A Promise of Return Quotes

“For all Nate's strengths, all his fights in the school yard, all the ways he proved himself to be the stronger of the two brothers, Nate had never been able to stand against their father. A childhood of being abused had done irreversible damage. His powerful, rash, wild brother crumpled like paper before their father's wrath.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Spared did not mean saved, however. Not in Cutta.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Markas pursed his lips. He did not confirm or deny it. He said, 'Try as we might to control human nature and prevent it from destroying what we have endeavoured so ardently to preserve, there is always one thing that cannot be contained. I suppose we're lucky it's love of a brother that consumes you, rather than love of freedom or power. Yet I am the King. You are nothing.'
Thom took another sip and shrugged. 'Your father was nothing until he became something. The son of a seamstress and janitor, I believe. Birth is of no consequence to anyone who knows how to win.'
Rather than appearing Insulted, Markas looked impressed. 'How do you know that?'
Thom had to fight down his smirk of satisfaction. He greatly enjoyed surprising those who underestimated him....”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Thom leaned back against the fence, completely drained. 'I should've listened to my brother.'
'Hes a smart one, your brother?'
'He knows who not to trust,' said Thom wearily. 'I believed I knew enough to circumvent danger.'
'Arrogance is the downfall of even the best man.'
Thom snorted. 'I never thought of myself as arrogant.'
'The arrogant never do.' Kayta winked at him...”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“How horrible and strange it was to think that one human being could own another”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Perhaps it should have been a warning of the bloodlust he now felt inside his veins. Perhaps he should have known then, as he watched from behind the trees, that even without bloodying his hands, they were bloodier than most.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“I don't know why I thought things would be simpler out here.'
'The wilderness fools you.'
"it fools all,' said Riddle.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Oh, my love' he said, laughing with fondness. 'I care little what side of this war we end up on. Survive. Live. Reach the end no matter what. I have never doubted how much you love me. Know that I will love you, and I will kill for you, and I will die for you. There is no limit, my love.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“The things that happen to you don't change who you are as a person,' she said, nudging him affectionately. 'I mean, whether you're scarred or traumatised or a bit broken, you're still going to be the cunning, watchful, taciturn man I have loved since I was a little girl. You've never done anything by half. And where Nate runs headlong at something with all the grace of a wounded rhinoceros, you think and wait and learn untill you're more than good enough. Trust yourself more. Somehow I doubt you'll go off and slaughter people at random.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“I think I was the only one who knew Nate was in love with your girl. He didn't seem to know it himself at the time. You know Nate - he has to figure out everything through great error and with all the grace of a thundering rhinoceros.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“At least now we won't smell,' said Thom, spitting water at him..Nate splashed him. 'Speak for yourself, I shit roses, little brother.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“These days I feel like I'm a monster, too. I like knowing that I'm good enough to win. It makes me think one day I'll be strong enough to burn this Kingdom down. But they made us into monsters, Thom. We weren't born monsters. They enslaved us. They put us in an arena and told us it was kill or die. If we fight back and take them down, if we win and become better than them, then we don't deserve to die. Do you hear me? In this world, the only ones who live do so with bloody hands. But we didn't start this, and we're not going to be them once we're free. Monsters until we're safe, and then we'll be the people we should have been from the start.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“How cruel a world it was where the dying bet on enslaved simply to live.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“At the same time, strangely, Thom found that he felt closer to his friends than he ever had with anyone from his old life save his brother and Cat. The bonds of captives were uncertain ones, fragile and held together with desperation and need, but made of blood and iron. Whilst some amongst them turned to suicide, brutality in the training paddock, or bullying to deal with their horrible fate, Thom, Charles, Elara, Thea, Shantos and Anara became closer than ever.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Thom enjoyed manipulating his dreams as much as he did reality. And what he realised by morning was that he had let himself be powerless too long; something he had sworn never to let happen. Something that had never happened until the Hangman returned. The feeling of helplessness shamed him, and he resolved to remember who he was. His wrath had always been more powerful than his fear.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Nate has always refused to have his scars removed and Thom had never understood why. To him, scars were ruinous and ugly. He had never seen a reason not to get rid of them. Now he saw the stories they told, and he was unsure if he would remove his. The fallen deserved to be remembered.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Never forget that a person with something to kill for is a lot more dangerous than a person without. We have someone to fight for. They fight only for themselves.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“I presume he intended me to die, but I've found even I'm hard to kill.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“Even if they should fail, even if they should die, it would not be for lack of effort.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“By the time they were finished, noses and cheeks red with cold, hands and feet aching, lungs ready to burst, they were both exhausted, but their spirits were somewhat lifted. Even if they should fail, even if they should die, it would not be for lack of effort.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return

“In that moment, Thom knew he had won. His word was his brother’s law. Even if Nate hated it, even if everything inside of Nate was screaming at him to grab his brother and physically remove him from this Kingdom he hated so much, he would concede and go back inside and let Thom try.”
― Rebecca Crunden, A Promise of Return