David Wingrove - Chung Kuo 8 - The Marriage of the Living Dark

Chung Kuo 8 - The Marriage of the Living Dark

DAVID WINGROVE

BOOK EIGHT

THE MARRIAGE OF THE LIVING DARK

NEW ENGLISH LIBRARY

Hodder and Stoughton

The right of David Wingrove to be identified as the Author of

the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in Great Britain in 1997 by Hodder and Stoughton

A division of Hodder Headline PLC

First published in paperback in 1997 by Hodder and Stoughton A New

English

Library Paperback

10 987654321

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,

in any form or by any means without the prior written

permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated

in any form of binding or cover other than that in which

it is published and without a similar condition being

imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance

to real

persons, living or dead is purely coincidental

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Wingrove, David

Chung Kuo. Bk. 8 The marriage of the living dark

I. Title 823 914[F]

ISBN 0 340 6888S 8

Typeset by Hewer Text Composition Services, Edinburgh

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham PLC, Chatham,

Kent

Hodder and Stoughton

A division of Hodder Headline PLC

338 Euston Road

London NW1 3BH

By the same author

in the CHUNG KUO series:

Book One: THE MIDDLE KINGDOM

Book Two: THE BROKEN WHEEL Book Three: THE WHITE MOUNTAIN

Book Four: THE STONE WITHIN

Book Five: BENEATH THE TREE OF HEAVEN

Book Six: WHITE MOON, RED DRAGON

Book Seven: DAYS OF BITTER STRENGTH

About the author

David Wingrove is also the author of Trillion Year Spree: The History

of Science

Fiction which he co-wrote with Brian Aldiss, and which won the

prestigious Hugo

and Locus Awards. He is also co-writer with Robyn and Rand Miller of

the

best-selling Myst books - The Book ofAtrus and The Book of Ti'Ana -

based on the

internationally best-selling CD-Rom game, Myst. He lives in North

London with

his wife, the author Susan Oudot, and their four young daughters.

For Brian Griffin

For all the long hours of work you've put in. For all the commentaries,

and

encouragement, and most of all for making me think hard about what I

was

writing. This one's for you, with heartfelt thanks.

PS: Look what we began, all those years ago in the letter columns of

Vectorl

contents

Introduction OF GIFTS AND STONES

Prologue Spring 2240 - THE FATHER OF LIES

Part One Summer 2240 - INSIDE THE GATES OF EDEN

Chapter 1 The Pattern Of The Day

Chapter 2 Crossing The River

Chapter 3 White Space

Part Two Autumn 2240 - THE SIX SECRET TEACHINGS

Chapter 4 Blood And Iron

Chapter 5 Homecoming

Chapter 6 Siege Mentality

Chapter 7 Acts Of Kindness

Chapter 8 To Nineveh

Chapter 9 A Negative Twist Of Nothingness

Chapter 10 The Well And The Spire

Chapter 11 Brownian Motion

Chapter 12 Waking

Chapter 13 A Trail Of Smoke

Part Three Winter 2241 - THE KING OF INFINITE SPACE

Chapter 14 Behind The Wall of Sleep

Chapter 15 A Fraying Cloth

Chapter 16 The Place Of Inner Dark

Part Four Spring 2243 - AND THREE DARK FLAMES

Chapter 17 Flowers

Chapter 18 The Song Of No-Space

Chapter 19 Dead Ground

Chapter 20 Room A Thousand Years Wide

Chapter 21 The Feather In The Coffin

Chapter 22 Nightfall In The Paradigm World

Chapter 23 Time's Last Hour

Chapter 24 The Marriage Of The Living Dark

Epilogue Winter 2250 - LAST QUARTERS Author's Note

major characters

Ascher, Emily - Trained as an economist, she was once a member of the

Ping

Tiao revolutionary party. After their demise, she fled to North

America where,

under the alias of Mary Jennings, she got a job with the giant ImmVac

corporation, working for Old Man Lever and his son, Michael, whom she

finally

married. When America fell she fled with Michael to Europe, but

tiring of that

high-level social world she went back down the levels and became a

terrorist

again. It was while undertaking a terrorist mission that she was

attacked and

badly wounded. Lin Shang, a simple "mender", found her there and

nursed her

back to health. She stayed with him for almost two decades, until his

death,

finally returning to her husband, Michael, during the great plague.

