The lamassu crouched into a position to pounce. Sloan scanned for somewhere to duck, but everywhere was clogged with more wraiths, a carnival of staticky gray balloon heads bobbing up and down and click-clacking stone teeth.

Something flashed and neatly bisected the lamassu. As the two halves plopped to the earth and vanished into small mounds of cubes, Winnipeg stuck the landing and whipped her katana around to posture at a nearby wraith platoon.

(Chapter 3)