“It had been an annoyingly peacful time in Boarderland, Blister cranky and despressed because he hadn't filled anyone with pus for nearly an enitre lunar cycle.”

“THe Gnobi, when not roused to violence, were a sluggish clan, the least nomadic of Boarderland's tribes. Not sensing any immediate threat to their freedoms in the person of Jack Diamond, they had responded to his urgency with characteristic listessness."Myrval's tent is somewhere that way," one of them had said with a vauge wave of the hand."Follow the sound of the snoring and you'll find it," another had suggested.”

“Only the previous day, Arch had found him in a spirit-dance corral, blistering the creatures to the point of death, such was his need to touch and destroy.”

“Hatter!" She would have hugged him if she hadn't thought he'd be bothered by the dislay of affection. Pterry good timing." Dodge smiled. "A litte sooner and you would've been perfect.”

“He talked to himself because there weren't many people as learned as he, and he liked to talk to learned people.”

“Suffering the nasty twisting of body parts that should never be twisted, the card soldiers fell, lifeless, and Arch's bodyguards were soon pushing through the tangles of Outerwilderbeastie, cruching twigs and leaves underfoot.Visit the labs?" Blister said, refurring the squate network of building in Wondertropolies' warehouse district, where a consortium of Alyss' scientists and engineers had tried to transform a host of captured Glass Eyes into a benign force. On the lab grounds were the incinerator baths--large pits into which the Glass Eyes were being herded and melted down, sorched into ash. There would be lots of Glasss Eyes to choose from at the labs, bbut Ripkins shook his head.To much security," he said.Find one that roaming?"It'll be easier for us to avoid notcie," Ripkins said.Yeah, but it'd be more fun to hit the labs.”

“Molly wants to know her father's name," Arch said to them. "Why don't you give her a hint?"His first name with 'splatter,'" said Ripkins.And 'matter'," said Blister.Also 'fatter,'" said Ripkins.Likewise 'chatter'," added Blister.And his surname?" Arch asked.It rhymes with 'that again'," said Ripkins.And 'Flanagan," put in Blister.Also, um...'pad a fin'?" offered Ripkins.Arch and Blister looked at him.'Pannikin!'" he said proudly.Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Molly screamed. "You don't know what you're talking about!”