A thick white mist hangs over the Eastern Sea, covering all of the ships that are attempting to navigate the grey waters. The pirates sit on the bottom of their sleek ship, huddled amongst their chests of gold, shivering in fear despite the warmth of the night. Humfard the one-eyed hobgoblin jumps lithely up onto the aft castle towards Elkira, who steers the ship. "It's unnatural, this fog," he grumbles, "at this time of year it is." "Aye, Humfard," responds the pirate woman, "I sense the work of a spell caster. Look, I cannot even see the bottom of the ship from up here." Through the fog on the forecastle, two pirates stand and look over the side, trying to peer through the deep forbidding wall of whiteness. "Did you hear something?" one of them asks. "It was like a splashing on the water." "It is just the ship." "Actually, it was me," says a feminine voice from the gloom. They jump up, startled, as a soaking wet Mora steps from the ship's wooden railing onto the top of the forecastle. The water on her cape and hood is evaporating, turning into steam as she moves. "I am looking for a band of travellers who stole the cargo of a ship called the Peregrine." "How?" stammers one of the pirates. The other draws his falchion and jumps at the cloaked figure. The scythe spins around and the man falls back, his arm severed. The second pirate jumps to the back of the forecastle and yells for help. Mora's scythe slices across and cuts off his cry in mid-yell. His head falls down from the forecastle amongst his comrades. The second pirate is pulling himself away from Mora, dragging himself with his left hand. She is almost nonchalant in her execution of him, the point of her scythe stabbing down as she investigates the remainder of the forecastle. She walks to the edge of the forecastle and looks into the mist-filled hull of the ship. She can hear the shouts and yells of the pirates and she smiles to herself. She readies her scythe and jumps down from the forecastle, amongst the confused pirates. Humfard stares intently into the mist. "What is happening?" he growls. "I cannot see a thing." Behind him, Elkira ties the steering in place and draws her falchion. "We must investigate," she says. "Our dog-brothers need our help." "No," he mutters. "If we go down into the mist, we will be ambushed. We will wait up here and catch them if they come up the ladder." They wait, standing at the top of the ladder that leads from the hull. They can hear the sounds: of cries and shrieks, of muffled movements and the swish of sword and scythe strikes. A head flies out of the mist and crashes against the side of the forecastle, before dropping back into the hull. Two pirates run out of the mist towards the forecastle, screaming in fright. One appears to trip over and his body falls forward. Elkira notices that his legs are severed below the knee. The second pirate jumps up onto the ladder and Humfard reaches down a hand to help him up. He grabs the pirate by the hand and pulls him upwards, dragging him towards the top. The pirate shrieks in pain and Humfard grunts, unable to drag any further. Then the pirate is free and Humfard falls backwards; the body of the pirate falls onto him. Elkira gasps in fright; there is a huge hole in the pirate's back. Elkira turns back to the ladder and looks into the depths of the fog, her falchion ready. Humfard pushes the body from him and staggers to his feet. Humfard backs away from the edge with fear in his eyes. He hears a creaking sound behind him, like a door opening, and he turns around slowly. Mora is standing behind him, next to the trapdoor that leads from the cabin below, inside the aft castle. There are cuts on her cloak and blood splattered over it. Elkira notices that, although most of the blood is red, some of appears to be white and actually burns the cloak where it drips onto

The Republic of Bolivia, as it existed prior to the termination of the war with Chile in 1882, had an area of 597,271 square miles, exclusive of the territory of El Chaco, claimed alike by Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina. The population, though never carefully determined, was estimated by the best Bolivian authorities as two and a half million, and of this, about half consisted of savage and domesticated Indians. In other words, a population about equal to that of the State of Massachusetts occupied a territory three and a half times greater in area than that covered by our ten New England and Middle States combined. During the colonial days of South America, Bolivia was a part of Peru, having been subdued and annexed by Hernando, a brother of Francisco Pizarro, and in 1559, it was formed into the Audiencia of Charcas, or Upper Peru. "The haughtiest of all the old Spanish Conquistadores," says a prominent writer, "settled in the country and clustered their titled families around its ten thousand open silver-mines." slogan: Keep Faith in Self and, Have Fun Trying W. L. "Gunny" ADAMS

Wonder Woman recognizes that the Beastiamorphs overrunning the island of Valdonia are creations of her old enemy, Circe, so she sets out to deal with the threat; but she finds that the petulant king wants Superman, Circe has disguised herself, and the only clue is a strange, pea-sized stone hidden under a tower of mattresses on Wonder Woman's bed--and she has to untangle Circe's spell, defeat the sorceress, and prove to the king that she is a real hero.

