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

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

“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”

“Generals trump Majors," Ursan said."True, but do princes trump generals?""I attacked him.""Ryne's not the type to hold a grudge."Ursan considered. "Isn't he a king? Both his parents died""Technically, yes. But he hasn't assumed the title.""Neither has Prince Kerrick," Ursan said. " Don't you find that odd?""Not with Kerrick. He loved his father very much. I think it's still too painful for him to assume the title. Plus he hasn't been home in years."Ursan remained quiet until we reached his tent. "Prince Kerrick's a forest mage. Which means his eyes change colour with the seasons. Right?""Yes."He stared at me for a moment. "Lucky guy." Ursan ducked into his tent.”

“Don't feel ashamed for having those feelings and those memories. What happened in the past can't be changed, but they can be a guide for what happens in the future.”

“They were trying to discover a cure for the toxin," I said."It doesn't matter what the intentions were or what the logic was behind the decision. What matters is that six million people died." Quain gasped in mock horror. "Unless those six million people are pretending to be dead.”

“Well, Valek, any new promotions?” the Commander asked“No. But Maren shows promise. Unfortunately she doesn’t want to be in my corps or even be my second.She just wants to beat me.” Valek grinned, delighted by the challenge.“And can she?” the Commander inquired. His eyebrows rose.“With time and the proper training. She’s deadly with her bow; it’s just her tactics that need work.”“Then what do we do with her?”“Promote her to General and retire some of those old wind-bags. We could use some fresh blood in the upper ranks.”“Valek, you never had a good grasp of military structure.”“Then promote her to First Lieutenant today, Captain tomorrow, Major the next day, Colonel the day after, and General the day after that.”“I’ll take it under advisement.”