Far, far out on the open sea a platform of stone held firm against the tossing waves. At first sight, it appeared as nothing out of the ordinary, other than that it lay in the middle of nowhere.That was the view on the surface. Beneath the water existed an entirely alien world.

Criticize me all you wish,” he returned coolly, “but remember that you come to me because of the very actions you denounce. Now, do you want to hear more, or are you going to stand there and pass judgment on me all day?

For the record, I blame you for this.”“Me?” huffed Shahin. “This was your idea.”“Well...you should have talked me out of it! You and your brilliant schemes—bah! This particular detail will not go into our report, understand?”“Rest assured, you'll find me silent as the grave on this point.”“And stop using morbid expressions!

Marcus turned his back to her. He feared that if he saw her face, it might weaken his resolve. Love was indeed a madness.

You want the world to be perfect, Nedril—and that's a noble goal. But the world isn't perfect. It's people like me who give the world the chance to try another day for virtue.

Lord Tierney was furious. But when he saw how his sister had suffered, his anger shifted instead toward Rome. “If it weren’t for this new menace on the horizon,” he thundered, “I’d declare war on those haughty deceivers this instant!”Marcus stepped forward. “Kyrie, I don’t think—"“Then don’t!

I’d say it was a pleasure rowing with you, only it wasn’t.

And there he stood, holding his head high in silent approval of his crew's fine work.Her heart leaped all the way up into her throat. She knew one of those ships was his, the ship he named for her—the Varina. She couldn't say how, but she felt it the instant she heard the lookout announce their allies' arrival on the scene.