text:
Lufthansa Technik Milan
Aircraft maintenance and material support in Italy
Founded in 2007 at Milan Malpensa airport as Lufthansa Technik Component Services Milan and renamed Lufthansa Technik Milan in 2009, the fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik AG specializes in providing a full range of aircraft maintenance services, 24/7 AOG (aircraft on ground) recovery, as well as logistics services.
Due to rising demand for aircraft services in Italy, Lufthansa Technik Milan has been able to grow steadily and it is today the major aircraft maintenance provider in Malpensa airport. It operates round the clock a modern 6,400 square meters hangar that can accommodate up to four narrowbodies or one widebody plus two narrowbodies at the same time and a separate hangar of 1,500 square meters for one narrowbody. It also has a temperature and humidity controlled material warehouse of 2,000 square meters with more than 1,000 partnumbers of consumables material and a sheet metal shop, therefore from single maintenance events to full support programs for Milan-based operators, every request can be catered for.
Lufthansa Technik Milan current capability includes the Airbus A320 Family, A330, A340, Boeing 737CL, 737NG, 777, 787 and MD-11. Since September 2010 Lufthansa Technik Milan is approved for A-Checks on A330 and Base Maintenance on A320 Family enabling it to carry out more extensive maintenance work at the Milan base like for example engine and APU changes, structural repairs, complex modification, engine washes, air turbine tests, borescope inspections and full engine run-ups amongst other services. Lufthansa Technik Milan employs about 100 and is an integral part of Lufthansa Technik AG. Thanks to the numerous daily connections between Malpensa and the main Lufthansa Technik Group basis, it benefits from fast access to the resources of the entire network. As a full-service provider company, Lufthansa Technik Milan can now offer its customers all the services in the shortest turn-around time and at competitive costs.


text:
Scotch-Brite Stainless Steel Spirals - 6 Pieces
♦ Scotch-Brite innovation company never stops inventing and makes life easier for customers everyday. Scotch-Brite™ brand by 3M® provides home cleaning solutions. From cleaning kitchens and bathrooms to appliances and fittings, they have it covered. Stainless Steel SpiralsThe Scotch-Brite™ stainless steel spirals are designed to clean faster, last longer and do not rust. These spirals are recommended for difficult scouring tasks. They are ideal for cleaning pots, pans, ovens and grills. They leave surfaces smooth and shiny.
Key Features & Benefits
Leave surfaces smooth and shiny
Designed to clean faster, last longer and do not rust
Recommended for difficult scouring tasks
Ideal for cleaning pots, pans, ovens and grills

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Let Rubbies N Emeralds add sparkle to your event!
|Event venue decoration by RnE
Proper event planning and management has become very necessary to be undertaken by professionals. These professionals work with reliable vendors to take the bulk of the stress off the organisers and give guests the satisfaction they deserve. That is exactly what Rubies N Emeralds specialises in. They work professionally to ensure that clients get completely catered for without worrying. They plan and handle each event to specifically suite the individual needs of clients.
From weddings to house-warming, to different social and corporate events, Rubies N Emeralds guarantee total client satisfaction. For your next event, reach them through: firstname.lastname@example.com. BB PIN: 2A7992D3


text:
Get Articles Written
Anggaran $250-750 USD
Diberikan kepada:
Dear Client, Are you looking for an honest, credible and reliable writer? Then welcome on board to one of the most professional writer. I have handled several papers of this kind and always leave a mark of satisfac Lebih banyak
26 freelancer menawar dengan rata-rata $310 untuk pekerjaan ini
Being a platinum level expert ezine author and having 6 years of writing expertise, I am fully confident that I can deliver you high quality, plagiarism free, seo friendly and error free articles within the earliest po Lebih banyak
Hi! With the best-proven records on freelancer.com, I can definitely assure you that I will provide you with grammatical-error-free, interesting-to-read, informative, keyword-rich, Google-friendly and 100% original Lebih banyak
Hey, If you want your content to be original, creative, and unique then I can assure you the high quality work enriched with creativity. My research skills are highly commendable and writing is my passion. I am very mu Lebih banyak
I try to ensure that my passion for writing comes through in what I write and I am dedicated to being the best writer I can be. I'm always looking to expand my horizons by learning new writing styles and genres and tak Lebih banyak
----------READ ME--------RANKED BY FREELANCER AS ONE OF THEIR TOP Content and Copywriters...I am a native speaker and a professional Writer/editor (copy, line/substantive, content, and technical editing) and proofreade Lebih banyak
"Articles can help a business grow significantly. Providing brand recognition and giving potential clients the information that they need to make an informed decision, I can help you by providing first-rate content tha Lebih banyak
Hi Experienced writer,editor and proofreader at your service. I have over five years of experience as a freelance writer working for various clients. I have written on education, science, product descriptions,busines Lebih banyak
"Words. We need them to get our message across. When you want to use words effectively to create well-written articles you need a writing expert who has the experience in crafting SEO and non-SEO content. I have provid Lebih banyak
Writing Services at Its Best Greetings, Looking for Content Writing Services, You are at the right place. When it comes to Content Writing, I'm 'The Best' here. Feel free to hire me for the following writ Lebih banyak
Hello I'm creative with superb writing skills and a passion for the job. I don't just get over projects but I always effort to deliver the best as per clients' requirements and leave them satisfied. Kindly give me more Lebih banyak
Professional Writing Services Good Day, I found your project and I think I'd be a great fit. Feel Free to hire me for: Article Rewriting Editing Personal Statement Proofreading Web Content Writi Lebih banyak
Hello Sir/Mam We are result oriented and highly versatile professional writers having 9+ years of experience. Satisfaction is our top Priority. We have written hundreds of Academic Writing, Technical and Report Writin Lebih banyak
• Hello, I am a professional writer with over 5 years of experience writing for clients all over the world. I can research and write top notch articles and content with 100% uniqueness because I have a copyscape prem Lebih banyak
Being a platinum level expert ezine author and having 6 years of writing expertise, I am fully confident that I can deliver you high quality, plagiarism free, seo friendly and error free articles within the earliest po Lebih banyak
Hello there, Does your article need to be 100% original and able to pass Copyscape? You came to the right place! All of my articles are well-written, grammatically correct, and are created completely by hand.I don't us Lebih banyak
Hey( PM me for samples and details) I am Ghostwriter, Article writer and content creator, I can take care of your project. I work with personal motivation to provide plagiarism free and quality content! I'm glad to of Lebih banyak
Hi, we are interested in your job post. We understand that you are in need of creative and professional freelancer who can help you write articles. We are a team of dedicated writers and editors. We have written a Lebih banyak
Greetings! Do you need readable, accurate and specific content for your project? I am here to help you as a writer. I can assure you the high quality work enriched with creativity. My research skills are highly comm Lebih banyak
"If you need articles, you need an experienced writer who can incorporate impeccable grammar, exemplary content, and enticing phrases to create an interesting and informative piece that draws in your target audience. I Lebih banyak


text:
Learn some tips for creating engaging pins on Pinterest.
- [Instructor] In this video I'd like to provide some tips for how you can create pins that are as engaging as possible, and will be as successful as possible as promoted pins. To do that I'm actually going to use a document that was provided to us from Pinterest, and it provides some really detailed explanations on what works best on Pinterest depending on the type of campaign you're going to run. Right now I'm just on the main ads page of Pinterest at ads.pinterest.com, and if we scroll towards the bottom of this page, we have this pdf that I mentioned earlier in the course and it's called how to make great pins, and if we click to download it, we can open it up in our browser and we'll zoom in a little bit here and I want to take a look at a few different areas within this document.
So you can see we've got the table of contents here and we have a chapter for each different type of campaign. We have chapter two is for building awareness for awareness campaigns, chapter three improving engagement, chapter four increasing clicks, chapter five driving conversions. So if we scroll down and we take a look at each one of these chapters, and of course this document should be available to you as well from your Pinterest account, you'll notice that we have some tips for when we're trying to build awareness with an advertising campaign.
First of all it's a good idea to use compelling images and I think that probably goes for all of these types of campaigns, whenever you're using a social platform, compelling images are really the strongest thing that you can use right off the bat to grab the user's attention and make so they don't just scroll right past whatever your advertisement is, so make sure they're high resolution, high quality, life style images are really great on Pinterest. Also, it's important to provide some detailed descriptions, so that kind of tells people okay here's the picture, here's my product or service, now here's how it works or here's what you can do with it, to kind of give the user a little bit more information so that they don't just look real quick, say, oh that's cool and move on, they can actually read a little bit more about it, which will increase the chances that they would actually click on it, and then of course celebrate novelty.
Pinterest is the place that I go to when I'm trying to discover new recipes or new ways to do something, if I need to make something creative and I'm just looking for ideas, that's what I use Pinterest for and I think that's what a lot of people use Pinterest for, so being able to put up a pin that's something different that they haven't seen before is really going to increase the chances that you capture that user's attention. Definitely always be using a two to three aspect ratio, but we've already talked about that. It's a good idea to have your logo or some branding on your images, so that users know what company the image is associated with, and then you could have some text overlays as well.
You know, you can do a balance between your description and text overlays, they have some examples down here, so we can see we've got the title up here and then we've got a little text overlay, you know, serves seven, the more the merrier, just adding a little flavor to that particular pin. If we scroll down we'll see some tips for when we're running engagement campaigns, highlight a hero image. So Pinterest is telling us that pins that focus on a single product lead to more close ups, more saves, more engagement, so you might want to really highlight one particular aspect of your product or service and show that off as much as much as you can, and rich pins, lots of information.
That's a good idea as well for engagement, so you can see this is more sales oriented here on these pins that we're looking at now, as compared to the pins we saw when we were talking about engagement. So a little bit different, more products being featured, that sort of thing. Again, showing them how to use your product, that's always important on any social platform, how does your product provide value and how can a user use your product to solve their problem. For increasing clicks, this is actually little bit different from when we're trying to increase engagement, because for engagement campaigns Pinterest lets us know it's a good idea to highlight one specific product or one specific service, but they say hey, if you're trying to get clicks to your website it might be a good idea to show multiple products in a single pin, because then you've kind of got multiple little chances that one of those products will intrigue the user and they're going to be more likely to click on it.
Again we want a 2:3 aspect ratio, using compelling high res images. One thing that I would also add to these tips provided by Pinterest, is to have some sort of call to action. If the customer is interested in your product or service, what are they supposed to do next? Is there a place where they can start a free trial, is there a place where they can order it, or even just get some more information? A lot of times I see marketers that have great advertisements, advertisements that I would click on, but I don't really know why I would click on it, because it's not telling me where I'm going to go next.
It's not telling me what's going to happen when I click on the advertisement, and as a user that will really increase the chances that I'll click on ad, if I know what I'm going to be doing next. If I'm just going to click on an ad and have no idea where that's going to take me, it's going to take me a little bit more to really kind of make that decision to, okay, I'm going to stop what I'm doing on whatever website I'm currently visiting, and I'm going to click on this advertisement even though I have no clue where I'm going next, so call to action is very, very important I think for any type of advertising campaign, really on the internet.
So I would really include that in your pins as well, and again this guide is available to you just by going to ads.pinterest.com after you've created a business account and you can click to open up the pdf at the bottom of the page, some really great tips and tricks in this pdf.
- Creating a Pinterest business account
- Creating engaging pins
- Creating a Pinterest ad campaign
- Reviewing analytics


