The Book of Deacon

Many people believe they know true darkness, but until it has been experienced it cannot be imagined. Without even a flicker of light, the mind begins to play tricks. There is a constant feeling that there is a wall before you, that you must stop. The eyes open as wide as they can, hungry for light. The only thing that helps is to shut them tight.

A nightmare is the best kind of dream. The only one that brings happiness when it ends.

Sorry to burst your bubble, lass, but the truth is important. Unfortunately, wisdom and happiness are old enemies, and where one can be found, the other seldom lingers.

It was one lesson that she could not bring herself to learn. If someone was going to tell a lie, they would tell it with a smile.

Honestly. The spirits could be a bit more straightforward in their messages. If they truly wanted us to know what they were saying, they would say it more clearly.

You reap what you sow in this world.

Victory!? There is no victory in war! War takes everything and gives nothing!

That's the wonderful thing about the future. All you ever have to do is wait for it. It will come to you,

capture and return of the swordbearer is the responsibility of the Alliance Army. Regardless of what orders you may have received, your interference is considered a treasonous action. Owing to the fact that your interference was entirely beneficial, you will not be charged," the soldier said. Her captor said something too quiet to hear, but the fiend's body language betrayed more than a bit of anger. "I have received no word of such an agreement, and even if I had, it would have been deemed illegal. You shall receive no payment. I suggest you accept this fact and be grateful we do not kill you where you stand," he said. Her mind raced. How could anyone want her or the sword? She had only just found it in the field a day or two ago. It had obviously been there for some time. And how could

without raising his face guard, he looked to the kidnapper. "It seems to be the piece we require. We shall take the girl and be on our way," he said, moving toward the door. The captor stopped him with a hand to the shoulder. "What?" the soldier said, irritated. The kidnapper held the hand out palm up. All hope was dashed away as she struggled to comprehend the pieces as they came together. He was waiting to be paid! The Northern Army was in league with the stranger who had captured her! Why? And why did they want her? A thousand thoughts of fear burned across the back of Myranda's mind and her heart fluttered in her chest. The exchange between the conspirators continued.

her fists. A sharp pain in the shoulder quickly put the hammering to an end, but she continued to call out. When she was certain that she had been heard, she put her eye back to the crack in the door. The four soldiers stood silently before the door, each in full combat armor, complete with face masks. The first was speaking calmly with her captor while the others looked on. They made no motion toward the door. She strained her ears to hear what the two were saying. Only the soldier spoke loudly enough to hear. "The one who touched the sword? We are charged with her return, as well as that of the sword," he said, in response to the kidnapper's unheard comment. The sinister figure pulled a bundle from inside the cloak and

blood from the gash had seeped through her shirt and the blanket, pooling on the floor. Looking at it intensified the dizziness that its loss had caused. With the most pressing of her concerns attended to, Myranda set her mind to the task of escaping. She assessed the situation. Of course, her pack was gone. A pull on the door revealed it to be solidly secured from the outside. The windows were all small and near to the high ceiling. There would be no escape through any of those. The sole window large enough to allow her to escape was the shattered stained glass window behind the pulpit, but it was even further out of her reach. She had to try the door

The value of the sword did not concern her--at least, not at this moment. Regardless of the price it might fetch in the future, at the moment it represented a far greater find. It was the means to extract the only thing that mattered to her right now, the food that would give her the strength to leave this frozen wasteland. It represented life itself.

I can either live a life of hate and solitude, or I can do what I feel is right and hope for the same in return.

I've still four senses left. A hand without a thumb is still a hand,

As entertaining as it would be to see you run in a screaming conflagration from my kitchen after falling face-first into the fire, I am in no mood to clean it up.

that the young dragon beside her had hatched

Time travel has consequences that no one can fully comprehend, and is thus too dangerous to consider,

To say I was jealous would be to suggest that you did not deserve all that you have.

canteen and took a long swig. The dragon smacked its tongue several times, making it clear that it too needed

Unfortunately, wisdom and happiness are old enemies, and where one can be found, the other seldom lingers

starving made any meal a feast, and exhaustion made any bed fit for a king.

had not been her intention to take the sword, but even she could not resist such a treasure. Even the most treacherous buyer would

when they first met. It was just past the end of the third month of training, the midpoint, before they were interrupted again. Spring should have come, but this far north, and in the Low Lands in particular, the only indication of this was a sprinkle of rain mixing with the snow occasionally. Such a storm was passing through toward the end of the daily training session in the tower when a commotion could be heard in the main room down stairs. The sound alone was enough to put Myn on guard.

If someone was going to tell a lie, they would tell it with a smile.

It is talk such as that which will cost us victory,

knowledge of the evils of old is the only protection against their return.

Warriors were more interested in learning what great deeds she had done before arriving.