Phoenix Unbound Quotes
"For Gilene, spring was the season neither of rain nor of planting, but of suffering."
"Despite her mother’s half-hearted gesture of comfort, she wouldn’t defend her daughter."
"Their gazes, as she walked past them, were fearful, hopeful. Ashamed."
"The vision of the slaver enrobed in flames and shrieking in agony almost made her smile."
"Their journey was as miserable as it had been the previous year and the year before that."
"She smelled the city’s reek long before she saw it."
"Their deaths more valuable than their lives to those who ruled."
"It isn’t fire that burns me; it’s the magic I use to summon it. It comes with a price."
"You’re a brave woman. A bitter one, but brave."
"I’ve had plenty of opportunity to lift your skirts, Agacin. If I wanted to tup you, I would have done it by now."
"I don’t like being so predictable. Nor am I a murderer."
"I may curse your name for dragging me here, but I shall never forget this place. I shall never forget you."
"Then you will have made me immortal, Agacin. At least for a little while."
"For your sake, pretend you are. It puts you under my protection."
"This is why I hate the Empire most of all. Because it’s twisted us into people we despise."
"The Savatar value their womenfolk. Unlike Kraelians."
"I’ve no doubt of it. He failed the first time. The Karsas I remember never accepted failure well."
"Because, as I said before, you saved my life. I’m in your debt, and I’ve made you a promise."
"The Fire Council will want her to prove it. Seeing her walk through the Veil will give truth to your story, but they’ll want more."
"You aren’t much good to me as a pile of ash."
"There are no agacins beyond the Veil, nor any who aren’t Savatar."
"Whatever child I bore wouldn’t live to see its first year completed."
"Trade has thinned on the Serpent’s eastern flank."
"Trust me, nothing you’ve just said hasn’t been discussed to death in council meetings."
"Knowledge of the Empire will help toward that."
"An agacin who can’t light a candle at the moment."
"Gilene turned her face to the sun, grateful for its light and warmth."
"It’s mostly practice, but I’ll teach you what I’ve learned."
"If you want a strong claim to challenge Karsas for the clan’s leadership, you will need to offer something to gain their favor."
"You’ll be questioned and tested by nine priestesses."
"Better to have a dumb sheep that gives up warm wool than a smart rock that offers nothing to cold bones."
"If I could, I would turn Kraelag into a scorch mark on the landscape."
"I plan to take the entire Savatar nation to war against the Empire."
"I have to go. My family needs me. I have a duty to them and to Beroe."
"She was prettier than the stars and gleamed more brightly, in his opinion."
"I think there must be no depth the Empire won’t descend to in its cruelty."
"You’ve wanted a great deal from me, Ataman. You want my heart as well?"
"I’m a greedy man. I want all of you, heart, soul, and body."
"I’ve fought too hard to stay alive this long to suddenly embrace death."
"You always keep your promises, so a promise then."
"I will conquer all of the Empire to bring you back."
"Strength flowed out of Gilene like blood from a wound."
"Tears filled her eyes only to evaporate instantly."
"I ask for your strength, not your mercy, because I can’t do this alone."
"The gods weren’t deaf. They simply didn’t exist."
"She would die unburdened by guilt over their demise."
"Everything of value had been burned or melted."