Arthur Hughes Phyllis

Arthur Hughes PhyllisFranz Marc Zwei KatzenFranz Marc yellow cowFranz Marc TigerFranz Marc Stables
What’re we going to do, Mum?”
“There’s bands of elves all over the place,” said Nanny,
“and there’s a big glow over the Dancers—“
“We must attack them!” shouted Casanunda. “Give ‘em a taste of cold steel!”
“Good man, that dwarf!” said Ridcully. “That’s right! I’ll get my crossbow!”
“There’s too many of them,” said Nanny flatly.
“Granny and . Even if it’s a million to one chance, ma’am.”
“That’s all very well,” said Nanny, “but what you’re say-
ing is, for every Mr. Ridcully that survives tonight’s work,
999,999 are going to get killed?”
“Yes, but I’m not bothered about those other buggers,” said Ridcully. “They can look after themselvesMiss Magrat are out there, Mum,” said Shawn. “Miss Magrat came over all strange and put on armor and went out to fight all of them!”“But the hills are crawling with elves,” said Nanny. “It’s a double helping of hell with extra devils. Certain death.”“It’s certain death anyway,” said Ridcully. “That’s the thing about Death, certainty.”“We’d have no chance at all,” said Nanny.“Actually, we’d have one chance,” said Ridcully. “I don’t268LORDS ftNO LftQf£6understand all this continuinuinuum stuff, but from what young Stibbons says it means that everything has to happen somewhere, d’y’see, so that means it could happen here

Daniel Ridgway Knight On the Way to Market

Daniel Ridgway Knight On the Way to MarketDaniel Ridgway Knight Shepherdess and her FlockDaniel Ridgway Knight Hailing the Ferry
Something bulleted out of another doorway and bore her to the floor.
It was Shawn Ogg. Through the chromatic haze she could see his worried face peering out from its hood of rusty—
l iron.

The song changed while staying the same. The complex harmonies, the fascinating rhythm did not alter but suddenly grated, as if she was hearing the song through different ears.
She was dragged into the doorway.
“Are you all and they’d
put their mark on her, so she’s doing what they want—“
“Shawn!”
“And Mum said they don’t kill you, if they can help it.
Not right away. You’re much more fun if you’re not dead.”right. Miss Queen?”“What’s happening?”“Dunno, Miss Queen. But I think we’ve got elves.”208LORQ6 fttfO iftQ/£6“Elves?”“And they’ve got Miss Tockley. Um. You know you tookthe iron away—““What are you talking about, Shawn?”Shawn’s face was white.“That one down the dungeons started singing,

Henri Matisse Spanish Still Life

Henri Matisse Spanish Still LifeHenri Matisse Moroccan LandscapeHenri Matisse Moorish ScreenHenri Matisse Luxe I
His clothes were soaked with dew.
His head felt full of wisps and whispers.
He stared at the stones.
The scumble jar was lying in the leather. After a moment or two he picked it up, and took an experimental swig. It was empty.
and knees looking for his hat. “Maybe when you gets ‘ome she’ll have married someone else, eh?”
“Maybe a hundred years’ll have gone past,” said Carter, hopefully.
“Cor, I hope so,” said Weaver, brightening up. “I had sevenpence invested in The Thrift Bank down in Ohulan. I’ll be a millionaire at complicated interest. I’ll be as rich as Creosote.”
“Who’s Creosote?” said Thatcher.
“Famous rich bugger,” said Barker, fishing one of his boots out of a peat pool. “Foreign.”
“Wasn’t he the one, everything he touched turned to gold?” said Carter.He nudged Weaver in the ribs with his boot.l Insert the usual “red-hot curried marbles” description here, if you like. 165Terry Pratchett“Wake up, you old bugger. We’ve been up here all night!”One by one, the Morris Men made the short but painful journey into consciousness.“I’m going to get some stick from our Eva when I get home,” moaned Carter.“You might not,” said Thatcher, who was on his hands
“Nah, that was someone else. Some king or other. That’s what

Johannes Vermeer Lady Standing at a Virginal

Johannes Vermeer Lady Standing at a VirginalJohannes Vermeer A Lady Writing a Letter
LORDS ftf/0 LfiQIES
But there was a price. No one asked you to pay it, but the very absence of demand was a moral obligation. You tended not to swat. You dug lightly. You fed the dog. You paid. You cared; not because it was kind or good, but because it was right. You left nothing but memories, you took nothing but experience.
But this other roving intelligence . . . it’d go in and out of another mind like a chainsaw, taking, taking, taking. She could sense the shape of it, the predatory shape, all cruelty and cool unkindness; a mind full of intelligence, that’d use other goes the other
way—“
“What thing?”
“You know what a bat’s eyesight is like. Just a big shape is all it saw. Something killed old Scrope. It’s still around. Not an ... not one o’ the Lords and Ladies,” said Granny, “but something from El... that place.”
Nanny looked at the shadows. There are a lot of shad-ows in aliving things and hurt them because it was fun.She could put a name to a mind like that.Elf.Branches thrashed high in the trees.Granny and Nanny strode through the forest. At least, Granny Weatherwax strode. Nanny Ogg scurried.“The Lords and Ladies are trying to find a way,” saidGranny. “And there’s something else. Something’salready come through. Some kind of animal from theother side. Scrope chased a deer into the circle and thething must have been there, and they always used to saysomething can come through if something