text:
Quick Look At Luxury Homes – Sales Continue To Drop
In 2010, there were 18 sales of lone dynasty residential homes with a closing consequence of ditty million dollars or more. Whether or not you regard that a passable figure up or a awful figure up may depend upon other factors. On inseparable participation, that is 1.5 sales every month of expendable homes in Louisville, so it's not as if the store has absolutely dried up. And with in the know lending injunction making treble value properties harder and harder to corrupt, dialect mayhap 1.5 sales per month is workable payment a mid-west conurbation Louisville. On the other clap, there are currently 115 homes during sellathon in the Greater Louisville deal in that keep an asking value of $1,000,000 or more, with the most precious asking reward sitting at $6,875,000. If we do a baby math, and who doesn't charity doing math, we can determine how elongated it require select to transfer every apart form million dollar where it hurts in Louisville, if no novel listings contract on the exchange, which I identify isn't expected But malfunction along anyway!
If we shop today's inventory at carry on year's sales walk, that means that we pass on exchange 18 homes every year. If we give birth to 115 homes to deal in, then it discretion arrogate at worst 6.39 years to offer every Louisville gratification almshouse It makes you reasonableness of why Realtors clue twelve month, or uniform six month, listing contracts with high-frequency intention homes, the odds of selling them are not close. But stop, I discover you guess, what far 2009? Or 2008? Was 2010 a strictness year compared to before-mentioned years, was it up or down? In 2008, the after all is said square footage sold 36 homes valued at $1,000,000 or more. And in 2009 that digit had dropped to 25 closings. Wow, the more I look, the harder it becomes to whirling this as anything but inclement message for the treatment of those cosy owners who are currently irksome to vend their expensive tip homes. There sparsely aren't passably buyers in the advised merchandise to indulge selling a hedonism family anything other than a extensive, untiring and seemly earnest sense Not not are there not multifarious buyers, but it appears that of the homes that do rep, adroit in owners are fetching on so so between a 10 and 15% rate dismiss from their asking expenditure How's that suited for a punt in the pants, as a boisterous value lodgings seller, you are looking at accepting an proffer that is at least $100,000 less than your asking bonus. Having said all of that, I am certainly not aloft difficult my imminent at selling luxuriousness homes in Louisville. If you would to get the idea my marketing map out for the purpose a top garage sale, will want free of charge to touch me honest away.
To evade more roughly Louisville proper property and observations division of Louisville homes for the benefit of traffic, take in http://www.GregFly.com where Greg Fleischaker breaks down weekly sales materials on account of the bishopric as by a long chalk as multitudinous bordering neighborhoods, such as Anchorage, Anticipation, St. Matthews, the Highlands and Crescent-shaped Hill, to promote buyers and sellers strengthen choice in behalf of an upcoming essential trading estate records.


text:
GroupStart Administrator
20 hours per week (over five mornings a week) (one year contract)
Salary £17,072 NJC Scale 15 pro rata
To provide administrative support for the day to day management of GroupStart, a new project that will be running family groups and courses across the District of Stroud and the Parishes of Kingsway and Quedgeley. We are looking for someone with good initiative, great organisational skills and an interest in supporting families and children.
Please email firstname.lastname@example.com for an application pack.
Closing date – 19th April 2017
Interview date – 9th May 2017
We are committed to equality of opportunity and diversity and to safer recruitment practice as an important part of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults


text:
I love a good gothic romantic suspense book, and Lord of the Far Island by Victoria Holt was a good one! Lord of the Far Island was written in 1975, and Holt was obviously doing a great job of honing the tools of her craft. Ellen Kellaway was the typical Holt heroine: strong-willed, rambunctious, not easily contained by social protocol. Unfortunately for Ellen, she was the Poor Relation in the family. Her mother had run away from her husband when Ellen was three, and then had the nerve to die when Ellen was five. That left Ellen at the mercy of Cousin Agatha. Well, with Ellen's personality, Cousin Agatha was at Ellen's mercy. Agatha never let Ellen forget that Ellen was a Poor Relation. All the attention was to go to Agatha's daughter, Esmeralda. Esmeralda was a submissive girl, and she quickly formed a bond of friendship with Ellen. Ellen would get the pair into trouble, for which Ellen would have to do lines or tapestry as punishment. Imagine the horror that Agatha felt when the younger son of the wealthy and powerful Carrington family, Phillip, asked Ellen to marry him instead of Esmeralda. It was an escape from the threat of being governess to a miserable woman, but Ellen started to have doubts about her love for Phillip as the wedding drew near. Especially troubling was the mysterious stranger who shows up in the house that Ellen and Phillip are planning to buy. Less than a week before the wedding, Phillip was dead, supposedly a suicide. Everyone looked at Ellen for an answer, but she had none, other than the suspicion that Phillip would not kill himself. Ellen then had a near miss with a fall off the Dead Man's Leap when a railing gave way. What was going on? Since the wedding was off, Agatha tried to send Ellen off as a governess, but a letter from Ellen's father's family gave Ellen a welcome release. She was off to the Far Island to meet her guardian, Jago Kellaway, who turned out to be the mysterious stranger! Ellen was in danger, but she didn't know from which direction. She was falling in love with Jago, and he seemed to love her, or did her really just want the Far Island, to which she was the heiress? Or was there someone else who was out to end Ellen's life?
Sometimes readers say that Holt could tend to spend too much time on the back story of the heroine, and that it would ultimately lead nowhere. However, I thought Lord of the Far Island was nicely paced. The story quickly moved along, and there was just the right amount of tension through the book to keep me engrossed in the story. It didn't take me a long time to read because I didn't want to put the book down. Ellen had tons of gumption, which got her into trouble, but in the end, there is happiness and love for Ellen. It was a very enjoyable and satisfying read. Lord of the Far Island would be a good start to introduce someone to the worlds that Victoria Holt created. I would say the book is definitely at the top of my list of the best of her books.


text:
GEL-KENUN Lyte
Product Details
New for SS18, the Gel-Kenun Lyte shoes take on the famous Rearfoot Gel Cushioning and reinvent it by showcasing this system through the heel. This low-top style has been crafted for low-mileage runners with an active lifestyle, from gym fanatics to power walkers. Featuring a 10mm heel gradient, they shift body mass forward and reduce strain put on the lower body, meaning you're at the best position to run, train and compete.


text:
|Unlock Forum posting with Annual Membership.
If a notice is left at a residence that the post office has a package waiting for the resident how long does that person have to pick up the package and what happens if they don't pick it up?
it depends... it should say on the notice how many days you have... if u dont claim it, it goes back to the sender i believe
Michelle, the package will be held for 10 days at the PO. You'll receive a second notice (reminding you of the held parcel) five days after the first attempt. After the 10 days, the item will be returned to sender.
If it happens to be an Express Mail package, you only have five business days to pick it up before it gets returned to sender.
Last Edited on: 12/22/07 4:55 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
thanks for the responses. I sent out a book and used DC for it so I'm not worried about the credit, was just wondering if it would get returnd to me after a set period. Do they even return media mail? Would I have to pay for that?
Yes, they return media mail. No, you shouldn't have to pay for it. This time of year, it's likely to be sittig on the shelf in the office waiting to be picked up for a much longer time. We don't have the time to get back there and go thru stuff the way we're supposed to because we're so danged busy with customers. Today I finally had time to go thru the CODs that have piled up on our shelf, and sent back 75% of them because they'd been there more than a month. The oldest one had been on the shelf since September 27!
Just a warning. There is a chance they will charge you for returning media mail. It kinda depends on the post office. First Class mail will come back for free; media mail may or may not.


text:
Paralegals - Portuguese Speakers
- Recruiter
- Chadwick Nott
- Location
- Bristol, England
- Salary
- £20000 - £23000 per annum
- Posted
- 13 Feb 2018
- Closes
- 13 Mar 2018
- Ref
- Contact
- Bianca Gibbs
- Sector/Practice Area
- Dispute Resolution, Commercial Litigation
- Vacancy Type
- Legal Support, Paralegal
- Contract/hours
- Contract
Our client is currently looking for a Portuguese speaking Paralegal to join their Bristol office on an ad-hoc basis. Our client have a fantastic client base and the role will involve working for one of their most reputable clients.
The role is to start at the beginning of March for 4-5 months and will be based out of the clients Bristol office.
The successful candidate will be reviewing statements, applying terms, highlighting and adding terms and corresponding with the clients.
This is a fantastic role for someone currently studying their LLB, LPC or BPTC and would like to gain practical experience alongside their studies.
Our client is happy to consider LLB/LPC graduates and those with no previous legal experience.
You must be fluent in reading and speaking in Portuguese
If you are interested in this opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact Bianca Gibbs at Chadwick Nott's Bristol Office.
Chadwick Nott Ltd is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy.