Now, once

again, she is a rebel, fighting DeVore from her mountain fastness.

DeVore, Howard - A one-time Major in the Tang's Security forces, he

has become

the leading figure in the struggle against the Seven. A highly

intelligent and

coldly logical man, he is the puppet master behind the scenes as the

great War

of the Two Directions takes a new turn. Defeated first on Chung Kuo

and then

on Mars, he fled outward, to the tenth planet, Pluto, and its twin,

Charon.

From there he launched a new, massive attack on Chung Kuo, which was

only

defeated at great cost to Li Yuan and his allies. After a dozen years

away, he

returned with an army of his genetic creations - his Neumann -

throwing out

the old T'ang. But his success was only partial, and six years on the

war he

began is not yet over.

Ebert, Hans - Son of Klaus Ebert and heir to the vast GenSyn

Corporation, he

was promoted to General in Li Yuan's Security forces, and was admired

and

trusted by his superiors. Secretly, however, he was allied to DeVore,

and was

subsequently implicated in the murder of his father. Having fled

Chung Kuo, he

was declared a traitor in his absence. After suffering exile, he

found himself

again, among the lost African tribe, the Osu, in the desert sands of

Mars,

where he became their spiritual leader, the "Walker in the Darkness".

Returning to Chung Kuo, he played a major part in helping Li Yuan

defeat

DeVore and was pardoned. Blind, he now lives with Kim Ward and the

other

colonists on Ganymede, part of the great space fleet that is on its

way to

distant Eridani.

Karr, Gregor - one-time Marshal of the European Security forces, he

was

recruited by General Tolonen from the Net. In his youth he was a

"blood" - a

to-the-death combat fighter. A huge man physically, he is also one of

Li

Yuan's "most-trusted men". As a respected pillar of society and the

father of

four growing daughters he rose beyond all early expectations and

became a

pivotal figure in the politics of City Europe, but when offered the

role of

Emperor, he demurred, instead joining Kim Ward and the others on the

journey

to Eridani.

Li Yuan - Tang of Europe and one of the Seven, as second son of Li

Shai Tung,

he inherited after the deaths of his brother and father. Considered

old before

his time, he none the less has a passionate side to his nature, as

demonstrated in his brief marriage to his brother's wife, the

beautiful Fei

Yen. His subsequent remarriage ended in tragedy when his three wives

were

assassinated. Despite his subsequent marriage to Pei K'ung, his real

concern

was for his son, Kuei Jen, until, that was, he met and married the

fox-like

Hsung Lung hsin -Dragon Heart - whose debauched nature infected his

judgement.

After the downfall of his City, he fled to America, where he now

lives in

exile.

Shepherd, Ben - Great-great-grandson of City Earth's architect,

Shepherd was

brought up in the Domain, an idyllic valley in the south-west of

England,

where he pursued his artistic calling, developing a new art form, the

"Shell":

a machine which mimics the experience of life. In his middle years,

however,

he became far more involved in politics and against all expectations

became Li

Yuan's closest advisor. But with Li Yuan's defeat at the hands of

DeVore, he

withdrew from politics and began once again to pursue his ideal of a

perfect

artform.

