You fight like a street thug, Mauvin commented.Because that’s what he is, Royce assured them as he approached from the direction of the keep, a big, dumb street thug. I once saw an old woman batter hi...
You alive? Hadrian asked. If I were dead, I don’t think there’d be geese. Royce tilted his head up to catch the arrow of birds heading south. But maybe they’re evil geese. Evil geese? We have no idea...
Tonight? Hadrian asked. Shouldn’t such things be done in the daylight? When we can both see and things with complicated names aren’t flying around?Not if I’m right.And if you’re wrong?If I’m wrong, we...
Time had sneaked in and stolen her recklessness.
There were times Hadrian wondered if Royce was actually a cat that some mischievous witch had turned into a man and then lost track of. The similarities were too numerous to be coincidental. An irrita...
Stealing swords, Royce muttered mostly to himself. Okay, let’s take a look at this tower. The sooner I see it, the sooner I can start cursing.
So often I have heard that war is a noble and necessary thing, the answer to many problems. But I have found that when war becomes a reality, peace becomes the noble and necessary thing because there...
Silent, still, dark, and distant. Far more manageable, less troublesome. People are small; they can be ignored. He raised his head toward the invisible horizon. The whole world is small at a height li...
She put her hand on his shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. She did not know what else to do. First her mother, then her father and Fanen, and finally Hilfred—they were all gone. Mauvin was slipping awa...
She noticed the bandage on Mauvin’s arm. You’re wounded?More embarrassed than anything. But that’s bound to happen when you’re a Pickering fighting beside Hadrian. Doesn’t really hurt that much, hones...
Royce’s tone shifted between amazed and angry but finally settled on a nice restrained tempest.
Royce made to protest, but Hadrian held up his hand. Relax. I’ll deal with Count Nightshirt.Viscount.What’s the difference?A whole lot of money.
Roan prepared herself, held her breath, and turned her head. It wasn’t Iver. In the glow of the green light, she saw Persephone, Moya, and Arion sitting near the center of the stone chamber. Everythin...
Religion and tradition remain allies in a system that's still perceived to be fair.
Once an idea is learned, once it settles in, it becomes comfortable and hard to discard, like an old hat. And trust me, I have many old hats. Some I haven't worn in years, but I still keep them. Emoti...
Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Slaying a villain in the service of your king is the stuff of legends and what heroes are made of. [Fanen told Myron]It didn't feel very heroic. It made me sick. I d...
I’m not going to kill these people, Hadrian said. They’re nice people. How do you know? I talked to them. You talked to me too. You’re not nice people. I know, I know, I have those wolf eyes that good...
I’m going? Malcolm asked nervously. Yep. But I don’t know anything about hunting bears. We aren’t hunting a bear, Raithe said. You just heard her.Then why am I terrified? Because it will be dark by th...
It wasn’t necessary. Wilmer offered his piece of the map in exchange for a fair share. His only condition was to come along.And Maribor’s beard, was that ever a mistake, Wilmer said. Might have been b...
Ignorance isn’t prejudiced about who it afflicts,