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City of Light and Shadow - Sample Chapters
In a land struggling to cope with the onset of the fatal bone flu, street-nick Tom and Kat – the leader of the Tattooed Men – must find a way to dispatch both threats. Meanwhile, the Soul Thief is still at large, and still killing… City of Light and Shadow is the stunning final installment in the City of a Hundred Rows trilogy. To be published January 2012 (everywhere –US/UK/RoW) by Angry Robot, in paperback and eBook formats.
Cover: Greg Bridges Praise for THE CITY OF 100 ROWS series "Born storyteller Ian Whates takes us on a gripping, terrifying trip-of-a-lifetime, through the heights and depths of the exotically grim city of Thaiburley, in this excellent fantasy thriller." Tanith Lee "Adventures in a nightmare citadel � a story that hits the ground running and doesn't let up." Liz Williams "The elements which constitute this novel may be familiar � a vast, stratified community, a ragamuffin on the run, criminals and officials vying for supremacy � but Whates's assured prose, slick pacing and inventive imagination make for a gripping read... The work of a born storyteller." The Guardian "Brilliantly inventive." SFX "A fantasy adventure which manages to seemlessly combine some elements of science fiction within the fantasy world. The novel manages to grab your attention from the very start with a sense of style that marks Ian Whates as a true Story Teller. A brilliantly executed novel, perfectly paced, beautifully described and a true joy to read." SFBooks.com an excerpt from CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW The City of a Hundred Rows III by Ian Whates To be published January 2012 (everywhere � US/UK/RoW) by Angry Robot, in paperback and eBook formats. UK ISBN: 978-0-85766-168-5 US ISBN: 978-85766-169-2 eBOOK ISBN: 978-0-85766-170-8 Angry Robot An imprint of the Osprey Group Distributed in the US & Canada by Random House angryrobotbooks.com Copyright � Ian Whates 2012 All rights reserved. However, feel free to share this sample chapter with anyone you wish. And if you like this, go and buy Ian's rip-roaring books. And if you love them, tell your friends too... ONE Stu hated this place with a passion; it gave him the creeps. Typically, he'd drawn the short straw and the responsibility of carrying out the day's final inspection fell to him. Inspection? Of what, for Thaiss's sake? Weren't nothing here except a load of stiffs. Literally. And it wasn't as if they were going to cause trouble for anyone anytime soon. Bone flu victims, row after row of them lined up along the floor side by side and then piled up on top of each other when there weren't no more room on the floor; each one as dead as the next. There was something eerie about seeing a human body encased in a sheath of bone, like some hardcase method of embalming, let alone the couple of hundred that occupied the vast hall Stu was charged with patrolling. Especially when you considered that they'd all been alive just a few days before. And the bodies kept coming; more and more brought in every day. The one saving grace was that you couldn't see 5 6 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW their faces, which meant you could kid yourself these weren't people at all but just great big dolls or statues or something, newly made and waiting to have their faces painted on. That's what Stu did, that was how he coped. This late inspection though, when there was no one else around � just him and the stiffs � he didn't like this, not one bit. It was easy to let your imagination run wild, to believe that these ominous figures with their knobbly off-white coatings weren't dead at all but were only sleeping, waiting to catch some poor soul on their own. If it were up to him the stiffs would have been burned straight away, the lot of them, or buried, or whatever it took to get rid of the breckers. Course, nobody ever asked for his opinion, and the doctors, they wanted all the victims stored so they could study them and try to work out a cure. All well and good he supposed, but did they really need this many? This inspection was going to be a quick one, and to hell with regulations. It was dark. The wan illumination that much of Thaiburley benefited from during daylight hours � thanks to an ingenious system of mirrors, crystals and glass tubes leading from the walls � had disappeared with the sunset, and this area didn't merit electricity, it wasn't posh enough. Nor were there any oil lamps lit here in the hall. What use did the dead have for light? So all Stu could call on was his big black battery powered torch. He hefted it in his right hand, reassured IAN WHATES 7 by its solid weight; a useful weapon if need be. He strode quickly down the central aisle, swinging the torch from side to side, its beam playing across the dull white surfaces of the bone-encased bodies. Halfway. That was as far as he intended to go. The torch could reach the rest of the way from there. He'd play the light along the back wall, take a quick look to make sure everything was all right, and then get the hell out of there, job done. Two more steps and he reckoned that was about far enough. So he stopped... which was when he heard the cracking sound. A sharp, loud snap, and it had come from his left and a little ahead. He whipped the torch around, cursing as the beam flickered, but it steadied again almost immediately. Nothing. Just the same gnarly effigies of human form; there was no sign of movement and he couldn't see anything obviously out of place. He stood there, conscious of his heart pounding and of his own heavy breathing, too loud in all this stillness. So what was he supposed to do now? Any further investigation meant stepping out among these things, and he was hanged if he was going to do that. Ignore it, that seemed the best option. No sooner had he reached a decision than the sound came again. He jumped, nerves frayed. It had been closer this time, almost at his feet. Stu shone the torch at the nearest bony cadaver. Had it moved, just as the light reached it? His feet shuffled a few steps backward. Was that a crack? He craned forward despite himself, leaning down for a closer 8 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW look. Yes, definitely a crack, running down the side of where the face would be, from the top to the chin. Then came the loudest sound yet, like an explosion, as the figure split completely, ripping apart. The small crack expanded all the way to the body's groin and the two halves gaped wide. Light streamed from the resulting gap, causing Stu to stumble backwards, shielding his eyes. Squinting and looking through the cracks between his fingers, he watched as something stirred and a figure began to emerge from the calcified body. Stu hadn't got a brecking clue what this was, but he knew they didn't pay him enough to hang around and find out. He turned and bolted for the door, dropping his torch in the process. But he was too slow; far, far too slow. Assembly Member Carla Birhoff entered the grand hall and paused, casting her gaze around the room one final time before the first guests arrived. Her aim was not to focus on anything in particular � every detail had been scrutinised and approved according to her exacting standards during previous inspections and she now felt confident that each individual element was as perfect as it could be. No, it was how those components fitted together that concerned her at this stage, the assemblage which she had so meticulously planned. Her gaze, therefore, swept across the room, taking in the whole that was the sum of its many parts. IAN WHATES 9 First impressions were paramount. The entire d�cor had been chosen with this one view in mind and geared towards maximum impact. She would greet her guests here on the mezzanine level, causing them to pause at the top of the small flight of steps that led down into the room proper. Then, as they turned to descend those steps, the whole vista opened up before them. She was determined that it should wow every single one of them. And it would. It would. White table cloths � one traditional detail she had insisted on, though the potential starkness was alleviated by fine, wide-mesh, golden-brown gauze which flowed from the middle of each table to cover roughly two thirds of its area. At the very centre sat an arrangement of bright red berries nestled among autumn leaves and pine cones, while flecks of gold leaf had been sprinkled over the weblike gauze, causing it to sparkle. The fanned napkins before each place setting matched the golden brown of the arrangement, and the stylish chairs were wooden framed, boasting deep burgundy upholstery. Small gifts in gold boxes awaited each lady when she arrived at her seat: tiny khybul sculptures � predominantly birds and fish. Simple pieces certainly, mere tokens, but all those in attendance would know the value of khybul and appreciate the cumulative price of so many pieces, no matter their size. The evening's seasonal theme was picked up again in a display that dominated the long wall 10 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW directly opposite the stairs. A cascade of gold, brown and russet veils tumbled from ceiling to floor, transformed by artfully directed air currents and clever lighting into the wild rush of an autumnal waterfall. The illusion was completed by brown drapes gathered and pinned to the wall in imitation of rocks around which the veils flowed. Another treat awaited guests at the bottom of the stairs. In order to find their appropriate seats, they would need to consult the table plan which stood to their right. Proudly displayed on a glass plinth beside the plan was Carla's latest acquisition: by far the largest, most intricate, and breathtakingly beautiful khybul sculpture she had ever seen. Here, depicted in sparkling crystal, was an exquisite representation of Thaiburley itself. The straight walls of the city seemed to erupt from a base of rugged rocks, shooting upwards to culminate in a dazzling array of delicate spires, chimneys and crenulations. The design cleverly encapsulated the spirit of Thaiburley's wondrous roof, while the walls of the piece were marked with the suggestion of tiny windows and even, here and there towards the top, a balcony or two. And if the ninety-odd floors of the City of a Hundred Rows were not all here, who would quibble? None could dispute that this was an inspired work and that the unknown artist had captured the spirit of Thaiburley in all its grandeur. The piece had been far from cheap but Carla didn't begrudge a single penny. As soon as she clapped eyes on the sculpture she simply had to IAN WHATES 11 have it. Others might own khybul figures but none had anything in their collection to rival this. Determined that no one would miss its magnificence, she had arranged for lights to be embedded in the glass stand, which then shone up through the sculpture and caused the whole piece to glow, while the tips of the spires sparkled with fairy light. On the wall above and behind the crystal city hung a large painting, almost lost against the sculpture's magnificence. It was by the artist Arielle, once feted as the greatest painter of her generation. Completed more than two decades earlier, the picture depicted a ball, a lavish function much like the one about to commence. All present were evidently having a wonderful time. Faces glowed, smiles beamed, pale golden and deep burgundy wines flowed, the women were elegant and beautiful, the men dashing. Vibrant colours leapt from the canvas and it was hard to imagine that anyone involved had a care in the world. As you studied the painting, your eyes were inexorably drawn to the figure at the very centre of the composition: a woman, so young, so beautiful, so unmistakeably Carla. She had always loved this painting, for its vibrancy and the pure joy of life it expressed, as well as the memories it stirred and the emotions it evoked, yet she hadn't looked at it for some fifteen years; not since the scandal. Arielle had once