“Yeah? Feels like we just traded one set of rumors for another. We still have no idea where he is, what his plans are, or even what he looks like."Patience, dear girl, patience."Easy for you to say. You're immortal.”

“Deep spirit scanning,” Eisfanger says. His voice has a strange resonance to it, like I’m hearing him through a bad phone connection. “Don’t worry, it’s completely safe. Well, mostly.”“Mostly?”“Side effects have been documented,” he admits. “In a very small percentage of cases. Less than two percent.”“What kind of side effects?” Suddenly I’m feeling nauseous. Feels like the ants are crawling around inside me now, which is exactly as disturbing as it sounds.“Memory loss. Synesthesia. And occasionally … vestigial growths.”“So I could forget my own name, start smelling purple everywhere and have an extra nipple sprout from my forehead?”

“How...how are you doing, Jace?'Holding on. Just barely. Charlie?'Charlie's tone is almost conversational. 'Kind of getting the urge to kill both of you. Think I'm gonna head back.'Sure, okay, no problem.'Yeah, yeah, good idea. You do that.”

“We doing a traffic stop?""Yeah. I have a reasonable suspicion that we're witnessing a violation of the law.""Which law?""I'll decide later.”

“I stare at him. "Gee, don't feel like you have to sugarcoat it or anything.""Some people need a cold dose of reality to help them focus.""You could have just slapped me.""I considered it. But you hate clichés, and I hate being shot.""Good point. Plus, this is a hospital. Guns are kind of noisy.""Are they? I thought it was just a personal statement on your part, like women who wear too much makeup.”

“I look over at him. He stares straight ahead."So," I say. "Golem, huh?""I prefer the term 'Mineral-American.”

“Wait", I say. "That's-you-what?""That's what I love about working with you, Valchek. Your eloquence.""But -but- but-""And your motorboat impressions.""Charlie, if you were there, why didn't you arrest him?”