Ward, Kim - Born in the Clay, that dark wasteland beneath the great

City's

foundations, Kim has survived various personal crises to become Chung

Kuo's

leading experimental scientist Hired by the massive SimFic

Corporation as a

commodity-slave on a seven-year contract, he finally achieved his

ambition of

marrying the Marshal's daughter. As head of NorTek Europe, he was one

of City

Europe's richest and most powerful men, but his falling out with Li

Yuan

turned his face away from the internal struggles of Chung Kuo. In an

audacious

' gamble, Kim built a great spacegoing fleet and, using four of

Jupiter's

moons, sent out four separate expeditions to the nearest stars,

hoping to set

up new colony worlds out there.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Ai Lin - Sampsa Ward's girlfriend and twin to Lu Yi

Aidan - orphan, trained fighter

Alan - duty officer to Mark Egan

Amenon - rebel morph

Anders - rebel soldier

Armstrong, John - General of the American Western Armies

Ascher, Emily - real name of Emily Lin

Baker, Jed - colonist on Ganymede

Benoit - orphan, trained fighter

Bernadini, Charles - Senior Technician on the North American

Immortality

Project

Brevitt - Sergeant in North American Security Chalker, Alan -

Colonel; Head of

Internal Security, North America

Chang - Li Yuan's body servant • Cho - a rebel

Christian - orphan, trained fighter

Chuang Kuan Ts'ai - "Coffin-filler", adopted daughter of Cho Yao

Chung -

Master of wei chi Coover, Dan - King of California DeVore, Howard -

himself

Dogo - Osu warrior; one of the "eight"; one-time lover of Catherine

Shepherd &

father of Dogu Douglas - military aide to Mark Egan Dublanc, Eduard -

Core

Leader in Eden Echewa, Aluko - Head man of the Osu and one of the

"eight"

Ebert, Pauli - bastard son of Hans Ebert and Golden Heart, and Head

of the

GenSyn Corporation

Efulefu - "Worthless Man"; chosen name of Hans Ebert among the Osu

Egan, Josiah - Head of NorTek America and grandfather of

Mark Egan

Egan, Mark - grandson of Old Man Egan Egan, May Ji - daughter of Mark

Egan and

Li Kuei Jen Egan, Samuel - elder son of Mark Egan and Li Kuei Jen

Egan, Yuan -

younger son of Mark Egan and Li Kuei Jen Emtu - a morphed copy of

Emily Ascher

Fei Yen - see Yin Fei Yen Haavikko, Axel - Colonel in Security Hannah

-

anglicised name of Shang Han-A Hannem - new generation morph/Neumann

copy

Harding, James - Chancellor, North America Heather - member of the

Cult of the

Well and the Spire Hiuden - one of DeVore's morphs Ho Jen - a rebel

Horacek, Josef - son of Vilem and Bara Horacek; Marshal of DeVore's

youth

forces in City Europe

Horton, Feng - "Meltdown"; Leader of the North American "Sons"

Hun - a rebel

Ishida, Ikuro - Japanese asteroid miner Ishida, Shukaku - eighth

brother of

Ikuro Ishida Ishida, Tomoka - third brother of Ikuro Ishida Jeffers -

pilot,

working for Feng Horton Jem - member of the Cult of the Well and the

Spire

Jerud - one of Devore's morphs Ji - surgeon on Ganymede Johann -

orphan,

trained fighter Ju Dun - orphan, trained fighter Jurgen - a rebel

Kao Chen - ex-Major in Security; plantation worker Kao Jyan - eldest

son of

Kao Chen Karr, Beth - youngest daughter of Gregor and Marie Karr

Karr, Gregor

- Marshal of Security, City Europe Karr, Hannah - daughter of Gregor

and Marie

Karr Karr, Lily - daughter of Gregor and Marie Karr Karr, Marie -

wife of

Gregor Karr Karr, May - eldest daughter of Gregor and Marie Karr

Lanier -

Major in Security, Fortress San Angelo Leon - orphan, trained fighter

Lever, Michael - Head of the ImmVac pharmaceutical corporation and

husband of

Emily Ascher Levitch - Steward to Chancellor Harding Li Kuei Jen -

son of Li

Yuan and heir to City Europe Li Yuan - Tang of City Europe

Lin Chao - eldest adopted son of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher Lin Chia