text:
Jackie Deshannon Tabs
Jackie DeShannon, real name Sharon Lee Myers, (born August 21, 1944) is an American singer/songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period. Sharon Myers adopted the name Jackie DeShannon, believed to be an Irish ancestor. Record company executives at Liberty Records thought the name Sharon Myers wouldn't sell records. (She once reported that record executives added "Shannon" to "Jackie Dee," one of the names under which she recorded, to create her name.)
Page: 1
|Put A Little Love chords
|0 Votes
|Put A Little Love In Your Heart chords
|1 Votes
|What The World Needs Now Is Love chords
|0 Votes
Page: 1


text:
MESDA Annual Fund
Gifts to the MESDA Annual Fund and gifts to membership support the museum's ongoing operations. To make a tax-deductible gift outside of membership to the MESDA Annual Fund, please click here.
If you would like to become a member and take advantage of the many benefits of membership, you can learn more about our Friends of MESDA and Frank L. Horton Society membership programs.
If you have any questions, please contact Catherine Carlisle, MESDA Development Officer, at 336-721-7328 or email@example.com.


text:
Advanced Search |
Search Tips
Please contact customer service at 800-716-9635 for return authorization.
We do not accept returns without an authorization code.
No products that have been installed can be returned.
All prices are in USD.
Copyright 2018 Stainless Body Bolt Chassis Bolt Engine Bolt Kit.
Sitemap |
Shopping Cart Software by BigCommerce


text:
Aid Groups Work to Avert Disaster Among Chadians in Cameroon
Friday, February 8, 2008
JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 7 -- The United Nations and aid groups raced Thursday to head off mass hunger and an outbreak of disease among tens of thousands of refugees from Chad who have pushed west across the border into Cameroon.
The first two truckloads of food from the World Food Program arrived in the town of Kousseri in northern Cameroon, and an airlift of 37 tons of high-energy biscuits was due soon, spokeswoman Stephanie Savariaud said. U.N. agencies also prepared to reopen a refugee center, about 20 miles away in Maltam, that was used in previous conflicts.
Humanitarian officials are struggling to assess the scale and likely duration of the refugee crisis. It was not clear how many Chadians intended to return home immediately to their country's capital, N'Djamena, as a rebel attack there faltered.
Some refugees have found hotel rooms or been taken in by friends and relatives in Kousseri, Savariaud said, but she added that many women and children are living on the streets or in ill-equipped public buildings. Several thousand refugees could be seen in the Madana neighborhood of Kousseri, near a bridge that leads over the Chari River to N'Djamena.
"People are scattered all over town," Savariaud said, speaking from Kousseri. "The most vulnerable are sleeping outside or in schools or in mosques."
The rebels remained in full retreat Thursday, heading east to the Sudanese border, where they have bases in the troubled Darfur region of neighboring Sudan.
Overall, aid groups estimated the number of Chadian refugees at 30,000 to 70,000. The refugee camp in Maltam has a capacity of 100,000, though no one has been moved there yet.
"The situation is difficult and not yet under control, so we are concerned about the most vulnerable," said Maurizio Giuliano, a U.N. humanitarian official in Cameroon.
Relief supplies en route to Kousseri include sleeping mats, blankets, tents, soap and medical supplies, including 25,000 doses of vaccines against meningitis and measles, officials said.
"We are worried about the risk of epidemic," Giuliano said. "We are worried about getting food. We are worried about shelter."
The concerns were similar in eastern Chad, where hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced by the Darfur conflict live in camps. The fighting in the Chadian capital interrupted aid deliveries to the camps, and some humanitarian groups evacuated workers from the country.
Conditions continued to improve in N'Djamena as bodies of those killed during the fighting were collected and people moved about more freely. The conflict led to looting of shops and medical clinics but did not cause extensive damage to the city.
"It has been quiet for three days now, so people are increasingly coming out," said Inah Kaloga, a spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaking from N'Djamena.
Also Thursday, Chadian President Idriss D¿by called on the European Union to accelerate its plans to deploy 3,700 peacekeepers to eastern Chad to protect refugees there. The deployment was stalled by the rebel attacks last weekend.
"We want to launch a solemn appeal to the European Union and France . . . to make sure that this force is put in place as quickly as possible to lighten the load we are carrying," D¿by said in an interview broadcast on France's Europe 1 radio, according to the Associated Press.
D¿by also said he was "ready to pardon" six employees of the French charity Zoe's Ark who were convicted of kidnapping in a highly publicized case last year. It was an apparent gesture of gratitude to Chad's former colonial ruler, France, which vigorously opposed the rebel assault.
The charges resulted from an attempt to relocate to France more than 100 supposed orphans from the Darfur conflict. But most of the children had close relatives, and in some cases parents, still living.
"The Chadian children did not leave. They are with their parents. We were able to avoid the worst," D¿by said in the radio interview. "What does it bring me to have five, six French people in prison?"


text:
September 13, 2017
Wynne Government Continues its Attack on Doctors
Queen`s Park – Ontario PC Health Critic, Jeff Yurek was in the Legislature today questioning the Wynne government`s continued attack on doctors and small business.
The changes the federal Liberals are proposing would see physicians stripped of the tax provisions granted by the provincial Liberals. It will create financial barriers for doctors to make investments in their practices, or continue to pay for staff and expenses incurred during absences such as maternity leave, or the physician's illness. If the federal tax changes go through, it will cause massive financial implications on the province's health care system and patient care will continue to suffer.
Question below:
"The Wynne government continues to stand by and do nothing while their federal counterparts bring forward proposed tax changes that are a direct attack to Ontario doctors and small business. For over three years this government has been using heavy-handed tactics in an attempt to contain physician costs, and now they stand by as the federal Liberals add to the province's financial burden."
"Once again the Wynne government has chosen to turn its back and continues to ignore the unintended consequences these changes will have on the Ontario taxpayer. The people of Ontario certainly do not need another battle between physicians and the province or the federal government at this time, which in the end will only hurt patients. Ontario taxpayers do not need an additional burden resulting from this short-sighted and discriminatory thinking.
"I urge you and Premier Wynne to advocate on behalf of our healthcare system and ensure the Federal government does not download these costs to our province."
Video: https://youtu.be/pUKNkkiPS_0


text:
Results are obtained by exploiting opportunites, not by solving problems. (via internettime.com)
If I could choose someone to hit me in the face, it would certainly be Mr. Drucker (rest in peace). Tonight, he gave me a shot to the adams-apple about how I have been going about looking at projects.
I solve problems, which is why I am very good at developing support applications. What I don't do is capitalize on opportunities.
Take, for instance, Google Base which just released tonight. I took a look around, tried to think of how I could exploit it, and then moved on without an idea of how. Rather than doing that, I (and you) should probably sit and think about what Google is trying to accomplish by providing their service. They don't want to just be another online classified ad website. They don't want to compete with craigslist. They want to crush them by offering something new and unique.
Let me spell it out. The desire to be new and unique equals new and unique opportunities to exploit.
Third one into the innovation pool is a rotten Netscape.


text:
Experts in Essay Editing/Essay editing/Essay editing company
Students experience numerous challenges when writing their essays and this affects the quality of essays they write. Some students write essays that have grammatical and spelling mistakes. Other students write essays that are plagiarized and do not meet the instructors requirements. Students may feel the need to get professional editing services so as to meet the academic requirements and instructors requirements. Majority of the students rely on custom writing companies to edit their essays. There are many essay editing companies located in different parts of the world and students are not able to differentiate a legitimate essay editing company and an illegitimate essay editing company.
Many companies offering editing services con learners off their money and offer substandard services. Also, the companies offer essays that are plagiarized and do not meet the needs of the client. Students are supposed to get essay editing services from a legitimate essay editing company. We are a legitimate essay editing company that offers professional editing services to customers. There are various factors that make us a legitimate essay editing company. First, we are a legitimate essay editing company because we have the right writers. As a legitimate essay editing company we have professional and experienced writers. The writers have sufficient experience in providing editing services to customers.
The writers are able to offer editing services to students in high school, college and university. High school students, university students and college students face similar problems when writing essays and need help from professional writers so as to meet the instructor's requirements and improve their grades. As a legitimate essay editing company we have diverse writers to meet clients' needs. Thus, students seeking editing services from us are assured of getting the right essay editing services as they are able to select the appropriate writer. This ensures students get satisfactory services.
Second, we are a legitimate essay editing company as we are able to offer quality and professional editing services to customers. Most of the customers who have used our services before have enjoyed. We have been in the market for the last five years and we are aware of the challenges students face when writing their essays and their experience in school. Hence, we are able to offer essay editing services that are inline with their needs. As a legitimate essay editing company have enjoyed a leading position in the industry as evidenced by the number of new customers and returning customer. A large number of customers have continued to use our services because they are able to get quality services. Moreover, we are a legitimate essay editing company since we offer original papers.
Clients seeking essay editing services from us get original content. The writers do not copy paste the content of the essay when providing editing services. Instead, the writers research the topic and add new information to the papers completed by the client. This ensures the content clients get is original and well researched. Majority of the customers have recorded good grades in their classes because of the services we provide. We are committed in improving student's grades by offering quality writing services. Lastly, we are a legitimate essay editing company because we offer non plagiarized essays. We use plagiarism reports to determine the seriousness of our employees in providing essay editing services. This ensures writers do not provide plagiarized essays to students. Hence, students perform well as they are able to submit essays that are not plagiarized. We also check the essays for grammatical mistakes and spelling mistakes when providing essay editing services.


