Quotes by John Flanagan

Butterfly? Will said. Why Butterfly? I believe its a term of great respect, Selethen said gravely. He was very obviously not laughing. Too obviously, Will thought. Its all right for you, he said. They called you Hawk. Hawk is an excellent name. Its warlike and noble. But....Butterfly? Selethen nodded. I agree that Hawk is an entirely suitable name. I assume it had to do with my courage and nobility of heart. Halt coughed and the Arridi lord looked at him, eyebrows raised. I think it referred less to your heart and more to another part of your body, Halt said mildly. He tapped his finger meaningfully along the side of his nose. It was a gesture hed always wanted an opportunity to use, and this one was to good to miss. Selethen sniffed and turned away, affecting not to notice.

Horace, who had been trying to find out the meaning of Kurokuma for some time now, was pleased to hear the translation. Black bear, he repeated. Its undoubtedly because Im so terrible in battle. Id guess so, Will put in. Ive seen you in battle and youre definitely terrible.

Uphill? Theres nothing up the hill, Colly said, trying desperately to work out where this conversation was going.As a matter of fact, there is. Theres a bluff about twelve meters high, with a river running below it. The waters deep, so itll be quite safe for you to jump. In his brief glimpse of the river, Halt had noticed that the fast-flowing water cut under the bluff in a sharp curve. That should mean that the bottom had been scoured out over the years. A thought struck him. You can swim, I assume?Yes. I can swim, Colly said. But Im going jumping off some bluff just because you say to!No, no. Of course not. Thatd be asking far too much of you. Youll jump off because if you dont, Ill shoot you. Itll be the same effect, really. If I have to shoot you, youll fall off. But I thought Id give you a chance to survive. Halt paused, then added, Oh, and if you decide to run downhill, Ill also shoot you with an arrow. Uphill and off is really your only chance of survival.You cant be serious! Colly said. Do you really-But he got no further. Halt leaned forward, putting a hand up to stop the outburst.Colly, take a good, long look into my eyes and tell me if you see anything, anything at all, that says Im not deadly serious.His eyes were deep brown, almost black. They were steady and unwavering and there was no sign of anything there but utter determination. Colly looked at them and after a few second, his eyes dropped away. halt nodded as the other mans gaze slid away from his.Good. Now weve got that settled, you should try to get some sleep. You have a big day ahead of you tomorrow.

Smimasen, Alyss said repeatedly as they brushed against passerby. What does that mean? Will asked as they reached a stretch of street bare of any other pedestrians. He was impressed by Alysss grasp of the local language. It means pardon me, Alyss replied, but then a shadow of doubt crossed her face. At least, I hope it does. Maybe Im saying you have the manners of a fat, rancid sow.

Halt, said Horace, Ive been thinking...Halt and Will exchanged an amused glance. Always a dangerous pastime, they chorused. For many years, it had been Halts unfailing response when Will had made the same statement. Horace waited patiently while they had their moment of fun, then continued.Yes, yes. I know. But seriously, as we said last night, Macindaw isnt so far away from here...And? Halt asked, seeing how Horace had left the statement hanging.Well, theres a garrison there and it might not be a b ad idea for one of to go fetch some reinforcements. It wouldnt hurt to have a dozen knights and men-at-arms to back us up when we run into Tennyson.But Halt was already shaking his head.Two problems, Horace. Itd take too long for one of us to get there, explain it all and mobilize a force. And even if we could do it quickly, I dont think wed want a bunch of knights blundering around the countryside, crashing through the bracken, making noise and getting noticed. He realized that statement had been a little tactless. No offense, Horace. Present company excepted, of course.

I said, names arent important, he repeated. There was a silence between them for some seconds, then the Ranger said: Do you know what is important?Will shook his head.Supper is important!