been Carla's closest friend and then her bitterest rival. Look at them now. The once celebrated artist had disappeared, her reputation sullied and her work 12 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW forgotten, never to be seen in polite company again, while Carla had gone from strength to strength, becoming a respected member of the Assembly � the administrative body of Thaiburley's government � and the darling of the Heights' social circuit. Carla looked at the painting again. In truth, she would have been hard pressed to explain the whim that had caused her to take it from storage for this, her big night, except that it seemed fitting somehow that the painting should be present as she reaffirmed her position as society's queen; not as a centrepiece, no, but in the shadow of something even more beautiful, acting as a faded reminder of rivals vanquished and glories past. Her gaze finally reached the stage to her far right, where the multi-stringed duoharp was already in position, the great chordophone resembling a stylised heart. Its twin opposing soundboards met at the base, where they converged on the central pillar of polished wood and gleaming metal embellishments before sweeping upwards and outward like wings. Identical curved necks connected the rounded shoulders of the soundboards to the pillar's crown. The instrument was to be played by the Gallagher Sisters, said to be among the finest musicians in all Thaiburley. The dark haired girl � older and prettier than her sibling � was already in place, studiously tuning her half of the harp, but the seat opposite her was empty. Carla felt a flash of irrita- IAN WHATES 13 tion that both girls weren't ready and she was about to call out when the blonde, sour-faced one hurried over to take her seat, licking her fingers and chewing on something, as if having snatched a bite to eat before the performance. Carla pursed her lips. She was tempted to take the girl to task but in the end decided to put it down to artistic temperament. Instead she returned her attention to completing her survey of the room, which ended with a glance down at her own dress. Commissioned from Chanice, one of the Heights' hottest designers, the gown featured a beautifully arranged skirt of layered silks graduating from autumnal russets at the bottom to shimmering scarlet at the top, matching the bodice. The dress was so artfully cut that the skirt avoided being billowy while still drawing in tightly at the waist to emphasise her slender figure. Carla had studied herself from every angle before coming here, and was confident that she looked fantastic. Scarlet could be an unforgiving shade, one she probably wouldn't dare risk in another five or ten years, but she felt bold tonight and knew she still retained enough of her youthful glamour to get away with such audacious display. While she could, she would. Finally satisfied, Carla allowed herself a small smile. Everything seemed in readiness; soon the great and the good of Heights' society would be here to pay her tribute. She would accept their compliments with an appropriate degree of grace and modesty, of course, while privately secure in 14 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW the knowledge that she had earned each and every plaudit. An hour later found Carla in her element, meeting and greeting, sharing a few words with this couple, a sentence or two with another and a joke with the next, before flitting away to greet a late arrival. The Gallagher Sisters were playing divinely, though as more people arrived and the volume of conversation grew louder it was becoming increasingly difficult to hear them unless you were standing right next to the stage. Not that it mattered. The fact that Carla had secured their services when others had failed to do so was reward enough. She handed a barely touched flute of finest Elyssen champagne to a waiter � she had been holding the glass for far too long and the wine had lost much of its chill and fizz � and took a fresh one, savouring a sip of cool dry effervescence before the customary smile slipped back into place. She laughed politely at the end of someone's anecdote, a tale she'd only half been listening to. The smile was one which had been perfected over many years: the expression of a hostess who knows her evening is a success and is confident that it will only get better. In the corner of her eye she saw white jacketed waiters circulating with what should be the final trays of warm canap�s. It would soon be time to usher the guests to their seats for the meal. Glowing comment had already been made about her khybul sculpture, most pleasingly from young IAN WHATES 15 Xyel, a pretty little thing who saw herself as something of an emerging rival to Carla. Poor deluded girl. Her Summer Soir�e had been pleasant enough but she still had a lot to learn. Carla reserved a special smile for her. A ripple of polite applause ran through the section of the room closest to the stage as the Gallagher Sisters finished their latest piece � surely the penultimate one of their set � and Carla noted waiters returning to the kitchen with empty salvers. She looked across and caught the ma�tre d's eye. He nodded, to show that he was on top of the timings. If things continued to run this smoothly, she might even be able to relax a fraction and enjoy herself during the meal. It was a little thing really in the context of everything else that was going on: the scream that heralded such a dramatic change of fortune for Carla and all those present. Most wouldn't even have heard it. The only reason Carla did was because she happened to be at the top of the small flight of steps, at the spot where she'd greeted the guests, and so was close to the door. The scream came from outside; high pitched and unmistakeably a woman's. Conversation on the mezzanine level died and for a second there was a bizarre contrast between the silence to Cara's left and the continuing hubbub from the rest of the room to her right. When no further indication of disturbance came, those closest to Carla resumed talking, with a shrug of their shoulders or a knowing rise of the eye- 16 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW brows, and muttered comments such as, "Kids!" Jean, the ma�tre d', had moved across to speak to the doorman, but nobody seemed concerned and Carla was about to dismiss the incident as a minor glitch soon forgotten, when the doors burst inward and Hell strode through the opening. The first figure was merely a giant, towering above Jean and the doorman. The latter tried to block the intruder's way, but the burly man was picked up and tossed into the room in one motion, crashing into a knot of startled guests. The ma�tre d' was simply brushed aside. More than one scream rent the air now. Further figures were pressing through the doorway behind the first. One or two had human features but most seemed composed of nothing more than silver light, dazzling to look upon. All were of similar stature to the first. Carla gaped, unable to rationalise what she was seeing. She couldn't move, didn't know how to react. She was supposed to be the perfect party host, ready for any eventuality, but not for this. Several things then happened at once, snapping her out of her paralysis. The tall windows which dominated the wall opposite the stage shattered, seemingly all at once, sending shards of glass raining down on those nearby, and more of the silver light giants strode through the broken windows. This registered only at the periphery of Carla's awareness, her attention focused elsewhere. She stared in horror at the shimmering figure who IAN WHATES 17 reached out towards Jean while the ma�tre d' was still recovering from his brush with the first giant. As a glowing finger touched him, a cocoon of light enveloped Jean's body and he froze, all except for his face, which took on an expression of wide-eyed horror that swiftly transformed into one of excruciating agony; eyes screwed shut, mouth thrown open as if screaming, though Carla couldn't hear him. It was a moment she would never forget, as if every tortured line of Jean's face burned itself into her retinas and hence into her memory. A second later the expression was gone, vanishing as his face exploded. No, that was wrong, the process was less dramatic. Jean's face, his whole body, seemed to simply drift apart. One moment there was a shape within the glow that was recognisably Jean, the next nothing human stood there at all. In the brief instant before the glow which had surrounded the ma�tre d' faded, Carla watched a cloud of russet flakes drop towards the floor like ruddy brown rose petals. The glowing silver giant was no longer silver or glowing. It now looked like Jean. Only then did Carla grasp the full horror of what was happening here; only then did she realise their doom. She stumbled away in a daze, with no clear idea of where she was going, just the certainty that she had to get away from these creatures. Somebody bumped into her, causing her to stagger, and she was abruptly aware that pandemonium had broken 18 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW out and that everyone was trying to get away. The thin veneer of politeness, of etiquette, had been abandoned, to be replaced by the drive to survive. Men, women, young or old, it didn't matter; all were screaming, fighting, pushing and elbowing in their desperation to reach the stairs and escape. Never mind that more of the creatures waited below, a whole cordon of them, herding folk towards the stage, instinct still drove people to flee the most immediate threat, and a bottleneck started to form at the top of the mezzanine stairs. For those at the back there was no hope of escape. The silver giants moved implacably forward, killing with a touch. The ones that had already adopted a semblance of human form simply killed. The crowd discovered new levels of desperation. Carla watched an elderly woman, resplendent in diaphanous gown and diamond jewellery, knocked from her feet and trampled by her fellows, with no chance of recovering. A small part of Carla's mind remained detached, refusing to accept any of this as real. A symptom of shock perhaps, but that small corner of sanity brought her hope. She realised that the stairs which those all around her were straining towards offered only temporary respite, that even those who reached them would still be trapped. Then her gaze fell upon the door, off to one side, evidently overlooked by everyone. The kitchens, deliberately designed to lead off the mezzanine to ensure that a supply of freshly chilled champagne was always on IAN WHATES 19 hand during greetings and that diners could fully appreciate each new dish as it was paraded down the stairs prior to serving. She started to forge her way in that direction, moving across the flow of panicked people. She prised a woman's chest away from a man's back and inserted first an arm and then her whole self between. Moving against the human tide proved to be an unexpected advantage. While others were faced with a wall of backs and had nowhere to go, she could slip through � with a little persuasion. Somebody dug her in the ribs with an elbow, someone else struck her shoulder with bruising force. She ignored the minor flares of pain and kept going, focussing only on that door. Doubtless she knew these people, many of them would be her friends, yet terror and desperation had converted their faces into those of strangers. She pushed, kneed and fought with the best of them, forcing a passage, closing her vision and her mind to everything else and refusing to think about how close the death-dealing giants were coming. She was nearly there, with just a few more people to fight through, when it happened. In her eagerness to find sanctuary she overstretched across intervening legs and feet. Somebody trod on her gown, her beautiful gown, tearing it, and she was jostled as she tried to bring her trailing leg through. Carla stumbled and tripped, falling heavily onto a man's knee and then the floor. Desperately she tried