Macbeth Essays (435 words) - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth The character of Macbeth is a example of a tragic hero. There are many factors which contribute to the deterioration of Macbeth of which three will be discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth's deterioration are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character deterioates from a noble man to violent individual. The prophecies which were told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed to the deterioration of his character. If it had not been for the witches telling him that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. As a result of the prophecies, this aroused Macbeth's curiosity of how he could be King of Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches prophecies. The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his deterioration of character. Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an important role in this play because she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later regrets on his wrong doing. At the point of this play the audience can note the change in Macbeth's character. Macbeth's first murder was a trying experience for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth. Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character. However, Macbeth's ambition had not been strong enough to carry the motive to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth's influence also comes in to play because if not for Lady Macbeth, his ambition would not have been intensified enough to drive him to obtain and maintain his title of King of Scotland no matter what it took, even if it meant murdering. Macbeth's ambition influenced the cause of his new character. This new character of Macbeth contained greed, violence, and power hunger. Macbeth shows this when he kills King Duncan. In conclusion, the prophecies given to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth's influence and plan, and his intensified ambition, all contributed greatly to his deterioration of character which resulted to his downfall...death. Therefore Macbeth character displays strong signs of a tragic hero, making him the ideal classic example. Shakespeare

Critical Theory and Other Challengers to Traditional Realism in International Relations The WritePass Journal

Critical Theory and Other Challengers to Traditional Realism in International Relations ABSTRACT Critical Theory and Other Challengers to Traditional Realism in International Relations ABSTRACTIntroductionRealism and Its CriticsRealism’s Continued Validity in an Era of Global CapitalismConclusionREFERENCESRelated ABSTRACT International relations (IR) has traditionally been a field dominated by classical realism (or neorealism) in which states are considered to be the chief actors on the international stage, which is an ‘anarchic’ system where no organizations, institutions or supra-national entities are able to control and regulate them.   This is especially true with Great Powers, empires and superpowers like the United States, which write the rules of them game while only adhering to them very selectively.   They not only control the smaller or weaker states, but the policies of international organizations, which are based on rational calculations of self-interest.   Over the last thirty years, unconventional alternatives, ranging from feminism to postmodernism to critical theory have challenged the hegemony of classical realism in IR theory.   This has been a necessary and welcome corrective to a field that was too heavily focused on issues of war, diplomacy and national securi ty, particularly in a period when the global capitalist system and the new technologies associated with it have been expanding exponentially, creating a more interdependent global system. Introduction No other factor in traditional international relations (IR) theory is as important as the central concept that states are the central actors on the world stage, and that they are motivated by self-interest.   For most of human history, the international system was one of ‘anarchy’ with no powers at a supra-national level to regulate and control the actions of states, and necessarily the Great Powers with the strongest militaries and economies dominated the world order (Reus-Smit and Snidal 2010).   Over the last thirty years, a confusing array of post-modernists, deconstructionists and post-structuralists, feminists and new theorists of globalization and global capitalism have challenged traditional realism on almost every level.   This caused a â€Å"civil war† within the discipline, with the critical theorists questioning the very existence of knowledge, rationality and reality, at least as they had been defined in the modern world after the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution (Brown and Ainley 2009).   It also led to increased scepticism about the traditional primary sources used in IR and diplomatic history, particularly the official government records of states and the diaries and letters of statesmen.   Even classical realist scholars like Kenneth Waltz found their text being deconstructed to search for hidden meanings about power and domination by Western capitalism and imperialism (Brown 1994).   As a result of all this controversy, however, the IR field has become more diffuse and pluralistic, less centred on the actions of states and ruling elites, or the policies and ideologies of the most powerful Western states. Realism and Its Critics International relations (IR) has become a pluralistic field with many meaning meanings over the last thirty years, a process that has also occurred in history, political science and the other social sciences during this critical period.   Before 1945, and indeed well into the 1950s and 1960s, it was simply taken for granted that a few Great Powers and empires controlled the world, although in more recent times, U.S. domination of Latin America or â€Å"Europe’s subjugation of the tropical world was forgotten on repressed in the memory of the discipline† (Cox 2010, p. 95).   No statesman or theorist in the past could have forgotten it, though.   In more recent times, IR longer concerns itself solely with war, politics and diplomacy between the Great Powers, but has been deconstructed and reconstructed to open the door to a host of new theories and approaches, including feminism, environmentalism, capitalist institutions and organizations, new technologies, non-stat e actors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international institutions like the United Nations, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO) and European Union (EU). Although the IR will never be the same again, these changes, even though difficult and controversial at the time, have been for the best.   They have certainly enlivened its discourse, at least, away from earlier preoccupations with war, peace, national security and rational actors (of the like thereof in the case of leaders like Hitler).   