R.L. LaFevers Quotes

While I am Death's daughter and walk in His dark shadow, surely the darkness can give way to light sometimes.

And so it is with us; we serve as handmaidens to Death. When we are guided by His will, killing is a sacrament.

He does not start guiltily, as he should, but frowns in annoyance. "Who are you?"
I slip my hand through the slit of my overskirt, and my fingers close around the hard wood of the crossbow tiller. "Vengeance," I say softly.

He smiles then, and even though it is well past midnight, its as if the sun has just come out.

I bear a deep red stain that runs from my left shoulder down to my right hip, a trail left by the herbwitch's poison that my mother used to try to expel me from her womb.

It is a good thing I no longer have a heart, because if I did, it would surely break.

The body on the ground is nothing more than a shell, a husk, and I am filled with a sense of peace. Yes, I think. Yes. This is what I want to be. An instrument of mercy, not vengeance.

People hear and see what they expect to hear and see.

Tis Vanth's cage. You can just move it out of the way."
"I already have," he grumbles. "With my shin.

And just as love has two sides, so too does Death. While Ismae will serve as His mercy, I will not, for that is not how He fashioned me. Every death I have witnessed, every horror I have endured, has forged me to be who I am
Death's justice.

Jewels can be replaced, cousin. Independence, once lost, cannot.

God's Teeth,' he says. 'I was only trying to wake you. You were crying out in your sleep.'
'I was not,' I say, then look from his neck to my knife.
'When I tried to wake you, you stabbed me.' He sounds sore put out. and I cannot blame him.

The first book I opened looked promising - Mummies and Their Secrets by Sir Lynn N. Bandage.

When one consorts with assassins, one must expect to dance along the edge of a knife once or twice.

So ... You are well equipped for our service.'
'Which is?'
'We kill people.

Hate cannot be fought with hate. Evil cannot be conquered by darkness. Only love has the power to conquer them both.

His divine spark lives within me, a presence that will never leave. And I am but one of many tools He has at His disposal. If I cannot act - if I refuse to act - that is a choice I am allowed to make. He has given me life, and all I must do to serve Him is to live. Fully and with my whole heart. With this knowledge comes a true understanding of all the gifts He has given me.

For all that I have kissed before, I have never felt anything like this. It is as if I have swallowed a tiny piece of the sun, its warmth and light reaching into every corner of my soul and chasing away the shadows.
I surrender to that kiss - surrender to the strength and the courage and the sheer goodness of the man.

I almost hope it is a mouth that opens directly to hell, for of a certainty, we could use the heat.

However, there are those who deserve to die but who have not yet encountered the means to do so - we help them on their way.

Whenever you are ready, or if you never are, my heart is yours ...

One fine moonlit night, Mortain and his Wild Hunt were riding through the countryside when they spied two maids more beautiful than any they had ever seen before. They were picking evening primrose, which only blooms in the moonlight.
"The two maids turned out to be Amourna and Arduinna, twin daughters of Dea Matrona. When Mortain saw the fair Amourna, he fell instantly in love, for she was not only beautiful but light of heart as well, and surely the god of death needs lightness in his world.
"But the two sisters could not be more different. Amourna was happy and giving, but her sister, Arduinna, was fierce, jealous, and suspicious, for such is the dual nature of love. Arduinna had a ferocious and protective nature and did not care for the way Mortain was looking at her beloved sister. To warn him, she drew her bow and let fly with one of her silver arrows. She never misses, and she didn't miss then. The arrow pierced Mortain's heart, but no one, not even a goddess, can kill the god of death.
"Mortain plucked the arrow from his chest and bowed to Arduinna. 'Thank you,' he said. 'For reminding me that love never comes without cost

I cannot tell her I have been moping over a broken heart when I have worked so hard to convince her I have no heart at all.

Surely He does not give us hearts so we may spend our lives ignoring them.

I have found it is surprisingly difficult to remain sad when a cat is doing its level best to sandpaper one's cheeks.

I pause at the door, wishing I could find a corner and sleep until my head clears, but the sailor said the abbess is expecting me, and while I do not know much about abbesses, I suspect they are not fond of waiting.

... true faith never comes without anguish.

Perhaps that is because you mistake death for justice, and they are not the same thing at all.

Do you need anything before I go?
I want you to return my wits, I long to say.

Not all men are the same, you know. With someone such as Gavriel, I would suggest appearing aloof, not chasing too much. He might see that as suffocating rather than charming.
Her words are sharp, but her voice is sweet, like honey on the edge of a blade, and meant to be cutting. I comfort myself with the knowledge that if Duval ever feels smothered by me, it will be because I am holding a pillow over his face and commending his soul to Mortain.

You come to us well tempered, my child, and it is not in my nature to be sorry for it. It is a well tempered blade that is the strongest.

I feel Him kiss my brow, a chill weight on my forehead. In the kiss is absolution, yes, but understanding as well. Understanding that it is He I serve, not the convent. His divine spark lives within me, a presence that will never leave. And I am but one of the many tools he has at his disposal. If I cannot act
if I refuse to act
that is a choice I am allowed to make. He has given me life, and all I must do to serve Him is live. Fully and with my whole heart.

The requirements for covert operations weren't for the faint-hearted or overly modest, let me tell you.

I am left with the conviction that an avalanche would be easier to dissuade than that man.

If you are not careful, soon you will have men locking themselves in dungeons so that you can rescue them.

He barks out a laugh. "My little rebel.

I will sit here but an hour or two, then leave."
I yawn. "So very long as that?"
When he answers, there is a wry note in his voice. "I do have my reputation to protect.

I stare at him coldly. "I do not care for needlework." I pause. "Unless it involves the base of the skull.

The pain of hope dying is worse than his fists and boots.

As far as I can tell, it doesn't make any difference to adults how clever children are. They always stick together. Unless you are sick or dying or mortally wounded, they will always side with the other adult.

Every time he glances at me I feel it just as surely as if he has reached out and run his finger along my soul. It is all I can do not to smile at the sheer wonder of it.

Why be the lamb when you can be the lion?

Are men truly such idiots that they cannot resist two orbs of flesh?

Reluctantly, I headed for the stairs. I wasn't dawdling. Not exactly. Just giving Father a bit of time to calm down.