The Invaders Quotes

“Anyone can make a mistake.... It's how they learn from it and recover from it that shows their true worth.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Men... performed better when they understood why they were being asked to carry out a task.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“He looked up at Stig and Hal. 'Told you this one was a keeper.' Lydia flushed as the two boys smiled. 'Shut up. You make sure you do your stuff with those two overgrown dinner bowls you call shields.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Welcome to Shelter Bay,' he said to Stig. 'Is that what it's called?' Hal gave him a tired grin. 'It is now'.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“It was ten against ten. So, as Svengal later recounted, it was no contest. He had the enemy outnumbered three to one.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“People always find it amusing when they see a friend suffering, Stig thought.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Nothing like a little wanton destruction to get boys excited, Thorn thought, smiling to himself.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“settle on one direction”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Risks are for them as fight me,”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“They’d still be outnumbered by the pirates, he thought. But then a savage grin lit his face. Being outnumbered didn’t worry him. They were Skandians, after all.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“By the time Thorn and the Herons arrived at the harbor front, there were only three of the Magyarans left. They were on their knees, pleading for mercy. The Skandians, who had never been cold-blooded killers, granted it reluctantly. Some of them urged the Magyarans to pick up their weapons and try their luck once more. The pirates might have been cowardly, but they weren’t stupid. They declined the invitation. The Skandians consoled themselves by delivering hearty kicks to their enemies’ backsides, sending them sprawling.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“There is one thing,” Thorn said, holding up a finger. Hal looked at him curiously and he continued. “While I was finding out all about this strange ship, I happened to see this rather nice, rather expensive sheepskin vest in the market.” He held up a new sheepskin. Hal had to admit that it was excellent quality, and well made. “I decided I should let you buy it for me. It was ten kroner.” He held out his left hand, palm uppermost. Hal shook his head, perplexed. “I don’t have ten kroner,” he protested. “I only have two and some change. And that came from the money you gave me earlier.” He reached into the side pocket of his jerkin and produced the few coins he had left. Thorn pursed his lips thoughtfully. “I see. Well then, give me those.” Hal did so. “Now you owe me eight kroner.” Thorn delved into the small sack purse he kept on his belt and rummaged around, producing a handful of coins. “So I will lend you eight kroner. Here, take them.” Hal did so, mystified by all this high finance. He realized Thorn was clicking his fingers impatiently. “You want them back now?” he said. Thorn nodded. “You owe me for the vest. Hand them over.” Puzzled, Hal did so, dropping the coins into Thorn’s open palm. Thorn nodded in satisfaction and stowed them away in his purse. “Now we’re even,” he said. “Except you owe me ten kroner.” “I what?” Thorn held up his hook to stop further discussion. “Remember? I lent you eight kroner, and I also lent you the other two. Gorlog’s reeking breath, boy, it was only a few minutes ago! So you owe me the ten kroner that I lent you to buy the vest for me.” “But . . .” Hal looked at the others. Stig was similarly confused, he could see. Ulf and Wulf seemed to think it was all perfectly logical, which proved it was anything but. “Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just say I owe you ten kroner for the vest?” Thorn shook his head. “No. You’ve paid me for the vest. Remember? I just lent you the money to do it. Now you owe me the money I just lent you so you could pay me.” “But it would have been the same result!” Hal protested. Thorn smiled beatifically at him. “Maybe. But I just wanted to have you hand over some money.” Hal scratched his head, trying to fathom Thorn’s thinking. He decided that was an impossible task. “Is it all right by you if we leave now?” he said, giving in, and Thorn made a magnanimous gesture, sweeping his left hand toward the open sea. “By all means. Just don’t forget you owe me ten kroner.