‘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
‘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
‘You built a castle in your mind. But fear seeped through gaps in the walls, and now there is nowhere else to hide. Deep down you know this, for the hero I see in you keeps telling you.‘
– Odysseus, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘Fear cannot be trusted. It exaggerates everything. It is both treacherous and dishonest.‘
– Andromache, to herself, Fall of Kings
‘Be lucky. And be brave. You will find that bravery and luck are often bedfellows.’
– Grandfather, to Xander, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘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
‘If you tell the same lie often enough for long enough, then eventually it can become the truth.’
– Hektor, to Odysseus, Fall of Kings
‘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
‘Power with conscience, strength without cruelty, love of homeland without hatred for one’s enemies.’
– Atreus, to Argurios, Lord of the Silver Bow
‘There’s nothing of worth that a man cannot find in his own village, let alone on the great sea. That’s the problem with these rich princes and kings. They don’t understand what real treasure is. They see it in gold and copper, and tin. They see it in herds of horses and cattle. They gather treasures to themselves, building great storehouses, which they guard furiously. Then they die. What good is it then?’
– Spyros, to Helikaon, Lord of the Silver Bow