“The night starts to drift in. The crimson fingers of the dyin sun bleed into gray. The first stars blink down at us. Not long to wait now.”

“Well, says Mercy, maybe it's time you started makin up your own mind about things. As far as I'm concerned, stars is just...stars.She tips her head back. She stares at the sky so long, it's almost like she's up there with the stars an the moon an the planets, like she's fergot we're here. I clear my throat. She gives a start. Smiles at us.Of course, she says, there's always a chance I could be wrong.”

“Lugh got born first. On Midwinter Day when the sun hangs low in the sky.Then me. Two hours later.That pretty much says it all.Lugh goes first, always first, an I follow on Behind.An that's fine.That's right.That's how it's meant to be.Because everthin'set. It's all fixed.The lives of everybody who's bin born.The lives of everybody still waitin'to be born.It was all set in the stars the moment the world began. The time of yer birthin, the time of yer death. Even what kinda person yer gonna be, good or bad.If you know how to read the stars, you can read the story of peoples'lives. The story of yer own life. What's gone, what's now an what's still to come.Back when Pa was a boy, he met up with a traveler, a man who knew many things. He learned Pa to read the stars. Panever says what he sees in the night sky but you can see it lays heavy on him.Because you cain't change what's written.Even if Pa was to say what he knew, even if he was to warn you, it would still come to pass.I see the way he looks at Lugh sometimes. The way he looks at me.An I wish he'd tell us what he knows.I believe Pa wishes he'd never met that traveler.If you seen me an Lugh togather, you'd never think we was the same blood.Never think we grew togather in the same womb.He's got gold hair. I got black.Blue eyes. Brown eyes.Strong. Scranwy.Beautiful. Ugly.He's my light.I'm his shadow.Lugh shines like the sun.That must of made it east fer them to find him.All they had to do was follow his light.”

“I'm alert, full of purpose, free. An few the first time in a long time, I can breathe.”

“You got three seconds, he says, then they're comin down. He starts to count. One... two...I turn and run.I can still hear him laughin when I'm halfways back to camp.”

“All the time I’ve knowed you, Jack, you kept the door to that heart of yers locked up tight an the key hid away. Looks like she found it.He says nothing. Molly waits. Then:Keys ain’t her style, he says. She kicked the door down.”

“Before I know what he's up to, he grabs my hand. Hey! I try to pull it away but he holds it even tighter. Saba, he says, I dunno what happy star sent you lookin fer me but I'm mighty thankful it did. If you hadn't of turned up, I'd be dead by now.”