IR has no real consensus on theory today, if it ever did, but unlike the physical sciences , the social sciences have no â€Å"universal consensus†¦to define a field† (Brown and Ainley, p. 2).   It also has to explain what is occurring in the world when states are not at war with each other or threatening to go to war, which is actually most of the time.   It has been forced to accept a plurality of theories because it deals with a complex world over lengthy periods, and the actions of a very diverse hodgepodge of groups, interests and states (Brown and Ainley, p. 12).   For this reason, there also appears to be a â€Å"seem ing lack of progress for the field as a whole†, but the truth is that reality is just messy (Reus-Smit and Snidal, p. 5). Realism’s Continued Validity in an Era of Global Capitalism Stephen Walt and other realists still insisted in the 1990s that for all the verbiage about globalization and the New World Order, the Great Powers were still in control of the system.   At that time, the U.S. appeared to be the unchallenged superpower, which had never been the case during the Cold War, and therefore realism remained the â€Å"most compelling general framework for understanding international relations† (Walt 1998, p. 43).   Although its leaders often spoke the language of globalism and Wilsonian internationalism, in reality they still acted on American self-interest and felt free to support or ignore international organizations like the IMF, UN and WTO as they saw fit.   All American presidents have issued public pronouncements in the language of democracy, freedom and liberal internationalism, no matter that a close study of their actual records shows them to have mostly been following realist policies (Nye 2008, p. 99).   Few other countries were pow erful enough within the international system to enjoy this luxury, which has been particularly true during the current recession and the latest round of IMF-style Structural Adjustment Programmes.   Liberalism was still a useful theory for explaining the influence of international capitalism and domestic politics, which constructivism took into account changes in regimes, culture and ideologies among ruling groups that classical realism tended to overlook, but fundamentally the strongest nations and empires dominated the world order as they always had. Realists freely concede that new Great Powers are emerging in the world, and that China and India have the potential to become superpowers in the future, but still maintain that regional and global organizations like NATO and the EU exist because states find them useful.   Perhaps another world war is very unlikely, particularly in an age of nuclear weapons, but the Great Powers still intervene regularly in the poorer regions of the planet to control natural resources, just as they always did in the past   (Nye, p. 103).   When one nation becomes too powerful and hegemonic in the international system, as the U.S. did after the Cold War, other powers will form coalitions and alliances to limit its influence, which Russia and China have been doing in recent years (Nye, p. 74).   For realists, none of this is new, but just part of the normal balance of power in the international order. Conclusion Traditional realism, which was one the dominant theory in IR, has indeed come under a severe challenge in recent decades from a plethora of alternative theories and definitions, which were especially necessary for the field if it was going to account for all the new developments in trade, technology, and global capitalism in the ‘postmodern’ era.   It could not survive as a serious academic discipline if it simply relied on the theoretical knowledge that existed in the very different world of 1900 or 1950, or to assume that war and diplomacy among the Great Powers are still the only worthwhile and important events that must be explained (Brown and Ainley 2009).   This is not to deny the existence of empires, great powers and superpowers, or their tremendous influence in the international system, only to insist that the world has become more complex and pluralistic in reality over the last thirty years.   Global capitalism and its opponents, the expansion of trade a nd the development of new technologies have also made the world appear to be far more interdependent and interconnected than ever before, even though there are still few international institutions that have real power over the U.S. and the other Great Powers- at least not yet. REFERENCES Brown, C., 1994. â€Å"’Turtles All the Way Down: Anti-foundationalism, Critical Theory and International Relations, Millennium, Vol. 23, No. 2 (1994), pp. 213-36. Brown, C. and K. Ainley. 2009. Understanding International Relations, 4th Edition. Palgrave MacMillan. Cox, R. 2010. The Point is Not Just to Explore the World but to Change It, in in Reus-Smit, Christian, and Duncan Snidal (eds), The Oxford Handbook of International Relations, Oxford University Press, pp. 84-93. Nye, J. S. 2008. Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History, 7th Edition. Longman. Reus-Smit, Christian, and Duncan Snidal, Between Utopia and Reality: The Practical Discourses of International Relations, in idem (eds), The Oxford Handbook of International Relations, Oxford UP, 2010, pp. 3-40. Walt, S. 1998. â€Å"International Relations: One World, Many Theories†, Foreign Policy, 110, Special Edition: Frontiers of Knowledge (Spring 1998), pp. 29-32+34-46.

Server-Side Scripting in PHP

Server-Side Scripting in PHP Server-side scripting as it relates to web pages usually refers to PHP code that is executed on the web server before the data is passed to the users browser. In the case of PHP, all PHP code is executed server-side and no PHP code ever reaches the user. After the PHP code is executed, the information it outputs is embedded in the HTML, which is sent to the viewers web browser. One way to see this in action is to open one of your PHP pages in a web browser and then choose the View Source option. You see the HTML, but no PHP code. The result of the PHP code is there because it is embedded in the HTML on the server before the web page is delivered to the browser. Example PHP Code and Result While the server-side PHP file may contain all the code above, the source code and your browser only display the following information: My cat Spot and my dog Clif like to play together. Server-Side Scripting vs. Client-Side Scripting PHP isnt the only code that involves server-side scripting, and server-side scripting isnt limited to websites. Other server-side programming languages are Python, Ruby, C#, C, and Java. There are many instances of server-side scripting, which provides a customized experience for users. In comparison, client-side scripting operates with embedded scripts- JavaScript is the most familiar- that are sent from the web server to a users computer. All the client-side script processing takes place in a web browser on the end users computer. Some users disable client-side scripting due to security concerns.

