The Beauty of Darkness

“It doesn’t matter how many universes come and go, I will always remember who we were together.”

“Love didn’t end all at once, no matter how much you needed it to or how inconvenient it was. You couldn’t command love to stop any more than a marriage document could order it to appear. Maybe love had to bleed away a drop at a time until your heart was numb and cold and mostly dead.”

“Love … It’s a nice little trick if you can find it.We had found it.But now I knew finding love and holding on to it were not the same thing.”

“Darkness was a beautiful thing. The kiss of a shadow. A caress as soft as moonlight.”

“Truth is as free as the air and we all have the right to breathe as deeply of it as we wish. It cannot be held back in the palm of any one man.”

“This world, it breathes you in … it knows you, and then it breathes you out again, shares you.”

“I left and went to the roof, where it was only me, a thousand blinking stars, and the beauty of darkness stretched to the ends of the universe, snuffing out the endless games of courts and kingdoms.”

“Regroup. Move forward.”

“Once upon a time, Long, long ago, Seven stars were flung from the sky. One to shake the mountains, One to churn the seas, One to choke the air, And four to test the hearts of men. Your hearts are to be tested now. Open them to the truths, For we must not just be ready For the enemy without, But also the enemy within.”

“For with but one generation, History and truth are lost forever.”

“and when the last star of the universe blinks silent, I will still be yours.”

“If we spend too much time reliving the past, it gets us nowhere.”“That’s where I am, Rafe. Nowhere.”

“A prince, in the turn of a moment and a few words, was now a king.”

“He nodded. “You’re right. It’s probably for the best.” Bitterness rose in my throat. I hated things being for the best. They never really were. It was a phrase that sugarcoated the leftover crumbs of our options.”

“I know hundreds of miles separate us. I know you have your endless duties here and I have mine in Dalbreck. But we’ve done the impossible, Lia. If we can find a way to end centuries of animosity between the kingdoms … surely … we can find a way for us.”

“When we lose a battle, we have to regroup and move forward again. Choose an alternate path if necessary. But if we dwell on every action we've taken, it will cripple us, and soon we'll take no action at all.”

“It's not an easy thing to tell the girl that you love more than life itself that you're going to marry someone else.”

“I understood the weight of promises, and Rafe’s strength as a king mattered more to Morrighan now, than it ever had. It mattered to me. I stared out at the jagged line of forest, feeling the stinging irony of Rafe’s choice: To help me and the kingdom of Morrighan survive, he had been forced to cut out my heart.”

“My dress?” I said in disbelief. “You still have it?” “No, not here. It was too risky to carry around in Terravin. I was afraid someone would see it, so when I got the chance, I stuffed it behind a manger stored up in the loft. Enzo’s probably found it and thrown it out by now.” Berdi maybe, but not Enzo. He never did any more tidying up than he had to. “Why in the gods’ names would you keep it?” I asked. A smile played behind his eyes. “I’m not really sure. Maybe I wanted something to burn in case I never caught up with you.” A disapproving brow shot up. “Or to strangle you with if I did.” I suppressed a grin.”

“How did you end up with an assassin and newly crowned king as your confidantes?""The gods have a wicked sense of humor.”

“Well! I’m glad you didn’t call him a buffoon.” “Or pompous,” Pauline added. “Or ignorant,” Jeb chimed in. “Or an ass,” Kaden said. “I didn’t call him an ass.” Rafe grunted. “You may as well have.” Now”

“There were many ways a life could be sacrificed, and it wasn’t always through dying”

“Every kiss, every touch, was a promise that we both knew, I was his and he was mine, and no conspiracy or scheme of kingdoms had a fraction of the power that surged between us.”

“Instead, he uttered another complaint. “You’re allowing a dusty old book to control your destiny!” A book controlling me? Heat shot to my temples. I shifted in my saddle to face him fully. “Understand this, Your Majesty, there’s been a lot of effort to control my life, but it hasn’t come from books! Look a little further back! A kingdom that betrothed me to an unknown prince controlled my destiny. A Komizar who commandeered my voice controlled my destiny. And a young king who would force protection on me thought he would control my destiny. Make no mistake about it, Rafe. I am choosing my destiny now—not a book, nor a man or a kingdom. If my goals and heart coincide with something in an old dusty book, so be it. I choose to serve this goal, just as you are free to choose yours!” I lowered my voice and added with cold certainty, “I promise you, King Jaxon, if Morrighan falls, Dalbreck will be next, and then every other kingdom on the continent until the Komizar has consumed them all.”

“You are a man of many talents, King Jaxon.” Creases deepened around his eyes. “And you, Queen Jezelia, are a woman of surprising strengths.”

“Were any losses worth the gains?”

“I limped forward, sidestepping Rafe’s efforts to stop me. I kept a safe distance but looked sternly at Griz. “Put your hands behind your back. Now.” He eyed me uncertainly, but then slowly did as I instructed. “Good,” I said. “Now, after they tie you up, you must give me your word you won’t try to escape, and if Kaden should try, you must promise that you’ll strike him down.” “How would I do that with my hands tied?” he asked. “I don’t care how you do it. Fall on him. That should stop him. Do I have your word?” He nodded.”

“it was only me, a thousand blinking stars, and the beauty of darkness stretched to the ends of the universe, snuffing out the endless games of courts and kingdoms.”

“Colonel Sven Haverstrom of the Dalbreck Royal Guard, Assigned Steward of Crown Prince Jaxon. The others laughed at that title. They were free with their jest and jabs, even with an officer who outranked them, but Sven gave it back as good as he got it. Officer Jeb McCance, Falworth Special Forces. Officer Tavish Baird, Tactician, Fourth Battalion. Officer Orrin del Aransas, Falworth First Archer Assault Unit.”

“I reached out and touched a tiny pink toe that peeked from Kaden’s swaddling shirt. “He’s beautiful,” I said. “How are you feeling?” “Well enough,” she answered, rolling her eyes, “considering I just paraded my lady parts to a killer barbarian.” She sighed. “But I suppose, compared to what you’ve been through, it’s a small indignity to bear.”