The Exile (The Bound and the Broken, #2.5)

by Ryan Cahill

A panicked mind is a useless one. Take a moment, settle yourself, then watch.

“Part of me did die that day. Unfortunately for you, it was the kinder part.”

“What idiot isn’t afraid of the dark? Did you not hear me? Nothing good happens after dark. You’re a storyteller. You, of all people, should know this. Tell me one happy story that takes place on a mountainside at night in an abandoned fortress.”

“We have spilled blood together. We have sent souls into the void. We have crossed thousands of miles by land and water. I have listened to you pine over Mera like a lovesick puppy, and we have shit in the same hole in the ground more times than I’m comfortable with.”

“Love, my son, cannot be quantified by how and why. It is the intangible tether that connects your heart to others. It holds no conditions or rules, for if it did, it would not be love, but simply convenience. It is not found in the ‘because’, it is found in the ‘and yet’. Your father is strong, compassionate, and understanding, but it is not because of those things that I love him. Rather, they are why I admire him. He is also foolhardy, pig-headed, and he always says the wrong things. And yet, I love him anyway.”

“I would say that it is better to die for the ones you love and for what you believe than it is to live knowing that you could have done something but didn’t. I would say that you have my sword. I would say that you have my blood. And if you can bring the empire to its knees, then I will gladly give you my life as well.”

“It is never weak to grieve for the ones you love.”

“To hide your tears is to do them a disservice. They have earned your love. Let them have it.”

“You remember the story I told you of the Ghosts of Ilragorn, two summers past? Belina and Dayne are those ghosts. She walks a different path now.” “You tell your children stories about me? That’s adorable.” “Your kills that night were quick and efficient. You used fear as a tool. It was a good lesson.” “Well… that’s not so adorable.”

To call the sound that left her mouth a scream would be to call thunder a whisper.”