The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)

by James Islington

CHAIN YOUR ANGER IN THE dark, my mother used to tell me, and it will only thrive.

The only one who ever seemed interested in whether I was filling my own potential, rather than exceeding that of others.

A part-Transvect. A well-cooked part-Transvect.”

The rough translation is someone who could ‘brighten a room with their absence, or dazzle it with their corpse.’ ” I smile slightly. I’ve always liked that one.

“I mean it.”

The power to protect is the highest of responsibilities, Diago. When a man is given it, his duty is not only to the people he thinks are worthy.

“Silence is a statement, Diago. Inaction picks a side. And when those lead to personal benefit, they are complicity.”

“Direct, Relational, or Conditional.”

A fair system only works if there’s an unbiased means of assessing merit. When there is no pride or selfishness involved.” He gives a soft snort, shaking his head. “Which means that fair systems cannot exist where people are involved.”

Not impossible, maybe, but close enough to be touching it.

“They are the world, my prince. Pride and self-respect may mean we never give in, but if they are all our enemies, we will never be happy.”

“Violence is no answer to grief,”