Well now, Jack," Hastings said from the sidelines. "I'm afraid you've been beheaded. Not a good start." He sounded amused.

The only way to get what you want is to make them more afraid of you than they are of each other.

They were like two pieces of a failed star, drawn together by a shared history and a memory of illicit kisses.

I have lost everything, Han thought. Then he corrected himself. Every time I think I’ve lost everything, I find there’s still something else to lose.

And, like a fool, she kissed him back. Kissed him a way that would leave no doubt about the way she felt about him. Kissed him because she knew the chances were slim she'd have very many kisses like that in her lifetime. Which is a sad thing when you're only seventeen.

Both Averill and Bayar were like actors speaking lines for their audience and not to each other.

But maybe it's better to go after something, and not get it, than to not even try.