text:
As a wellness coach, I hear "I could could never" and "I can't" all the time. In fact, I've heard it five times in the past 24 hours. Three times from friends, once from a client, and once from a complete stranger.
They say things like…
I can't find time to exercise every day!
I can't do yoga!
I could never give up bread!
The story is all about what is not possible, instead of what might happen, if we are willing to try. It makes me think that we are not very good at seeing ourselves clearly. Because, if we knew the truth about who we really are, we would know that we are all capable of really amazing things.
I'm just as guilty of doubting possibility as anyone else. For as much as I have conquered my attachments in my yoga practice and in my diet, I struggle with the I could nevers in other aspects of my life. Like right now, as I try to write my first book. Most days, it seems like a pipe dream.
Who am I to think that this is possible? I have to remind myself to examine my beliefs, and shift the conversation to Who am I, to not write this book? I have a story to tell, that will inspire people to live healthier and happier lives…why wouldn't I share it?
It makes me wonder, at what point in our lives, do we trade possibility for status quo?
Kids don't think this way. They think they can do anything and everything, until experience proves them wrong. Their favorite phrases are Why? and Could I?, and they don't say things like I could never.
At ages 6, 8, and 9, our girlies are curious, eager, and adventurous. They want to know the truth about themselves, and about life. They try new things, like cartwheels and handstands, just to see if they can. They ask questions all day long–so many, that my brain almost always hurts by dinnertime. And they don't give up on their dreams without a fight.
I've decided that, if the whys shape childhood, and the I could nevers shape adulthood, I don't ever want to grow up.
I am certain that the whys of my adulthood led me cure my migraines, get back to my college weight after having three babies, and learn how to do really crazy yoga poses that I had only seen in magazines before this year. It reminds me that possibilities for our lives are only as limited as we think, and we bless ourselves by turning our I could nevers into why nots.
Fallen Angel Pose, July 2013


text:
Triumph Sprint SR 1050 har et problem med korrosjon på den bakre demperen.
De ber deg lese informasjonen nedenfor:
Av: Mona Forsnes
Triumph is recalling Sprint ST 1050 motorcycles for a problem with corrosion of the rear drag link assembly. Please read the details below.
Manufacturer: Triumph Motorcycles America Ltd
Models affected: Sprint ST 1050
Model Years: 2005-2009
NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V378000
Potential Units Affected: 2849
Problem: Triumph is recalling certain model year 2005 through 2009 Sprint ST 1050 motorcycles manufactured from November 4, 2004 through September 2009. The rear suspension drag link assembly in these motorcycles can fracture due to corrosion. In the event of a fracture, part of the suspension will drop causing the rear tire mudguard to contact the rear tire, which could cause a crash.
Corrective Action: Triumph will notify owners and repair the motorcycles free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during October 2009. Owners may contact Triumph at 1-678-539-8777.


text:
Make your mind up time
The Network Middle East Innovation Awards 2007 public vote is now open - read on to vet the entries, and cast your vote for some of the hottest networking projects in the region.
|~||~||~|Network Middle East is proud to reveal the entries for our two reader-voted implementation categories, as well as the entries for Best Networking Vendor and Best Networking Integrator in the Middle East. In the links below, you will find submissions for the best wireless networking implementation and most innovative use of new technology awards. It is now up to you, the readers of NME, to decide which of these nominations is the most impressive – you can cast your vote on the NME Awards website. For the wireless networking category, there are three nominations, covering hospitality (Dubai's famous Burj Al Arab Hotel), transport (Qatar's Mowasalat) and oil and gas (a Bechtel gas plant in Abu Dhabi). Between them, they represent three of the most important and challenging industries in the Middle East, and where technologies such as wireless networking can have the biggest impact. On the new technology side, there are four submissions, three of which focus on new converged network implementations. These include two from Kuwait (Gulf University of Science and Technology, and National Bank of Kuwait), and one from Dubai (the emirate's Department of Health and Medical Services). The fourth is a different proposition altogether – the development of a high-speed EVDO data card in Jordan. While being more on the product development side of the IT equation, it is a very regional project, and so merits a place in this category. As far as possible, the nominations that follow are the original text of the submissions; the NME editorial staff have edited the submissions for length, and also for clarity and style, but we have made no substantial changes to the entries. In addition to the two categories here, voting is also open for the 'Best Networking Integrator in the Middle East', and 'Best Networking Vendor in the Middle East' categories – entries will be visible on the awards website, along with details of how to vote for all these categories. It is now up to you – the readers of Network Middle East – to have your say on what and who the most impressive projects and players in the regional networking market are. We have tried to present the entries as evenly as possible, in order to make things as fair as possible. The entries that follow are all in alphabetical order, by the end user organisation being nominated. We would encourage you to focus on the quality of the project itself rather than the glamour-factor of the nominee – when we have the Burj Al Arab as one of the finalists (for the second year in a row), this is an important factor to state. So read up, get voting, and we'll reveal the winners at the NME Innovation Awards gala dinner on 2 April, held alongside the annual BICSI conference in Dubai. Eliot Beer Editor, Network Middle East Best Wireless Network Implementation Most Innovative Use of New Technology NME Awards 2007.||**||


text:
The Maryland Symphony Orchestra announces its 2010-11 season schedule.
o Saturday, Sept. 25 -- The annual MSO Pops! Concert, "Broadway Rocks." The MSO joins veteran Broadway stars Hugh Panaro, Christiane Noll and Capathia Jenkins and The Shenandoah Chorus from Shenandoah Conservatory for an evening of pop and rock songs from popular Broadway musicals
o Saturday, Oct. 16 and Sunday, Oct. 17 -- The Masterworks Series begins and will feature pianist Angela Cheng performing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4. Also on the program will be Schubert's Symphony No. 9.
o Saturday, Nov. 13 and Sunday, Nov. 14 -- The MSO's principal trumpet player Scott Sabo will be featured in the second Masterworks concert as soloist for Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" and MacDowall's "Seraphim for Trumpet, Strings & Percussion." Soprano Emily Ezzie will also be featured in the Handel piece. Smithsburg bagpiper David Madock will join the MSO in Maxwell Davies' "Orkney Wedding with Sunrise."


text:
The "Circular Design Forum" is an international conference on circular economy and ecodesign. Organised by the International Design Center Berlin in cooperation with partners from the Baltic Sea Region, the conference will take place on 14 June 2018 at the EUREF Campus in Berlin. It will be part of this year's Open Source Circular Economy Days Berlin.
The forum aims to promote ecodesign as a holistic creative approach that moves design towards the circular economy and reduces pressure on the environment. In lectures, panel talks and workshops, experts will provide insights into sustainable design approaches, future-orientated business models, and political frameworks. The "Circular Design Forum" supports the exchange of know-how and expertise, especially aiming at initiating innovation processes in small and middle-sized companies. Furthermore, it will function as a platform for designers, design institutions and companies to network and to establish new contacts.
The "Circular Design Forum" is part of the EU project "Ecodesign as a Driver of Innovation in the Baltic Sea Region" (EcoDesign Circle), that is supported by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Program 2014–2020. The project runs from 2016 to 2019 and aims to increase the capacity of design centres, SMEs and lecturers in the field of ecodesign. Within a period of three years, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden will host exhibitions and workshops, offer consulting and education programs, and create competence networks.
Lead partner:
- German Environment Agency (UBA)
Project partners:
- Design Forum Finland
- Estonian Design Center
- Gdynia Design Centre
- International Design Center Berlin
- SVID Swedish Industrial Foundation
For more information please visit the following website.


text:
Huntingdon Estate Agents
Gatehouse Estate Agents had an office in Huntingdon for years but have now relocated themselves from the very crowded inner ring road to Godmanchester.
There are still many Estate Agents in Huntingdon including a few new names.
The Huntingdon High Street is still ocupied by Peter Lane & Partners Estate Agents, Thomas Morris, Malcolms, Harvey Robinson, Taylors Estate Agents and Wellington Wise.
Being in Godmanchester offer both buyers and sellers room to park, it allows us much easier access to the surrounding villages without getting stuck on the ring road and offers us a much more popular window showcase.
On the Move?……………………..Call us!
Gatehouse Estate Agents are using this advert for Huntingdon bound traffic.
The road from Godmanchester to Huntingdon can be busy at peak times and this is a light hearted joke at the conjestion whilst advertising our Huntingdon based Estate Agents.
Gatehouse Estate Agents in Godmanchester
Gatehouse Estate Agents are based on the corner of the Causeway and Cambridge Street in Godmanchester minutes from Huntingdon. The office provides us easy access to the surrounding villages of Buckden, The Offords, The Hemingfords, Hilton, Papworth etc.
A View of Grafham Water near Huntingdon.
Grafham Water was constructed in the 1960's to meet the demand from the new town of Milton Keynes and the rapid expansion of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire's existing towns.
It was originally a joint project between Mid-Northants Water Board, Great Ouse Water Authority and Bedfordshire County Council but transferred to Anglian Water in 1974.
Originally called Diddington Reservoir after the little brook whose valley it flooded, it was renamed Grafham Reservoir and subsequently Grafham Water. The reservoir is on a plateau with nearly all of its water being abstracted from the River Great Ouse at Offord and pumped up to form the 1500 acre (600 hectare) lake.
HRH Prince Philip opened the reservoir's water treatment works and the Grafham Sailing Club in 1966.
In addition to the sailing club a trout fishery and education centre were included in the original design and Sir Peter Scott opened the nature reserve at the western end.
Most of the leisure infrastructure you see today was provided in the last 19 years including a visitor centre, cycle hire and route, fishing lodge and restaurant. The water treatment works has been expanded and modernised to meet increasing demand and today's higher quality standards.
Kimbolton High Street and Castle.
This is a great view of Kimbolton High Street taken from the old Iron Mongers shop next to the Rectory. The Castle in the distance is now a Public School.


