Kristin Cashore

“In the end, Leck should have stuck to his lies. For it was the truth he almost told that killed him.”

“It's not reasonable to love people who are only going to die," she said.”

“Madlen came to sit beside her on the bed. "Lady Queen," she said with her own particular brand of rough gentleness. "It is not the job of the child to protect her mother. It's the mother's job to protect the child. By allowing your mother to protect you, you gave her a gift. Do you understand me?”

“If we knew a person was going to die, we'd hold harder to the memories."”

“It was a hurting tune, resigned, a cry of heartache for all in the world that fell apart. As ash rose black against the brilliant sky, Fire's fiddle cried out for the dead, and for the living who stay behind to say goodbye.”

“It's only water," she said.”