Motif · Book 6, The Eye of the Bedlam Bride

The xistera

A jai-alai scoop from a Gold Fan Box, matched to the Cesta Punta skill an Earth Hobby Potion gave Carl at random: a metallic basket that retracts into a bracer, hurls a hob-lobber at 250 mph, and retires the slingshot. The AI's plan for him, traced back to cherry bombs tossed off a cutter onto Arctic ice.

Segment appearances

• Chapter 4 — Old Havana
• Chapter 29 — Der Schachmeister
• Chapter 38 — Monroe County
• Chapter 41 — Jola the Yule Cat
• Chapter 46 — The Reminiscence Hydra
• Chapter 54 — Demon Eviction
• Chapter 55 — Survival Royale
• Chapter 58 — Amayon

Progression

Samantha returns to Carl's hand the moment the xistera comes off (ch. 4); a heavy ball lobbed into an invisible wall (ch. 29); hob-lobbers drilled across a field, a sticky one onto a deckmaster's chest, a holy-water one over the swordfish (ch. 30, ch. 38, ch. 39); a quarter hob-lobber at a house, breaking both of Carl's rules (ch. 41); a sixteenth-strength one behind them (ch. 42); a head-thrower for recon and teleport (ch. 54, ch. 57).