text:
By David Pontier
The Art of Being Entreri is the property of the author, David Pontier and is used with permission by Candlekeep. Email David with any comments and feedback on The Art of Being Entreri and visit his website at: http://www.geocities.com/piqsid/stories.html.
Chapter 7: Fine Art
Ellen rode into town several hours after dawn, tired and not thinking straight. She had mulled her thoughts over and over concerning Entreri. Right now she was pretty sure she hated him. She had come to him for help, and he had slammed the door so hard in her face that her cheeks were still flushed from crying.
It was her assessment of him that had brought about the change. She had said that he was a good person who had been forced to use his weapons to defend what he believed in. For some reason, this angered him beyond anything she could imagine. Why would someone dislike that kind of compliment? Even if he was what everyone said, a killer without a conscious, he should still be grateful for Ellen's kind words, even if they were not true.
As Ellen dismounted at her stable, she figured she would never understand Entreri's mind or why he did things. He had come to her rescue in the alley when he had no reason to and could get nothing in return. Now, when he had plenty to receive if he succeeded, he turned it down. It was not because he felt the task too dangerous, Ellen thought as she opened the front door to her home. He had told her what he had thought of mages, and it had not been complimentary. It had to be som-
Ellen froze.
Inside her home sat three City Guards, all of them new recruits. "Welcome home, Ellen."
Before she could berate herself for her sheer stupidity, she needed to escape. Ellen spun around and ran into another guard. The man grabbed her roughly by the shoulders. "Hold on missy, you're not going anywhere. The boss has been waiting for you."
Ellen struggled some, but it was useless. She was not going to break free from the man's iron grasp. As he led her toward the guardhouse a few blocks away, she had plenty of time now to berate herself, and she spared no expense.
Her father and John were waiting for her on the top floor. She stood stunned when she saw her father in a cage. "Father?!"
Jerithon picked his head up from his restless slumber, and his face brightened. "Ellen! Are you okay? Those monsters did not hurt you, did they?" Jerithon cast a hateful glance at the guard that had led Ellen into the room.
Ellen yanked her arm away from the guard, and he released her. "No, Dad, I'm fine." Ellen stepped away from the guard and move toward John. He was propped up in a half-sitting, half-lying position with his broken leg stretched out in front of him. Someone had set, and it was obvious they had done a poor job.
"Ellen," Jerithon started slowly, and his daughter knew what was coming. "I'm sorry about what I said. I did not mean it. It's hard for me to remember that you are not my little girl anymore. Especially now that I know Artemis never did anything wrong, I feel esp-"
"No," Ellen cut in. "Don't apologize for that part of it. Artemis Entreri is just as rotten as you thought, maybe more. He is truly evil."
"Ah," a voice came from the other side of the room. Jerithon and Ellen turned to look back at the door. Quinton standing there with a interested look on his face. The door shut behind him, leaving only him, two guards, and the prisoners and of course Trevor, who was busy eyeing up Ellen. "So you spoke with our friend. And what did he have to say?"
"Nothing important. I hope I never see him again."
Quinton shook his head. "That's too bad. I was kind of hoping he'd try some kind of rescue. You should have been more persuasive. I'm sure a woman of your," he paused as he stared at her and then as he looked toward Trevor, who chuckled lewdly, "stature," he settled with, "could convince a man to do anything."
"He cares nothing for me or anyone else in this city. He cares only for himself and his pocketbook."
"Tsk, tsk," Quinton sighed. "You see I owe him two. Well, actually, I owe him one, Trevor here, as I'm sure you know, owes him the other."
The thief smiled his brown-toothed grin. Ellen engaged him in a staring contest, not willing to back down to the awful man. "If Artemis does come, I hope it is only to kick your ass again."
"We'll see," Trevor said, brandishing his short sword, "we'll see."
* * *
"What am I going to do, Red?"
Entreri had always felt that talking to yourself was a sure sign of insanity. However, talking to a long dead red dragon while surrounded by more riches than in all of Calimport went far beyond simple insanity.
Entreri had his head in his hands as he sat on a chair-shaped pile of coins and gems. He had opened the ivory portal deep inside a cave where he was sure no one would find it. As long as it stayed open, he would be able to return to the cave. If someone happened upon the portal and removed the ivory cylinder from the center, he would be stuck back north of Karenstoch with the unenviable task of tracking down whoever had taken his prized possession.
"Am I destined to become the one I hated most?" he continued. Though the dragon was dead, its huge presence and lingering magical aura made it very easy for Entreri to imagine that he was not alone. "Is that the irony fate has destined for me to live out?"
Entreri got up from his seat and paced in front of the huge maw. "I don't know what I want or even who I am anymore. Riches have never appealed to me much." He stopped and looked over the vast treasure before him. "And that's a shame." He continued walking. "Fame was good back in Calimport when it meant you were respected. Both Drizzt and I demanded respect whenever we walked into any city along the coast. Here, if my fame precedes me, they close the gates or send the City Guards to chase me out."
Entreri stopped his pacing to pick up a particularly large gem that had rolled from the pile when he had stood. He tossed it up and down, staring into its sparkling center as he continued to pace. The twisting and turning angles of the gem made any attempt to focus on it very difficult. "How complicated my life has become!
"I can not live in anonymity now, too many people have seen my skill, and word of my deeds will follow me where ever I go. Nor can I live in the open, for I am persecuted for my abilities. So what am I to do?"
Entreri stopped walking to stare at his conversation partner. "Well? Say something?" Silence. "Stupid dragon," he said, hurling the gem at its face. The gem struck the creature right between the eyes with a "chink." Entreri began to walk away, but paused at the sound. "Chink?" he thought to himself. He picked up another gem and threw it at the dragon. It hit the red scales and made a "click" sound.
Entreri tried a few more and got the same result. It sounded like rocks bouncing off slate, but the first one had a definite metallic ring to it. Intensely curious, the assassin nimbly climbed up on the large maw and examined the area between the huge, and thankfully closed, eyes.
Right where the two brows furrowed together, Entreri could see a metal pommel. "The death blow," Entreri said silently. If this weapon was long enough, the tip of it had probably entered the brain of the huge beast and killed it.
Entreri examined the wound, wondering how he was going to get the weapon out without anything to hold onto. The eyes of the dragon had apparently been squinting in pain when he had died, and now the two brows had the weapon's hilt pinched very tightly.
"That must have been some fight, huh, Red," Entreri said, appreciating the bravery of anyone capable of delivering this blow. "I bet you were mad as hell. You probably-" but Entreri cut himself short and looked up. The light red glow coming off the dragon was not that bright, but Entreri could see a ragged form hanging from a stalagmite high above.
"You squashed him pretty good." Entreri climbed down from the dragon's face and picked up a few large gems. It took three tosses, but on the third, the gem connected with the shadowed form, and the ancient skeleton nearly exploded. The rib cage had been wedged onto the stone spike, but given another 50 years, the skeleton would have decayed far enough to fall on its own.
Entreri jogged over the pile. The bones were all tangled up inside of tattered clothing and rusted armor, but Entreri did notice one thing that seemed to be in perfect condition. He fished the dead man's belt out of the mess and examined the scabbard attached to it. The belt was brittle and flaking away in his hands, but the scabbard seemed brand new.
The magic that came off of it was almost palpable, and Entreri looked back at the metal glint of the pommel between the dragon's eyes. "That must be something special in there," he said. As he walked back to the maw, he shook the scabbard completely loose from the decayed belt and tried to decipher the writing. Most of it was ancient magical script that was unreadable, but on the other side, one calligraphic word stood out clearly: "Cicle."
Entreri tossed the scabbard aside for now and looked at what he needed to do to get the sword. The dragon's rigor mortis was clenching the blade, and Entreri knew that even Wulfgar in a fit of rage would likely not be able to pry it out. Still . . .
Entreri ran around the piles of gold to where he had met Trent and Reichen almost two months ago. The golden battle-axe that Trent had tried to wield was still lying where Entreri had tossed it, and he scooped it up. The assassin walked careful back to the dragon as he examined the edge of the magnificent weapon. "Bruener Battlehammer, eat your heart out," he said under his breath. The razor edge of the blade was immaculate, and Entreri was sure it would do the job.
He climbed back up to his previous perch and steadied his feet. With all his might, he swung down onto the dragon's left eyebrow. The blade sunk in all the way to the bone, and the taunt muscle snapped back into the side of the red's face, exposing part of the huge eye socket. Entreri then went to work on the other brow.
Soon the hilt of the weapon was visible between the slackened scales. Entreri set the axe down gently and grabbed onto the stuck weapon with both hands and tugged hard. After releasing the brow, the blade was not nearly as tight as Entreri had guessed it would be, and he went tumbling backwards off the maw. Only the assassin's dexterity and poise kept him from running himself through as he somersaulted off the dragon.
Entreri sat up after the short, embarrassing trip to look at his find. It was a rapier. The slightly curved blade was a bit longer than most found in use by pirates along the sword coast, but it was far from a long sword.
Entreri twisted it about in a few hasty jabs and cuts and found its balance to be exquisite. Also it was extremely light, and Entreri found he was able to move it almost as quickly as his dagger.
The most distinctive thing about it was its crystal blue blade. Entreri felt a shiver as he looked at it, and as he brought it toward his face for a closer look, he could feel it sucking at his body heat. "A frost blade," Entreri said, his pulse quickening, "Cicle." He brought the weapon just under his chin and spit on it. The saliva crackled and froze instantly, sliding off the blade and shattering on the stone floor like a glass bead.
Entreri knew that if he touched this blade with any moist part of his body, it would stick fast until either Entreri had frozen to death, or he had ripped it free, taking a good portion of skin with it. It only clung to living flesh.
Entreri knew this weapon had to have an extremely powerful enchantment for it to have retained its power while being sheathed inside a red dragon for who knows how many centuries. He carefully slid the weapon into its scabbard and noticed how the leather of the sheath did not grow cold in the slightest. The scabbard contained the powerful weapon completely, probably regenerating it.
As Entreri added this new weapon to his belt, his mind went back to Drizzt. He knew how the drow had finally been accepted into society. He had been placed on Kelvin's Cairn, a mountain cave just outside Bryn Shander. He had been given the responsibility of a protector and a scout, making sure no dangerous predators made their way too close to the town.
