Maria V. Snyder quotes:

There's always another storm. It's the way the world works. Snowstorms, rainstorms, windstorms, sandstorms, and firestorms. Some are fierce and others are small. You have to deal with each one separately, but you need to keep an eye on whats brewing for tomorrow.

Your fear remains strong. You are not ready to face your story, preferring instead to surround yourself with knots. Someday, they will strangle you."

In keeping with his cryptic nature, all your Story Weaver said was 'The horses know where to go.' It's certainly not a military strategy I would use, but I've learned that the south uses its own strategy. And, strangely enough, it works.

You had lots of visitors, but they were all quiet." "Oh real funny. Tease the blind man." ~Trella to Logan, pg. 114-115

You can't let the past ruin your future, I changed over in my mind.

Right before I was escorted to the jail, Fawn waved bye bye to me. I smiled. My empty, pointless life for hers. Not bad.

I remembered my little brother, Allyn, had appeared so innocent and angelic when he slept--similar to Kerrick. It must be a survival tactic. If Allyn hadn't looked so sweet, we would have killed him while he slept. He had been pure evil when he was awake--similar to Kerrick.

Lying to yourself is easy, too. I know. It's much harder to stay and deal with consequences.

Yalena: Could you always open your door? Kiki: Yes. Fence, too. Yalena Why don't you? Kiki: Hay sweet. Fresh water. Peppermints.

You had lots of visitors, but they were all quiet.Oh real funny. Tease the blind man. ~Trella to Logan, pg. 114-115

Don't knock the power of a pest," Leif said. "Persistance and stubborness can be useful in many situations.

You're right. And so was my snake." Snake?" He pulled my arm out to expose my bracelet. "When I carved this my thoughts were on you, love. Your life is like this snake's coils. No matter how many turns it makes, you'll end up back where you belong. With me.

Sleep? What's that? A new type of casserole?

Did she just-" "Yes." "But I don't-" "Yes you do. We both stink." "Well, I'm not-" "Yes. You are." He huffed. "You wont let-" "No. No complaining. Let's go." I grabbed a clean shirt and pants from my saddlebags. "Well, she could have handled it better," he grumped. "No. She couldn't." He settled into a sulky silence as we visited the bathhouse.

For the first time, I was the center of attention. Everyone watched me as if I were a bomb. Would I explode and cause a disaster or would I pop and cause a miracle?

There is a reason for everything. You might not be able to figure it out, and time might have made us all forget it, but the reason is there all the same.

Nothing like having a warrant for your execution to get a girl motivated.

I wanted to dissolve into the floor, mixing myself with the hard stone. A stone had a single purpose: to be. No complicated promises, no worries and no feelings.

Trust, Kiki said, Trust is peppermints.

Valek: You know a death sentence hasn't kept us apart before. Yelena: Is that an order Valek? Valek: No, it's a promise!

Your mother sounds like a formidable woman," Valek said into the silence. "You have no idea," Leif replied with a sigh. "Well, if she's anything like Yelena, my deepest sympathies," Valek teased. "Hey!" Leif laughed and the tense moment dissipated. Valek handed Leif his machete. "Do you know how to use it?" "Of course. I chopped Yelena's bow into firewood," Leif joked.

Sieges weathered, fight together, friends forever.

only one way to find out

I never said it would be easy. Giving up is easy.

But you've slipped under my skin, invaded my blood and seized my heart.

Valek's thoughts returned to Yelena. An icy finger of loneliness touched the emptiness inside him. She was in Sitia, where she needed to be to learn about her magical powers, but she had taken his heart with her.

I didn't expect a knife, though. Is it the one missing from the kitchen?" "Did Rand report it?" I felt betrayed. Why hadn't he just asked for it back? "No. It just makes sense to keep track of large kitchen knives, so when one goes missing you're not surprised when someone attacks you with it.

I stepped closer to him and lowered my voice. 'If you could change one thing, what would it be?' He pulled the sheep pendant from his pocket. A question filled his eyes. I held out my hand. Riley placed it in my palm and I curled my finger around the necklace, pressing the metal into my skin.

It's a dirty way to fight, but I'm late for lunch."- Valek to Yelena

Your soul fits the void in my soul perfectly.

Trusting is hard. Knowing who to trust, even harder.

[Janco] paused. His eyes held a distant gleam as if seeing into his past. 'My first practice was a shock. I was a cocky smart aleck--' [Opal] 'Was?' [J] 'Be quiet. I'm telling a story here.

I'm glad you're here. We've had some...interesting developments." Leif groaned. "That's Yelena-speak for life-threatening danger.

