Mark of the Fool 5 (Mark of the Fool #5)

by J.M. Clarke

Surprise, followed by inquisitiveness. And inquisitiveness followed by a sense of… focus. If he had been awake and present… He might have thought that the golem and sapling were communicating.

Knowledge lives. Knowledge grows. Knowledge changes. People agree and disagree about things we think we know. And until one is proven right beyond doubt, we must be open to the idea that the things we believe can change.”

“Redundancies are important in safety,” Alex said, repeating some of the safety part of his first-year alchemy textbook word for word. “Safety procedures and equipment aren’t meant to protect you in ideal conditions; they’re meant to protect you under stress.”

“Do you know what one of the advantages of overwhelming power is, Alex?” The ancient wizard raised his staff. “What?” Alex asked. “Convenience,” Baelin said, his voice taking on a dark note. Then a tidal wave of mana rose around them.

“Magic in general is variable.” Baelin surveyed the land with his hands on his hips. “For example, if one had need to codify the damage dealt by attack spells using pen and paper, I would imagine it would require some sort of complicated dice system to simulate.”