By protecting the town from the evil that lived around it, Drizzt was respected and accepted. He was still feared by some, for he was a drow and nothing could change that, but at least he was accepted. Entreri now itched for a fight to try out his new toy, and there was only one open to him.
With a smug look back at the red dragon, Entreri tipped his black hat as he moved toward the glowing portal. "We'll be seeing you, Red. I've got me a mage to kill."
* * *
Garrilport was quiet this night. Like Quinton had predicted, the city was not ready to believe the councilmen's stories of doom and gloom. Those that did were either not of the fighting ilk, or they were just too scared to face a mage who could summon instant death with a flick of his wrist.
Quinton had also made good on his word to hire more men. The City Guard now boasted twice as many men as before, and they patrolled the streets with a purpose. Quinton had also called off his pickpockets and thieves, and most people saw the latter as a result of the former.
The mood was not one of jubilation that the crime was disappearing, because the average citizen understood that the salaries of the City Guards came from their taxes, and if twice as many City Guards were now employed, the money had to come from somewhere.
The guardhouse itself was quiet. Most of the men were either home asleep or out on patrol. Even so, Quinton did not feel completely safe, and his large work force allowed him to retain a dozen men at the guardhouse along with several of his thieves and thugs. Two of the guards stood outside.
The guardhouse was in the center of town, reachable by either the northern half or the southern half. Right now, the two guards were looking north, eyeing a particularly unstable form as it wove from side to side. The beggar was obviously drunk, and as he came within two dozen feet of the guardhouse, he demonstrated as much by throwing up on one of the bushes that lined the entry to the fortress.
"Here now!" one of the guards called out. "Don't do that. Get away with you!"
"Pardon," the man said, "but do you have some change? I feel I need some drink to make it through the night."
The two guards looked at each other and sighed. "You can not beg here. Now get lost before we have to remove you with force."
"No, no," the man started to say, trying to stand up a little straighter under his black cloak, "that won't be necessary, sirs," he continued, slurring every word. "I just want some-" and he passed out, sprawling headlong right in the main walkway to the guardhouse.
"Please," one of the guards said in a tired voice. "Of all the things." He turned to his partner. "Can you give me a hand with this guy?"
The other guard smirked, and they both walked up to the fallen drunk. "What do you want, beggar?" one of them bent to shout at the unconscious man.
"Keys," Entreri replied as he sprang up from the ground, his dagger and short sword thrusting forward. Both weapons slid under the guards' breastplates and doubled them over. Cicle was still strapped to Entreri's side, waiting for later.
The assassin felt the power jolt from his dagger and used the energy rush to heave both men backward onto the steps up to the front door. Entreri's sword had been long enough to puncture several vital organs, and that guard was dead before he could shout out. The other was sucking for breath as he felt his life essence drain from him. Entreri pulled his sword out of his first kill and sliced it across the throat of his soon to be second.
As both men fell dead to the steps, and Entreri dragged them behind the bushes, he sincerely hoped they worked for Quinton and not the former captain. He would have to be cautious of that from now on. He quickly took the guardhouse keys from one of the dead men and stepped out from behind the bushes, sheathing his weapons and moving to the door. As he turned the appropriate key in the lock, he noticed that a few drops of the vegetable soup he had dumped in the bushes earlier had splattered on his boots. "Better than real vomit at least," he said to himself.
Two guards were straightening the entryway as Entreri entered. "Hey," one of them shouted as the black-clad assassin calmly stepped into the building, "what are you doing here?"
Entreri paid the man no mind as he turned his back to him to close and lock the door behind him. "I said," the man repeated, pulling his sword as he approached the intruder's back, "what are you doing here?"
Entreri spun about suddenly, Cicle coming out fast and leaving a bluish frost as it cut through the humid air and batted aside the guard's weakly held weapon. "To arms!" the man tried to shout, but Entreri kicked him in the stomach, blasting the wind from his lungs.
The man stumbled backwards, and Entreri leaped to his side and straddled one of his legs behind the man as he poked his dagger at the guard's weapon hand. The man dropped his sword and stepped back, tripping over Entreri's well-positioned leg. His back slammed against the wall, and the assassin was on him in a second.
With the frost blade at his neck and the jeweled dagger pricking the guard's gut, Entreri had the man shaking in fright. "Who do you work for?"
"Quinton," the man said in barely more than a whisper. He figured this man had to be one of the fighters just hired by the new mayor.
"Wrong answer," Entreri said, pulling his rapier across the man's neck. The perfect blade cut through the guard's throat like butter, toppling the man's head to the ground. The blood spurted out only briefly as the frost blade seared the massive wound closed.
Entreri spun to face the second man in the entry, but the terrified guard was watching his former partner's frozen blood shatter on the floor. When he saw that the assassin's attention was now turned on him, he quickly unbuckled his sword and tossed it to the ground. "I serve Captain Irenum."
Entreri could tell it was a lie, but he also saw this man was not worth his time. "Stay here," Entreri said. "If I find out you are lying or that you sounded any type of alarm, you'll spend the last few moments of your life counting stab wounds. Understand?"
The man nodded furiously. Entreri moved into the next room and found it empty. This was the weapon room, and all sorts of bows and swords stood on racks and shelves. There were stairs leading down, but Entreri was sure he needed to go up.
The next room was the mess hall, but this late at night, it held only one man. He was sitting at a table with his back to the door drinking mead. Entreri ran up to him without a sound and placed his dagger snuggly against the man's neck. The guard spit out the alcohol in his mouth and started to rise and reach for his sword, but Entreri applied pressure and the man went rigid.
"Tell me about Captain Irenum?" Entreri asked.
"He's a spineless wretch who does not deserve any place in this guardhouse," the man responded carefully.
"And where can I find him?"
"He's upstairs on the fourth floor with the rest of the captives."
"You've done well," Entreri whispered in his ear. The man sighed deeply and relaxed. Entreri killed him.
Entreri climbed the stairs and paused in front of the next room. Through the closed door he could here the sounds of fighting. He was about to burst in, when he heard voices too. It sounded like someone was giving instructions. Entreri cracked the door and looked into the guardhouse's training room. Three men, none of them City Guards, were busy sparring.
He was about to pass it buy, but he saw the stairs in the far corner and knew he had to pass through this room. The sparring room was not well lit, and Entreri slipped in and closed the door without detection. He saw, though, that he would not be able to get to the stairs without being seen. Instead of trying, he turned is attention to the men in the middle of the room.
"No, no," Parnid said to the other thief, "lead with this leg, not that one. This way you'll be able to snap the attack back without crossing yourself up."
"Let me show him," Entreri said, stepping from the shadows, Cicle in his hand.
Parnid had never seen Entreri before, but he had gotten descriptions from both Trevor and Billy. "Artemis?"
Entreri bowed low. "At your service."
Parnid turned to the other two men in the room. "Take him." Both trainees dropped their practice weapons and picked up real ones. Entreri kept only his magical rapier out and put himself in a classic fencing pose.
As the two men rushed him, Entreri leaped forward and slapped both swords twice in a quick "Z" cut. He then fell back a step, letting the off balance men lunge forward. They both led with the wrong foot. "No, didn't you listen to anything your teacher said," Entreri criticized, and as he batted their thrusts aside, neither was able to pull back in time, and one of them took a stunning blow in the face from Entreri's hilt.
The man went sprawling to the ground. The other thief did not like this derogatory treatment and rushed the assassin. This was not a traditional fencing move, and Entreri had to change his footing quickly. A moment later he had his back up against the wall, and Cicle was locked with the other man's sword.
The thief was taller and stronger than Entreri, and he used these advantages well, pushing hard against the assassin's blocking blade. They held the pose for a few seconds, the thief slowly pushing his weapon toward Entreri's face. "Where's your advice now, stranger?" the thief chuckled.
"Look down," Entreri complied.
The thief did and saw the jeweled dagger stab out towards his gut. As the blade stared to bite into his leather vest he jumped backwards, stumbling as he stepped onto the raised practice mat. He started to charge Entreri again, but stopped and looked down at his blade with interest. Being locked with Cicle for as long as it had been had made the blade very cold. The leather grip on the sword could only insulate it so much.
Entreri leaped from the wall and swung hard at the confused man. The thief held up his sword to block, but the cheap, and now brittle, blade shattered on impact. Sensing movement from the side where the first thief had fallen, Entreri reversed his grip on the rapier, pivoted next to the weaponless man, and stabbed backwards. As the frost blade entered the man's chest, the other thief impaled himself on Entreri's extended dagger, having not expected the assassin to turn about so suddenly.
Entreri held up both men for another second and then retracted his weapons, sending both thieves to the mat, quite dead. Entreri wiped his weapons off as he looked for the third man. At least he wiped his dagger off. All the blood on the rapier had frozen and fallen off as soon as the sword was pulled from its victim. Parnid was nowhere to be found.
* * *
Quinton, Draick, and Reillon were sitting at the table on the top floor discussing their plans while the three captives looked on. Jerithon did not like the fact that they were so open about their intentions with both he and John present. John could obviously not do anything about it. He would be lucky to even walk again. But if Jerithon got out, he would be able to throw a big wrench into their plans. This just confirmed the fact that they were not going to ever let him out.
Ellen was still tending to John, and as of yet, had not been restrained in any way. This total lack of respect for his daughter, made Jerithon mad, but he also realized his daughter could not do anything to seriously jeopardize their plans while she was in here. Besides the three men at the table, Trevor was still in his favorite chair off to the side of the room, treating himself to the drink bar in the corner. Also, there were two guards stationed at the door.
That door burst open suddenly, and Parnid came rushing in. Draick stood quickly at the table, pulling his sword halfway. He pushed it back in when he saw who it was, but the worried look on the thief's face kept him standing. "What is it?"
"Artemis is here," Parnid announced.
"What?" Quinton responded. Ellen too was startled. This was the last thing she had expected. "What do you mean he's here?" Quinton continued. "Where?"
"Here," Parnid reiterated, pointing to the floor. "I left him in the sparring room."
"And?" Quinton prompted.
"He butchered two of my men."
Quinton scowled. He turned to Draick. "How many men did you have on the first floor?"
"Five," Draick said, not believing anyone could have made it past all of them.
"How many on the third floor?" Quinton continued.
