"Bad enough," says Cullen, no louder, and runs the risk of touching Alistair's hand.

Cullen's own hands are roughened, with nicks and scars silvery and pink both, and with a crooked finger or two from breaks -- what you'd expect to see on someone who's spent his life inflicting force trauma on others with both blunt and sharp objects.

Cullen knows: demons don't often get quite that clever, especially when Alistair hasn't spent that much time on the details in question.