The Mime Order (The Bone Season Book 2)

by Samantha Shannon

‘You call a former lover an old flame.’ His golden eyes were chilling, his face carved out of nothing earthly. ‘For Rephaim, it can take a long time for a flame to catch. But once it burns, it does not go out.’

‘Not all secrets are kept out of shame. Some are kept to guard a truth, or to protect a life,’ he said. ‘Others are kept for selfish reasons, for those who know them fear that sunlight will burn them away.’ He came to join me. ‘And some secrets are kept for their sanctity.’

‘Know that I may not always understand you,’ Warden said, ‘but I will always try. Know that there are things I cannot give you, and that the road walked at my side is not an easy one. Know that if we were to be discovered, it would not only imperil the alliance, but your life.’

‘It must remain a secret until this conflict ends. It cannot be for ever, because we do not have that long.’ His voice was soft as shadow. ‘You are not beholden to the Guildhall. But if you still want me with you – if you will have me, despite the danger – then I want the same.’

‘If I fear anything, it is not that I want you,’ he said quietly. ‘Only that I might want you too much. And for too long.’

‘Hope is the lifeblood of revolution. Without it, we are nothing but ash, waiting for the wind to take us.’