Decision and accounting making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Decision and accounting making - Essay Example From the below income statement summary, Waldron’s sales have been rising almost in all the four categories of products that they deal in. It is evident that Waldron has been experiencing significance growth as per the divisional summary report. Durafit has been hit with several market challenges including stiff competition from foreign markets. This can be witnessed even with the latest financial report that shows Durafit’s sales drop from 1, 332 million euros in the year 2012 to 1,214 million euros in the year 2012; this represented a decrease of 9%. Durafit has been struggling to come into the market as an active player but there are some issues that still hold the division. The decrease in sales also saw Durafit record low profit margin at the end of the year 2013 as compared to the year 2012. Durafit’s main challenge is the nature of its products versus customers’ taste. Durafit took time in adjusting to modern construction techniques which gave its major competitors time to adjust and conquer the market with modern building techniques. The division’s profit margin was up by 1% when both 2012 and 2013 are compared. This is one of the Waldron’s divisions that give the company an interest to continue in business. With its nature of operations, Contracts at one time experienced downfall in the U.K market which posed a threat in attaining its profits. With opening of its branch outside the U.K and completion of major projects ahead of schedule, Contracts has won the trust of major clients and has really benefited from this. Contracts’ sales improved greatly from 1,949 million euros to 1,214 million euros in the year 2012 to 2013 respectively; this represented a 12% increase. Gross profit margin was also up from 50% to 54%. This was as a result of opening up for new markets outside the U.K which saw its sales increase as a result of more tender being awarded to the division. Unlike other divisions, elite is one of the

Culture and the service user's experience Essay

Culture and the service user's experience - Essay Example Mrs. B is a 72-year old immigrant from India. She has recently joined her son after retiring from her work in one of India’s leading banks. Mrs. B’s son is a tenant in our neighborhood and he recently transferred to the hospital that I was placed in, taking a position in the hospital’s IT department. We have been acquainted for several months now and I have met his mother on several occasions. It is for this reason why I have chosen Mrs. B as my subject fore this study. She is comfortable with me perhaps because I have taken a strong interest in her cultural traditions. We have had several insightful conversations about matters such as food, yoga and Indian religious practices. I felt that the study is no more intrusive than these conversations and Mrs. B and her son approved of the whole undertaking. I was able to get a hold of her medical record and have thoroughly studied it before proceeding with my interview. Mrs. B is obese, deeply religious but very pleasant. About a month ago, she was admitted to the hospital due to fatigue, blurry vision, numbness and noticeable weakness in her body. Mrs. B’s son initially thought that his mother’s complaints were due to stress and difficulties in adjusting to a new cultural environment. Mrs. B believed that she is being punished for some previous sin. But the obvious discomfort led them to the hospital, wherein she was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. According to Margaret Andrews and Joyceen Boyle (2007), cultural beliefs and values influence health promotion, disease prevention, and the treatment of illness. (p. 154) This is because once an illness has social connotations the issues become more complex. It is common for cultural groups to have a body of knowledge and beliefs about health and disease. But the cultural influence on healthcare beliefs and practices has its positive and negative effects.

Sex and Violence on Television Essay -- Television Media TV Essays

Sex and Violence on Television   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since its inception, television has been the center of controversy. Often it has been viewed as being extremely detrimental to society, and because of this, it is often referred to as the "Boob-tube" or the "Idiot-box". So what makes television so detrimental? - The content (or in the opinion of many) the lack thereof. It is said that television has caused the rotting of our minds, that it depreciates the imagination and contributes to laziness. But the most important accusation against what comes over the airwaves, is that it influences some people into committing antisocial and often immoral behavior. Narrowing down the search of the most important problems reveals an excess of sexual and violent material on Television, most of which is readily available to young and extremely impressionable viewers. This material is often said to be the cause for the increase of violent crimes and open promiscuity, which has become more apparent over the past few d ecades. However, many would disagree with this standpoint. They believe that the amount of sex and violence seen each day on television is not the cause of societal woes, but has been caused by the problems that are witnessed in the real world every day. Perhaps it is just another case of which came first, the chicken or the egg? Also, the television industry is one of the most profitable of all industries, especially in this country, for, "Sex sells," as the saying goes. As for the violence that we see, only violence packed movies make as much money as they do and they are more likely to receive a lot of attention when first viewed on network television than non-violent blockbusters. As a movie executive once put it, "Violence is going ... ... Cancels Crime Show That Fails to Get Any Ads."The New York Times3 May 1989:D1. "Celebrate the Freedom to Read: Read 1996's Most Challenged Books." American Library Association. 