“Dess shook her head. "Before he walked off, Rex said for you to wait. He said it's totally important you don't touch Angie until he comes back. and he said that if you were a pain about it, I get to hit you with that." She pointed to where the darkling had flung Flabbergasted Supernumerary Mathematician, its tip blackened by ichor and fire. "So, go ahead.”

“Don't go!" Rycca said urgently. "It's a trap."Her husband looked down at her with amusement. "Of course it's a trap, sweetling.There are a dozen men out there.They assume they've got us neatly caught.""You could be killed before anyone got near enough to stop them."He shook his head. "I'm not going to be killed.But I am going to get Wolscroft to talk.It's the only way." He turned toward the door,turned back,and said, "Do not, under any circumstances, even think about so much as poking a finger outside.Do you understand?"Every obedient,Rycca nodded.Again he turned to go,again he looked back. "Let me rephrase that.Do you promise me you won't come outside until I tell you to?"Her reponse was a glare but she followed it with a nod.If nothing else,this husband of hers was learning caution,which was all the good since he surely had need of it.”

“Because,” he said quietly as she stood up, “until you walked into it, this was an ordinary garden.”Puzzled, Elizabeth tipped her head. “What is it now?” “Heaven.”

“He pulled out a single half-blackened disc of bronze. "Money," he said. "You get it by working, and then you trade it for things you want.""But it's so small," said Runnel."So's your wit," said the man, and turned away.”

“He clenched Nix's shoulders. 'Why did you hesitate? I saw you hesitate!' He shook her until her head lolled, while she grinned and said, 'Wheeee!”

“Remember that summer you liked that girl who worked at theboardwalk? Angie?”“No,” he said, but I knew he was lying. “What about her?”“Did you ever hook up with her?”Conrad finally lifted his head up from the couch. “No,” he said.“I don’t believe you.”“I tried, once. But she socked me in the head and said she wasn’t that kind of girl.I think she was a Jehovah’s Witness or something.”