Safety is an illusion, Costis. A Thief might fall at any time, and eventually the day must come when the god will let him. Whether I am on a rafter three stories up or on a staircase three steps up, I am in my god's hands. He will keep me safe, or he will not, here or on the stairs.

No man can choose to serve only himself when he has something to offer his state. No one can put his own wishes above the needs of so many.

I can't leave her there all alone, surrounded by stone walls... She's too precious to give up.

Sophos turned red, and I wondered about the circulation of his blood; maybe his body kept an extra supply of it in his head, ready for blushing.

And the Earth had no name. The gods know themselves and have no need of names. It is man who names all things, even gods.

But there are other words for privacy and independence. They are isolation and loneliness.

No," he said. "Relius was right and I was wrong. You are My Queen. Even though you cut my head from my shoulders, with my last breath as a noose tightens, to the last beat of my heart if I hang from the walls of the palace, you are My Queen. That I have failed you does not change my love for you or my loyalty.