Halt glared at his friend as the whistling continued.I had hoped that your new sense of responsibly would put an end to that painful shrieking noise you make between your lips he said.Crowley smiled. It was a beautiful day and he was feeling at peace with the world. And that meant he was more than ready to tease Halt Its a jaunty songWhats jaunty about it? Halt asked, grim faced. Crowley made an uncertain gesture as he sought for an answer to that question.I suppose its the subject matter he said eventually. Its a very cheerful song. Would you like me to sing it for you?N- Halt began but he was too late, as Crowley began to sing. He had a pleasant tenor voice, in fact, and his rendering of the song was quite good. But to Halt it was as attractive as a rusty barn door squeaking.A blacksmith from Palladio, he met a lovely lady-oWhoa! Whoa! Halt said He met a lovely lady-o? Halt repeated sarcastically What in the name of all thats holy is a lady-o?Its a lady Crowley told him patiently.Then why not sing he met a lovely lady? Halt wanted to know.Crowley frowned as if the answer was blatantly obvious.Because hes from Palladio, as the song says. Its a city on the continent, in the southern part of Toscana.And people there have lady-os, instead of ladies? Asked HaltNo. They have ladies, like everyone else. But lady doesnt rhyme with Palladio, does it? I could hardly sing, A blacksmith from Palladio, he met his lovely lady, could I?It would make more sense if you did Halt insisted But it wouldnt rhyme Crowley told him.Would that be so bad?Yes! A song has to rhyme or it isnt a proper song. It has to be lady-o. Its called poetic license.Its poetic license to make up a word that doesnt exist and which, by the way, sound extremely silly? Halt asked.Crowley shook his head No. Its poetic license to make sure that the two lines rhyme with each otherHalt thought for a few seconds, his eyes knitted close together. Then inspiration struck him.Well then couldnt you sing A blacksmith from Palladio, he met a lovely lady, so...?So what? Crowley challengedHalt made and uncertain gesture with his hands as he sought more inspiration. Then he replied. He met a lovely lady, so...he asked her for her hand and gave her a leg of lamb.A leg of lamb? Why would she want a leg of lamb? Crowley demanded Halt shrugged Maybe she was hungry

George! [Horace] said, the relief evident in his voice. Are you all right?No! I am not! George replied with considerable spirit. I have a whacking great arrow stuck through my arm and it hurts like the very dickens! How could anybody be all right in those circumstances?...You saved my life, George, Horace said gently...George grimaced. Well, if Id known it was going to hurt like this, I wouldnt have! I would have just let them shoot you! Why do you live this way? he demanded in a high-pitched voice. How can you bear it? This sort of thing is very, very painful. I always suspected that warriors are crazy. Now I know.

If youre a ghost, he said, we mean you no disrespect. And if youre not a ghost, tell me who you are-or you soon will be one

Will raised both eyebrows. Well, you learn a new thing everyday, he said reflectively.In your case, thats no exaggeration, Halt said, completely straight-faced.

If everything is done for me... how will I ever learn?

Displeased is too mild a word, Pauline. I would rather use the word vexed. I would be most discomforted to know that you were vexed my lord, Halt said, with just the slightest trace of mockery in his tone. The Baron turned a piercing glare on him, dont take this too far, it warned him. Then we shall make it extremely vexed, lady Pauline, he said meaningfully. I leave it to you to put it in the right form. He looked from her to Halt. You will receive the official notification of my displeasure tomorrow, Halt. I tremble in anticipation my lord, said Halt.

Come closer, Kurokuma. Its quite safe.Horace shuffled closer to the edge...Quite safe, my foot, he muttered to himself. And whats this Kurokuma you keep calling me?Its a term of great respect, Shigeru told him.Great respect, Shukin echoed.

What was that, Kurokuma? asked one of the escorts riding near him. The others chuckled at the name.Nothing important, Horace said. Then he looked at them suspiciously. Whats this Kurokuma business?The Senshi looked at him with a completely staight face.Its a term of great respect, he said. Several others within earshot nodded confirmation. They too managed to remain straight-faced. It was a skill the Nihon-Jan had perfected.Great respect, one of them echoed.

Many rulers would have spent the morning complaining loudly about the cold and the discomfort, as if their complaints would actually serve to alleviate the situation and as if their attendants should be able to do something about it. Not the emperor. He accepted the situation knowing that he could do nothing to change the weather. Best to endure it without making life more difficult for those around him.

Keep practicing, he told her.Until I get it right? she said. But he corrected her.No. Until you dont get it wrong.

As the old Ranger adage went If a person doesnt expect to see someone, odds are he wont.

Anyone can make a mistake.... Its how they learn from it and recover from it that shows their true worth.

Sometimes, life threw up problems that even the wisest, most trusted mentor couldnt solve for you. It was part of the pain of growing up.And having to stand by and watch was part of being a mentor.

You know, Gilan, sarcasm isnt the lowest form of wit. Its not even wit at all.