“All he had, in fact, was Merlin's shining promise.”

“I promised myself that I would maintain momentum."Maintain momentum" was the imperative that echoed all the way downtown.In fact I had no idea what would happen if I lost it.In fact I had no idea what it was.”

“But life, if nothing else, had taught her promises weren't always to be counted on, and what appeared at first a shining chance might end in bitter disappointment.”

“There was plenty of life left and if he had to he would use it all to get her back. The time had passed for making promises to her-all that was left for him was to act.”

“Wizards? Do you mean they do things a different way?""No, just the way we do,"Merlin replied.With a flick of his finger he lit the soggy heap of kindling that Arthur had gathered (...) A blaze leapt up on the instant. Merlin then opened his hands and produced some food out of thin air.”

“That was the year, my twenty-eighth, when I was discovering that not all of the promises would be kept, that some things are in fact irrevocable and that it had counted after all, every evasion and every procrastination, every mistake, every word, all of it.”