- adopted

son of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher Lin, Emily - partner of Lin Shang;

real name

Emily Ascher

Lin Han Ye - adopted son of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher Lin Lao -

adopted son

of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher Lin Pei - adopted son of Lin Shang and

Emily

Ascher Lin Sung - adopted son of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher Lin Teng

- adopted

son of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher Lu Yi - Tom Shepherd's girlfriend

and twin

to Ai Lin Mark - adjutant to DeVore

Masso - village leader in the Swiss Wilds

Mo Teng - a rebel

Mussida, Daniel - orphan, trained fighter

Neville, Jack - Head of SimFic

Novacek, Sasha - daughter of Catherine Shepherd

Novacek, Sergey - sculptor; first husband of Catherine Shepherd and

father of

Sasha Novacek

Nza - "Tiny bird", an Osu, adopted by Hans Ebert, and one of the

"eight"

Raditz - Second-in-Command at Camp Eickel

Raeto - boy "boss" in Camp Eickel

Richards - Advocate for Old Man Egan

Robbie - orphan, friend of Daniel

Rogers, Cal - Governor of Fortress San Angelo

Russ - go-between; friend of Horton

Scaf - dayman helper of Ben Shepherd

Schutz - Commandant, Camp Eickel

Shand, Gill - Personal Assistant to Kim Ward

Shang Han-A - daughter of the late Shang Mu and historian of Chung

Kuo

Shepherd, Ben - "shell artist" and Chief Advisor to Li Yuan

Shepherd, Catherine - wife of Ben Shepherd

Shepherd, Dogu - illegitimate son of Catherine Shepherd and Dogu, the

Osu

warrior

Shepherd, Meg - sister of Ben Shepherd

Shepherd, Tom - mute son of Ben and Meg Shepherd

Siri - a rebel

Slaven - orphan, trained fighter

Stewart - leading businessman in City Boston; brother-in-law of

Warner

Tanner - businessman from Fortress San Angelo

Tom - boy at Camp Eickel; friend of Daniel Mussida

Tsou Tsai Hei - "Walker in the Darkness"; one of Hans Ebert's given

names

Tuan Ti Fo - Master of wei chi and sage

Tybor - one of DeVore's new morphs, his Inheritors

Wang Ti - wife of Kao Chen

Ward, Jelka - wife of Kim Ward; daughter of Knut Tolonen

MAJOR CHARACTERS

Ward, Kim - Clayborn scientist; owner of the NorTek Corporation of

Europe

Ward, Sampsa - son of Jelka and Kim Ward

Warner - leading businessman in City Boston; brother-in-law of

Stewart

Wiley, Dan - assistant to Bernadini on the Immortality Project

Wu Ye - surgeon working for the rebels

Yang Chung - trivee actor; hero in Moving The Mountain

Yin Fei Yen - "Flying Swallow"; Minor Family Princess and divorced

wife of Li

Yuan

Yin Han Ch'in - son of Li Yuan and Yin Fei Yen.

York - Captain in European Security; assistant to Core Leader Dublanc

Yueh Ho - a rebel

Zelic - Captain in North American Security force

THE DEAD

Adler - General in Security, City Europe

Althaus, Kurt - General in Security, North America

An Hsi - Minor Family prince and fifth son of An Sheng

An Liang-chou - Minor Family prince

An Mo Shan - Minor Family prince and third son of An Sheng

An Sheng - head of the An Family (one of the Twenty-Nine

Minor Families)