The others had taken Valek's return in stride, although Janco made a comment about Valek's lack of hair. "You ever notice how couples start to look alike?" he asked. In a deadpan, Valek replied, "Yes. In fact I was just thinking how much you and Topaz resemble each other. It's uncanny.

Everyone makes choices in life. Some bad, some good. It's called living, and if you want to bow out, then go right ahead. But don't do it halfway. Don't linger in whiner's limbo.

...my sanity threatened to take a holiday without me.

...things happen that are out of your control.' Kerrick gave him a tight smile. 'You mean I'm not omnipotent?' 'You're not even semi-potent.' 'Is that even a word?' Kerrick asked. 'He probably means you're impotent,' I offered.

[Riley] slapped his hands to his face and then dropped them as if in surrender. 'I always say the wrong thing around you. Look, can we start over?' Over?" Yes. Over. Wipe the board clean.' But I would have to go back to hating you and not trusting you' I said Oh, well don't do that.' He paused and chewed his lip. 'Does that mean you like and trust me now?' " - Riley and Trella

After almost two hours of creeping around the forest, one of the jacks discovered Belen. He had fallen asleep, and the young man had literally tripped over him. So much for his reputation.

Ah, Kerry. You've found your heart. Who is she?" ... "A healer, but she's... gone.

An execution order hasn't kept us apart before. There are ways to get around it. We will be together." "Is that an order?" "No, a promise.

And clay-caked clothes are so last year.

Another relative?" Valek asked. A broad smile stretched Moon Man's lips. "Yes. I am her mother's uncle's wife's third cousin." --Valek and Moon Man

Anything else you want to tell me?" I asked Valek as we stopped a few feet short of the castle's south entrance. "Did Ari and Janco set me up for Nix's attack? Do you have another test of loyalty for me up your sleeve? Maybe the next time, I'll actually fail. A prospect that seems appealing!" I pushed away Valek's supporting arm. "When you warned me that you would test me from time to time, I thought you meant spiking my food. But it seems there is more than one way to poison a person's heart, and it doesn't even require a meal.

As her newest apprentice, it had been my job to go to the market every morning. I had gotten all the jobs no one else wanted, but I had treated each task as if it had been essential to do well -- a trick I had learned from my father.

At first, it feels as if she has vanished forever, and all traces are destroyed. But later, when the pain of loss doesn't overwhelm all your other feelings, every time you think of her, or hear her voice in your head, or remember a happy time together, you realize she's still a part of you and will never be totally gone.

Back so soon?" he asked. "Too bad. I was just about to organize a search for your dead body. What happened when you knocked on the southerner magician's door to sacrifice yourself? Did they kick you out, thinking you too half-witted to waste their time on?

Bad dreams are ghosts of our fears and worries, haunting us while we sleep. I doubt Valek is in trouble.

Before he turned away, I asked, 'What do you need?' 'I need you. I need to give you a proper kiss. I need you to be my mate.

Before Kiki and I headed toward the Keep, I thanked my friends. "For what? We didn't do anything," Janco grumbled. "For caring enough to follow my guards. And the next time, I might need the help." "There better not be a next time," Ari said, giving me a stern look. "How touching," Janco said, pretending to wipe his eyes. "Get going, Yelena. I don't want you to see me cry." He faked a sniffle. "I'm sure your ego can handle it," I said. "Or will you need to beat up some trainees to feel like a man again?" "Very funny," he said.

Being a scrub was undesirable and hard work, living in crowded conditions with no privacy and just being one of many. Undistinguishable.

Besides, thinking kind thoughts about Valek could be extremely dangerous. I could admire his skills, and be relieved when he was on my side in a fight. But for a rat to like the cat? That scenario ended only one way. With one dead rat.

But it seems there is more than one way to poison a person's heart, and it doesn't require a meal.

Did you live here?" Leif asked. I nodded. "For two years"."Where did you stay?" "I had a room in Valek's suite." Leif shot me an incredulous look. "Boy, you worked fast.

Do you really want to know why you lost?" I asked. "Do you really have an answer?" he countered. "You need to get off your horse and run with your men. You don't have the stamina for a long fight. And find a lighter sword." "But it was my uncle's." "You're not your uncle." "But I'm the King, and this is the King's sword," Cahil said. His brows creased together. He seemed confused. "So wear it to your coronation," I said. "If you use it in battle, you'll be wearing it to your funeral," I said.

Don't worry," I said. "These men are good. They're going to heal the world.

Don't worry. I'm only your escort tonight. I would offer to protect you from the drunken attentions of the other men, but I know all to well that you're quite capagble of holding your own. You're probably armed. Right?" Always.