to pull herself along, no longer keeping track of the number of bumps and bruises. Somebody 20 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW stepped down on her calf and she cried out, barely hearing her own voice above all the screaming and the shouting, which suddenly seemed to intensify. A woman to her left, oblivious to her presence, looked about to repeat the act of stepping on her but this time in stiletto heels, when she froze and her body began to glow. Carla scrambled away, pulling her legs in frantically, determined not to touch that nimbus. Within seconds the woman imploded, disappearing in a cascade of rusty flakes, some of which fell onto Carla's exposed arms and legs. She lost it then. All rational thought deserted her as she opened her mouth and shrieked and writhed and kicked, not even aware that she had broken through the crowd of people until the door to the kitchen loomed before her nose. She pulled it open and half-rolled half-crawled inside, to collapse, her body wracked with sobs. Heat washed over her. The lights were still on but the kitchen was deserted, the cooks and waiting staff having presumably fled. The rich aromas of cooking, which normally Carla would have breathed in deeply and relished, now only made her feel nauseous. She reached up to grip the harsh metal edge of a table, pulling herself to her feet, and stumbled across the empty room towards the service door. Two thirds of the way across, her stomach heaved and she was forced to double over, throwing up onto the floor. It seemed an age before the retching subsided and she could move forward. Not IAN WHATES 21 even pausing to find water and wash the sour taste of vomit from her mouth, she finally reached the door, thrusting it open and staggering into the corridor beyond. She stopped to draw in fresher, cooler air, amazed at how muted the noise from the ballroom had suddenly become. From out here the shouting, the screaming, the sounds of people being slaughtered, it could almost be mistaken for over-enthusiastic revelry. Almost. There was nobody else in sight. Part of Carla was glad, conscious even now of what a mess she must look and relieved that there was no one here to see it, but guilt immediately swept such concerns away as the implications sank in. Surely others must have escaped? She couldn't be the only one; but, if so, they were already long gone. Not that she could blame them. Carla took a deep breath and braced herself. It was time to forget that she was Carla Birhoff, celebrated socialite, and remember that she was Assembly Member Birhoff. Her city needed her. She wriggled her feet and kicked off the impractical shoes that still somehow clung to them, gathered up the skirt of her ruined gown, and started to run; a somewhat shuffling gait perhaps, but it was the best she could manage � the greater part of two decades had passed since she last attempted to move this quickly. As she ran, she bent over to spit out the taste of sick from her mouth, all decorum forgotten. Such considerations 22 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW seemed no more than petty affectations in the light of what she had just been through. Carla determined to find the city watch, to alert the Kite Guard, to rouse the Assembly, to mobilise the Blade. The people of Thaiburley needed to be warned, they had to be told the unthinkable truth, that the Rust Warriors had returned. TWO Tom couldn't breathe. Coldness enveloped him, pressing in on his chest, sapping warmth from his body and strength from his limbs. Bitter chill nipped at his cheeks and hammered at his ears and forehead, to set searing pain dancing behind his temples. He tried to suck in air and found only icy water � more cold, this time drawn inside his body. He was drowning. Frantically he thrashed, straining to reach the surface which had to be somewhere above him. Yes, there! His head breached the boundary between the elements and he emerged gasping and spluttering, dragging his arms out of the water. "Tom!" Someone called his name. He blinked, wiping his eyes and face with clumsy numbed hands. A name fell into place: Mildra. She was there, wrapping something around his body. Instinctively he grasped it, finding soft warmth which his fingers sank into as they fastened on the swathe. A towel, all fluffy and soft and warm. Mil23 24 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW dra was trying to wipe his face with one corner of it. "Come on," she said, placing an arm around his shoulders and urging him to stand. "Let's get you out of there. He was sitting in the water, he realised. Was it really so shallow? Felt much deeper when he first came round. Of course it was shallow, this was the ice tank. He was shivering violently now, his legs mere pillars of ice. In fact, he'd lost all sense of feeling from the waist down and needed to lean on Mildra for support while he half-clambered and half-fell out of the submersion tank. "Thaiss," he muttered, forgetting himself for a moment, "Why the breck does it have to be so cold?" "The cold is an essential part of the process," said an older, strangely accented woman's voice. "As you well know." Looking a great deal healthier than the gaunt figure that he and Mildra had revived just days before, the living goddess strode towards him. She was moving a lot less stiffly as well. Her long silver-grey hair had been tied back so that it fell past her shoulders in a ponytail, while the pale blue one-piece she'd worn during her centuries-long sleep had been replaced by a much darker black-blue outfit with white trims. Combined with the serious-looking black boots she wore, the effect was very much that of a military uniform. "Doesn't m-mean I have to l-like it," Tom replied, IAN WHATES 25 his teeth chattering as shivers coursed through his body in violent spasms. "Like?" the old woman said, pausing to stare at him with arched eyebrows. "Whoever said that you or indeed any of us has the luxury of liking whatever role life allots us, hmm?" "No-nobody," he conceded. Whatever this walking fossil was � aged human, eternal goddess, the living dead, or ancient spirit in human form � she could learn a thing or two from Thaiburley's Prime Master when it came to teaching methods, that much was for certain. Tom automatically lifted first one foot and then the other, allowing Mildra to slip soft furred and instantly warm garments over his feet, drawing them up his legs. Realisation of two things struck him simultaneously. The first being that this was a Thaistess waiting on him as if she were some servant girl, the second that he was stark naked. Fortunately the numbing cold and assorted distractions had prevented the otherwise inevitable reaction to having a woman he was attracted to so close to his exposed genitals � evidently "frozen stiff" was merely a saying, at least in this instance. Even so, he reached down hurriedly to grasp the hem of the soft-furred one piece garment with both hands, his fingers thick and clumsy, still tingling with the return of circulation. "Thanks," he told her, "I can take it from here." She raised her eyebrows and showed him a hint of a smile, a welcome reminder of the friend he 26 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW knew. In recent days such glimpses had become all too rare. Tom didn't really understand what had changed between him and Mildra, but there was no question that she was acting differently towards him. They had grown so close during the long trip from Thaiburley to the icebound Citadel of Thaiss, a closeness that culminated in their intimacy in the meadow of flowers just days ago, a memory which still burned fresh in Tom's mind. A real bond had formed between them, one which had proved strong enough to survive any embarrassment over indiscretions provoked by the flowers' aphrodisiac pollen, but which seemed to have frayed dramatically since they arrived here. And he had no idea why. Images assaulted his mind's eye as he straightened from pulling up the clothing. A bewildering array of memories not his own, their sudden eruption causing him to stagger, disorientated for a moment. "Are you all right?" Mildra asked, steadying his arm. "Yes, I'm fine," he assured her, pulling away, embarrassed by his feebleness and reacting before he considered how this might look to Mildra. "It's just all these things that keep swirling around in my head," he added, suddenly afraid that his actions might distance her still further. The old woman, whom he still had trouble thinking of as the same goddess to whom so many temples had been raised in the City Below, was IAN WHATES 27 beside him now, looking into his eyes and frowning, though whether with concern or disapproval he couldn't be sure. "Give it time," she told him. "Your subconscious will already be working on coherency, pulling the various fragments of imposed memory together." She was walking away again, saying over her shoulder, "Another session or two, three at the most, and it will all fall into place, you'll see." Tom didn't bother trying to mask his horror, turning to Mildra and mouthing three at the most? This had been his second stint in the ice tank and he'd hoped it might be the last. The Thaistess grinned and gave Tom's arm a reassuring squeeze before hurrying after her goddess, who had to be the most unlikely, not to mention sprightly, deity Tom ever expected to meet. Since their arrival and the old woman's awakening � she really did seem to be the Thaiss of legend despite Tom's reservations � they'd been kept constantly busy, driven by the goddess's conviction that Thaiburley stood on the brink of disaster. To Tom it felt as if he were being shunted from one teacher to the next, his life a constant round of lessons. Back in the city it had been the Prime Master, then on the road their self-styled leader Dewar set about teaching him how to use a sword, and now that he'd reached the river's source as instructed a whole new load of lessons were being pummelled into him, even more difficult to understand than the old ones. What was it with everyone wanting 28 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW to educate him all of a sudden? He'd done fine with breck-all learning up until now. The ice tank was part of what Thaiss described as a "crash course". While he was submerged and all but unconscious, information was fed directly into his brain � weeks of concentrated lessons crammed into hours. Quite where the cold came into things he wasn't sure, but Thaiss assured him it was essential, slowing bodily functions and focussing the mind. Who was he to argue with a goddess? She claimed that only by being subjected to the ice tank could he hope to absorb the wealth of intimate detail needed to save the city. Him? Save Thaiburley? Ridiculous. Yet she insisted that he was the city's only hope. Tom had always found it hard to accept the Prime Master and others telling him he was special back in Thaiburley, but now here he was half a continent away hearing much the same thing. Maybe all these folk really did know something he didn't; though, if so, shouldn't he feel special in some way? Instead he continued to think of himself as an ordinary streetnick swept up in events he didn't fully understand, things that someone like him had no right being a part of. Apparently, one of the Prime Master's motives in sending him on this journey was the hope that Tom might grow into his abilities and responsibilities. He had changed, he knew that; maturing in all sorts of ways, though not perhaps in the directions his mentor had intended � memories of the flower IAN WHATES 29 meadow crossed his thoughts again. Therein lay the worry that niggled away at his innermost thoughts and fuelled his self-doubt. Tom was afraid that even after all he and Mildra had been through he was still going to disappoint those who believed in him, that he was destined to return to Thaiburley a failure rather than the saviour people anticipated. He winced as a new montage of images cascaded through his thoughts. He'd be a brecking knowledgeable failure though, that was for