While Draick tried to count in his head, Parnid spoke up. "I saw three more on the third floor. I told them to follow me." Sure enough, the guards soon filtered into the room.
"Lock that door," Quinton ordered. He turned to Reillon. "And make sure Artemis pays a price when he tried to open it."
The mage smiled as he walked up to the door to do his job. The five guards parted for him, and Parnid moved to the center of the room, wanting nothing to do with the mage's trapped doors.
After three spells, Reillon stepped away from the door, and the guards closed in around it. "Stop!" the mage said. "Do not touch that door." The guards each took a step back.
"I did not want you to trap our side," Quinton said.
"Both sides are hot," Reillon responded. "These spells are ten times as powerful as the one I used on my door back in your home. With the increase in power comes an added risk. Don't worry, Artemis will be quite dead as soon as he touches the door, and then your men will have no problem opening it and cleaning up the mess. I have pra-"
Reillon was cut off by the sound of shattering glass and the sight of Artemis Entreri rolling through one of the many windows that looked out onto the city. Even before the broken glass had stopped dancing around him, the deadly assassin whipped a throwing dagger at the collection of guards by the door.
The five men had been facing the door, waiting patiently for the explosion on the other side that would tell them they could open it. The sound of the glass spun them around, and the sight of the flying dagger made them freeze. The guard in front ducked just in time and sighed as the dagger flew over his head, but as he heard it "thunk" into the trapped door behind him, he swore viciously.
Wave after wave of fire engulfed the five men, and bolts of powerful lightening jumped between them, welding their flexible metal armor into solid pieces. After a few short seconds, the display was over, and the number of Entreri's potential enemies had been reduced by half. Entreri looked at Reillon. "Thanks."
Draick was the first to recover from the dramatic display and pulled his sword to cut Entreri down. Actually, it was John's sword, and it was huge. Instead of pulling his dagger, Entreri paired Cicle with his other short sword, fearing the dagger would not be able to block the huge weapon.
Draick swung the borrowed sword in huge scythe-like attacks, trying to force Entreri back out the window he had just flown through. Entreri actually jumped back to the windowsill, teetering ever so slightly backwards before leaping over the rushing Draick.
The new captain spun about but neglected to swing his weapon as he did and was forced on the defensive. Entreri's weapons picked at Draick's solid armor, finding holes and sending shivers down his spine every time Cicle hit home. Draick kept his big weapon down low to protect his vulnerable legs and quickly realized that if something did not happen fast, he was going to die.
Reillon could see the inevitable ending as well and decided to enter the fight. Entreri had expected this eventually, but when the five energy bolts hit him in the back, it was almost more than he could take. His attacks against Draick slowed slightly as a result, and he began to time a roll away from the guard to catch his breath, when a second wave of energy bolts slammed into him.
This second attack was meant to be a disabling one, and Entreri felt his senses failing and his limbs stiffening. He had lots of experience battling such spells and fought hard against this one. He dropped his short sword and fell to one knee under the effort.
"You are no match for me," Reillon said from behind, and Entreri could sense him casting yet another spell. How was he getting these off so quickly?
Draick too was preparing to end the battle and heaved his heavy sword above his head with both hands. With strength and speed the assassin should not have possessed at this point in the battle, his free hand reached into his cloak and pulled his jeweled dagger. With Draick's arms above his head, the bottom of his plate armor was lifted slightly, and Entreri plunged the dagger home.
At just that moment, Reillon released his next attack, which was his death spell. With Entreri's dagger feeding on Draick's life energy, the assassin merely shrugged off the powerful spell and passed it on to Draick. The now ex-Captain of the City Guards, felt the cold death creep into him through the dagger in his gut, and his breath left him.
The weight of the great sword slowly pulled him backwards, and Entreri would have liked to watch him fall, but his heightened senses picked up Reillon releasing yet another spell, and he rolled to the side. A jet of flame filled the area where Entreri had just been, and since the spell was not magically guided, it just took the next person in line.
Draick was already dead, but now his torso was on fire as he tumbled backward out of the broken window. Reillon cursed, and with fire still shooting from his right hand out the window, his left crossed over to hurl a fireball at the assassin. As Entreri leaped away from the attack, he now understood how the mage was casting so quickly. He had never fought anyone who could cast two spells simultaneously, one with each hand.
The fireball exploded behind him, and Entreri felt the edges of the blast singe his skin. He knew about the protection Drizzt's magical scimitar offered the drow, and Entreri was a bit disappointed to find that his frost blade did not offer a comparable fire protection. In fact, if Entreri even touched his blade, it would actually hurt him. But Entreri realized what Reillon had said earlier; with increased power comes increased risk.
Entreri came out of his roll with his two weapons ready, and the rest of the room looking at him. "Is that all you've got mage?"
Reillon growled and took a step toward Entreri as if he wanted to engage the assassin in physical combat. Quinton grabbed onto his mage's shoulder to hold him back and instead motioned to his two thieves. They each drew their weapons. Trevor had upgraded his arsenal since the fight in the alley, and pulled a high quality long sword that he had almost certainly stolen from the armory downstairs. Parnid pulled an equally nice short sword, and mimicked Entreri's style with a dagger in his second hand.
The two men walked slowly toward the assassin, and Entreri calmed himself. He did not feel deeply concerned. He had faced Trevor before and knew he could finish him in the opening seconds. Parnid could not be too difficult either if his trainees were any indication of his skill. Then he saw Reillon motion with his hands and send two white spheres toward the thieves. Entreri swallowed hard as he guessed what the spell was and was proven right a second later when the two men exploded into lightening fast attacks.
Entreri had caught the tale end of Drizzt's battle with Dantrag, the former Baenre weapon master who had worn the speed enhancing bracers. Drizzt had been able to trap the skilled fighter within his own speed. Dantrag had not been able to improvise, for his motions were too quick to change.
Drizzt had trained under the greatest weapon master Menzoberranzan had ever seen and knew all the routines Dantrag performed better than the Baenre did himself. Therefore he had been able to predict exactly what Dantrag was going to do next and was able to defeat him.
There were two main differences here. The first was that neither of these men had ever undergone extensive training and therefore would not operate within expected and predictable routines. Instead their attacks would be random and haphazard.
The second, and more important difference, if Entreri understood the haste spell Reillon had used, was that these men did not see themselves moving faster as much as they saw Entreri and everything else moving slower. The spell actually put them in a slightly different dimension. This meant that in their minds, they still had plenty of time to change their attacks in mid swing, and Entreri would have to counter those improvisations.
The assassin did not try to block the initial attacks, but instead initiated his own offensive routine. Like he had hoped, to the two thieves the attacks seemed slow, and they changed their stance to intercept them. If they had disregarded Entreri's blades, they probably could have scored a hit before the assassin's weapons even came near them.
Entreri circled now that he had the two on the defensive, trying to get them to shield each other so he only had to face one at a time. They were better than that, though, and had obviously worked together before and quickly adjusted to Entreri's tactics.
The assassin took notice of this coordination and backed off for a moment. To Parnid and Trevor, this moment seemed like an eternity, and they both attacked. Entreri smiled as he saw their weapons work together, each filling a gap the other left open, but he was already on the floor, rolling towards Parnid's legs. With their attacks intertwined, when Parnid went down, they both went down.
Entreri rolled out of the jumbled mess, managing to slap Cicle's blade against Parnid's cheek. The frost blade ripped a patch of skin away from the thief's face, and he howled in pain. Both men stood, and Entreri could see blood running from Parnid's face. The man was furious, and Entreri opened his side to him.
Both men attacked again, but Parnid, seeing the obvious opening in Entreri's defenses, stepped in too quickly. Trevor had become so used to Entreri's slow movements that his partner's quicker step startled him, and he could not check his blade in time. It did not matter though, for as Parnid stepped in the way of his partner, receiving a cut to the side from Trevor's sword, Entreri had already snapped both his weapons back to cover his opening, knowing the attack from Trevor was no loner coming.
Parnid's blades faltered, and Entreri had his opening, he swept his rapier across the thief's short sword, clearing the path for his dagger to plunge into the unarmored chest. Entreri hugged the man tightly as his body convulsed quicker than normal under the haste spell and used him as a shield to prevent Trevor from attacking.
Soon Parnid's dead weight was too cumbersome and Entreri dropped it. "You'll die now!" Trevor shouted, but to Entreri the speed talk was just a jumbled mess. The agile thief leaped over his fallen comrade and attacked in a flurry. Entreri had no choice but to backpedal under the furious attacks. Soon he found himself nearing the edge of the room and furniture began to clog his path. He backed into Trevor's favorite high-backed chair and knew he had to change his strategy.
Instead of blocking the next high attack, Entreri ducked and thrust his rapier forward. Trevor easily leaped backward from the attack, but it gave Entreri some room. He began to spin. His cape flared out with each pass, hiding his body and his blades. Trevor knew they were there though, and deflected the circular attacks when they came around. The spin was very similar to the one Drizzt had used on numerous occasions, only Entreri's off weapon was not long enough to make it as effective.
Trevor was quickly catching on to the rhythm and noticed with great interest that on every revolution, Entreri's back was turned to him for a brief second. Only to Trevor, that brief second looked much longer, and he rocked back and forth with the assassin, waiting for a chance to strike.
Then it came. There was a brief hitch in Entreri's spin, and Trevor came diving in. His long sword thrust time and again into the back of the cape with blinding speed, and he felt his blade cut and tear into the assassin's flesh underneath.
Trevor was a little confused as to why Entreri had not fallen dead after half a dozen jabs, for surely he had pierced the assassin's heart several times by now. Then he felt Entreri's dagger slide slowly into his own back, and he knew his folly.
"You killed that chair good," Entreri whispered into the dead man's ear and let him fall. Trevor slumped to the ground, his blade pulling the cape from the back of the upholstered chair where Entreri had draped it a moment before during mid-spin.
Entreri did not take the time to marvel over his clever trick, but turned to track down the mage. Reillon was terrified of the man that walked toward him, and barely got off a spell before Entreri was in striking distance.
