The Perilous Sea

Fortune favors the brave." Another moment of silence. And then, Iolanthe found herself shouting at the top of her lungs, her voice nearly drowned by the bellow of all the rebels present, "And the brave make their own fortune!

Every story must have such a terrible moment, or it wouldn't be interesting.

He put his hand over hers. "Am I a coward?" "Because you are afraid? No. Only fools are never afraid.

All right, my hope—but I am not saying the rest of it—I have something you need to feel.” She feigned the sound of outrage. “But we barely know each other, sir!” He laughed softly. “But you must hold it in your hand and feel it change,” he urged, in her ear. “I insist. I can wait no longer.” She knew they were on a serious subject, but the flutter of his breath on her skin, the low drawl of his words—heat raced along all her nerve endings. “Will I like it?” “Well, I do have to apologize for its size. It is rather small.” And with that, he pressed something rather small into her hand.

You might be the scariest girl I've ever met," he told her. "Let's not be dramatic," she said drily. "I'm the only girl you can remember ever meeting.

They all three threw up shields at the same time, Titus for Iolanthe, Iolanthe for Titus, and Lady Wintervale for them both.

No," she replied, her voice barely audible. "I thought we might create some sparks together. But now I know nothing we do will ever rival the passionate embrace between a hunting rope and a snake.

I see you are still determined to not listen to me about not venturing abroad after lights-out.' She sat down across from him at the worktable. 'I never listen to you when I know enough to make up my own mind.

Wintervale, by being so open, trusting, and artless his entire life, had made his more cynical friends hang on to their secrets. And in doing so, they had preserved themselves from the Bane.

Titus's jaw dropped. 'Those caravanists, they were mages?' 'They most certainly were.' 'But one fainted and two reached for their rifles when they saw the sand wyvern.' 'It's a good policy for at least one member of the group to pretend to fall unconscious at a mage sighting. And I always think the rifles are a touch of genius - any time you see someone holding a firearm, your instinct is to dismiss that person as a nonmage.

But you do not need to worry, Cooper. What is mine, I keep.

May I remind you that you are speaking to someone capable of smiting you with a thunderbolt?" "Is there any point to flirting with a girl who is not capable of that?

He should not, but he cupped her face and kissed her. Because they were past the point when words were any use. Because he was once again afraid to die. Because he loved her as much as he loved life itself.

The entire point of life was the ability to make one’s own choices. Foreknowledge of anything—especially the circular kind, such as Kashkari’s presence at Eton because he’d dreamed of it—was terribly limiting and ran counter to the concept of free will.

Are you sure? I might take it as permission to further push my company on you.

This damsel loves rescuing princes in distress.