"I was serving as a Trustee with my companion at the time. Guy was headstrong. A loner. The universals under his leadership had stopped offering the shared bond to the Society, wanting to keep their powers to themselves. We were riven with petty feuds and rivalries as a result. I thought I understood him; I, who do not like to mix others out of my element, believed I comprehended his desire to shut his mind away from everyone else. But I was wrong. He shut himself off because he was proud, too proud to share with others even the crumbs from the banquet of his gift."

     The reason I chose this quote is because this is the first time the book talks about the past. Many times through out the series, the author mentions the history of the society without actually giving any real details. This passage gives a much better picture of how the organization was many years ago when universals were common. It also gives a brief description of the ancient rock dwarf Gard, whose past has been long and mysterious. In the sense of discovering what the society and the universals where like sixty plus years ago, this is one of the most important paragraphs in the book series.

     Mr. Masterson had offered his barn for the wedding reception so that as many creatures as possible from the Society could come. A band of young musicians from the Sea Snakes had been hired to provide the entertainment, and the dancing was already well under way. Connie watched from a hay bale as her aunt whirled around in Mack's arms like a white spinning top, her head thrown back in a raucous laugh. Connie could not remember seeing her aunt so happy. Whatever others might think of the marriage, Evelyn was clearly content with her choice.

     There are a few reasons why I liked this paragraph and chose it. For one, it introduces four of the most important characters in the story, Mack, Evelyn, Connie, and Mr. Masterson. That is rare thing to find in the middle of a book. Another reason is that it gives you hints as to what the society is. Which, is what the entire book series is based on. The third reason is because even though this is half-way through the third book, you get a pretty good idea of the characters and story. The last reason is because you can get a brief insight of gossip that was going around the town about the marriage. that gives an idea about how either Mack or Evelyn, or both, are viewed around town.