‘I have discovered that miracles are merely events that happen just when they are needed. A man dying of thirst in the desert sees a bee flying through the air. He decides that Jehovah has sent him the bee and follows it – to a glistening pool of cold, clear water. Is it a miracle?‘
– The Prophet, to Gershom, Shield of Thunder
‘I think it is a grand jest. We all worship the unknown, the unknowable. That is the essence of our lives. All we can ever know is what was, not what will be. Yet we yearn to know, to understand the mystery.‘
– Gershom, to Helikaon and Oniacus, Shield of Thunder
‘The seas and the mountains are eternal and unchanging. We are just here for a little while and then we fade into the dust of history.‘
– Odysseus, to Kalliades, Shield of Thunder
‘Most men rationalize their weaknesses, and exaggerate their strengths. I am no different.‘
– Kalliades, to Kalliope, Shield of Thunder
‘I know more about men than I would ever have wished to know. So many of you are quick to notice flaws and weaknesses in others, while being completely blind to your own faults and fears.’
– Big Red, to Kalliades, Shield of Thunder
‘There is a darkness in you. In all of us, probably. Beasts we keep chained. Ordinary men have to keep the chains strong, for if we let the beast loose then society will turn upon us with fiery vengeance. Kings, though… well, who is there to turn upon them? So the chains are made of straw. It is the curse of kings that they can become monsters. And they invariably do.’
– Gershom, to Helikaon, Shield of Thunder
‘I have discovered that miracles are merely events that happen just when they are needed. A man dying of thirst in the desert sees a bee flying through the air. He decides that Jehovah has sent him the bee and follows it – to a glistening pool of cold, clear water. Is it a miracle?’
– The Prophet, to Gershom, Shield of Thunder
‘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
‘When the wolf slaughters the sheep we shrug and say, it is his nature. When the sheepdog turns on the flock it breaks our hearts, for his actions are treacherous.‘
– Gershom, to Helikaon, Shield of Thunder
‘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