sure. Tom didn't follow after Mildra and the goddess, not immediately. Instead he sat by himself, allowing the last of the cold and the damp to seep from his body, leached away by the wonderfully soft clothing Thaiss had provided, which somehow absorbed moisture while remaining dry and warm against his skin. As he sat there he did his best to assimilate this most recent torrent of knowledge, determined to follow the advice the goddess had given him first time around by relaxing and allowing the memories to come to him rather than chasing after specifics � a habit which experience had taught him brought only frustration. If he could start making sense of it all now, perhaps he could get away with just one more session in the ice tank rather than the two or three Thaiss had so casually suggested. In a strange way, the bits and pieces he was already able to glean both increased and decreased his awe of their host. Assuming that all these images and history were true, Thaiss and her brother genuinely had been 30 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW responsible for building Thaiburley. Tom witnessed vast machines of impossible size straddling peaks and canyons. Monstrous drill bits hewed into the face of a mountain, while beams of raw energy melted and blasted away rock that had withstood the elements for millennia. Tom knew that he was witnessing time compressed, that the work of months passed before his mind's eye in seconds, the years in minutes. As he watched, the city of Thaiburley steadily took shape before him. It wasn't just machines doing the hard graft. Armies of workers in bright orange overalls swarmed over everything like ants, and there were others: figures in powder blue gowns who were often there, directing and organising. The robes might have been bulkier and longer than he was used to but these could only be arkademics, or their forefathers. On a couple of occasions he saw these blue-robed figures take a more active role. A small group of them would stand together with hands raised, and from their palms energy poured out; blinding light that disappeared into the now honeycombed depths of the mountain. He had no idea to what purpose this energy was unleashed but it was impressive all the same. Was that really an example of what the founders could do? Was that what he could do if he only knew how? The idea seemed absurd. Seeing history compressed like this brought home just what a colossal undertaking the building of Thaiburley had been, and as he watched the city IAN WHATES 31 take form Tom felt awed that anyone would ever attempt such an undertaking, let alone succeed. He caught glimpses of Thaiss several times, and of her brother; once even, a fleeting view of a Jeradine, its presence a surprise. What part had the bipedal reptilians played in the founding of Thaiburley? Thaiss looked younger � confirming that this was no "eternal goddess". She aged like everyone else, if a good deal slower. In the final scenes, as the City of Dreams he recognised began to emerge from the face of the mountain with miraculous speed, Thaiss became a constant feature � an observer in the foreground, overseeing the work, often grasping a staff as tall as herself, the crown of which ended in a cylinder of what appeared to be swirling energy. Never static, the staff's top broiled and flashed, a stunted pillar of light ranging from gold and orange to red, bound within clasps of silver metal. Beyond these clasps, there was no obvious container to hold this writhing of light. The intertwining energies were mirrored in a far larger object which Tom witnessed being installed towards the end of construction by two of the monstrous machines working in tandem. With the roof still only half formed, a huge column was lowered with great care into what looked to be the centre of the city. Scale wasn't always easy to judge, but it seemed to Tom that this column was two or three times as wide as a man was tall and longer than any twenty men put together. He had no doubt that this 32 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW was the core, the heart of Thaiburley which the Prime Master had spoken about, the element that the arkademics and the healers and the seers and even Tom himself drew upon when using their talents. Despite the hulking size of the two great lifters involved, there seemed a great delicacy in the way they handled this kaleidoscopic pillar, as if it were something immensely fragile. Looking on, Tom couldn't escape the feeling that the changing patterns of colour and shape the column displayed had some underlying purpose, that they represented communication of some sort, albeit beyond his understanding. It seemed to him that here was something alive, and caged. The column disappeared in short order, lowered into the heart of the half-sculpted city. Within a handful of breaths Thaiburley was finished. The City of a Hundred Rows stood proud, all new and gleaming and beautiful. Tom had grown up knowing that his home was vast, and had gained some sense of just how huge the night he ascended the walls, but seeing it like this brought home the full scale of the place for perhaps the first time in his life. He felt humbled at the thought of the ambition and effort that had gone into the city's founding, but he was also vaguely troubled. As yet these memories had no context. He still didn't know why Thaiburley had been built or how long ago all this had happened. That was the problem with this form of forced but disjointed learning; it lacked logical progression. As a result, the more he discovered the IAN WHATES 33 more the questions mounted, a great heap of them gathering to taunt him. Chief among these were questions about the goddess. He'd seen Thaiss and her brother enter this world through a great rent in the sky, a slit that glowed with light at its edges, a light that glittered and twinkled like illuminated jewels as the gap widened to accommodate their passage. It was like a long vertical rip in a curtain being prised apart � that was the only way Tom could think to describe it. There had been nothing regal or divine about the appearance of the godly pair, no slow descent on a raft of clouds, no celestial spirits to herald their arrival, no choir singing of their glory, just a stepping through from one place to another. It was obvious that Thaiss and her brother had come from somewhere else, but Tom had strong reservations about just how heavenly either their place of origin or they themselves might be. This wasn't a riddle he was likely to solve here and now. Besides, when all was said and done, he reckoned the pair's divinity or lack of it didn't really matter. After all, they came from another realm, had knowledge far beyond that of anyone in this world, could perform miracles, were worshipped, and had been around for centuries. As definitions of gods went, that would do for Tom. It was only his innate curiosity that made him determined to find out more. With a flash of insight, Tom wondered whether this might be the cause of Mildra becoming more 34 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW distant. Perhaps it had nothing to do with him after all but went deeper than that. If she'd begun to suspect, as he had, that Thaiss and her brother were not in fact the divine, omnipotent beings that religious doctrine painted them, wouldn't that affect her profoundly? After all, it was difficult enough for him to adjust to the idea of their being mere flesh and blood, and he'd never believed in them as gods in the first place. How much harder must it be for someone whose life had been dedicated to serving the goddess? Was that it? Was she suffering from a crisis of faith? He resolved to try talking to her when circumstances allowed. He knew he'd have to choose his moment carefully and that, even if he did, she might not be willing to discuss the matter, but he had to try. Tom stood up, reckoning he'd spent enough time collecting his thoughts, and followed in the wake of the two women. If his feet dragged a little, it was only because he knew that his arrival would signal the start of another lecture from the goddess, intended to bring the latest jumble of submerged knowledge into focus. All well and good, but what was the point in cramming his head full of all this history, when whatever threat Thaiburley might face was bound to be in the here and now? Tom couldn't help but worry about what was happening back home while he was cooped up here in the frozen north. Were things really as bad as the goddess claimed? IAN WHATES 35 "I'm coming with you." "No you're not." "I know I might seem old and crotchety to a young whippersnapper like you, but I can still swing a sword with the best of them." Kat sighed. This wasn't the first time they'd had this discussion. "Shayna, Shayna, this has nothing to do with your age or your ability to hack people to death with a sword, I need you here." While she'd need the very best warriors the Tattooed Men could field for her trip into the Stain, despite her protestations, that wasn't Shayna. "Course you do. You're about to go traipsing off into the most dangerous area of the under-City, a wasteland stuffed full of monsters, wild beasts and creatures we haven't even got a name for, oh, and you're intending to beard the most villainous fiend of the lot in its own lair... so naturally you need your healer to be somewhere else. Have you any idea how ridiculous that sounds?" When she put it like that, yes, but Kat wasn't about to be swayed. "It's not my healer I need here, it's you. Someone has to take charge while I'm gone, a person the men will look up to and respect; someone they'll listen to without question, someone I can trust to begin carving out the territory the Tattooed Men both need and deserve. If we don't make our move now, when everything down here is still in flux, we'll miss our chance." "Pfff..." Shayna pulled a face. "You could ask any 36 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW one of half a dozen to do that. I'm the only real healer among the lot of us." Kat had rarely seen her so worked up. "Answer me this: what happens out there when one of the men gets their guts torn open or loses a limb? How are you going to feel when you watch one of your friends bleed to death, knowing that I could have saved him if you'd brought me along? You need somebody in charge back here, no question, but you need me out there!" Kat shook her head in exasperation. "Were you this much of a pain to my sister?" "You bet I was when she was wrong; every single time." Kat glared at the older woman. She never imagined that leading the Tattooed Men on her own would be so trying. "Out of everyone," she muttered, "I thought I could always count on you for support." She regretted voicing the thought as soon as she'd said it, knowing that what emerged sounded like the frustrated mewling of a petulant child; not exactly the image she was going for. "You can," Shayna assured her. "In front of the others I'll toe the line and back you up every which way, but, at the same time, when it's just the two of us don't expect me to hold back. I'll let you know whenever I reckon you're making a god-awful mistake and being a stubborn ass about it, like now." Kat grinned. "Thanks." "You're welcome." It wasn't as if Shayna didn't have a point, but in IAN WHATES 37 truth Kat was worried about her. The healer was the oldest of those who'd survived the Pits and she'd done little fighting since they'd emerged, protected because of her talent rather than her age but protected nonetheless. The Stain was unknown territory, shunned because it was feared, feared because it was deadly. Kat simply didn't want to put Shayna at risk by including her in the expedition. She was too valuable, to the group for her healing abilities and to its leader as a friend. She took a deep breath, knowing that what she was about to say might jeopardise that very friendship. "I'm sorry, but no. You're too important, too valuable. You're going to stay and take charge of things this end." "You're making a..." "I've heard