Blood Song Anthony Quotes & Sayings

Sella smiled sadly as she laid the scarf on her knees, her fingers tracing over the delicate gold-thread pattern (...) The moon, the sing of calm reflection, from where reason and balance are derived (...) The sun, source of passion, love, anger (...) We exist here, between the two. Grown from the earth, warmed by the sun, cooled by the moonlight night. Your brother's heart had been pulled too far into the sun, fired with anger and regret. Now he has cooled and he looks to the moon for guidance. — Anthony Ryan

Desert winds blow hard at me
Till we reach the shining sea.
And borne away across the waves
My lover's life I'll sail to save. — Anthony Ryan

Is that what I've been doing all these years? cutting my path though life? All the blood spilled and lives taken, just verses in a song? — Anthony Ryan

The Dark is a word for the ignorant. The people hare are Gifted. Different powers, different abilities. But Gifted. Like you. — Anthony Ryan

What else was there for me? Hunger and fear and a knife in an alley to leave me bleeding in a gutter." Frentis gripped his shoulder. "Now I have brothers who would die in my defense, as I would die for them. Now I have Faith." His smile was fierce, unwavering, complete in its conviction. "What is Faith, brother?". — Anthony Ryan

The promise of power wasn't enough, he thought. So now she temps me with knowledge (...) He knew now his enmity for her was a deceit, an attempt to avoid his own share of blame, but even so found himself holding to it. She is cold, she is scheming, she is untrustworthy. But more than that, he hated the lingering hold she had over him, her effortless ability to engage his interest. — Anthony Ryan

It felt safer to run, a moving target was harder to hit. But this vague sense of security evaporated when the darkness came, it was like running in a void where every step brought the threat of a painful fall. — Anthony Ryan

The lessons of the past guide us in the present (...) Our Faith is strengthened by the knowledge of those who have gone before us. — Anthony Ryan

A man doesn't know his true strength until he fears for his life — Anthony Ryan

The impulse to lie, to continue to wallow in secrets as he had for years, was only the faintest whisper now, a nagging sense of stepping too far on an uncharted path, easily overridden by need to tell her. If he couldn't tell her, at least he could find some comfort in confidence. — Anthony Ryan

Tell me, do you really believe all this tripe you spout?" There was no venom in Nortah's tone, just vague curiosity. "We call each other brothers but we share no blood. We're just boys forced together by this Order. Don't you ever wonder what it would have been like if we had met on the outside? Would we have been friends then, or enemies? Our fathers were enemies, did you know that? — Anthony Ryan

Why is it the only joy you show these days is in battle? Why do you hunger for it so? Does it makes you forget? Does it ease your pain?"
Nortah tugged his horse's reins and resume the walk to the stables. "It eases nothing. But it does make me forget, for a while at least. — Anthony Ryan

He could feel her gaze on his torso, knowing her eyes lingered on his scars, sensing her sorrows. "Nothing I didn't earn, sister", he told her, reaching out for his razor. "All of it, and more besides". — Anthony Ryan

The Lonak have no word for secret. Did you know that? To them everything is important, to be written down, recorded, told over and over. The Order has no such belief. We have fought battles that left more than a hundred corpses on the ground an not a word of it has ever been set down. The Order fights, but often it fights in shadow, without glory or reward. — Anthony Ryan

Brothers of the Second Order searched her house and found evidence of Deniers activity. Forbidden books, images of gods, herbs and candles, the usual stuff. Turned out she and her father were followers of the Sun and the Moon, a minor sect. They're pretty harmless mostly since they don't try to convert others to their heresy, but a Denier's a Denier. — Anthony Ryan

The voice was a blood-song. He knew it instinctively. Another blood-song. The tone was different from his own, stronger and more controlled. Another voice speaking in his mind. — Anthony Ryan

An overconfident enemy is prone to carelessness. — Anthony Ryan

He'll feel it though, feel the pain like a knife, sticking in his guts, twisting. Pain like that can either make a boy a man or a monster. — Anthony Ryan