Anderson, Leonid - Director of the Recruitment Project

Anna - helper to Mary Lever Anne - Yu assassin

Ashman - henchman of Pasek Barrett - GenSyn "sport"; brothel-keeper

in the

Clay

Barrow, Chao - Secretary of the House at Weimar

Barycz, Jiri - scientist on the Wiring Project

Bates - leading figure in the Federation of Free Men, Mars

Beinlich - ex-Security lieutenant, working for Van Pasenow

Bell - Colonel in charge of Security, Bremen spaceport

Bercott, Andrei - Representative at Weimar

Berdichev, Soren - head of SimFic and later leader of the

Dispersionist

faction

Berdichev, Ylva - wife of Soren Berdichev Berrenson - Company Head

Bess -

helper to Mary Lever

Blaskic - henchman of Pasek Blofeld - agent of special security

forces

Blonegek - "Greasy"; dayman civilised by Ben Shepherd

Brock - security guard in the Domain

Brookes, Thomas - Port Captain, Tien Men K'ou, Mars

Bujold - General in Security, City Europe

Calder, Alan - Mashhad-born terrorist

Calder, Eva - sister of Alan Calder and maid to Warlord Hu

Cao Chang - Financial Strategist to Stefan Lehmann

Carl - security guard at Karr's mansion

Chang Hong - Minister of Production, City Europe

Chang Li - Senior Surgeon at the San Chang

Chang Te Li - "Old Chang", Wu, or Diviner

Chao Chung - Senior Warden of Edingen Prison

Chao Ta-nien - "Slow Chao", Red Pole to the Iron Fist Triad

Chen So - Clerk of the Inner Chambers at Tongjiang

Ch'en Li - associate of Governor Schenck

Cheng Lu - Lehmann's ambassador to Fu Chiang's court

Cheng Nai shan - assistant to Ming Ai

Cherkassky, Stefan - ex-Security assassin and friend of DeVore

Chi Hu Wei - Tang of the Australias; father of Chi Hsing

Chih Huang Hui - second wife of Shang Mu and stepmother of

Shang Han-A Ch'in Shih Huang Ti - the first emperor of China; ruled

221-210 bc

Cho Hsiang - Hong Cao's subordinate

Cho Yao - Lu Nan Jen or "Oven Man"

Chou - third-year schoolboy at the Seventh District School

Chou Te-hsing - Head of the Black Hand terrorists

Chu Heng - "kwai", or hired knife; a hireling of DeVore's

Chu Po - lover of Pei K'ung

Chu Shi-ch'e - Pi-shu chien, or Inspector of the Imperial Library at

Tongjiang

Chu Te - Commissioner for Mainz

Chuang Ko - private secretary to Tsu Ma

Chuang Tzu - ancient Han sage and Taoist philosopher from the 6th

Century bc

Chun Wu-chi - head of the Chun family (one of the Twenty-Nine Minor

Families)

Chung - "Ice Man" Chung, Big Boss of the Iron Fist triad

Chung Hsin - "Loyalty"; bondservant to Li Shai Tung

Clarac, Armand - Director of the "New Hope" Project

Coates - security guard in the Domain

Cook - duty guard in the Domain

Cornwell, James - Director of the AutoMek Corporation

Costas - friend of Alan Calder

Crefter - "Strong"; dayman civilised by Ben Shepherd

Cui - Steward of Marshal Tolonen's household

Curval, Andrew - Head of Research, NorTek Europe

Cutler, Richard - leader of the "America" movement

Dawes, Richard - Security Captain reporting to I Ye

Dawson - associate of Governor Schenck

Deio - Clayborn friend of Kim Ward from "Rehabilitation"

Deng Liang - Minor Family Prince; fifth son of Deng Shang;