The assassin recognized the shimmering outline that came upon the mage as a stoneskin spell, and he smiled. "Trying to buy yourself some time?" Entreri asked. "It won't work." The assassin exploded into motion, counting aloud each time one of his blades struck the magical barrier.
Reillon's voice was quivering as he tried to get out a stun spell. He knew if he could just touch the assassin with it, Entreri would be helpless, for it was far more powerful than the projectile version. But the assassin's insane speed and unnerving counting, which made it very clear exactly how long Reillon had left to live, also made it very difficult to concentrate.
Reillon had cast a double stoneskin on himself, and as Entreri, with his dagger, stuck the magical barrier for the sixteenth and final time in a fourth as many seconds, he reversed his grip on his rapier, turned about, and plunged it backwards.
Reillon had just been ready to cast the hold spell, but as Entreri turned quickly about, Reillon missed him and the spell misfired. As the frost blade sunk into his unprotected chest, Reillon stunned himself. As the last word of the spell escaped his lips, it was followed by a blue puff of frost.
The rest of the room watched on in horror, as the mage's stunned body slowly lost all heat and began to freeze over. Entreri walked a few paces away and turned to watch the spectacle. Reillon's mouth was still open, as the pale skin around it became even whiter under Cicle's influence. When the process was completed, a sickening crackle sounded throughout the room, and Reillon was completely frozen.
Entreri walked back up to the mage and yanked his sword free. The sound it made was like a blade being scraped against stone. The added momentum also started Reillon's statue falling forward. It hit the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces. A chill ran down Entreri's spine as he realized the power of his new weapon, and he quickly sheathed it.
Quinton was aghast. He was leaning against the table for support as pieces of his mage scattered about his feet. At first he was too stunned at the displays he had just seen to contemplate that he was next, but as Entreri slowly walked up to him, only his dagger in his hand, Quinton realized that his time had come to an end.
Entreri paused in front of the terrified man, his dagger held so its glint reflected into Quinton's eyes. The call had not come from Quinton, but from Jerithon. "Don't kill him."
"I wasn't going to," Entreri said, and his next three words ensured his future in this city, "he isn't armed."
Quinton relaxed visibly, and Entreri grabbed him roughly by the collar with his free hand. "You set me up. For that I should gut you like the spineless pig that you are. And if I wasn't feeling so damn righteous right now, I would."
With that, Entreri let go of the man, slapped him twice, and turned to leave. "Wait!" Jerithon called again. "You can just leave us like this!"
Entreri turned back around, already halfway to the door. "I was asked to kill a mage." He motioned to the shrapnel on the floor, which was slowly melting back to flesh. "I've done that."
"Please," Ellen asked. She had watched this whole display without leaving John's side. The captain, as much as he would have loved to see the assassin at work, had been unconscious through the whole affair.
When Ellen had heard from Parnid that Entreri had indeed come to rescue them, she had been confused. Then when he had whirled about the room, cutting up everything that moved, she realized that she had no idea what he was. But having just spared Quinton's life, when he was probably the most deserving of death, she understood that she had been right all along.
"Please," she said again.
Entreri looked at Quinton. "Do you have the key?" he asked, nodding toward Jerithon's suspended cage. Quinton nodded. "Let him go." The older man hesitated. "Let. Him. Go." Entreri made sure it was clear that he would not repeat himself again.
Quinton moved like a scolded child and did as he was told. He went to the winch on the wall and gently lowered the cage to the ground. He then unlocked the door and backed away. Jerithon wanted to leap out of the cage and throttle the man, but his legs had been in a cramped position for almost two whole days, and he found he was barely able to stand. Still Quinton kept his distance.
Entreri was not finished yet. "Go pick up that sword," he ordered, pointing to where Trevor had fallen. Quinton looked confused. Entreri did not bother repeating himself, but merely cocked his head and stared hard at the man. Even from across the room, the look was enough to get Quinton moving. He ran over to Trevor and pried the long sword from the dead man's hand.
"Now give it to the mayor."
"What?" Quinton responded. "He'll kill me."
"You give him that one," Entreri said as he drew his rapier and swiped it back and forth in front of him, leaving a frosty wake hanging in the air, "or I'll give him this one."
Quinton nearly impaled himself as he scrambled to give the weapon to Jerithon. As soon as the mayor held the sword up, he regained a measure of his strength and confidence. "Sit down," he ordered Quinton.
Entreri turned to Ellen. "Anything else?"
Ellen smiled at him. "Thank-you."
Entreri gritted his teeth as he prepared to say two particular words for the first time in his life. "You're welcome." With that he left.
* * *
Mayor Jerithon Alexander looked out of his window toward the river. He could see that the construction on the new warehouses across the river had already begun, and he was happy his daughter had been able to employ the workers required. Ellen was a member of the City Council now, and she was more than taking up the slack for the four they had lost.
It had been two weeks since the night when Entreri had taken back the city and handed it to Jerithon. The mayor had had his doubts about the man, but Ellen had been insistent that he allow him to stay within the city.
He had killed ten men directly that night, not including the five from the trapped door. That alone should have given him the death penalty, or at least earned him banishment from the city. It was not just that he had killed them, it was how he had killed them.
Ellen had argued against this thinking. The men who died were evil. They had been hired to take over the city, and if necessary, kill anyone who stood against them. Entreri had done what he needed to do. She said that if he had just shot them all with a crossbow, Jerithon would not have given it a second thought and would have held a parade in his honor. Dead is dead. It did not matter how Entreri had done it, just that he had. What was more important was whom he had killed, why he had killed them, and when he had stopped.
When it was presented to him in that light, Jerithon agreed with his daughter and allowed the assassin to stay. After some extra thought, he had even asked if he wanted to be Captain of the City Guard, but Entreri had just laughed, saying he was happy with his shack on the edge of the city.
Jerithon relented and instead ended up promoting one of the loyal men who had survived the take over. He was still looking for three more councilmen, but that would take time. People were not too eager to join a group that had so recently been a target of assassins no matter how much assurance Jerithon gave them that the threat had ended.
There was a knock on his door. "Come," Jerithon called. His page opened the door and scampered in. "Yes?"
The boy had ended his silent servitude and was allowed to speak now. "A woman is here to see you, sir. She said that she has traveled a long way to get here and that it is imperative she speaks with you."
"Does she have a name?"
The boy shrugged. "She did not give one."
Jerithon frowned. "Next time get one. Show her up."
The boy disappeared and a minute later led a thin well-dressed woman into the room. She was dressed for the outdoors, but her clothes had a regal look that said she was someone of importance. Her face could have been pretty, but her look was one of utter seriousness, making her almost homely. She was tall, and her movements very fluid and graceful except for a slight limp.
"My name is Elliorn," she said once the page had left and closed the door behind him. "I am a ranger from up north."
Jerithon rose from behind his desk to great his guest. She did not accept his offered hand. "Please have a seat," he offered. She shook her head. "Would you like a drink?" She shook it again.
"I'm here on business," she replied.
Regardless, Jerithon poured himself one and took his seat back behind the desk. "What about?"
"I understand you were victimized by some pretty brutal murders lately," she said.
"Yes," Jerithon agreed. "It was about two and a half weeks ago, but we caught the murderer. He was publicly executed last week, in fact."
"Quinton Palluge," Elliorn said, letting Jerithon know she knew what she was talking about, "a 53-year-old gem and precious metal merchant. He was your killer?"
"Well," Jerithon replied, "he had a few hired goons, but we were able to track them down without too much difficulty."
"Indeed. Let me get to the point, Mayor. I am looking for a deadly assassin who goes by the name Artemis. He is a few inches shorter than I am, with a neatly trimmed goatee. He wears a black cape and hat and uses a short sword and dagger. Do you know anyone who matches that description?"
Jerithon paused in thought and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I can't think of anyone." Entreri used a rapier now.
Elliorn looked a little annoyed. "I have reason to believe he is in your city and would request permission to conduct a search."
"Please," Jerithon agreed, "by all means, conduct your search. If this man lives within my city, I would appreciate any help you could offer to remove him."
"Can I retain the services of you City Guards?"
"Alas," Jerithon sad sadly, "we are a little short-handed right now, and I can not give you any guarantees. But feel free to question them as much as you like." They had all been told how to respond, and since Entreri was responsible for saving their jobs, they would comply.
"Well, if you remember anything that might help me, please let me know."
"Of course," Jerithon said. "If he turns up after you leave, I'll be sure to send a message to you as soon as possible."
Elliorn left. Jerithon waited a few minutes until he was sure she had left the building and then rang for his page. The boy appeared within moments. "Bring this to Artemis's house on the edge of the city," Jerithon said, handing the boy a rolled parchment he had prepared in advance. "Be quick about it."
The boy left, and Jerithon went back to looking at the construction across the river.
***Author's Note***
This is where the story ends. If I write any more in this world with Entreri, that story will pick up right here. You will see that this story continues a bit further. I almost did not include the following epilogue because I knew half of you would not like it. In reality, though, the few pages that follow are the real reason I wrote this story in the first place. I had imagined the following scene every night for about a month, but I knew that I could not get there unless I wrote what you just read. This epilogue is my response to what Drizzt said in his introduction to Part III of Servant of the Shard. Even though I thought of this story long before Servant of the Shard was even published, it turned out RAS and I were on the same page here. If you have not read the book, do not worry, I will not spoil the story, maybe a bit of the intro, but not the story. In the intro, Drizzt explains why he did not kill Entreri when he had the chance in Silent Blade. Briefly, he said that he could not kill Entreri because he could see that the assassin had hated what he had become. Drizzt had shown him that his life was hollow, and while Entreri hated the drow for it, neither could he deny its reality. Drizzt also says that he knew by holding back his blade, he sentenced many people to death at the hands of the assassin. How could this be justified? Even if Entreri did have a change of heart down the road, how is sparing his life worth the many he would kill before his redemptive change? How can this be justified, you ask. Read on, and I shall tell you.
***End of Note***
|Previous Chapter
Return to Campaign Logs