“I have three step brothers and one step sister. It’s like a staircase, and I am the slinky.”

“Safety is an illusion, Costis. A Thief might fall at any time, and eventually the day must come when the god will let him. Whether I am on a rafter three stories up or on a staircase three steps up, I am in my god's hands. He will keep me safe, or he will not, here or on the stairs.”

“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

“Brenda descended the great staircase step by step through alternations of dusk and rainbow.”

“I am amazed to see how deliberately I have entangled myself step by step. To have seen my position so clearly, and yet to have acted so like a child!”

“I have been entertaining the idea, Sky. Believe me. It’s just a huge step that can’t be undone once it’s taken.”“What if it’s a step you don’twant undone, though? What if it’s a step that just makes you want to take another step, and another step, until you’re full-on sprinting?”She laughs. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”