your arguments and taken them into account, but I've made up my mind." "Then you haven't been listening closely enough." "Shayna!" "I know, and don't worry, I'll behave myself in front of the others as I promised, but you're still making the wrong decision for all the wrong reasons." There followed an awkward pause. "I can see I'm wasting my breath, though. So..." With that the older woman stood up and moved away, leaving Kat to ponder whether she was right. Maybe, and if so this doubtless wouldn't be Kat's last mistake, but it was hers to make; not Shayna's 38 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW and not Chavver's, not anymore. Kat sighed and got to her feet. In the Pits, when she was a kid, it had all been so simple. Leading the men as they fought wild animals or sometimes each other had come naturally. She and Chavver were the best fighters and the best tacticians, with an instinct for how to handle situations that she could never have explained in words. Leadership devolved to them as a natural consequence. Having them in charge meant a better chance of surviving the bouts for everyone. Out here in the real world things were invariably more complicated. There were so many other things to take into account, and Kat was increasingly concerned that she simply wasn't up to the task, not on her own. She wondered whether her sister had ever suffered from such misgivings. If so, she never showed it, not even in the Pits. Perhaps she had after their falling out, when Kat was banished from the Tattooed Men, but Kat suspected that even then no one would have known. The two of them might not have been close in recent years but she still grieved for Chavver. She missed her sister's certainty, yes, but above all she missed her. No turning back though; this was a new age. Chavver was gone and the Tattooed Men were now looking to Kat to make the decisions. One of which she was about to announce. Straightening her back, doing her best to project the sort of confidence Charveve had always shown, Kat went to call the IAN WHATES 39 men together, to announce who would be going with her into the Stain and who would be staying here with Shayna. She knew that they'd all be hoping to go, which said something about those who comprised the Tattooed Men; though whether it reflected on their bravery or their foolishness was another matter entirely. As Kat stepped out of the small room she'd adopted as an office, she bumped into an increasingly familiar uniformed figure. This was the man who had saved her life but she was determined not to allow that fact to rule it. At any other time she might have been glad to see him, but not now. There was business to be done, business that didn't include him; so her response to his unexpected appearance was curter than it might have been. "You're a day early," "Technically, just half a day," the Kite Guard replied, "since we're due off first thing tomorrow." Was he thick-skinned or just plain thick, she wondered. Surely her tone must have warned him now wasn't the time. "Exactly, which isn't today, so why are you here?" He shrugged. "Everything's ready my end, so I thought I'd fly over to check on how you were getting on and perhaps have a quick discussion on how we're going to deploy tomorrow." Kat stared at him in disbelief. "Deploy? We're the Tattooed Men, not some unit of your precious Guard. We'll deploy as I say we will." "All right, I just thought..." 40 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW "Well don't!" "Fair enough, bad idea, forget I ever mentioned it." He held his hands up defensively. "Now that I am here, is there anything I can do to help?" "Actually there is." "Excellent, just name it." "Fly on back to where you came from and make sure you're not late tomorrow morning." He looked startled, as if she'd slapped him. Kat relented, reasoning that the last thing she wanted to do was antagonise the man who'd be leading the authorities' part of the expedition at her side. Besides, he was kind of cute. "Look, Tylus, don't take offence, but I've got a lot on; Tattooed Men business, you know? And the only thing that's going to stop us being ready for the morning is interference, no matter how well-intentioned. So for now, just breck off and leave us alone. All right?" He opened his mouth as if to say something but then shut it and nodded, before trying again. "Understood. I'll see you tomorrow." With that he turned on his heel and strode off, a little stiffly. Kat lingered for a moment, watching him go. She still couldn't make up her mind about this Kite Guard captain. Her reaction to him was a jumble of conflicting emotions. He was a lot older than her but handsome enough in a clean cut sort of way; dashing even in that dark blue uniform, and she did owe him her life. He was also from the Heights, another world � one she never expected to come IAN WHATES 41 into contact with and was a little in awe of, truth be told � added to which he was an agent of authorities she'd never fully trusted; the people who, ultimately, had sanctioned the Pits. Or at least turned a blind eye to the place for far too long. She smiled ruefully at her own indecision: part of her was attracted to this Tylus while another part wanted to look up to him, as if he were the older brother she'd never had, but there was a neediness about him that undermined that image and which she found just plain annoying at times. She shook her head in frustration. Perhaps after they'd been in the Stain and she'd seen how he acquitted himself under pressure her opinions and feelings would crystallise into something more certain. Mind you, she wouldn't be at all surprised if there were a few among the Tattooed Men thinking in much the same way about her own leadership. Now there was a cheery thought. Tylus left the Tattooed Men's makeshift headquarters cursing himself for an idiot. Why in Thaiss's name had he gone over there? Just because he had some spare time on his hands didn't mean that Kat would. Of course she'd be busy. All he'd achieved was to irritate her. How was he going to look her in the eye tomorrow? Only one way to deal with this: ignore the whole embarrassing incident and pretend it never happened. He'd be formal and polite, making it clear that his interest in her was purely profes- 42 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW sional, and the fact that she was the most intriguing package of a bewitchingly pretty, slender, feisty, agile, dangerous and extremely capable young woman he'd ever come across meant nothing to him whatsoever. Maybe he could even convince himself of that while he was at it. He'd been intrigued by Kat from the first moment he encountered her � when they'd both been scouring the streets independently searching for the same killer � and his fascination with her had only grown since he'd plucked her from the air by the grand conveyor. He saved her life that night, at no small risk to himself, and it seemed to him that she wasn't always as grateful for that as she might have been. He stopped himself, a little dismayed at the proprietorial nature of his own thoughts. He didn't own the girl for Thaiss's sake. Not being in the mood for petty distractions, he flew high to avoid any stones which a strong arm or a catapult had been known on occasion to launch his way when he strayed too close to the under-City's rooftops. Chasing down and scaring the living daylights out of the nick responsible could be fun when he was in the right frame of mind, but not today. In brief moments he was dropping towards his destination, cape extended between his torso and outstretched arms, shedding momentum as he adjusted his shape, swinging his body from the horizontal until it hung beneath, ready for landing. His IAN WHATES 43 feet touched the ground, knees bending to absorb the last dregs of momentum. Tylus stood straight and found himself in the shadow of a towering stadium � the Pits, infamous home of gladiatorial blood sports and birthplace of the Tattooed Men. The irony of the situation hadn't escaped him. Here he was at the very place that had shaped Kat and made her into the person she was, and tomorrow he would be striding out beside her, leading a dozen of the toughest warriors the under-City had ever known, warriors fashioned by these very same Pits. Knowing the dark history of this theatre � which is what it had been, in effect � he still had some misgivings about making the Pits his new place of work, but he had to admit that the Prime Master had probably chosen wisely. Training facilities were already in place, as were any number of attendant buildings formerly used for housing the Pit Warriors and all the support personnel required to run the facility. Of course, much of the place needed to be gutted and some of it rebuilt, but work on that had already begun and this was better than starting from scratch. All in all, it was the ideal location for the new Kite Guard Training School. There was a pleasing sense of ironic justice in seeing the site of so many evil deeds turned into a facility for education, an establishment that might actually give something back to the under-City's society. Tylus' thoughts switched for a moment to his 44 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW parents, his mother in particular. Specifically he recalled the bitter sweet moment when he returned to the Heights sporting a captain's stripes. The squeal of delight and look of incredulous joy on his mother's face when he'd spoken of his unexpected promotion would live long in the memory. Not merely a single step up the career ladder, but a leap all the way from mere officer to captain in a single bound. Tylus was quite certain neither parent had ever imagined they'd see the day. His father's chest almost visibly swelled with pride, while his mother immediately began planning a reception at which to announce and celebrate the occasion, insisting he should attend. It was at this point Tylus revealed the second part of his news. He was to be stationed in the City Below. The speed with which expressions changed was almost comical, and the looks of dismay his words evoked were at least as memorable as his mother's initial yelp of joy. Knowing her, he suspected his mama would still organise her reception, albeit in his absence � he had neither the time nor inclination to attend � and he had little doubt that discretion would come into play, with some judicious editing of his tidings ensuring that only the first part was ever reported and celebrated. His reveries were interrupted by the approach of a stocky, solidly built figure in the mud and clay uniform of the city watch. Tylus recognised him immediately. "Everything in order, sergeant?" he called to the IAN WHATES 45 craggy-faced man. "All on schedule, sir. Had to give one of the foremen a right rollicking over some missing materials, but I think he's learned his lesson." "Good. You'll keep an eye on him, I take it." "Of course I will, sir." Tylus was still getting used to that � being called "sir", particularly by a hard-bitten veteran like Sergeant Able. This was the man who had refused to provide any help when he'd first arrived in the City Below, before grudgingly lending him Richardson, the runt of the department, in what was undoubtedly intended as a joke but proved to be an inspired assignment. Despite that unfortunate beginning, Tylus liked Able. He was essentially honest � well, as honest as any officer of the watch down here was likely to be � hard working, resourceful and, for want of a better word, able. Exactly the sort of man the Kite Guard was looking for. He beckoned the sergeant to follow him into the cabin which served as his temporary office until the permanent one was fully refurbished. "Still don't know what I'm doing here," the sergeant muttered once they'd stepped inside. Tylus didn't reply, instead opening a cupboard and taking out two glass tumblers and a bottle of ten year old Atlean whisky. Not the best vintage, but it would do. He poured two generous measures of the amber spirit and passed one tumbler to Able, picking