Free The Darkness Quotes
"Good men want only the power to make things right. Great men seek to make things right and gather the power to do so. Great leaders find those who are worthy of wielding power and set them to the task of making things right."
"Loyalty and honor could only take a man so far."
"You must be one. Alone. No one will help you. No one will care."
"It is the pain, Rezkin. It addles the mind. It makes a man unable to think clearly, and he can easily lose track of his surroundings, sometimes even forgetting who he is or his purpose."
"Cruelty is when one takes pleasure in the pain and suffering of another."
"Now, he understood. They were unable to fight like big-men because they were breaking the Rules."
"His voice was strangled and weak, but his words were clear. 'Long live the king.'"
"Maybe it was a type of knowledge. Yes, that would make sense."
"Perhaps he truly was not yet ready to be a full-grown big-man."
"He could not see how any of these small-men and -women would live to see the next year of their lives."
"Rezkin shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was getting ahead of himself."
"Fitting in with these outworlders was going to be more difficult than he originally thought."
"What good was a guard who was too scared to confront a possible threat?"
"The one thing Rezkin had not been prepared for in his studies was the noise."
"Never had the young warrior thought to hear so many sounds all at once."
"I mean no offense, but this horse can be aggressive, especially toward anyone but me."
"Yeah, my da was off on the trade route somewheres when I was born, and my ma got tired of calling me the babe, so she went ahead and named me."
"She likes you," he said before scurrying off to his own chores.
"We can go in, now. You had best stay away from him. He could injure you."
"I would be much obliged," Rezkin stated through his practiced smile.
"Is it cause of your hair?" asked Pot inquisitively.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress Frisha."
"You are welcome, my lady. My name is Rezkin."
"I have no intention of causing any problems. It is the training, you see."
"If he can defeat me, I will leave you both alone, and you will never see me again."
"I truly meant no offense, nor did I intend to threaten or frighten either of you."
"I thought perhaps he was your relative or husband since he is serving as your escort,"
"I would be remiss in my duties under Rule 1 if I allowed you to continue on your journey under such conditions without my protection."
"I am pleased that you show such concern for your charge."
"I was willing to give you the whole room. From my perspective, this is a better deal."
"Perhaps you both need to review Rules 8, 24, 84, and 96."
"Do not get injured," Rezkin stated in a quiet, steady voice.
"Thank you for your concern, my lord. You’re so kind."
"If someone assisted them every time they failed, how would they ever learn anything?"
"Tam was simply trying to save the girl from further embarrassment, but Rezkin only saw it as encouraging disobedience."
"There are two ways to enter this room—the door and the window. There are any number of people outside who could intend harm, and perhaps a few inside."
"Where I grew up, the men were always sneaking in to test me. They did all kinds of things to teach me the Skills, particularly when I was most vulnerable."
"How do you expect to protect her in her room from in here?"
"My masters had said that many people found it difficult to deny a request if one said 'please,' especially if the request would have no direct impact on them."
"A single room would be much more defensible."
"This society seemed to value the rules of propriety over safety."
"Stories are rarely accurate. Those that are not pure fiction are embellished."
"The truth is, soldiering is not about excitement and glory."
"I am accustomed to practicing my physical Skills most of the day and night when I am not studying other subjects or sleeping."
"A strong leader needs strong warriors. Only a weak leader would intentionally keep his men weak."
"You worry about that kind of stuff? This has happened to you before?"
"I did not realize you were in such a hurry to die."
"Problems with you seem to be poor for the health."
"Age has nothing to do with this. Intelligence and loyalty are what I desire."
"If you leave your enemies behind alive, they will return to stab you in the back."
"Everyone will know what happens when they defy me."
"I protect those who are loyal to me and avenge those I cannot."
"Death is inevitable in your line of work, Attica —yours or someone else’s by your hand. It was just a matter of time."
"I have no time to be guildmaster. I do not care for the position in any case."
"Compliance and respect by means of fear was not his preferred method of leadership, but it was the reigning system of government among thieves, assassins, and other criminal elements."
"If he could fight back, you would die. You have no fighting Skills, a condition that must be corrected if you are to work for me."
"It’s the guild, Master. The Diamond Claws ain’t known for Sneaks. We’re more of a ‘business enterprise.’"
"You have to be the most compassionate and understanding man I have ever met, Rezkin."
"I made no threats of violence, and I drew no weapons."
"You’re so calm and self-assured, and your eyes ... You’re so intimidating, just your very presence."
"I think we had you all wrong, Rez. You’re really kind of a softy wrapped in a scary package."
"Tonight, I am going to kill your father, and I need you prepared to take his place."
"Your father has forfeit his life through his own actions. I am here to carry out his sentence."
"You said earlier that I do not have the authority to execute your father. That is not true."
"He is supposed to be. Give me some of your packs. I will strap them onto his back. Do not go near him, though. He will kick and bite."
"There is no need for that. I am not in the army, much less an officer."
"Oh, I do love the sea. Ain’t nothing more beautiful or fright’nin."
"It is the same color as the tunic you were wearing the night we met, so I thought you would approve."
"If you prevent her from learning to protect herself and she dies when she might have been able to save herself otherwise, then you have effectively killed her."
"You are an average civilian as far as anyone else is concerned, but if you do find yourself in need of us, we are with you."
"Competition is hardly necessary for advancement of Skill."
"Rule 14—Do not revel in success and 188—Do not engage in combat unless you must."
"The greatest prize of such an experience should be the opportunity to improve one’s Skills. Fame and fortune were completely unnecessary."
"Dueling was not considered to be a vicious sport, but rather one engaged in by gentlemen and nobles."
"Rule 37—Separate from one’s emotions should always be observed. Combat and killing were simply necessary tasks that should incite neither pleasure nor remorse."
"If I cannot protect you at all times, then I can at least make sure you can protect yourselves."
"It is a wise man that acknowledges his limitations."
"I assure you that I am aware of my limitations. At no time did I put myself in unnecessary or overwhelming danger."
"It is better to travel in numbers, just the same."
"You don’t look like bandits. That man is an officer, and you’re already traveling with a woman, so I don’t see any problem with it."
"If I make a good show at the tournament, they’ll have to recognize me as a warrior and let me join the army."
"I have mastered all of the Skills," he stated succinctly.
"Everyone has a purpose, Frisha. I know this. You are mine."
"It does not matter so much to me. She will learn or she will not. It is up to her."
"I want you to always be with me," he stated with resolve.
"Size is not necessarily of the most significance. What is most important is one’s Skill."
"It is another Skill you will have to learn on the way," he stated.
"Obviously, I am large, but size is not necessarily of the most significance."
"Frisha truly hoped he was not spending everything he had on her."
"He’s not yours, yet. Until you are married, he is fair game."
"Of course I am. I was washing. I do not bathe in my clothes."
"Even naked and unarmed I could kill you in seconds. Do not underestimate me."
"Most of all, he was angry because he cared what the lieutenant thought of him, and that was a new sensation."
"He was angry that his friend would question his devotion to the Rules, Rule 1 in particular."
"I understood that the intimacy was not really necessary unless he wanted to procreate, so the whole subject had not even crossed his mind."
"Rezkin was not a selfish or cruel man. He killed and destroyed when he had to or when the masters ordered it."
"I apologize for your discomfort, but you cannot walk right now. Try to breathe deeply and push away the pain."
"I have little care for propriety except for that which is necessary to honor my friends."
"The only people he had known before cared only that he learned the Rules and Skills and acted without emotion."
"I am sure Reaylin will be welcome to stay as well."