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Well, no offense,” he began, and Hal had a moment to reflect that whenever people began with “no offense” they invariably went on to be extremely offensive. “But what qualifies Thorn to train us? I mean . . . he’s Thorn, after all. No offense,” he repeated. Thorn smiled at him but the smile never reached his eyes. Hal turned to him. “Thorn, would you like to show Jesper how qualified you are?” Thorn appeared to think about the question. Then he moved with blinding speed, covering the ground between himself and Jesper. Jesper, a former thief, was accustomed to moving quickly when threatened. But he never had time to register that Thorn was moving. The old sea wolf’s left hand closed on Jesper’s collar in an iron grip and he hoisted the boy off his feet, holding him suspended, his feet dangling clear of the ground. Then he gathered himself and hurled Jesper away like a sack of potatoes. The boy flew several meters through the air, hit the ground and lost his footing, crashing over on his back. As he lay winded, he looked up into Thorn’s bearded face, a face wreathed in a fierce smile. “How’s that for qualifications?” Jesper nodded several times, and waved weakly in reply. “Tha’s pretty good,” he gasped breathlessly. “Pretty good indeed.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“We drew lots for the sleeping spaces,” he pointed out, striving to keep a reasonable tone. Ulf shrugged petulantly. “Well, if I’d known I was going to be so close to the door, I would have drawn a different one.” Hal gave up trying to be reasonable. He glared at Ulf. “Do you realize how abysmally stupid that statement is?” he demanded.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“momentarily until the wind sent her soaring up the face of the next wave. The sun was very low to the horizon in the west and they wouldn’t reach Shelter Bay before dark. He made a mental note to go in under oars. The entrance to the bay was narrow and he didn’t plan on flying through there under sail in the dark. But for the moment, the crew could relax. He beckoned Stig to the steering platform and gestured to the tiller. “You might as well take her,” he said, and Stig complied enthusiastically. Truth be told, Hal was reluctant to hand over control of the ship. She was his and he loved steering her, loved the feeling of control and response she gave him. But Stig would be at the helm when they went into battle, so it made sense for him to be thoroughly familiar with the feel of the ship. And Stig was a good helmsman, he had to admit. His friend seemed to sense his mood and smiled reassuringly at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll look after her. But she knows who her real master is.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“guardhouse at the top of the tower. The Heron,”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Zavac”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Rikard nodded. Once Andras and the Raven’s crew members left, he thought, he’d give them time to get clear. Then he and his men would head for the Stingray, moored against the quay in the inner harbor. Let Raven’s crew do the fighting, he thought. They could keep the enemy occupied while Stingray slipped away.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“He guessed Jesper was feeling the same. He glanced sideways at his companion and realized that he could make out details on the log—he could see individual branches and the waterproof packet tied firmly to their makeshift raft. He twisted to look over his shoulder and made out the tiny red flag five meters away. As they rose on a wave, he could momentarily see the next flag. But there was no sign of the Heron anywhere on the horizon. Time passed. The light strengthened, and soon the sky in the east was streaked with the red glow of the rising sun. Then that faded as the light hardened. There was no sign of the town now. No sign of land. No sign of the Heron. No sign of anything but the sea. Finally, Jesper gave voice to the fear that was growing in both of them. “They’ve missed us,” he said. His voice was flat, defeated. Hal shook his head. “They’ll find us,” he said, trying to sound as if he believed it. “I’ll give it another ten minutes or so, then I’ll light the signal fire.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Maybe the wind will get up again,” he added hopefully. “Maybe,” Jesper replied. He sounded a lot less hopeful about it. “I’ve found in the past that when you’re in a jam and you really need something to happen, it usually doesn’t.