up the other himself before dropping into his seat behind the desk. 46 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW The sergeant grinned � an unintentionally sinister expression � and raised his glass. "I've worked for many a worse officer, mind, but that doesn't alter the fact that I know breck all about flying!" "That's not what I want you for," Tylus assured him. "The Guards will already have been taught everything they need to know about flying and gliding and fighting on the wing up-City. Little point in us bringing them all the way down here only to go over the same old ground again. What we're aiming for at the new school is a short, sharp shock, a course designed to show them what it's like to do real police work in some place where the streets are dirty and mean, where the miscreants don't recognise moral codes and won't show an officer respect simply because he's sporting a fancy cape and a puncheon." Able snorted. "Well, I can do that all right, but do you really think a bunch of toffee-nosed cloud scrapers from up-City are going to pay any attention to the likes of me?" "It'll be up to us to make sure they do, sergeant. Don't worry, I've already had a few ideas along those lines." "Good, cos I'd hate to think I was wasting my time. Can't help feeling I should be out there now, helping to rein in the new gangs that are forming and moving into the old street-nick territories rather than kicking my heels watching a load of labourers at work. The watch is stretched thin enough as it is." IAN WHATES 47 Tylus had to stifle a grin. He knew full well that the canny sergeant was still keeping his hand in, that a stream of officers and runners were constantly coming to and fro, bringing him updates and carrying off his orders. Tylus couldn't blame him. He had learned firsthand just how hard pressed the watch was down here in the City Below, and it wasn't as if any actual teaching would start for weeks yet. There was hardly enough here at the moment to keep both Able and Richardson occupied, so he couldn't begrudge the sergeant his dedication. "That's one of the things we'll be doing before long � supplementing the watch with Kite Guard patrols. Just imagine it, hunting someone through the Runs with watch officers on the ground and Kite Guards in the air, working together in a coordinated search." "Now that would be something worth seeing," Able conceded. "Look, bear with me on this. I know it's a bit frustrating at present, but in a little while I'll have you rushed off your feet. You'll look back on these quiet days with wistful fondness. For now, though, all I ask is that you oversee the building work and make sure there's no slacking while I'm off in the Stain chasing monsters." "Yeah, well, good luck. I don't mind admitting that I wouldn't swap places with you on that one, not for anything." Able drained the last of his whisky, placed the 48 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW glass down firmly on Tylus' desk and took his leave. "Time I went to check on that foreman again, just in case he thinks I've forgotten about him." Drinking alone had always struck Tylus as a uniquely morose pastime, and he was tempted to abandon what remained of his own whisky once the sergeant had gone, but after the way he'd humiliated himself in front of Kat earlier, he decided to make an exception just this once. No sooner had he taken a further sip from his glass than there came a smart triple rap at the door. Startled, Tylus hurriedly cleared the two glasses and the bottle away into a drawer, before calling out, "Come." Even as he pushed the drawer shut he felt bemused by his own actions. After all, he was in charge here, and if he wanted to have a drink in his own office, why shouldn't he? Yet he still felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, which was ridiculous, particularly as he knew full well whose knock that had been. Another figure dressed in the brown and orange of the city watch came in, this one taller and considerably younger than the sergeant. Tylus felt a certain degree of pride at how far Richardson had come in a very short time. Oh, he knew the man himself deserved most of the credit, but Tylus felt he'd played his part in giving the young officer a break and inspiring the man's burgeoning self-confidence. Whereas Able always wore the mud and clay as IAN WHATES 49 if born to it, not so long ago Richardson had looked anything but comfortable in his uniform, as if the collar perhaps chafed a little and the trousers were a tad too tight at the groin. Tylus had seen that awkwardness disappear bit by bit during the time he'd been here, and today there was no sign of it at all as Richardson strode into the office and stood before his captain. This was a man on a mission. "Yes, Richardson?" "I wanted to ask you a favour, sir." Sir? Richardson never remembered to call him sir. "Go ahead." "Well, ehm... I was hoping you might stand beside me, sir. You see, I'm getting married." Tylus couldn't have been more surprised if Richardson had declared himself to be a Jeradine in disguise. "What...? Congratulations! Who's the lucky girl? No, doesn't matter, I'm not going to know her in any case." "As a matter of fact you do, well... you've met her at any rate. It's Jezmina, the girl who used to run with the Blue Claw, the one I took away from the station to work for my sister." "Jezmina? But she's..." just a kid. "Young, I know. But we've been spending quite a bit of time together lately, what with her bein' at my sister's and all, and, well, she's a really sweet girl and... she's just so beautiful." All of which might be true, but when Tylus thought of the girl the image that came to mind was of a manipulative and opportunistic little 50 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW strumpet, for all her tender years and innocent expression. "I'm delighted for you," he said. He managed to keep the smile in place but couldn't resist asking, "How old is she, by the way?" "She doesn't know," Richardson admitted, a little forlornly. Doesn't know? "She was orphaned at a very young age, you see, and no one keeps any records of births, not down here. So she might even be older than she looks... I mean she acts older than she looks." No argument from Tylus on that score. Jezmina was certainly far more mature than her physical appearance suggested � she would have needed to grow up quickly to survive on the streets with a pretty face like that � and she knew exactly how to make the most of the elfin beauty the gods had blessed her with. Within minutes of arriving at the watch station she'd had a couple of the officers running around after her with their tongues hanging out. Manipulating men seemed second nature to her, but it never occurred to Tylus that Richardson would fall under her thrall, not to the point of wanting to marry her at any rate. "This is all a bit sudden, don't you think?" he ventured. Richardson pulled a face. "That's what the Thaistess said." "You've already been to see a Thaistess?" How far had things progressed? How much damage was IAN WHATES 51 already done? "Well, I wanted to check... what with Jezmina being so young, that the Thaistess would be happy to join us before the goddess. If she hadn't been, there are always other temples, other religions, you know." "And was she?" "Yes. I mean, she didn't say so immediately, asked me to bring Jezmina in to see her. I left them alone so they could have a chat. Never seen my angel so nervous, I can tell you, but I kept saying there was nothing to worry about, that once the Thaistess saw how mature and sensible she was, there`d be no problem." It struck Tylus as far more likely that the Thaistess would have realised how far away from being an innocent maiden Jezmina was and what a savvy and worldly-wise creature had been brought before her, that far from her needing protection, any prospective husband was likely to; but he limited his response to, "And was there?" "No, she did brilliantly; must have done, because afterwards the Thaistess said she'd be happy to conduct the ceremony. So, anyway, as I said, I was hoping you would do me the honour of standing beside me." How could he possibly refuse without offending this man he'd come to regard as a friend? "I'd be delighted to," he said, with a growing sense of impending doom. "Thank you!" Richardson rushed forward, clasp- 52 CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW ing the Kite Guard's hand. "That means a lot. It won't be for a few weeks yet, so you'll have plenty of time to get back from the Stain." Get back from the Stain? What a charming way to dismiss the living hell Tylus was bound for in the morning. He watched the man who'd acted as his assistant since he first arrived in the City Below float out of the office on a cloud of blissful infatuation and sweet delusion. As he did so, resolve hardened. Tylus wasn't about to stand by and let a good man like Richardson be taken advantage of and emotionally disembowelled by a callous and calculating gold-digger, which was all he could think Jezmina to be. It seemed that he would have a very different battle to look forward to when and if he returned from the Stain. Wonderful. CITY OF LIGHT & SHADOW City of a Hundred Rows book III by Ian Whates 400pp paperback and eBook UK/RoW/eBook: January 2012 North America: January 2012 more? Ian also angryrobotbooks.com ianwhates.com City of Dreams & Nightmare City of Hope & Despair PRE-ORDER IT NOW UK paperback: Amazon / Waterstones US paperback: Amazon / B&N.com Ebook, Apple iBooks and Kindle editions will be released at the same time (sorry, but links those only go live when the files are ready to download). You can also buy region-free, DRM-free eBook editions direct from Angry Robot


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The Graphene Electronics Market is Growing at an Estimated CAGR of 55.54% from 2013 to 2023 – New Report by MarketsandMarkets
The Graphene Electronics Market [413 Pages Report] categorizes the global market by Materials (PV, Electronics), by Devices (Supercapacitors, Transistors, Spintronics, Sensors, ICs & Chips, Lenses), by Products (Computing, Consumer, Memory, Display), by Developments (Nanotubes & Ribbons, Fullerenes), and by Geography.
(PRWEB) July 15, 2013
According to a new market research report "Graphene Electronics Market: Materials (PV, Electronics), Devices (Supercapacitors, Transistors, Spintronics, Sensors, ICs and Chips, Lenses), Products (Computing, Consumer, Memory, Display), Developments (Nanotubes and Ribbons, Fullerenes) (2013 – 2023)", the total Graphene Technology Market is expected to grow at an estimated CAGR of 55.54% from 2013 to 2023 which includes in-depth segmentation of Material, Products and Devices.
- 72 Market Data Tables
- 177 Figures
- 413 Pages of In-Depth Table of Content on "Graphene Electronics Market"
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Graphene is rapidly considered to be the rising star on the horizon of materials science and condensed-matter physics. Graphene as a material creates a new buzz among material scientists and researchers due to its enormous qualities.
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- Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (South Korea)
- Nokia Oyj (Finland)
- Sony Corp. (Japan)
- GrafTech International, Inc. (U.S.)
- Graphene Frontiers LLC (U.S.)
- CrayoNano (Norway)
- Lomiko Metals, Inc. (Canada)
- Quantum Materials Corporation (U.S.)
- Grafen Chemical Industries Co. Ltd. (Turkey) are among others.
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This report describes the market trends, drivers, and challenges with respect to the graphene electronics market and forecasts the market to 2023, based on materials, products, devices, applications, and geography.
This global Graphene Electronics Market report gives a bird's eye-view of the market across geographies – that is North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and ROW (Rest of the World). North America is the largest geography in terms of graphene technology market value.
