Jim Butcher

Her father had always said that a man could be fairly judged by the quality of his allies and that of his enemies.

BLARGLE SLORG NOTH HARGHLE FTHAGN! You know. The usual.

She might be the Archive, but she's still a kid, Kincaid."He frowned and looked at me. "So?""So? Kids like cute."He blinked at me. "Cute?""Come on."I led him downstairs.On the lower level of the Oceanarium there's an inner ring of exhibits, too, containing both penguins and--wait for it--sea otters.I mean, come on, sea otters. They open abalone with rocks while floating on their backs.How much cuter does it get than small, fuzzy, floating, playful tool users with big, soft brown eyes?

I had a vague memory of being that ridiculous at one time. Let he who hath never worn parachute pants cast the first stone.

Please, help me. Young werewolves in love. I turned to walk into the house, moving carefully.I had never much believed in God. Well, that's not quite true. I believed that there was a God, or something close enough to it to warrant the name if there were demons, there had to be angels, right? If there was a Devil, somewhere, there had to be a God. But He & I had never really seen things in quite the same terms.All the same. I flashed a look up at the ceiling. I didn't say or think any words, but if God was listening, I hoped he got the message nonetheless. I didn't want of these children getting themselves killed.

Something like this will test you like nothing else," Mac said. "You're going to find out who you are, Harry. You're going to find out which principles you'll stand by to your death--and which lines you'll cross." He took my empty glass away and said, "You're heading into the badlands. It'll be easy to get lost.

Laugh whenever you can. Keeps you from killing yourself when things are bad. That and vodka.

At one time in my life, a shapeshifted, demonically possessed maniac crashing through a window and trying to rip my face off would have come as an enormous and nasty surprise.But that time was pretty much in the past.

Raith smiled. "There. You already feel yourself weakening. I've taken thousands like you, lovely child. Taken them and broken them. There was nothing they could do. There is nothing you can do. You were made to feel desire. I was made to use it against you. It is the natural cycle. Life and death. Mating and death. Predator and Prey."Raith leaned closer with each word, and brushed his lips against Murphy's throat as he spoke. "Born mortal. Born weak. And easily taken."..."And that's only a taste, child. When you know what it is to be truly taken later this night, you will understand that your life ended the moment I wanted you.

[Mouse is] with us. The dog is a handicap-assist animal."The kid lifted his eyebrows."My mouth is partially paralyzed," I said. "It makes it hard for me to read. He's here to help me with the big words. Tell me if I'm supposed to push or pull on doors, that kind of thing.

It made me feel better. Mouse might not have been thesmartest creature on earth, but he was steady, kind, loyal, andwas possessed of the uncanny wisdom of beasts for knowingwhom to trust. I might not have been a superhero, but Mousethought that I was pretty darned cool. That meant something. Itwould have to be enough.

People love dogs. You can never go wrong adding a dog to the story.

Life, Tavi reflected, seldom makes a gift of what one expects or plans for.

Life is a journey. Time is a river. The door is ajar

Dresden__ not gone,_ I said. I touched a hand lightly to my brow. __e__ here._ I touched Will__ bare chest, on the left side. __ere. Without him, without what he__ done over the years, you and I would never have been able to pull this off.___o,_ he agreed. __robably not. Definitely not.___here are a lot of people he__ taught. Trained. Defended. And he__ been an example. No single one of us can ever be what he was. But together, maybe we can.

There is no spoon.

What is going to happen to the Aurorans?""They are prisoners of war," Albion said. "I should imagine they will be set to work at the base of the Spire."Grimm tightened his jaw. "No, sir.""No?""No, sir," Grimm said. "I've seen that place. You might as well tie a noose around their necks and stand them on blocks of ice, if you want them to die a slow death. It will be cleaner.""I'm not sure why this concerns you, Captain," Albion said."Because they surrendered to me," Grimm said. "They gave me their parole, sir. They could have fought on with no real chance of victory, and it would have been bloody. But that surrender saved blood and lives of Albions and Aurorans alike. I will not see Captain Castillo repaid with such churlish treatment.

And since when had I become the guy that things happened to ten years ago?