Age of Swords (The Legends of the First Empire, #2)

by Michael J. Sullivan

The first giant I ever saw was friendly and liked to cook. The second one might have as well. I do not know; I never asked. It is hard to pose questions while screaming.

“War is inevitable, and we can be trampled or we can learn to harness and ride. I’ve made my choice, and I suggest you do the same.”

Roan was, without overstatement, the most intelligent person I have ever met. To our great misfortune, we did not realize this fact for far too long; to our great luck, we discovered it in the nick of time.

Every life is a journey filled with crossroads. And then there are the bridges, those truly frightening choices that span what always was, from what will forever be. Finding the courage, or stupidity, to cross such bridges changes everything. For me, the life-altering choice was a literal bridge, the one I followed Persephone across on the dock in Vernes. —THE BOOK OF BRIN

Artists can’t create anything new; they merely make connections from what exists. But we are also part of what exists, so we are the web itself, individual strands in our own string pattern. As you alter the patterns in that string, you are also altering the world around you, and because you are part of this world, you are altering yourself. If you can see this, then you can see the truth. The string you weave is really yourself, and the pattern you make is your own life.”

“Will you still love me if I become a butterfly, Minna?” The wolf brought up her head and licked Suri’s hand.

There are many lies spoken during a war, even more before one. That is how they start. —THE BOOK OF BRIN

“That’s Drome,” Frost replied. “He forges the sun each morning and then throws it west, where it flies until it cools, goes out, and falls. Then after a brief rest, he does it again.”

The Miralyith once thought themselves to be gods. I have often wondered what the gods thought about that.

The worst nightmares are the ones you cannot wake from because they are real.

The Art’s greatest problem is its ability to seduce, telling you what you want to hear. It’s easier to believe the most outlandish lie that confirms what you suspect than the most obvious truth that denies it. Fenelyus taught me that. Arrogance…narrow-minded arrogance. It comes with power, and the Art is power.

Everyone thinks their adversary has an easier time than they do. They believe that all their opponent’s schemes work out exactly as expected, while their own plans constantly suffer setbacks. It is a funny notion, especially since you can’t have an adversary without being one.

You never know what you are capable of until you are so desperate as to try anything. You might be pleased or disappointed, but always, always surprised.

And that is how it all happened. It is how Persephone became the keenig of the Ten Clans, and Moya became her Shield. It is also the story of how Roan invented the bow and how Suri mastered the Art. For my part, I learned to write. I think each of us believed our adventures were over, and that under Persephone’s guidance, men like Raithe and Fhrey like Nyphron would take over and finish what we started. We certainly did not expect what came next. I am not sure anyone would have. —THE BOOK OF BRIN