How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Auntie Lynn explained that people like him were rare. They had to be trained—he had to be trained—and his aunt could do that. Left alone, she said, their kind could destroy themselves. Go crazy. Destroy others by accident. (3.30)
Just a thought: Could it be that all this talk about necromancers needing to be trained is really a cover story for getting them under your control so you can assume their powers? It seems to be the case when it comes to Douglas and Sam, but is it the case with Auntie Lynn, too?
Quote #2
[Douglas] also had decades to perfect the ritual. With all the prep work and fumbling, it had taken him almost an hour to steal his aunt's powers. Repetition and practice had honed that time down to twenty minutes, and that's if the victim fought. (3.35)
Let's look at this for what it really is: Douglas is an expert at killing people. Not only that, but he sees it more as a business transaction for power than the actual end of lives. That's pretty cold, but then again, so is Douglas.
Quote #3
Brid watched the muscle clench in his jaw. He'd never been able to understand that in wolf packs, were or otherwise, it wasn't always the biggest who ruled. Strength didn't mean much when everyone was strong. Her brothers could change all the tires on her dad's truck without a jack. (5.43)
Werewolf logic definitely flies in the face of what we assume might be true. Bridin may not be as strong as her older brothers, but nonetheless, she's been deemed most qualified to succeed her father as pack leader. Douglas, and even Michael, who was once part of the pack himself, just don't seem to get this concept.
Quote #4
"Someone has tied up your magic. A binding is usually done to keep a person from, or from, causing harm." She frowned at the teacup in her hands. "I've never seen it used to harness like this. It's like a part of your has been locked away." (9.127)
Maybe Sam's binding spared him a traumatizing childhood of seeing dead people like that kid in The Sixth Sense, but it definitely doesn't do him any favors as he tries to navigate the truth about his power. It might have been easier if he'd just been able to crush Douglas from the beginning. Of course, then we wouldn't have a story, so maybe that's a bad idea.
Quote #5
"There are many levels of necromancy, ranging from weak to strong. At the weak end, the end you are probably at, you are more of an antenna. You draw whatever spirit or ghost is around toward you, but you have no real control. The next level up has that as well as the ability to broadcast. Essentially, you can communicate with various smaller entities as well as summon. After that, things get interesting." (19.145)
What Douglas doesn't know is that Sam is actually closer to the higher end of the necromancy power rating than the low. As a result, things do "get interesting" when the binding is removed and Sam's powers fully unleash themselves.
Quote #6
I felt like Douglas was giving me a dual lesson. Sure, he was showing me how to raise a zombie, but he was also showing me exactly what he was capable of. I could just as easily become the one doing jumping jacks. (20.87)
Don't be fooled—Sam's "training" isn't about Sam at all, but rather about putting his power in a nice little goody bag for Douglas. In the end, Douglas's manipulation of the zombie is an object lesson in how he's clearly the one who holds all the cards.
Quote #7
"Every necromancer has his own slant on things. Some parts of the ritual can't, or shouldn't, be skipped. For safety reasons, you should always do the circle. It doesn't have to be invoked with blood, but that does make for a very strong circle. Your own will should be enough." (21.21)
Ashley's explanation of the necromancy process emphasizes something that Douglas's doesn't: that Sam possesses the will to raise the dead, which trumps all skill or use of bodily fluids. Of course, this is what he's finally able to tap into when the binding is removed.
Quote #8
I sucked in a breath, my spine going rigid with the force of it. This is what closing my first circle had felt like. Times a thousands. Every cell in my body took a shuddering gasp. The dam inside me had broken and all my power came rushing out. Years of unused, untouched potential, all at once. (23.13)
Up until this point, Sam kind of thinks he stinks at this necromancy thing. The removal of his binding definitely takes things to a whole new level for him—and inspires Douglas's desire to see him dead.
Quote #9
"I'm afraid, from what Ed was telling me, that it does make sense […] I think he was okay with having you around as long as you weren't a threat […] But once you raised Ed […] I don't think you understand what you did with that." (25.26)
It's interesting that there are different levels of power when it comes to necromancy, as well as different levels of entities. With Ed, Sam proves his ability and lays any doubt about it to rest once and for all.
Quote #10
"I don't know how you hid from me. I don't know how you veiled your gift once you were here. What you did actually managed to surprise me, and that hasn't happened in quite some time." He leaned down and began the circle. "Too many unknowns with you. And since your gift came out to play, I no longer need to train you to draw it out." (25.81)
The bad part of Sam discovering his phenomenal powers is that it makes Douglas super mad, which isn't a pretty picture. With Sam officially a threat, Douglas makes it clear that he intends to take Sam's gift and leave him for dead.