The Curse of Chalion (World of the Five Gods, #1)

by Lois McMaster Bujold

“So whenever fear comes back into my heart, I am more pleased than anything, for I take it as a sign that I am not mad after all. Or maybe, at least, getting better. Fear is my friend.” He looked up, with a quick, apologetic smile.

The gods’ most savage curses come to us as answers to our own prayers. Prayer is a dangerous business.

“This is a true prophecy, as true as yours ever were. When the souls rise up in glory, yours shall not be shunned nor sundered, but shall be the prize of the gods’ gardens. Even your darkness shall be treasured then, and all your pain made holy.”