“Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it and it darts away.”

“Our heroine knew that the mother would always leave the window open for her children to fly back by; so they stayed away for years and had a lovely time...”

“Kent steepled his fingers in consideration. Blood-red rubies flashed in the sunlight, like the eyes of a demon clutched in his hands.”

“Letting go. Everyone talks about it like it's the easiest thing. Unfurl your fingers one by one until your hand is open.”

“But you know: you know that if I could have stayed, if I could have gone on, that I would have clutched every second: whatever it was, this death, you know that it came and took me, like a child carried away by goblins.”

“They used to call me Quicksilver,” he whispered, smiling hollowly. “Fastest hands in the world.” Then the smile vanished. his eyes flashed. And, like a silver of deadly mercury, he attacked…”