She greeted him with a smile, holding her hand out for him to kiss (...) Nevertheless he went to one knee and pressed his lips against her knuckles. Her flesh was warmer than he'd expected and he angered himself for enjoying the sensation. — Anthony Ryan

If Caenis had been here, he could have named all the constellations but Vaelin could pick out only a few of the more obvious ones: the Sword, the Stag, the Maiden. Caenis had told him of a legend that claimed the first souls of the Departed has cast the stars into the sky from the Beyond as a gift for the generations to come, making patterns to guide the living through the path of life. — Anthony Ryan

Quite so, although our brothers and sisters in the Seventh Order do not refer to the Dark. They regard themselves as guardians and practitioners of dangerous and arcane knowledge, much of which defies such mundane concepts as names and categories. — Anthony Ryan

Honour' is just a word. You can't eat it or drink it and yet everywhere I go men talk of it endlessly, and they all tell a different tale of what it actually means. — Anthony Ryan

Truth is the heart of the song, Rat. If you cannot hear truth, you cannot hear anything. — Anthony Ryan

He found his shivers receding as his resolve grew. It really wasn't that cold. The fear and horror of his night in the forest had left a mark on him, a mark that might never fade, but he would face it and overcome it. There was no other choice. — Anthony Ryan

The day watch stayed on deck, running the rigging and undertaking the never-ending chores of ship life. A few favoured me with a customary glare or two, but none attempted to converse, a mercy for which I was grateful. — Anthony Ryan

It was said that the winds would carry into the Beyond and the Departed used them to send messages back to the Faithful, some of whom would stand for hours on hillsides straining for words of wisdom or comfort from lost loved ones. — Anthony Ryan

The interpreter continued but I could barely follow his words, the woman's song filled my mind and I couldn't help staring at her. This was a beautiful woman, brother, but beautiful in the way a leopard is beautiful. Her eyes glittered, her back hair shone like polished ebony and her smile was one of cruel amusement as she heard my song. — Anthony Ryan

I pray you weep no more my love, let no tears fall for my demise, lift your face to the sky above, and let the sun dry your eyes... — Anthony Ryan

There was something new in his expression, something Vaelin had never seen before and couldn't name. In later years he would see it in the faces of a thousand men and know it as an old friend: fear. — Anthony Ryan

Oh I don't always do what I'm told. I'm a bad girl. I don't do the things girls should. — Anthony Ryan

Leadership is not learned by watching your brothers beat each other bloody. Nor is it learned by letting them fail their tests. — Anthony Ryan

The only aspect of his appearance to match his legend was his eyes: black as jet and piercing as a hawk's. They said his eyes could strip man's soul bare, that no secret could be hidden if he met your gaze. — Anthony Ryan

Liquor wasn't forbidden in the Order, but it was frowned upon by the more Faithful masters. Some said anything that dulled the senses was a barrier to the Faith, the less a man remembered of his life the less he had to take with him to the Beyond. — Anthony Ryan

Anthony Ryan is a new fantasy author destined to make his mark on the genre. His debut novel, Blood Song, certainly has it all: great coming of age tale, compelling character, and a fast-paced plot. If his first book is any indication of things to come, then all fantasy readers should rejoice as a new master storyteller has hit the scene. — Michael J. Sullivan

They laughed together, for a long time. Pain receded and was forgotten. They laughed and never spoke about how much it hurt. — Anthony Ryan

There was a continual sense of something hovering out of reach, a profound conclusion even then blood-song couldn't divine. But can she? And if she can, could she be trusted with the knowledge? The idea of trusting her was absurd, of course. but even the untrustworthy could be useful. — Anthony Ryan

There were times when I consider simply taking the dagger and sinking it into his heart, I had ample opportunity after all, but I was still young and tough my hatred consumed me, I still lusted for life. I was a coward, a prisoner whose captivity was made worse by the knowledge of the vastness of his prison. Despair began to rot my heart. I fell to indulgence again, seeking escape in wine and drugs and flesh, an indulgence that would have seem me dead before long, had not the foreigners arrived. — Anthony Ryan