APAC has been identified as the fastest growing region, with China leading the way. Europe and the Rest of the World are also considered to be promising markets, with Germany and the U.K. in Europe, and the Middle-East and Latin America in the Rest of World acting as an impetus to the growth. The report profiles 22 promising players in the graphene technology market ecosystem.
The competitive landscape of the market presents a very interesting picture, where large number of small players has become a force to reckon with. The market is witnessing large scale collaboration and partnership across the value chain with number of tier-one universities and research organizations around the globe.
Buy a copy of this report @: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Purchase/purchase_report1.asp?id=1121
Find Related Reports at – Semiconductor and Electronics Market
About MarketsandMarkets
MarketsandMarkets is a global market research and consulting company based in the U.S. We publish strategically analyzed market research reports and serve as a business intelligence partner to Fortune 500 companies across the world.
MarketsandMarkets also provides multi-client reports, company profiles, databases, and custom research services. MarketsandMarkets covers thirteen industry verticals, including advanced materials, automotive and transportation, banking and financial services, biotechnology, chemicals, consumer goods, energy and power, food and beverages, industrial automation, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor and electronics, and telecommunications and IT.
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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/graphene-electronics/market/prweb10927456.htm

subset: commoncrawl


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Another page was added to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross history book as the inaugural Built Ford Tough Tennessee National took place on Saturday at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tenn. For the first time in 15 years, the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, made a stop in the Southeast region. At Round 3 of the 12-race series, new winners emerged in both the 450 and 250 Class as teammates Ryan Dungey (450) and Marvin Musquin (250) each secured their first overall win in 2013.
Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX rider Josh Grant laid down the fastest lap time of the day in the 450 Class, giving the California native first gate pick of the day. Moto 1 got off to an exciting start as Monster Energy Kawasaki's Ryan Villopoto shot off the gate to claim his first Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot of the season, as well as the early lead. It wasn't without contention from Team Honda Muscle Milk's Justin Barcia though, as the two put on an exciting show for the fans by dicing back and forth at the beginning of Moto 1. In the second half of the race, Villopoto eventually put a gap on the rookie Barcia, where he went on to secure his fifth consecutive moto win this season.
Meanwhile, reigning 450 Class Champion Ryan Dungey was forced to make his way through the field after starting mid-pack in the opening moto. The Red Bull KTM rider eventually made his way past Yoshimura Suzuki's James Stewart to take over the third place position in Moto 1. FIM World Championship contender Clement Desalle put in a valiant ride to finish fifth place behind Stewart, while Smartop/MotoConcepts rider Mike Alessi secured a sixth place spot after running up front for most of the first moto.
In the 250 Class, GEICO Honda's Justin Bogle grabbed his first Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot of the season, but Bogle went down, and rookie Cooper Webb immediately put his MyPlash Star Yamaha/Metal Mulisha machine out front on the opening lap. Webb went head-to-head with Red Bull KTM's Ken Roczen early on, but this time experience prevailed as Roczen commanded the lead in Moto 1, with teammate Marvin Musquin in the second place position.
Webb then engaged in a four-way battle with Rockstar Energy Racing's Jason Anderson, GEICO Honda's Zach Osborne and defending 250 Class Champion Blake Baggett. Baggett was able to break free from Anderson and Webb, before setting his sights on Musquin in the second place position.
Round 2 winner Eli Tomac began Moto 1 outside of podium contention but the GEICO Honda rider made his way into a top five position halfway through the race. Tomac and Webb battled it out for the fourth place position near the end of the race, where Tomac succeeded, leaving Webb to round out the top five.
In Moto 2 of the 450 Class, it was an all-out battle to the first corner between Moto 1 winner Ryan Villopoto, Justin Barcia and Ryan Dungey. In his first full-season in the 450 Class, Barcia put in a dominant ride in the first half of the second moto, holding off the defending champion for the first 11 laps. However, Dungey eventually made the pass to take over the lead for the final five laps. Barcia didn't let Dungey too far out of his sights, holding on to second place through the end of Moto 2.
Villopoto struggled to keep luck on his side, as the current points leader experienced a crash early on that forced him to come through the pack in Moto 2. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider made it just outside the top five before succumbing to the racetrack once again. However, Villopoto fought his way back to the fourth place position, where he finished in Moto 2.
Team Honda Muscle Milk's Trey Canard experienced a crash at the beginning of Moto 1 that ultimately lead to a 29th place finish. Canard was able to bounce back in Moto 2, working his way into podium contention early in the race. Canard held off Villopoto to secure third place in the second moto, while Alessi finished close behind in fifth.
Dungey went on to claim his first overall win of the season with his Moto 2 victory, putting an end to Villopoto's five-race win streak. Barcia claimed second overall with a (2-2) finish, while Villopoto came in third with a (1-4) score. Villopoto maintains the 450 Class points lead after three rounds of racing.
"It's good to get the first win so early in the season," said 450 Class winner Ryan Dungey. "It was definitely a hard fought win today. The track was rough and there were a lot of tough guys out there but I think they key is just going to be consistency this season."
In Moto 2 of the 250 Class, Tomac finally got the start he was looking for as he shot off the line to grab the Motorcycle Superstore Holeshot. Musquin put his Red Bull KTM ride into second place right away, while Virginia native Zach Osborne charged his way to the front after battling with his teammate Bogle early on.
Roczen attempted to interject himself into the battle between Osborne and Bogle but he tipped over in the process, allowing Baggett to pass by. It didn't take long for Roczen and Baggett to make their way past the GEICO Honda teammates and that's when the head-to-head battle began. Roczen made a mistake late in the race, which allowed Baggett to take over the third place position.
Tomac claimed the Moto 2 win but it was Musquin whose consistency paid off as the French rider went (2-2) for the day to claim his first 250 Class victory of the season. Tomac's (4-1) score was good enough to secure second overall, while points leader Roczen claimed third overall for the day. Baggett went (3-3) for fourth overall and Osborne rounded out the top five at his home track in Tennessee.
Round 4 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship heads to Mt. Morris, Pa. for the GEICO Hight Point National next Saturday, June 8.
For tickets and additional information, please visit AlliSports.com/motocross and LIKE the Pro Motocross Facebook page and follow @ProMotocross on Twitter and Instagram for exclusive content and additional information on the latest Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship news.
Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship
Built Ford Tough Tennessee National
Muddy Creek Raceway – Blountville, Tenn.
June 1, 2013
Round 3 of 12
450 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM (3-1)
2. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Honda (2-2)
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki (1-4)
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki (4-6)
5. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki (6-5)
6. Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki (5-9)
7. Kevin Strijbos, Belgium, Suzuki (14-7)
8. Andrew Short, Colorado Springs, Colo., KTM (12-10)
9. Trey Canard, Oklahoma City, Okla., Honda, (29-3)
10. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Suzuki (13-11)
450 Class Championship Standings
1. Ryan Villopoto, Seattle, Wash., Kawasaki, 143
2. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., KTM, 133
3. Justin Barcia, Pinetta, Fla., Honda, 114
4. James Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Suzuki, 99
5. Trey Canard, Oklahoma City, Okla., Honda, 90
6. Mike Alessi, Victorville, Calif., Suzuki, 85
7. Tyla Rattray, Wildomar, Calif., Kawasaki, 59
8. Clement Desalle, Belgium, Suzuki, 58
9. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, KTM, 54
10. Ryan Sipes, Elizabethtown, Ky., Suzuki, 49
250 Class (Moto Finish)
1. Marvin Musquin, La Reole, France, KTM (2-2)
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda (4-1)
3. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM (1-4)
4. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif., Kawasaki (3-3)
5. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda (6-5)
6. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki (77)
7. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda (12-6)
8. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha (8-11)
9. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Suzuki (11-9)
10. Cooper Webb, Morehead City, N.C., Yamaha (5-15)
250 Class Championship Standings
1. Ken Roczen, Apolda, Germany, KTM, 138
2. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., Honda, 132
3. Marvin Musquin, Corona, Calif., KTM, 116
4. Blake Baggett, Grand Terrace, Calif.,Kawasaki, 110
5. Zach Osborne, Abingdon, Va., Honda, 96
6. Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Suzuki, 77
7. Cooper Webb, Morehead City, N.C., Yamaha, 65
8. Kyle Cunningham, Aledo, Texas, Yamaha, 62
9. Justin Bogle, Cushing, Okla., Honda, 61
10. Jeremy Martin, Millville, Minn., Yamaha, 61
MX Sports Pro Racing
MX Sports Pro Racing manages and produces the world's most prestigious professional motocross series – the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. The industry leader in off road power sport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit www.mxsportsproracing.com.
Alli Sports
Alli Sports is a media, event and branded content company that specializes in action, adventure, and adrenaline based sports. Alli Properties include the Dew Tour, Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, the Red Bull Signature Series, GoPro World of Adventure Sports and Octane Academy; Alli Media, which creates original content, produces and presents content with partners and distributes content through a variety of channels; and Alli enterprises consisting of E-commerce, event merchandise and branded licensed product. Alli Sports is a division of the NBC Sports Group. More information can be found at www.Allisports.com.
AMA Pro Racing
AMA Pro Racing is the premier professional motorcycle racing organization in North America, operating a full schedule of events and championships for a variety of motorcycle disciplines. Learn more about AMA Pro Racing at www.amaproracing.com.
Lucas Oil Products
Lucas Oil is a worldwide leader in the production of oils, lubricants and additives. Based in Corona, Calif., Lucas Oil Products is one of the fastest-growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry, featuring a premium line of oils, lubricants and problem-solving performance additives. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil Products has established itself as the top-selling additive line in the American truck-stop industry. Lucas Oil is involved in an array of motorsports sponsorships, including the "Official Motor Oil of the Pro Motocross Championship." Visit www.LucasOil.com.
