"Now the master stirred. From his robes he drew a single playing card, a charred joker, and began to..."

"Now the master stirred. From his robes he drew a single playing card, a charred joker, and began to twist it in his slender fingers, alternately changing the card's suit and flicking it into invisibility. At his side, the tiny doll stood atop its crate and broke into what may well have been enthusiastic applause, were it not for the fact that its soft material was far too supple to generate any tangible sound of clapping. Finally, effortlessly, the conjurer flicked his wrist, the card burst ...