Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow (Nevermoor, #2)

by Jessica Townsend

“Because it will be the sweetest sound you’ll ever hear,” he said. “It will trigger something in your brain that will bring you a perfect and unbroken peace, the best you could ever hope to feel. It will remind you that you are an entirely whole human being, flawless and complete, and that you already have all you will ever want or need. Loneliness and sadness will be a distant memory. Your heart will fill up, and you’ll feel the world could never disappoint you again.” “Sounds dreadful,” Morrigan said in a flat voice. “It is dreadful,” Jupiter insisted, his face somber, “because it’s transient. Because Israfel can’t keep singing forever. And when he stops, eventually that feeling of perfect happiness will fade away. And you’ll be left here in the real world, with all its hardness and imperfection and muck. It will be so unbearable, and you will be so empty, it’ll feel as if your life has stopped. As if you are trapped in a bubble, while the rest of the world carries on living imperfectly around you.

“Lambeth Amara, short-range oracle,” the woman called out, consulting her paper. “Cadence Blackburn, mesmerist. Morrigan Crow, Wundersmith. Francis Fitzwilliam, gastronomist. Mahir Ibrahim, linguist. Anah Kahlo, healer. Thaddea Macleod, fighter. Hawthorne Swift, dragonrider. Archan Tate, pickpocket.”

I have no time for childish problems. Should any arise, you will either take them up with your unit conductor, or squash them deep down in the pit of your soul where they shall no longer bother you. Have I made myself clear?”

Step one: STAY CALM. Believe me, when you suddenly find yourself floating up into the sky, it’s easy to panic. And when we panic, we lose our ability to think clearly.

You’d be surprised how much it can help in a frightening situation if you just remember to keep breathing.”

“Sometimes you just have to know which rules to obey, and which ones to break,” said Morrigan, remembering something Jupiter had once told her. “When to follow the plan, and when to improvise.”

“Some people are brave bullies. Some people are friendly cowards.”