1996. Go To Constitution of the United States of America.Amendment I. Eysenck, H. J. "Sex Violence and the Media." New York: St. Martin's Press1978. Godwin, Mike. "Why We'll Win: When Uncle Sam gets out of line, Good Lawyers Are The Best Revenge" HotWired. 1996. Go To Guyton, Kady. "Censored Literature Draws Attention." Student Publications Inc. 1995. Go To Haithman, Diane."Housewife Critic of TV Finds Less to Protest."Los Angeles Times 22 July 1989:V1. Wyatt, Robert O., David Neft, David P. Badger."Free Expression and the American Public: A Survey Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the First Amendment." Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1991. Sex and Violence on Television Essay -- Television Media TV Essays Sex and Violence on Television   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since its inception, television has been the center of controversy. Often it has been viewed as being extremely detrimental to society, and because of this, it is often referred to as the "Boob-tube" or the "Idiot-box". So what makes television so detrimental? - The content (or in the opinion of many) the lack thereof. It is said that television has caused the rotting of our minds, that it depreciates the imagination and contributes to laziness. But the most important accusation against what comes over the airwaves, is that it influences some people into committing antisocial and often immoral behavior. Narrowing down the search of the most important problems reveals an excess of sexual and violent material on Television, most of which is readily available to young and extremely impressionable viewers. This material is often said to be the cause for the increase of violent crimes and open promiscuity, which has become more apparent over the past few d ecades. However, many would disagree with this standpoint. They believe that the amount of sex and violence seen each day on television is not the cause of societal woes, but has been caused by the problems that are witnessed in the real world every day. Perhaps it is just another case of which came first, the chicken or the egg? Also, the television industry is one of the most profitable of all industries, especially in this country, for, "Sex sells," as the saying goes. As for the violence that we see, only violence packed movies make as much money as they do and they are more likely to receive a lot of attention when first viewed on network television than non-violent blockbusters. As a movie executive once put it, "Violence is going ... ... Cancels Crime Show That Fails to Get Any Ads."The New York Times3 May 1989:D1. "Celebrate the Freedom to Read: Read 1996's Most Challenged Books." American Library Association. 1996. Go To Constitution of the United States of America.Amendment I. Eysenck, H. J. "Sex Violence and the Media." New York: St. Martin's Press1978. Godwin, Mike. "Why We'll Win: When Uncle Sam gets out of line, Good Lawyers Are The Best Revenge" HotWired. 1996. Go To Guyton, Kady. "Censored Literature Draws Attention." Student Publications Inc. 1995. Go To Haithman, Diane."Housewife Critic of TV Finds Less to Protest."Los Angeles Times 22 July 1989:V1. Wyatt, Robert O., David Neft, David P. Badger."Free Expression and the American Public: A Survey Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the First Amendment." Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1991.

Thorn Queen Chapter Sixteen

I tossed and turned that night, surprised I didn't lapse into the alcohol-induced coma I'd kind of hoped for. I finally woke up with the sunrise and decided to leave before too many people noticed. Only a few servants were up and around, for which I was grateful. I didn't want to see Shaya's concerned look or listen to Dorian and Ysabel flirt over breakfast. I didn't want to think about what the two of them had done last night-or why it bothered me so much. I was Dorian's friend. That was enough. Before leaving, I stuck my head downstairs in the prison. The night shift of guards was still awake and alert, and Volusian kept his emotionless watch in the cell's corner. Jasmine was curled up in a ball, fast asleep, though I could see dried tears on her cheeks. Unguarded in sleep, she seemed very young. I transitioned back to Tucson, bearing one of the worst hangovers of my life. Despite the fact that it was later in the morning there, my house was as still as the castle had been. Considering the way the cats and dogs watched me expectantly, I had to assume Tim hadn't gotten up to feed them yet. I let the dogs out in the backyard and told the cats they'd have to wait. As for me, I downed two glasses of water and half a bottle of aspirin practically, before collapsing in my room. My own bed provided the comfort the castle's couldn't, and I slept heavily for two hours. I felt a lot better when I got up, and a shower improved things further. The smells of French toast wafted out to me, and my tormented stomach welcomed the thought of food. I headed out to the kitchen to tell Tim to serve up a double helping and found that he wasn't alone. A girl in her twenties sat at the table, giggling and wearing his Homeland Security T-shirt. Tim stood at the stove with the aforementioned French toast, bare-chested in sweatpants and several beaded necklaces. â€Å"Oh, hi,† squeaked the girl. â€Å"Eug! What are you-er, greetings of the morning, Sister Eugenie.† Tim held up his palm. â€Å"I did not realize you were home.† I rolled my eyes, having no patience for his routine this morning. I poured myself a cup of coffee. â€Å"I hope you've got real maple syrup.† He handed me over a plate of French toast, fresh off the stove. I think it had been intended for his lady friend, but he knew better. I found the maple syrup in the refrigerator, doused the toast liberally, and then headed back out to the living room without another word to either of them. A few minutes later, Tim scurried in, looking sheepish. â€Å"You know you aren't supposed to bring them home,† I said. â€Å"Yeah, I know. It's just†¦well, I didn't actually think you'd be home with the way things have been lately.† â€Å"Not unreasonable,† I conceded. â€Å"But that doesn't change the rules. You stay at their places.† He nodded. â€Å"Can she at least finish breakfast before I kick her out?