Every person has the latent ability to read minds and influence the physical world without touching it, but they don't have the ability to connect with the power source.

Everyone grieves in different ways. For some, it could take longer or shorter. I do know it never disappears. An ember still smolders inside me. Most days, I don't notice it, but, out of the blue, it'll flare to life.

Exactly. You can shoulder all the blame and become a martyr. Provided anyone knows what or who you're martyring for. Or you can accept that some things are important enough to fight for and realize there will be sacrifices along the way.

Flea stared at us, "I can't decide what's worse. Losing family members or not having a family member to lose.

He made a weak attempt to look innocent, but I knew better. "Should I guess how many concealed weapons you have or should I strip search you?" "A strip search is the only way to be absolutely certain." Valek's deep blue eyes danced with delight.

Here we go. Kerrick was as subtle as a thunderstorm.

His movements were so graceful that I wondered if he had been a dancer, but his words betrayed to me that his fluid gestures were those of a trained killer.

His words sliced through my heart, cutting it into little pathetic pieces.

How did you-" Fool your guards? They're not very good, the forgot to check the ceiling for spiders."Valek grinned. His angular face softened.

I am a Stormdancer! Mere metal is nothing compared with the power of a storm." Kade made his voice boom and spread his arms wide. His eyes sparked with humor. "I. Am. Invincible." "Until a happy wind blows," I said. "Curse those sunny days." "The bane of your existence." "The scourge of society." "The downfall of decency." "And boring, too. Nothing like a good gale to put a spring in your step." Kade grinned.

I balled my hands into tight fists to keep them from wrapping around Mr. I-Know-Everything's superior neck.

I did what any good rat would do. I bit down on the guard's hand until I tasted blood.

I didn't want or expect this. But I couldn't resist you.

I do know I felt as if my heart had been shredded when I found you in our storeroom, unconscious and bleeding. And leaving you with Vinco in the holding cells was the hardest thing I've ever done." - Riley to Trella

I doubt I would ever be missed. Noted absent, charged delinquent, reprimanded but never missed.

I feel an extremely annoyed thunderstorm nearby," Kade warned. "Actually, I'm the one annoyed. The thunderstorm could go either way." - Storm Glass

I found Esau's field guide at the bottom of my pack. Taking a candle into the bedroom, I read his book until my eyes grew heavy. From his vast notes, it seemed that almost every plant and tree in the jungle had a reason for existing. I caught myself wishing there was a page in his guide that had my picture on it with the reason for my existence written underneath in Esau's neat hand.

I gave him a bored look. I had been threatened many times before and had learned that the men who didn't make verbal threats were the most dangerous.

I had hoped to hear everyone discussing how much they missed my altruistic qualities, my legendary skills as a fighter and as a lover." He leered. "Instead, you're making plans for tomorrow. Interesting how life goes on in spite of itself.

I hate a mystery. I would have let the identity of the Commander's successor remain a secret, as I have for fifteen years, but tonight's opportunity was too tempting. With eight drunken Generals sleeping it off, I could have danced on their beds without waking them." - Valek

I know I hated magic for a reason," Janco said. "Congratulations. This is the first time you've had a VALID reason to hate something," Ari countered. "Remember your campaign against sand?" "Sand! Horrid little stuff. Gets everywhere. I had a perfectly good argue--" "Janco." Ari's voice rumbled deep in his throat. In a heartbeat, Janco switched gears. "Well, this blood magic sounds worse than sand.

I needed to sit down. I'd heard other people talk about having to sit down when shocked by an event or revelation and I had dismissed the notion as pure exaggeration. Little did I realize the actual physical weakness. It felt as if my bones had dissolved and my muscles could no longer support my weight.

I offer my heart, entrust my soul and give my life to you.

I peered deeper and found my soul. A little tattered and with some holes, but there all the same. It had always been there, I realized with shock.

I took three steps and was wrapped in his arms, where I belonged. No confusion here. No worries here. No troubles here.

I understood that Valek's loyalty to the Commander was without question. His blue eyes held a fierce determination and I knew in my soul that Valek would take his own life after he had taken mine.

I want you to have this." He extended his hand. On his palm sat the beautiful butterfly he had carved. Silver spots on the wings glinted in the sunlight, and a silver chain hung from a small hole drilled into its body. Valek looped the necklace around my neck. "When I carved this statue, I was thinking about you. Delicate in appearance, but with a strength unnoticed at first glance." His eyes met mine.

