known as Abbot's Revenge. But at least he was in control of a body, most of the time. After several years and three hearings, fairy warlocks would manage to rehouse Abbot's consciousness in a lower life form. A guinea pig, to be precise. The guinea pig's own consciousness was soon subjugated by Abbot's. Warlock interns would often amuse themselves by throwing tiny swords into the pig's pen, and crack up watching the little piggy trying to pick them up. Qweffor blinked Abbot's eyes.' Thanks, Number One,' he said, placing the smaller warlock on the ground.' He's always been too strong for me, but now he's gone. I'm free...' Qweffor studied his new arms.' And I have muscles.' Holly lowered her gun, resting a hand on her thigh.' That must be it. Surely our troubles are over?' Artemis felt the earth tilt a fraction below them. He dropped to one knee, laying the flat of his hands on the ground.' I hate to say this, Holly, but I think we're sinking.' The sinking thing turned out not to be as serious as it sounded. Of course it was serious— after all, an island was sinking. But there was help at hand.",Qweffor,"Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor","instinctive knowledge and absolutely no expertise, No.l fed Qweffor's consciousness until it expanded, occupying the entire brain. It was not a perfect fit, and poor Qweffor would suffer from twitches and sudden loss of bowel control at public functions, a syndrome which would become known as Abbot's Revenge. But at least he was in control of a body, most of the time. After several years and three hearings, fairy warlocks would manage to rehouse Abbot's consciousness in a lower life form. A guinea pig, to be precise. The guinea pig's own consciousness was soon subjugated by Abbot's. Warlock interns would often amuse themselves by throwing tiny swords into the pig's pen, and crack up watching the little piggy trying to pick them up. Qweffor blinked Abbot's eyes.' Thanks, Number One,' he said, placing the smaller warlock on the ground.' He's always been too strong for me, but now he's gone. I'm free...' Qweffor studied his new arms.' And I have muscles.' Holly lowered her gun, resting a hand on her thigh.' That must be it. Surely our troubles are over?' Artemis felt the earth tilt a fraction below them. He dropped to one knee, laying the flat of his hands on the ground.' I hate to say this, Holly, but I think we're sinking.' The sinking thing turned out not to be as serious as it sounded. Of course it was serious— after all, an island was sinking. But there was help at hand.:Previous Entities: |Shauna, this girl, One of the spirits, The Curator, Mine, The shorter man, the one in front of me, Attica, 1, Captain, the others, Sool, The waiter, Beau, Jonah, Gaspard, contestant number two, the mystery caller, A waitress, Mister Lin, a magician, Qweffor| ::: Number One,' ",Number One.M