† I chewed my own food, thinking about what I had to do today. I swallowed and sighed. â€Å"You can let her stay all morning. I'm leaving soon anyway†¦I'll probably be gone most of the day.† Tim brightened with unexpected pleasure. â€Å"Really? Oh, sweet. Thanks, Eug. You're the best-â€Å" I handed him my empty plate. â€Å"Just get me a refill, and we'll call it even.† Since telling Lara to keep my schedule open, I now had days with no plans-which proved terribly convenient today. I was going to drive out to Yellow River again to talk to Abigail and Art and try to make some sense of this red snake business. There were too many questions and loose ends surrounding it all, and I needed to start tying some of it up so that I could get on with my life. The downside of a drive like that was that it gave me lots of time to think. Lots and lots of time. It was a clear day, and there were no major cities along the way. It was just me, my mind, and the open road. I kept thinking about how Kiyo and I had last driven this trek together and the sex that had followed at the hotel. I thought about him and Maiwenn now, celebrating the birth of their daughter. I thought about my breakdown with Dorian and my fears that Kiyo wouldn't want me anymore. I'd brought my cell phone with me and had it sitting on the passenger seat, volume up high. I didn't want to miss a call from Kiyo†¦because surely he'd call to tell me about his daughter as soon as he could, right? If I hadn't heard anything, it meant he was still in the Otherworld, which-as one might imagine-didn't have the greatest cell coverage. We'd visited Art first last time, but when I got off the highway, I found I was closer to Abigail's. So, I drove through Yellow River's modest downtown-past the sex-toy store-and parked outside her building. It was afternoon by now, and people were out and about, with tourists in particular poking their heads into the antiques store beneath Abigail's apartment. I found the little doorway by the store's entrance and headed upstairs, wondering if I'd be overrun with cats. But I wasn't-largely because I never made it into the apartment. I knocked several times and even called Abigail's name once. When that didn't pan out, I dialed the number Roland had given me. I got her voice mail but nothing more. â€Å"So much for that,† I muttered. Maybe it was just as well. Art was the one who held most of my attention anyway, what with his tattoo and all. He was the one who needed to be questioned. So, I left the town for the suburbs, and in full daylight I could really take in how cute Art's neighborhood was. The houses were large and new like his, and his neighbors appeared to love their lawns just as much. I didn't see Art outside, but a large red SUV in the driveway boded well for him being around. I knocked twice on the door, and for a moment, I thought he too must be out and about. Just as I nearly rang the doorbell, he finally opened the door. His hair was damp, like he'd just come out of the shower, and he held a pair of hedge clippers in one hand. â€Å"Eugenie!† His face split into a grin. â€Å"This is a surprise.† The smile momentarily faltered. â€Å"Is everything okay? Roland†¦?† â€Å"Fine, fine,† I assured him. â€Å"I just wanted to ask you some more questions.† â€Å"You drove a long way for that,† he mused, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. People had an easier time lying over the phone, but I could hardly tell him that. â€Å"I had the time and thought it would make things simpler.† â€Å"Sure. I'm happy for the company†¦so long as you don't mind hanging out with me while I get a little work done?† He waved the clippers by way of explanation. â€Å"No problem.† He offered me something to drink first, but I was still holding on to coffee I'd bought at a gas station and declined. I sat down on his front step while he began trimming some of the thick shrubs flanking the front of the house. They were thick and heavy-leaved, filled with pretty yellow blossoms. They seemed to want to consume the house, and I was reminded of Sleeping Beauty's castle, and the thorns that had surrounded it. He didn't cut their overall height but mostly seemed concerned with making them look neat. â€Å"I stopped by Abigail's on my way here, but she didn't seem to be home.† â€Å"I think she's in El Paso for a few days,† Art said. The muscles in his arms bulged, raising his T-shirt's sleeve and showing me the coiled red snake. â€Å"Her sister lives there. They're close, which is good, but I sure could have used her help with a banishing the other day. You should have come by then. It was a gentry girl, actually-you were looking for those, right?† â€Å"Yes,† I said, startled. â€Å"I take it you managed to send her back on your own?† â€Å"Yeah. She wasn't that tough. More scared than anything else.† I sipped my coffee, trying to make sense of this new development. I may have very well indeed jumped to conclusions about Art's kidnapping role. Maybe Moria had just been banished after wandering here. â€Å"Do your jobs ever actually take you to the Otherworld?† I asked. He gave a gruff laugh. â€Å"Not if I can help it. Those transitions are a bitch, even with that crossroads. I haven't actually been over in†¦I don't know. Years.† â€Å"Huh,† I said. Art paused in his clipping, giving me a puzzled look. â€Å"Why do you ask?† â€Å"I've heard stories-that is, gentry rumors-about some human over there who kind of sounds like you.† â€Å"Like me?† His confusion grew. â€Å"That's a little weird.† â€Å"It was a human with a red snake tattoo.† I didn't mean to sound accusatory, but a tiny bit of it slipped into my tone. â€Å"Why on earth would I lie about crossing over?† he asked. He wasn't angry, exactly, but some of that friendly demeanor had cooled a little. â€Å"Whoa, hey. I didn't say you did.† I tried not to sound too defensive. â€Å"It was just weird that there were sightings of someone who looked like you near where your crossroads lets out.† â€Å"The gentry I've banished are probably getting confused and thinking I was in their world when I kicked them out of this one†¦it's honestly hard to understand how any of them think. And you know how disorienting banishing is.† â€Å"Yeah, I know. I'm just saying the story I heard was weird.