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Well, I tried,” Stig said in a mild tone to Jonas. Then he hit Barat with every ounce of his strength. The blow was so unexpected, so out of keeping with the mild, almost disappointed tone of voice that Stig had been using, Barat never saw it coming. It was a savage right that connected flush on the side of his jaw, lifted him off his feet, then dropped him to the sand like a sack of potatoes. Stig’s left fist, cocked and ready for a follow-up, wasn’t required. Barat was out like a light. “Gorlog’s breath, I’ve been dying to do that for days!” Stig muttered. Jonas goggled at him. “What are you doing?” he asked, shocked at the unexpected explosion of violence. “I’m taking six of your men and I’m going to find my friend,” Stig told him very quietly, but very forcefully. “You’re going to detail them to come with me.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“I’ll think of a way round this on the way back.” “I’d appreciate that,” Jesper said. Stig hid a grin. Jesper, a non-swimmer, was being asked to float into the beach, holding on to a log, make his way to the gate, avoiding being seen by any sentries patrolling the palisade, hang a bladder of oil on it, then drift out to sea again on the vague assurance that Stig and the other Herons would be able to find them. Welcome to Hal’s world, he thought.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Including a nice, expensive new sheepskin vest,” Thorn told him. Hal nodded several times. “Well, of course. That’s first on the list.” “Really? I’d like to see that list,” Thorn said. Hal tapped his forehead with one finger. “It’s all up here in my head,” he said. “But sheepskin vest is the first item there. Trust me.” “I did that once,” Thorn replied. “Look where it got me.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“I suppose next you’ll be putting wings on her so she can fly?” Hal laughed. “I’ve been thinking about that. Not sure if I can get it to work . . . yet.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“As he did so, Thorn said meaningfully, “Careful. It’s quite a tight fit. Apparently somebody lined it with sheepskin.” Suddenly, Thorn’s preoccupation with the lining of the keel box registered with Hal and he looked guiltily at the old sea wolf. “Oh . . . ,” he said awkwardly. “Sorry, Thorn. I didn’t know it was your sheepskin vest . . . I sort of found it . . . and I . . .” “You assumed a sheep had died and left you its coat?” Thorn said with heavy sarcasm. “Just slipped out of it and left it lying around for you to find?” “Well, no. Not really. I just didn’t think . . .” “And we’re all used to that, aren’t we?” Thorn replied. He held Hal’s gaze until the young skirl dropped his eyes. Point made, Thorn thought. Then he reached for the tiller. “Right. Let’s see how this fin of yours works.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Down fin, Thorn.” Thorn glared at him, then shoved the fin down savagely. Water splashed up out of the keel box. “Down through all that sheepskin, you mean?” he muttered darkly.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“That’s a snug fit,” Thorn said. “What did you line it with?” “Oh, leather and some sheepskin,” Hal said distractedly. He failed to notice Thorn’s sharp look as he said sheepskin.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“One day your knees will creak,” he told them. Stig looked up at him and rolled his eyes. “If I don’t get drowned by my best friend in the meantime.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“I thought I’d cut away a section of the planking next to the keel and—” “Just a moment!” Stig protested. “You’re planning to cut through a plank next to the keel?” Hal nodded. “That’s right. Then I could—” “You do know what happens when you cut a hole in the bottom of a ship, don’t you? The ship tends to sink.” He looked to Thorn for corroboration. “You tell him, Thorn.” Thorn raised his eyebrows. As a rule, he trusted Hal’s ideas, but this did seem extreme. “It’s not usually considered a good idea to cut holes in the bottom of a ship,” he said. Stig threw his hands in the air in a see-what-I-mean gesture. “I’m not cutting holes in the bottom of the ship, as you put it. It’s only one hole.” But Hal got no further before Stig erupted again. “It’s only one ship! How many holes do you want? One will definitely be enough to do the job! You cut. We sink. Not a good idea, Hal!” He shook his head violently. “Or is this just another one of those small details you tend to forget?” Hal’s head snapped up angrily at those words. “I wondered when we’d get to that,” he said. Stig threw his hands up again. “Well, it’s a pretty obvious question, isn’t it? You do have something of a track record with water going where it shouldn’t.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders

“Missed,” Hal said, for Ingvar’s benefit. The big boy grunted. “Hit it this time.”
― John Flanagan, The Invaders