I'd better get going or Valek will be wondering where I am." "Yes, by all means go. I noticed you and Valek have become close. Tell him, for me, not to kill anybody, will you?" Sarcasm rendered Rand's voice sharp. I lost control and slammed the oven door shut. It echoed in the quiet kitchen. "At least Valek has the decency to inform me when he's poisoning me,

I'll have you know that the most delicate flowers often produce the strongest scent when crushed.

I'd like you to make a commitment to me as well. Will you be my mate?

I'd wish you luck, but I don't think it would help," "Why not?" "My lady, you make your own luck.

If you don't come back to the Keep, then I'll be right. And every time you see me, I'll be insufferably smug." "And how's that different from now?" He laughed and I could see the young carefree boy he had been in his eyes. "You've only had a small glimpse of how insufferable and annoying I can be. As the older brother, it's my birthright.

If you put enough sheep together you have a herd- a force to be reckoned with.

I'm your mother. I see all. Hear all. Know all.

In fact, he's never taken an interest in a woman before. I was beginning to to suspect he might prefer one of his male sneaks, but now..." She paused dramatically. "Now, we have the lovely, intelligent Yelena to get Valek's cold heart pumping." "You really should get out of your sewing room more. You need fresh air and a dose of reality," I said knowing better than to believe a word Dilana said, but unable to control the silly little grin on my face. Her sweet, melodious laughter followed me into the hallway. "You know I'm right, " she called.

In the end, only Leif believed that you were still alive. He thought you might be hiding somewhere, playing a game. As the rest of us grieved, Leif searched the jungle for you day after day." "When did he finally stop?" I asked. "Yesterday.

In the war room, love? What if someone comes in?" I stood and removed his shirt. "Then they'll have a good story to tell." "Good?" He adopted the pretense of being offended. "Prove me wrong.

It had been wishful thinking, plain and simple, dangerous for me to indulge in. Hope, happiness and freedom were not in my future.

It's your fault. I was defending you!" I blurted. He paused. "In protecting my honor, you exposed months of work. I should be flattered?

It's the effort, not the results that matter.

Knowing and believing are sometimes hard to combine.

Knowledge, whatever the form, could be as effective as a weapon.

Lief. That's not nice, considering all your sister has done for you," admonished Perl. "Oh right. How could I forget that she made me bait for a snake, left me on house arrest in Ixia, and smuggled me into the Keep in a coffin.

Life is like molten glass. It flows, it's flexible, it can be molded and shaped and...what do you say? Ah, yes. It holds vast potential. You have a number of uncertainties in your melt right now. But they will always be there in one form or another. Always. Unlike molten glass, life can't be fixed or frozen into a pretty vase and placed on a shelf to gather dust.

Living is a risk," I snapped at him. "Every decision, every interaction, every step, every time you get out of bed in the morning, you take a risk. To survive is to know you're taking that risk and to not get out of bed clutching illusions of safety.

Living with your decision must be hard. Nothing I or anyone can say will give you any peace. You must reconcile your actions in your heart.

Love trumps logic?" "Every time,

Many have tried to kill us. All have failed. -Valek

Maximum damage. It was the beginning of the end. Either we would fail or not. At least we could say we tried.

My cheek stung and throbbed. I remained on the floor of the cave. Belen stood between me and Kerrick. "...temper in check. She's a sweet girl," Belen said. "She's a healer, Belen. And no longer a girl. Healing Ryne is all I care about. All you should care about, as well. You know-" "Yes, I know what's at stake." Belen spat the words. "But if you raise your hand to her again, I'll rip your arm from its socket.

My mind's screaming went unvoiced. Logic grabbed the panic and wrestled it to the ground.

Nice Kerrick was scarier than Mean Kerrick.

No hope, is worse than fear.

No need to act, i let my fear show "He killed himself," i whispered. Eve raised an eyebrow. "Fourteen times?" "He had bad aim.

No," I said. "I'm not safe, Belen. Who is going to tear Kerrick's arm off if he hits me again? Come on," I urged. "Stay with us".

No. I took this job in self-defense. Quain burns everything. Belen thinks jerky is all we need to survive. Flea's idea of a good meal is something that hasn't been in a garbage can first. And Kerrick poisoned us-' 'Not on purpose,' Kerrick said. 'The meat looked done.

Nothing says you care for me better than offering to torture my enemies.

Nothing says you care for me better than offering to torture my enemies." He grinned. "No sense doing things halfhearted. And to think, some girls have to endure listening to poetry.

Oh, you made an impression. Like a stone caught in my boot.

One, and two, and three, four, five. Keep fighting like this and you will die," Janco sang.

Only Valek would consider an attempt on my life a fascinating diversion.