† Art said he'd kicked a gentry girl out, but Moria sure had sounded like she'd escaped. If I thought his attitude was cool earlier, it was frigid now. â€Å"I find it equally weird that a shaman is chummy enough with gentry to be listening to their stories-and concerned about them. Why does it matter to you if humans are over there anyway?† â€Å"Because those humans might be harming gentry.† â€Å"And?† â€Å"And it's not right.† He snorted and returned to his trimming. â€Å"They're gentry, Eugenie. They're not like us. And from what I hear, you're not all that gentle with them anyway.† â€Å"When they're in this world, yeah.† â€Å"Any world, Eugenie. They're literally not human. Why do you care so much?† â€Å"None of your business.† The harsh words were out before I could stop them. Art paused again and this time turned to fully face me. â€Å"And it's none of your business where I go and what I do-in either world.† My heart lurched in my chest. â€Å"What, are you saying it is you? That you have been over in the Otherworld recently?† â€Å"I'm saying I'm done with this discussion. You're not welcome here if you're just going to toss around ridiculous accusations-accusations that don't even matter.† â€Å"It matters to them.† â€Å"I think you're asking the wrong questions here. You need to examine your motives and figure out why you're so eager to defend those who have no regard for us-and why you're picking fights with your own kind.† I shot up, careful of the coffee. â€Å"I'm not picking a fight.† â€Å"Then get out of here before there is one.† We stood there, locked in antagonism, and I wondered if it would come to a fight. I was armed, and he wasn't, though he was bigger and better-muscled. No, that was stupid. Why would he fight? He hadn't confessed to anything, only grown hostile at what he read as me accusing him of things he didn't consider crimes. That didn't make him guilty-but it didn't make him innocent either. Something just didn't feel right here. â€Å"Fine,† I said, backing off. â€Å"I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just trying to figure things out and make sure no one's being wronged.† He smiled, but it was a far cry from the easy grin that had greeted me. â€Å"What in God's name would you do if someone was? Come on, Eugenie. Don't overinflate your sense of obligation-or importance. There's no shaman police. You don't have any jurisdiction or right to dictate what I or anyone else around here-or anywhere-does.† â€Å"Noted,† I said, heading toward my car. I was afraid if I stayed, I was going to say something I'd regret. Regardless if he had a role in all this, I didn't like the callous way he treated gentry-particularly since it was similar to the attitude I'd once had. â€Å"I'll send your regards to Roland.† â€Å"Make sure you do,† called Art. â€Å"And maybe you should have a talk with him about some of these ideas while you're at it. Roland knows what's right.† I bit my lip and got in the car without further comment. So. No real answers here, but something felt wrong about Art. He was too guarded and hostile, and despite his claims about not having been to the Otherworld recently, the rest of his comments made it seem very plausible that he could be lying. Yet, I realized what also bothered me as much as his reticence was his attitude toward the gentry. Roland's was similar, albeit not as harsh, and he'd warned me away plenty of times. Kiyo also wanted me to keep out of gentry affairs-inasmuch as I could-which was rather hypocritical, considering his involvement. I was enmeshed, whether I liked it or not, and had accepted that my views on the gentry had changed. They were odd, and I didn't always approve of them, but in their hearts, I knew they were people not all that different from me, full of the same feelings and hopes. I couldn't understand how Art or anyone else could think girls disappearing was unimportant-even if they were gentry. It occurred to me as I drove away that Art hadn't invited me inside either time. Coincidence? His meticulous yard certainly suggested he spent as much time outdoors as within. And yet†¦would I have found some evidence in there to shed more light on his activities? Damn. There was nothing to be done for it now, not with Art still there and suspicious of me. As I drove back through town toward the highway, a backup plan came to me. What had Art said? That Abigail was out of town for a few days? As of yet, I had no evidence whatsoever to suggest that she was involved with any of this Otherworldly intrigue, but she was an associate of Art's. Maybe there was something to be unearthed at her place. So, I parked outside her apartment once more and slipped in past the antiques store. My athame, wand, and gun were my usual tools of the trade, but I did carry a few little-used ones, such as a quartz crystal for reading energy. I also had a small lock-picking kit I kept in my bag. Imps, trolls, and other creatures of that ilk sometimes tried to lock themselves away from me. If Abigail's lock wasn't particularly state of the art, I should be able to get in. It wasn't, and judging from the lack of beeping, there was no alarm system within either. The closest she had was her herd of cats. They swarmed around me in a furry, slithering mass, less hostile than hungry. I wondered who fed them when she was gone. Uneasily, I decided to make this search quick, lest an unsuspecting pet sitter come trolling around. Searching wasn't easy since the place was still cluttered with books, incense, and candles. My task was made more difficult by the fact that I had no clue what I was looking for. I lifted and moved things as best I could, hoping the place wouldn't look ransacked. In spite of the mess, I was again struck by how nice the apartment was, how it had been expensively restored. The floors were true hardwoods-no laminate here-and all the molding and crownwork was elaborate and beautiful. This place couldn't be cheap, and it seemed a shame she'd let her pack-rat habits get the best of it. Not that I was one to talk. I concluded my search with a quick scan of the bedroom. It was less messy and hence had less to browse. Her duvet was a patchwork of brightly colored silks, and the closet was filled with scarves and gauzy dresses. A jewelry box on her dresser displayed a stunning collection of necklaces and rings, and beside it was-so help me-a pair of handcuffs. I almost laughed, trying to imagine New Agey Abigail into something kinky. Maybe I hadn't been the only one to visit the sex-toy shop. Of course, whereas mine had been cheap and lightweight, these were industrial-strength steel ones, like cops would use. If she was into kinky stuff, then it was pretty hardcore. I drove back to Tucson after that, arriving in early evening. My autopilot sense of direction started to take me home, and then, at the last moment, I called Tim. â€Å"Has Kiyo called or stopped by?