From the author of Doomed Queens, an entertaining and informative look at the lives of over 30 princesses from the past and present. Welcome to Bad Princess by Kris Waldherr, where you’ll discover what really happens after “Happily Ever After.” From the war-torn Dark Ages of Medieval Europe to America's Gilded Age, and all the way up to Kate Middleton, Bad Princess explores more than 30 true princess stories, going beyond the glitz and glamour to find out what life was really like for young royals throughout history. A mix of royal biography, pop culture, art, style, and pure fun, Bad Princess is a whip-smart, tongue-in-cheek spin on the traditional princess narrative, proving that it takes more than a pretty crown to be a great leader. Praise for Bad Princess A SELECTION OF THE JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD “Perfect for tweens . . . This is a great book to recommend to readers who want a taste of history with a side of fairy tale princesses.” —School Library Journal “Snarky and sympathetic . . . Power to the princesses, right on!” —Kirkus Reviews “Packed with history and context, Waldherr uses an animated, well-rounded approach in this engaging look at princesses in life and lore . . . This absorbing, thought-provoking, and intriguing exploration of a perennially popular topic will both entertain and inform.” —Booklist

The moment Roseatre sees the white tigers the stage manager has brought in to shake things up at the Midnight Mystery Lounge, she’s terrified. Even though their handler makes her want to purr, she shouldn’t be anywhere near the beautiful tigers. They’re sure to recognize her and arouse her need to hunt. The last thing pride outcast Anthony diNapoli was expecting to encounter at the lounge was an Amazon princess. The lucrative show will go a long way toward securing his future, but not if he gives in to the urge to make her submit. No matter how desperately her body aches for the sexy, sun-kissed stranger, Roseatre is no man’s prize. But she finds herself hungering for Anthony to conquer her. It’s show time in the Arcana Royale’s Midnight Mystery Lounge and all bets are off. Each story in The Tales of the Arcana Royale Series is standalone story that can be enjoyed in any order. Series Order: Book #1: The Legal Vampire's Golden Goddess Book #2: The White Tiger Shifter's Wild Amazon Book #3: The Vampire Prince's Missing Mistress Book #4: The Witchborn Detective's Porcelain Prisoner Book #5: The Greek Hero's Lost Librarian

For 80 years Wonder Woman has stood as a symbol of truth, justice, and equality to people everywhere! Follow along in this incredible collection as the Amazon Warrior fights for justice-starting from the first appearance of Wonder Woman through some of her most incredible battles against foes like the Cheetah and Ares. This anniversary hardcover collects stories from All-Star Comics #8, Sensation Comics, #1, Comic Cavalcade #11, Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #5, #78, #98, #124, #162, #203, and #206, Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #6, #57, #73, and #170, Wonder Woman (vol. 3) #1, #13, #600, Wonder Woman (New 52) #13, Wonder Woman #750, and DC Comics Presents #41, along with new historical essays and a new cover by Jim Lee.

Wonder Woman was created in the early 1940s as a paragon of female empowerment and beauty and her near eighty-year history has included seismic socio-cultural changes. In this book, Joan Ormrod analyses key moments in the superheroine's career and views them through the prism of the female body. This book explores how Wonder Woman's body has changed over the years as her mission has shifted from being an ambassador for peace and love to the greatest warrior in the DC transmedia universe, as she's reflected increasing technological sophistication, globalisation and women's changing roles and ambitions. Wonder Woman's physical form, Ormrod argues, is both an articulation of female potential and attempts to constrain it. Her body has always been an amalgamation of the feminine ideal in popular culture and wider socio-cultural debate, from Betty Grable to the 1960s 'mod' girl, to the Iron Maiden of the 1980s.

And 1970s, and the dark and violent creatures who embody the pre- and post-millennial crises of faith. Lavishly illustrated, the articles come to startling conclusions about what we have really been reading under the covers with flashlights for generations. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Vols. - include the Shorthorn Society's Grading register for beef Shorthorn cattle; v. - include the society's Herd book of poll shorthorns.