Mark Spain Crescendo II

Mark Spain Crescendo IIMark Spain Crescendo IMark Spain Cordoba
woman in the circle laughed.
“But they are like the stupid dwarfs! All they are inter-ested in is pebbles. There is nothing of interest in pebbles.”
The girl gives a kind of one-shoulder uni-shrug, as if indicating that pebbles may be full of quiet interest.
4
LORDS ft/VD ift0f£6
“Why can’t you come out from between the stones?”
There was a can’t keep your temper. They say you have no discipline.”
The girl tossed her hair. “Oh, you know that too, do you? Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they? But I mean to be a witch whatever they say. You can find things out for yourself. You don’t have to listen to a lot of daft old ladies who’ve never had a life. And, circle lady, I shall be the best witch there has ever been.”distinct impression that this was the wrong question to have asked. The woman carefully ignored it.“I can help you find far more than pebbles,” she said.“You can’t come out of the circle, can you?”“Let me give you what you want.”“I can go anywhere, but you’re stuck in the circle,” said the girl.“Can you go anywhere?”“When I am a witch I shall be able to go anywhere.”“But you’ll never be a witch.”“What?”“They say you won’t listen. They say you

Bartolome Esteban Murillo Annunciation

Bartolome Esteban Murillo AnnunciationWilliam Bouguereau The Song of the AngelsPierre-Auguste Cot La Tempete
pulled out the tortoise Om had just met.
For a moment it was held up, legs moving slowly, before the deacon threw it overarm into the rocks.
Then he picked up the sky with long, lazy sweeps of its wings.
Om watched it until it became a dot, and then looked away as a smaller dot detached itself and tumbled over and over toward the rocks below.
The eagle descended slowly, preparing to feed.
A breeze rattled the thornbushes and stirred the sand. Om thought he could hear the taunting, mocking voices of all the small gods.Brutha with some effort, slung him across his shoulders, and set off towards Omnia.It happened in seconds.Om fought to stop his head and legs retracting automatically into his shell, a tortoise's instinctive panic reaction.Vorbis was already disappearing round some rocks.He disappeared.Om started to move forward and then ducked into his shell as a shadow skimmed over the ground. It was a familiar shadow, and one fiIled with tortoise dread.The eagle swept down and towards the spot where the stricken tortoise was struggling and, with barely a pause in the stoop, snatched the reptile and soared back up into

Sandro Botticelli The Cestello Annunciation

Sandro Botticelli The Cestello AnnunciationSandro Botticelli Pallas and the CentaurSandro Botticelli Madonna in Glory with SeraphimJean Beraud La Rue de la Paix 1907
Not many. They only hurt his pride. And only after they'd run out of vegetables."
"They threw vegetables?"
"When they couldn't find any more eggs."
"And when we came to remonstrate-”
"I am sure sixty ships intended more than remonstrating," said the Tyrant. "And we have warned you, Lord Vorbis. People find in Ephebe what they seek. There will be more raids on your coast. We will harass your ships. Unless you sign."
"And passage through Ephebe?" said Vorbis.
The at your disposal. There are many fine temples and works of art should you wish to inspect them. When you require meals, mention the fact to the nearest slave."
"Slave is an Ephebian word. In Om we have no word for slave," said Vorbis.
"So I understand," said the Tyrant. "I imagine that fish have no word for water." He smiled the fleeting smile again. "And there are the baths and the Library, of course. Many fine sights. You are our guests."
Vorbis inclined his head.Tyrant smiled."Across the desert? My lord, if you can cross the desert, I am sure you can go anywhere." The Tyrant looked away from Vorbis and towards the sky, visible between the pillars."And now I see it is nearing noon," he said. "And the day heats up. Doubtless you will wish to discuss our . . . uh . . . proposals with your colleagues. May I suggest we meet again at sunset?"Vorbis appeared to give this some consideration."I think," he said eventually, "that our deliberations may take longer. Shall we say . . . tomorrow morning?"The Tyrant nodded."As you wish. In the meantime, the palace is
"I pray," he said, "that one day you will be a guest of mine