† â€Å"Nope. But one of his cats threw up on the living-room floor.† â€Å"That's not quite the same.† We disconnected, and I checked my cell phone for the hundredth time. Nope. No missed calls there either. With a sigh, I turned toward Saguaro National Park and its easy-access crossroads. If Kiyo couldn't emerge from the Otherworld and into this one, then perhaps he'd sent some sort of message to the Thorn Land. I felt stupid and desperate, like a girl waiting by the phone. But what else could I do? Unfortunately, the Otherworldly news was no better. â€Å"No, your majesty,† said Nia. Her voice was anxious and apologetic, as though she herself was personally to blame. â€Å"There's been no word.† I thanked her and figured that if I'd gone to the trouble to come here, I should find Shaya and get some sort of update. When I went searching, however, it was a most unexpected visitor I found instead: Girard, the dark-skinned courtier and metalsmith from Maiwenn's party. â€Å"Your majesty,† he said with a bow, as flamboyant as ever. â€Å"I was hoping I'd see you before I had to leave.† â€Å"Before you had to†¦what are you doing here?† I asked, more perplexed than displeased by his presence. â€Å"I've come to bring you this.† Like a magician producing a rabbit from under his cape, Girard held out a stunning necklace. The chain was made of exquisite, swirling links that rippled like water, and a pear-shaped sapphire ringed in pearls hung from it. â€Å"Oh my God,† I gasped, taking it from him. â€Å"This is incredible. Did you make this?† â€Å"Yes, your majesty.† His voice was modest, but he was clearly pleased by my regard. â€Å"Who's it from?† Recalling the comments others had made about his political aspirations, I half-expected it to be a gift from him. Then, suddenly and hopefully, I wondered if Kiyo had sent it as a token of affection since he had to spend so much time away from me. I wouldn't have put it past Dorian either, but he would have presented it himself. â€Å"It's from Prince Leith of the Rowan Land.† Of course. I should have known. Leith accepting his fate last night had been too good to be true. â€Å"His highness adds that he'll also have me make a crown to match if you would like. He sends this with his greatest love and devotion.† â€Å"I'm sure he does.† I sighed and handed the necklace back. â€Å"Well, a crown is definitely out of the question, I'm afraid. And actually†¦I'm really sorry, Girard, but I can't even keep this. I hate for your work to go to waste.† He took the necklace and deftly slipped it into one of his many pockets. â€Å"It's no trouble at all. I understand how romantic affairs go-or rather, how they don't go. His highness will be sad, but I enjoyed the chance to work on something new for a change, so it was worth it, even if it won't grace your neck.† I recalled how he lived at Katrice's court. â€Å"What do you usually work on?† He made a small face. â€Å"Her majesty Queen Katrice is partial to animals and collects figurines, jewelry†¦anything depicting them. Last week, I made a crystal squirrel. It was lovely, of course, but it's the fifth squirrel I've made this year.† I couldn't help but laugh. â€Å"Well, I guess I'm glad for this, then. Maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  An idea suddenly came to me. â€Å"Maybe I can give you another project away from her menagerie. Do you have the time?† Girard bowed low. â€Å"Of course.† â€Å"I heard you can work with iron to a certain extent. Here's what I need†¦.† I described my problem with Jasmine and how I needed more flexible restraints that contained as much iron as he could handle. Theoretically, I could have brought over human handcuffs, but I wanted special ones not only for mobility but because I needed bronze or copper somewhere on them so that my guards could touch them if need be. Girard listened thoughtfully, nodding as I spoke. â€Å"Yes, of course I can do this. I can have them for you tomorrow.† â€Å"Whoa, I didn't expect-â€Å" He threw back his head and laughed. â€Å"Your majesty, you forget that we don't forge and work metal like humans do. I order the metal to bend, and it does. The rest is in skill and patience.† I supposed he had a point. I thanked him profusely, telling him that Shaya would settle the price with him later. Once he left, I then set out to find Shaya myself, still needing a report. Before I could, I was intercepted again-this time by Ysabel. She was alone, which I took to mean Dorian had returned to the Oak Land. That was something, at least. I didn't want him camping out around here-particularly after my teary-eyed weakness last night. She came to a halt before me, arms crossed. Whatever fear she'd had from our last lesson seemed to have completely vanished. Maybe Dorian's visit had reassured her. Or maybe she figured she had little to fear from someone who'd spent all of last night moping and drinking away her sorrows. â€Å"My lord says I still cannot leave until we've worked together at least one more time.† â€Å"Bummer,† I said and started to pass her. â€Å"I've got to find Shaya.† She blocked my way again. It was deja vu of the last time she'd accosted me about this. â€Å"Shaya's gone right now. The sooner we get this over with, the better. I know you have nothing else to do with your time right now either. You're simply waiting for your kitsune to throw you some sort of bone.† Alright, now she'd pissed me off, largely because she was right. â€Å"That's not true. I have plenty of things to do. Besides, I don't know if I really need your help anymore. I think at this point it's all just practicing on my own.