‘War is the enemy of civilization. We cannot grow through war. It drags us down, filling our hearts with hatred and thoughts of revenge. Trade is the key. Every race has something to offer, and something they need to buy. And, as we trade, we learn new skills from one another.‘
– Odysseus, to Xander, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘The truth is a many-costumed whore. Seems to me she will offer a man valid reasons for any deed, no matter how ghastly.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘There is no courage without fear. A man who rushes into battle fearlessly is not a hero. He is merely a strong man with a big sword. An act of courage requires the overcoming of fear.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Now this is how courage and fear work, lad. Both will always be pushing. They are never still. And a man cannot choose to stop pushing. For if he backs away the fear will come after him, and push him pack another step, and then another. Men who give in to fear are like kings who trust in castles to keep out enemies, rather than attacking them on open ground, and scattering them. So the enemies camp round the castle, and now the king cannot get out. Slowly his food runs out, and he discovers the castle is not a very safe place to be.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Truth and falsehood are two different beasts, as different as the lion and the lizard. They are complex animals and they share many of the same features – they both have four legs, two eyes, and a tail. Yet you cannot mistake the one for the other. I know the truth when I see it, and I know the lie.‘
– Odysseus, to Hektor, Fall of Kings
‘Love is a mystery. We embrace it where we can. Mostly we do not choose whom we love. It just happens. A voice speaks to us, in ways the ear cannot hear. We recognize a beauty that the eye does not see. We experience a change in our hearts that no voice can describe. There is no evil in love.‘
– Odysseus, to Kalliope, Shield of Thunder
‘The moves are the same, but the difference is wider than the Great Green. Love is like that. You can spend time with a whore, and laugh and know great pleasure. But when love strikes – ah, the difference is awesome. You will find more joy in the touch of a hand, or the sight of a smile, than you could ever experience in a hundred nights of passion with anyone else. The sky will be more blue, the sun more bright.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Listen to me! Five years ago we hit rocks on the Penelope. Her hull was breached and she was shipping water. She rolled on the Great Green like a hog in a swamp. Her speed was gone and she almost sank. We kept her afloat and made it to port. Then she was repaired. I didn’t judge her as a bad ship. She was damaged in a storm. I judge her by how she sails when her hull is sound. You are like that ship. Your heart was breached when your mother died. And from the heart comes courage.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Warriors fear surrender. They are proud and defiant. They will fight to the death for what they believe in. They will struggle to conquer. Love is not about conquest. The truth is a man can only find true love when he surrenders to it. When he opens his heart to the partner of his soul and says: “Here it is! The very essence of me! It is yours to nurture or destroy.”‘
– Odysseus, to Andromache, Lord Of The Silver Bow
‘I will not weep for the dead. I will hold them in my heart, and I will live my life to the full in honour of them.‘
– Odysseus, to Ganny, Shield of Thunder