Dispersionist

Dieter, Wilhelm - Black Hand cell-leader

Donna - Yu assassin

Douglas, John - Company Head; Dispersionist

Dublanc, Matthew - son of Core Leader Dublanc

Duchek, Albert - Administrator of Lodz

Ebert, Berta - wife of Klaus Ebert; mother of Hans Ebert

Ebert, Klaus - head of the GenSyn Corporation; father of Hans Ebert

Ebert, Lutz - half-brother of Klaus Ebert

Ecker, Michael - Company Head; Dispersionist

Edmonds - Security Captain

Edsel - agent of special security forces

Eduard - guard in Marshal Karr's employ

Egan - head of NorTek

Ellis, Michael - assistant to Director Spatz on the Wiring Project

Endacott - associate of Governor Schenck

Endfors, Pietr - friend of Knut Tolonen and father of Jenny,

Tolonen's wife

Erkki - guard to Jelka Tolonen Eva - friend of Mary Lever Eyre -

henchman of

Pasek

Fairbank, John - head of AmLab Fan - fifth brother to the I Lung

Fan Sheng-chih - neighbour of Emily Ascher and Lin Shang

Farren - General; Commander of City Europe's Second Banner

Fen Cho-hsien - Chancellor of North America

Fen Chun - First Secretary to Heng Yu

Feng Chung - Big Boss of the Kuei Chuan (Black Dog) Triad

Feng Lu-ma - lensman

Feng Shang-pao - "General Feng"; Big Boss of the 14K Triad

Fest, Edgar - Captain in Security Fox - Company Head

Franke, Rutger - Vice-President of SimFic; Dispersionist

Fu Chiang - "The Priest", Big Boss of the Red Flower Triad of North

Africa

Fu Ti Chang - third wife of Li Yuan Fung - Wu, or Diviner to Yin Fei

Yen

Gesell, Bent - leader of the Ping Tiao - "Leveller" – terrorist

movement

Golden Heart - concubine to Hans Ebert and mother of Pauli Ebert

Grant - henchman of Pasek Green, Clive - Head of RadMed

Griffin, James B. - last president of the American Empire

Haavikko, Vesa - sister of Axel Haavikko

Haller - Security operative Kama - Osu wife of Hans Ebert

Hammond, Joel - Senior Technician on the Wiring Project

Hamsun, Torve - Captain of the Luoyang

Harris, Joseph - young host at the Chao Hao T'ai, the "Directory"

Hart, Alex - Representative at Weimar, Dispersionist and ally of

Stefan

Lehmann

Hart - General in Security, City Europe

Hastings, Thomas - physicist; Dispersionist Hei Fong - merchant

Henderson, Daniel - pro tern Governor of Mars

Heng Chi-po - Li Shai Tung's Minister of Transportation

Heng Yu - Chancellor of City Europe

Henssa, Eero - Captain of the Guard aboard the floating palace

Yangjing

Herrick - illegal transplant specialist Ho - "Madam Ho", owner of a

brothel in

Hattersheim

Hsien Ho Chang - merchant friend of Lin Shang and Emily Ascher, and

one-time

landlord to them

Ho Chin - "Three-Finger Ho"; Big Boss of the Yellow Banners Triad

Ho Ko - "Harmonious Song"; sing-song girl on the flower boats

Ho Tse-tsu - Third Secretary to Su Ping

Hoffmann - Major in Security

Holzman, Daniel - palace guard

Hong Cao - middleman for Pietr Lehmann

Hooper - senior engineer aboard DeVore's craft

Horacek, Bara - mother of Josef Horacek

Horacek, Vilem - father of Josef Horacek

Hou Ti - T'ang of South America; father of Hou Tung-po

Hou Tung-po - T'ang of South America

Hsiang K'ai Fan - Minor Family prince Hsiang Lu Yeh - Minor Family

Prince

Hsiang Shao-erh - head of the Hsiang family (one of the Twenty-Nine

Minor

Families)

Hsiang Wang - Minor Family prince Hsueh Chi - Big Boss of the

Thousand Spears

Triad of Southern Africa

Hsueh Nan - Warlord of Southern Africa and brother of Hsueh Chi

Hsun Chu-lo - Minor Family Princess and first daughter of HsunTeh

Hsun Lung hsin - "Dragon Heart"; Minor Family Princess and second

daughter of

Hsun Teh

Hsun Teh - Head of the Hsun Family (one of the Twenty-Nine Minor

David Wingrove - Chung Kuo 8 - The Marriage of the Living Dark

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