The library fell silent from its usual magical chatter as if all the books waited with bated breath to see

Josephine McCarthy, The Last Scabbard

Consider also:

  1. “O coffee! By the mighty Name of Power do I invoke thee, consecrating thee to the Service of the Magic of Light. Let the pulsations of my heart be strong and regular and slow! Let my brain be wakeful and active in its supreme task of self-control! That my desired end may be effected through Thy strength, Adonai, unto Whom be the Glory for ever! Amen without lie, and Amen, and Amen of Amen.”
  2. “Silence. Which says we do not agree. We do not condone. All of this is wrong.”
  3. “Just like I was watching the Games.”
  4. “He constructed a brass trunk and etched binding symbols on its lid”
  5. “Maybe I’m not really interested in peoples’ secrets. Maybe it’s the sense of violation I’m after. That’s probably even worse.”