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ef3e877
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Where are you from, Hadrian?" "Hintindar originally--a little village south of here in Rhenydd." "Originally? What's that supposed to mean? You got yourself born someplace else recently?"
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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ca72a9f
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Royce saw to his horse's needs; then, finding a suitable place, he unrolled his blanket and lay down. "I take it we're camping here, then?" Royce said nothing, still refusing to acknowledge his existence. "You could have said, 'We're going to bed down here for the rest of the night.' No, wait, you're right, too much. How about 'sleeping here'? Two words. Even you could manage that, right? I mean, I know you can talk. You had plenty to say b..
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speaking
silent
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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1b1eb22
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Royce took out his dagger and drove it into the table, where it stood upright. "Look at the blade. Is it bright or dark?" Hadrian narrowed his eyes suspiciously. The brilliant surface of Alverstone was dazzling as it reflected the candlelight. "Bright." Royce nodded. "Now move your head over here and look from my perspective." Hadrian leaned over, putting his head on the opposite side of the blade, where the shadow made it black as chimney ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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3146fd1
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And you? Did you find the doorknob?" Hadrian picked up a jug and downed several swallows, drinking so quickly some of the water dripped down his chin. He poured some in his palm and rinsed his face, running his fingers through his hair. "I didn't even get close enough to see a door." "Well, look on the bright side"--Hadrian smiled--"at least you weren't captured and condemned to death this time." "That's the bright side?" "What can I say? I..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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1c367ea
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Verily, for nine hundred years have I lost. Everyone I knew is dead, the empire gone, and who knows in what state the world is left. Should what thy sister reports prove true, much hath changed in the world." "By the way," Royce mentioned, "No one uses the words or anymore and certainly not , , or ."
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humorous
humor
riyria
language
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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681116e
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There you are!" he shouted at them. "Father has half the castle turned out looking for you." "Us?" Hadrian asked. "Yes." Fanen nodded. "He wants to see the two thieves in his chambers right away." "You didn't steal the silver or anything, did you, Royce?" Hadrian asked. "I would bet it has more to do with your flirting with Lenare this afternoon and threatening Mauvin just to show off," Royce retorted. "That was your fault," Hadrian said, j..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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87643ff
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So you have been paying attention." "I'm not as stupid as you think I am." "You have no idea how stupid I think you are, and honestly, we don't have time for that conversation." Hadrian scowled."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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a9125e4
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Another last-minute, good-deed job," Royce grumbled as he stuffed supplies into his saddlebag. "True," Hadrian said, slinging his sword belt over his shoulder, "but this is at least a paying job." "You should have told him the real reason we saved him from Trumbul-- because we wouldn't see the hundred tenents otherwise." "That was your reason. Besides, how often do we get to do royal contracts? If word gets around, we'll be able to command ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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95f30ae
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You can't kill Myron, Royce," Hadrian said, rapidly pulling the monk away as if he had found a child playing with a wild bear. "It would be like killing a puppy."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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bf65bd5
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The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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81aa68c
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Power rises to the top like cream and dominates the weak with cruelty disguised as -- and often even believed to be -- benevolence.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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56a2242
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I think comfort can be a curse, an addiction that without warning or notice erodes hope.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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90bf5c2
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Been meddling, have you?" Royce asked, looking around at the hive of activity. "You must admit they didn't have much in the way of a defense plan," Hadrian said, pausing to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Royce smiled at him. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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aa1c096
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You always think everything is so easy," Royce replied, wiping his eyes. "I'm just a glass-half-full kinda guy. How's your glass looking these days?" "I have no idea. I'm still trying to get over the sheer size of it."
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theft-of-swords
pessimism
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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4bb3417
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And if you can't trust an ancient talking tree, what was the point of having one?
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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f6bce29
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The abbot once told me that lying was a betrayal to one's self. It's evidence of self-loathing. When you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie rather than accepting yourself for who you really are--or, in this case, pretend something happened when it didn't. The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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58a9720
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Their jobs were almost too clean for Royce's taste.
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royce
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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20e78a4
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lying was a betrayal to one's self. It's evidence of self-loathing. When you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie rather than accepting yourself for who you really are--or, in this case, pretend something happened when it didn't. The idea of how others see you becomes more important than the reality of you. It's like when a man would rather die than be thought of as a coward. His life is not as important to him a..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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8282428
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The main paused only a moment, then pulled the boy around so he could look the lad in the eye. "There's doing what's right, and there's doing what's safe. Most of the time you do what's safe because doing different will get you dead for no good reason, but there are times when doing what's safe will kill you too. Only it'll be a different kind of death. They dying will be slow, the sort that eats from the inside until breathing becomes a cu..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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2817dc1
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More valuable than gold, more precious than life, is mercy bestowed upon he who hast not known its soft kiss
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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017b854
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Royce hated keeping secrets from Hadrian, and it weighed heavily on his conscience, which was amazing, because he had never known he had one. Royce defined right and wrong by the moment. Right was what was best for him--wrong was everything else.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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b07ae81
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Less talk, more screaming.