† With my mind, I reached out, feeling the different types of air around us. I stayed well away from her but pulled together several groups. Now that I understood their individual natures, it wasn't that hard to combine them into larger gusts. I blasted the air through the hall, creating a gust of wind that rivaled the one she'd smugly showed me that first day. Her expression showed disdain, but I swear, there was fear in her eyes again. I remembered what Shaya had said, that I was learning too quickly and too well. â€Å"That is†¦acceptable,† Ysabel said at last. â€Å"But it was clumsy. And you can't combine it with water yet to truly control the weather.† She was right on that, but I felt I had a good enough understanding of both to just keep practicing. â€Å"It'll come with time. I'll be fine on my own.† â€Å"My lord said one more time†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That scornful expression faded now, replaced by uncertainty. â€Å"There is something else†¦something†¦well, you haven't even come close to it yet.† â€Å"I inherited storm magic. Water and air. What else is there?† â€Å"Follow me, and I'll show you-if you can handle it.† There it was, the old attitude. It was almost comforting. She took me back out to the courtyard we'd been in last night. A servant I'd seen around the castle was painstakingly setting more tiles into the ground, expanding the patio area. We stood well away from him, and Ysabel continued keeping her arms crossed over her chest, posture still rigid and defensive. â€Å"I'll be glad when this is over and I can return to the Oak Land. It's obvious my lord misses me.† Her eyes glinted wickedly. â€Å"He made love to me last night with a passion I've never seen before. It left me screaming and aching in ecstasy.† I rolled my eyes and stopped myself from saying, Yeah, because he was thinking of me. â€Å"Let's just get this over with so you can leave and get all the screaming and aching you want. What else was there I needed to know?† â€Å"There's something else in the air,† she said. She bit her lip in thought, trying to articulate her meaning. â€Å"I can feel it, but I'm unable to touch it. Probably you can't either.† â€Å"Can you be a little more specific?† â€Å"It's always there†¦it's like the pieces of the air are†¦prickly. Sharp to the touch. There are more of them, though, before a storm.† I stared stupidly for a moment, and then the human part of me put it together. â€Å"Lightning†¦you're talking about making lightning,† I breathed. What was the scientific term? â€Å"Those are charged particles.† The term meant nothing to her, but she'd nodded when I mentioned lightning. Eagerness flared up in me, and I immediately felt out around me. Sensing all the air molecules was easy now. The only two I could name were oxygen and carbon dioxide. All the others had their own unique feel, but I couldn't say if they were nitrogen or hydrogen or what. After a few minutes of groping with my mind, I shook my head. â€Å"I don't feel anything like that.† Ysabel seemed pleased by this. â€Å"Like I said, you likely aren't strong enough.† â€Å"It's a clear day,† I pointed out. â€Å"There probably aren't any around.† â€Å"No, they're always there. There aren't many today, but I can feel them.† I set my lips into a hard line, trying again. It was just like the old days with Dorian: endless waiting, save that he would have tied me up. Ysabel probably would have too if I'd let her, if only to use the chance to slit my throat. Air, air, air. Every particle unique, yet none of it had the sharp, prickly feel she was describing. Distantly, I remembered the one time I had summoned a storm. I'd been caught by an elemental gentry, on the verge of being raped while my mother lay injured. In my crazy desperation and panic, I'd summoned a storm that nearly leveled my house. I had little memory of how I'd done it, though. The whole thing was a blur, like some kind of dream that- All the hairs on my arms suddenly stood up. There. There, mixed in with other air above us was something†¦well, to put it bluntly, electric. It felt prickly, just as she'd described. I reached for it, trying to control it as I had the other particles, but it was slippery. It was like oil running through my fingers, and I understood now why she couldn't do it. It was a very different phenomenon. Steeling myself, I tried again, and for one heartbeat, I drew them together into a knot. The smell of ozone filled the air, and then I lost my grip. No flash of light, no thunder. But Ysabel's face was aghast. â€Å"You†¦you did it. You shouldn't have been able to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I didn't really do anything.† â€Å"You shouldn't have been able to do that†¦not yet†¦. I can't even touch them.† Too fast and too easily. Just like my father. â€Å"I'm nowhere near to being there yet.† I hoped I sounded reassuring. â€Å"This is going to be harder.† I couldn't say how I knew; it was just something I felt. Wielding air, creating wind†¦that would come with practice. Lightning was a different beast. But when I did†¦ I suddenly shivered and was astonished at the exultation that ran through me. If I could learn to create and control lightning†¦Jesus Christ. That kind of power was unimaginable. It was a large part of what had made Storm King so feared. Being able to do that would be unbelievable. Amazing. Exquisite. Being like a god†¦ I snapped myself out of those thoughts, aghast at what I'd been thinking-again. Talk about megalomania. I was no god. Craving that kind of power was wrong; everyone said so. Well, those from the human world, at least. Yet, if I could summon lightning, I could blow a fair number of those fucking demons out of existence. Surely that was a good use of my power. Unfortunately, what I'd said to Ysabel was true. It was going to take awhile, and until I developed some other amazing weapon, those demons were going to keep coming back and- I froze, suddenly forgetting about the phenomenal power I'd just touched. I had a weapon right in front of me, something that might seriously get rid of those demons once and for all. Unfortunately, it was not an easy one to use. â€Å"Son of a bitch,† I said. â€Å"Jasmine.†