The Shattered Castle Quotes

“Jaron, stop," Fink said. "We have a problem."
I turned back to see his face poke down from the hole through which I'd entered the cavern. In what little light he held, I saw how grim his expression was.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"How many steps have you taken?"
"I don't know. You never said to count them!"
"Sorry. I was supposed to tell you that."
"I don't know how many steps, Fink. Does it matter?"
"I'll ask." He disappeared for a moment; then I saw this face again. "Yes, it matters a lot. Could you have gone twelve steps?"
"Yes. Or maybe thirteen."
"No, at thirteen steps, you'd be dead already. Is it twelve steps?"
I closed my eyes and tried to estimate the count. "Yes, maybe. Are these real instructions?"
"I'm telling you what Levitimas said to me. But he mumbles."
"I'M not mumbling, Fink. Tell me what to do!"
"Jump."
"Jump where? To what?"
"I don't know."
"Fink, do I jump straight ahead or turn and jump? Do I jump up or down?
"Yes, try that."
I cursed and didn't care if he heard me. "Nothing is ahead of me, Fink."
"You don't know that. Jump!"
"If you're wrong about this, I'll kill you."
"If I'm wrong, the jump will kill you first.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“If you play games with a cheater, you won’t win by cheating. You only win by creating new rules. That’s what I’ve got to do.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“But then I was at the base of the steps, staring up at Imogen. I opened my mouth, but no words came out.
"What happened to you?" she asked.
I smiled. "I was nearly blown up, jumped through a waterfall, and Darius rides his horse like an old man, but I'm better now and you look beautiful. Will you marry me, Imogen?”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“No one begins to obtain wisdom until they admit they lack knowledge”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“We cannot keep what we do not earn. What we have earned we cannot lose."
-Levitimas”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“Your body takes beatings and rises again and again. Your mind brushes away insults like they are harmless flies.” She took my hand. “But your heart is different. It bruises deeply and is slow to heal.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“If the symbols are read as a message, then it would say that one is greater than three.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“Imogen was kissing Castor. Not a simple, meaningless kiss, but truly kissing him.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“He used to complain of overcooked meat.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“Jaron does not lie.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“Maybe my plans are terrible, but believe it or not, yours are worse; they are always worse.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle

“Take my hat too.” The boy pulled a hat off a hook beside the door. I put everything but the hat in my pocket for now. I could hardly return to Haddin looking like … whatever I would look like with these items.”
― Jennifer A. Nielsen, The Shattered Castle