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torture
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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6e4b27d
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My name is Hadrian Blackwater." "Congratulations." "Uh ... what's yours?" "Leave me alone."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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d0a1e74
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The real struggle is in your own mind. You must know you are going to win before you start the fight. You have to see it, smell it, and believe it utterly. It is a form of confidence, but you must guard against overconfidence. You have to be flexible--able to adapt in an instant and never allow yourself to give up. Without this, nothing else is possible.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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2f801b3
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You broke into Drumindor?" Wyatt looked impressed. "I thought that was impossible." "Just about," Royce answered, "and we didn't get paid enough for the trouble it gave me." Hadrian snorted, "You? I was the one who nearly died making that leap. You just hung there and laughed."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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67df194
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Hadrian reeked of death. It wasn't the sort of stench others could smell or that water could wash, but it lingered on him like sweat-saturated pores after a long night of drinking.
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hadrian-blackwater
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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0f4fb1d
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Very slowly Royce pushed the door inward, peering through the gap. He looked left and right, then closed it once more and replaced the bolts. "What is it?" Hadrian asked. "He's right," Royce said dismally. "No one is getting through." Thranic smiled and nodded until he was beset by another series of coughs that bent him over in pain. "What is it?" Hadrian repeated. "You're not going to believe it." "What?" "There's a -- a thingy." "A ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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854c9b8
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Any chance he's turned a new leaf and taken up sailing for real?" "About as likely as me doing it." Hadrian eyed Royce for a heartbeat. "I put him at the top of the list."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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f7578ef
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Love is the degree to which you are willing to sacrifice your own interests for those of another. It doesn't matter what sex you are. It doesn't matter who you are, or were. It only matters that you care more for someone else than you do for yourself. It's when you eat minlatta with tarragon oil even when you hate pasta because someone with you enjoys it. It's when you value being alone more than anything but agree to move in with someone b..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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2be6c36
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What's the advantage of fear or the benefit of regret or the bonus of granting misery a foothold even if death is embracing you? My old abbot used to say, "Life is only precious if you wish it to be." I look at it like the last bite of a wonderful meal. Do you enjoy it, or does the knowledge that there is no more to follow make it so bitter that you would ruin the experience? - Myron on facing death"
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dying
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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010cda5
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Fulfillment comes from striving to succeed, to survive by your own wits and strength. Such things make each of us who we are." Using the blanket, he rubbed his hair. "You lose that in captivity, lose yourself, and that loss saps your capacity for joy. I think comfort can be a curse, an addiction that without warning or notice erodes hope. You know what I mean?" He looked at each of them, but no one answered. "Live with it long enough and th..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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08f1bd3
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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 don't even know why I... no, that's a lie. I really have to stop doing that." [Myron said] "Doing what?" "Lying. (...) It's evidence of self loathing. You see, when you are so ashamed of your actions, thoughts, or intentions, you lie to hide ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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ca1c1a6
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Anger and hate can make you brave, make you strong, but they also make you stupid.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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ccb1266
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I'm Tekchin," he said, exchanging an empty gourd for a full one. "The handsomest and most skilled of the Galantians." This brought an immediate and loud moan from the other Fhrey. "That scar suggests otherwise," Moya replied. "On both counts." More laughter, louder this time. "Pretty and smart," Tekchin said to the others in Fhrey. Persephone was thankful Moya couldn't understand their language. A comment like that would have been tanta..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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5067b51
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Hadrian leapt to his feet. Royce was already up. "Don't bother," Esrahaddon told them. "She's dead, and there's nothing you can do. The monster cannot be harmed by your weapons. It--" The two were out the door."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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291eaf5
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I just never noticed how little of me existed before. I was a shadow without a person.
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loneliness
love
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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069f8c5
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Life is only precious if you wish it to be.' I look at it like the last bite of a wonderful meal--do you enjoy it, or does the knowledge that there is no more to follow make it so bitter that you would ruin the experience?
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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3491e3f
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Remember, it's easier to believe an outlandish lie confirming what you suspect than the most obvious truth that denies it,
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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8954aab
|
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 better if you had killed me." He looked at the thief. "Would have been quick and painless, right?" Royce shrugged. "Sure, why not."
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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7621a7a
|
The greatest minds and the most advanced engineering went into its creation. They carved the prison out of solid rock from the face of the mountains just north of the lake. They sealed it not only with metal, stone, and wood but also with ancient and powerful enchantments. In the end, when it was finished, it was believed to be the most secure prison in the world." "They must have had some really nasty criminals back then to go to so much ..
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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6d224f9
|
When you expect nothing from the world--not the light of the sun, the wet of water, nor the air to breathe--everything is a wonder and every moment a gift.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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7ada5fe
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Just another game he played in a world where heroes were legends and honor was a myth.
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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bf82ab1
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It's easier to believe the most outlandish lie that confirms what you suspect than the most obvious truth that denies it.
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illusion
lie
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Michael J. Sullivan |
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b35b0fe
|
The two of them just sort of clicked, like old friends who'd just met. Friends-at-first-sight, if there was such a thing.
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Michael J. Sullivan |