Herlia, goddess of justice, weeping as she passes her first judgement (...) She fell in love with a mortal man, but his passion for her drove him to commit a terrible crime and so she judged him, consigning him to the depths of the earth, chained to a rock, where his flesh is eternally eaten by vermin (...) Indeed, he stole a magic sword and with it slew a god, thinking him a rival for her affections. In fact he was her brother, Ixtus, god of dreams. now, whenever we suffer nightmares it is the shade of the fallen god taking his revenge on mortal kind. — Anthony Ryan

Loyalty is our strength (...) Loyalty is another lie you use to trap the unwary in your designs. — Anthony Ryan

He was knowledgeable and often frighteningly intelligent but he was also a dreamer. He had a mental library of a thousand stories and seemed to believe them all. Heroes, villains, princesses in need of rescue, monsters and magical swords. It all lived in his head, as vital and real as his own memories. — Anthony Ryan

For a moment he was lost in the scent and the closeness of her, the grief and self-loathing vanished by this new intimacy. He knew he should tell her to stop, that this was inappropriate, but found himself too intoxicated to care. — Anthony Ryan

He lay awake, restless, heart thumping so hard with alternating hatred and anger that he wondered if it would burst through his ribs. Panic made it beat even faster, sweat beaded his forehead and bathed his chest. — Anthony Ryan

They are hung from the walls whilst still alive and left to starve to death. Their tongues are cut so their screams will not disturb passerby. This is done purely because they follow a different faith (...) I told you I had been all over this world. The are countless faiths, countless gods. There are more ways to honour the divine than there are stars in the sky. — Anthony Ryan

It's called star silver because it glows brighter than the heavens when it's put to the flame (...) But it's not silver, it's a form of iron, rare iron that comes from the earth like all metals, there's nothing Dark about it. But it's this that makes swords of the Order stronger than others. With this, your blades will withstand blows that would shatter others and, if wielded with skill, will cut through mail and armour. — Anthony Ryan

A book's value rests in the knowledge it contains, and knowledge is ever a dangerous thing. — Anthony Ryan

They can hear lies, he realized. But not thoughts. He could hide things, he didn't have to lie. Silence could be his shield. — Anthony Ryan

Well he could hate too, hate was easy, hate would fuel him if his mother's love could not. Loyalty is our strength. He snorted a silent laughed of derision. Let loyalty be your strength, Father. My hate for you will be mine. — Anthony Ryan

Freedom brought a change in my song, made it soar, seeking out wonders and novelty. — Anthony Ryan

It's a bad place, brother. All ruins and bare rock. Only ever seen it from a distance and it gave me the frights. Something in the air (...) Just feels bad. The Lonak call it Maars Nir-Uhlin Sol, the Place of the Stolen Souls. — Anthony Ryan

Nature has a voice (...) Learn to hear it and you'll never be lost and no man will ever take you unawares. — Anthony Ryan

I have no need for riches, Highness. I can't be bought either. — Anthony Ryan

A woman of keen mind but no moral scruple whatever. And an occasionally violent temper. Just how many time did you stab that merchant, Derla? I forget. — Anthony Ryan

In time I came to realise my playmates were chosen for their dullness, their lack of guile or cunning. Friends with sharper minds would have sharpened my own thoughts, made me consider that this pleasant life of luxury and plenty was in reality nothing more than an ornate cage, and I a slave within it. — Anthony Ryan

Many words came to me than as I stood clutching my bleeding face, many bile-filled, loathsome words sure to cute her to the core with lacerating truth. But meeting her blazing eyes, I felt the words die in my breast, my anger shriveling and flying away on the seaborne wind, replaced by a depth of pity and regret I knew had always lurked in my soul. — Anthony Ryan

There were tears in his eyes but he blinked them away. "I wish to learn many things". — Anthony Ryan

She didn't like seeing it, Vaelin realised. Didn't like seeing the killer in me. — Anthony Ryan