Rise of the Valiant (Kings and Sorcerers, #2)

by Morgan Rice

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.” --William Shakespeare Julius Caesar

Wars, Duncan knew, were often won more by surprise and speed than by force.

Their desire for freedom was too strong, Duncan realized, to do anything but shine even in the darkest night—and to take up arms to win back their lives.

Do not be fooled by men’s faces. We all lead lives of quiet despair. Some hide it better than others. Feel compassion for all, even if you see no outward reason.

“Loyalty can be the greatest danger of all, when it is blind, when it is misplaced.”

It is not loyalty and devotion that make a man. It is knowing who to be loyal to—and when. Loyalty is not forever. Loyalty must be earned, every moment of every day.

“You are not your past,” Kyra continued. “You are your future. Horrible things happen to us not to trap us in the past, but to help us decide on our future. They make us stronger. They teach us we have more power than we knew. They show us how strong we are. The question is: what will you choose to do with that strength?”

“All in good time, my friend,” Duncan said. “First we rally Kos—then we attack Pandesia. When we fight them, I want us to be unified, one force—and I want it be on our own terms. It is as important to choose when and where to fight as it is who.”

“To want to go on living, you must have a reason, a purpose,” Marco said. “A will. Can you think of no reason? No purpose? Not one reason to live?”