AMA Motocross, James Stewart, Lucas Oil, Motocross, Muddy Creek Raceway, Ryan Dungey, Ryan Villopoto, Supercross


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FGCU volleyball: Eagles advance to A-Sun semifinals
The FGCU volleyball team advanced to the Atlantic Sun semifinals for the third straight year.
The fourth-seeded Eagles won a five-set thriller (28-30, 25-18, 25-12, 17-25, 15-12) over fifth-seed Stetson.
The Eagles went ahead late in the final set after seven ties and three lead changes. Senior Karina Mambuca posted two kills to put FGCU ahead 14-11, before Jessica Barnes delivered the game-winner.
FGCU faces top seed Jacksonville Friday at 5 p.m. in Kennesaw, Ga. The match can be viewed live on ESPN3.
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It's that time of year again to start getting your daughter back into the "swing" of things. With the season right around the corner I have opened up more days and more sessions. I am either offering pitching lessons at The Texas Cages in Alvin, League city sportsplex or in Santa Fe Texas. I believe that no age is too soon to begin your daughter in pitching lessons and the sooner they start the quicker they will be able to perform in a game. I specialize in proper spin and form techniques. I believe in breaking down each and every form that a pitcher needs to go through in order to make sure she is safe and does not injure herself. Too often i see pitchers getting rushed into multiple different pitches before they are ready and end up injuring themselves. My number one concern is the safety of all the girls. If this fits your criteria please feel free to call, text or email me.
Kristi Hanks Wallace
Former University of Iowa Pitcher 98-2002
Two time Big Ten Pitcher of Year
Two time All-American


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Just how much authority over the IT budget does the Homeland Security department's CIO need?
A new audit argues that planning for the budgets has not been sufficiently centralized, but DHS managers disagreed with that assessment and are defending the current structure.
The dispute is outlined in the May 4 report from the DHS Office of Inspector General.
The auditor recommended that the Deputy Undersecretary for Management assign the Chief Information Officer centralized control over the department's IT budget planning process.
The CIO needs to have an expanded role in the department's budget planning process in order to identify problems in the component IT budgets before they become final, wrote Frank Deffer, assistant inspector general for IT audits.
DHS Management Undersecretary Chris Cummiskey defended the current organizational structure, saying the CIO has the needed authority already.
Cummiskey wrote in a response that the CIO is already "firmly integrated with the processes for making budget, financial and program management decisions within the agency." The response was attached to the report.
Nonetheless, Deffer persisted in advising changes.
"We do not agree that the Office of the CIO is, as yet, 'firmly integrated' into DHS IT budget processes," Deffer wrote. "We determined that the CIO needs to participate earlier in the budget planning process so that the CIO can ensure that component IT budget plans are in alignment with departmental goals and objectives. As such, we look forward to hearing more about the Department's plans to ensure the CIO's integration into the Department's budget planning process to review, guide, and approve IT investments."
Overall, Deffer concluded that DHS has tighter management over its $6 billion information technology portfolio than it did three years ago, but improvement is needed for its IT budget planning and staffing.
The audit gives DHS CIO Richard Spires credit for making progress in effectively managing IT at the department. Spires became CIO in 2009, a year after the most recent audit in 2008.
"Since 2008, the CIO has increased oversight and authority of IT by reviewing DHS component programs and acquisitions," Deffer wrote. "This has enabled the CIO to make strategic recommendations to reduce costs and duplication."
For example, the department has moved forward on consolidating data centers and networks, with cost savings anticipated. Also, there has been more effective management of IT portfolios, enterprise architecture, networks and acquisition, the audit said.
However, DHS continues to find it difficult to recruit people to manage its IT, the audit indicated, even though staffing levels have increased. Similar problems had been identified in the 2008 audit.
Since that time, the CIO's office has increased staffing significantly, from 71 full-time employees in 2008 to approximately 344 full-time employees in 2011.
Another boost is planned this year, to bring the total to nearly 450 full-time employees by Sept. 30, the auditors wrote.
However, sheer numbers of employees do not address the need for more staff attention to budget planning. Currently, there is only one full-time employee in charge of IT budget functions, who performs about 75 percent of the portfolio reviews for approximately 90 IT programs, the report said.
About the Author
Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer covering government 2.0, homeland security and other IT policies for Federal Computer Week.
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Steve Kelman applauds the OMB's move to make career employees "goal leaders" for performance management initiatives -- but wishes it had come far earlier in the administration.
In an exclusive interview, Jimaye Sones, who was Defense Information Systems Agency comptroller from 2005 to 2013, says he was reassigned after revealing questionable accounting practices at the agency.
Through computer forensics training and internships, veterans are helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement tackle a backlog in child exploitation cases.
After two months on the job studying DOD's cybersecurity and IT needs, Secretary Ashton Carter is set to unveil a new Pentagon cyber strategy in Silicon Valley.
The failure of massive federal IT projects can usually be traced to poor management. The solution is as multilayered as the projects themselves.
Delivering business outcomes with continuously changing IT portfolios requires project managers to have a more entrepreneurial skill set.
The interconnectivity of the Internet of Things makes cyber threats inevitable, says NIST fellow Ron Ross.
Federal CIO Tony Scott says the new law could mean some CIOs will be out of work.
Most CFO Act agencies have made budget requests to fund Digital Services teams.
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text:
Comments for Bulk Binds
|Bulk Binds - Improve performance by reducing the overhead associated with context switches between the PL/SQL and SQL engines.
Mark said...Excellent. Been back here about 20 times for reference.
Jaggy said...Excellent stuff here. I am learning PL/SQL from this site and there is lotsa stuff to learn here ...
Deps said...Wonderful!!!!! Im doing a project on migration from flat file to oracle. If u can give more tips on vill be of great help.
Parimal said...Excellent... explaination with simple example
Bill said...Great article!
I've also read that "nested tables" should be used with a "limit" clause - 1000 is a recommeded upper limit.
Does that apply only to SELECT INTO.... statements?
BULK COLLECT INTO l_table LIMIT 1000
FROM testing_table t
WHERE t.col20 = 'Valid';
Bill said...
Ignore that last question....that's for the forums!!! Sorry!
karthik said...It was very valuable article
suman said...Nice
DO NOT ask technical questions here! They will be deleted!
These comments should relate to the contents of a specific article. Constructive criticism is good. Advertising and offensive comments are bad and will be deleted!


text:
Via della Gloria, Scafati, Italy 84018 Map
+39 081 850 1194
PalaMangano is the ideal destination for all sports fanatics, especially basketball lovers. This sporting arena in Scafati hosts the LegAdue team Harem Scafati. With a seating capacity of around 3700, this is one of the region's leading sporting venues and is a great place to spend an evening with some first-class Italian basketball! Check the website for the schedule of the matches.
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Tension rises on weaker eurozone debt
PARIS—Borrowing costs for debt-strained eurozone countries rose on Wednesday after Germany warned that rescue arrangements announced last week did not amount to a blank check.
The remarks by German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble added to cautious comment by many analysts about the effect and implications of the complex arrangements announced on Thursday to rescue Greece for a second time and also to stop debt contagion in the eurozone.
But the cost of borrowing for Spain, as indicated by the yield on benchmark 10-year debt bonds, rose back above 6.0 percent to 6.020 percent from 5.935 percent late on Tuesday. The 10-year yield for Italy rose to 5.748 percent from 5.716 percent.
The yield on 10-year Greek debt rose to 14.435 percent from 14.334 percent.
However, the yield on the eurozone benchmark 10-year German bond, the Bund, fell to 2.706 percent from 2.738 percent, and yield on French 10-year debt eased to 3.304 percent from 3.334 percent.
The German and French bonds carry triple "A" credit ratings and are considered to be safe, thereby benefiting whenever there is a so-called flight of savings to high-quality instruments.
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Cory Monteith, star of hit show 'Glee,' found dead
More News from Associated Press
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Cory Monteith, the handsome young actor who shot to fame in the hit TV series "Glee" but was beset by addiction struggles so fierce that he once said he was lucky to be alive, was found dead in a hotel room, police said. He was 31.
Monteith, who played the character Finn Hudson on the TV series about a high school glee club, was found dead in his room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel on Vancouver's waterfront at about noon Saturday, according to police.
Deputy Police Chief Doug Lepard said there was no indication of foul play. Monteith's body was found by hotel staff after he missed his check-out time, Lepard said.
"We do not have a great deal of information as to cause of death," Coroner Lisa Lapointe said.
Lepard said Monteith had been out with people earlier and that those people are being interviewed.
In April, he admitted himself to a treatment facility for "substance addiction" and asked for privacy as he took steps toward recovery, a representative said at the time.
Lea Michele, his "Glee" co-star and real-life girlfriend, told People magazine that she loved and supported Monteith and was proud he was seeking help.
It was not Monteith's first time in rehab. He received treatment when he was 19 and had previously talked about his addiction struggles, saying he had a serious problem and took just "anything and everything."
He told Parade in 2011 that he was "lucky to be alive."
Monteith, who turned 31 on May 11, starred in "Glee" as Finn Hudson, a high school football player who puts his status and popularity at risk to join the glee club and its outcast members. Michele played his on-air girlfriend in "Glee," Rachel Berry.
The show, with its pop music-based musical numbers and high-profile guest stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, became an immediate hit and made stars of its relatively unknown cast.
On his Twitter account, Monteith described himself as "tall, awkward, canadian, actor, drummer, person."
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