Isle Of Mull Quotes

I’d rather die liking myself than hating myself.

But my identity belongs to me. Only I can surrender that.

Remember, if something goes wrong, if you need anything at all, you’re absolutely on your own.

I’m not trying to do any good! I know I can’t solve the problem right now! But I do have feelings! And none of this is fun!

But I’d rather work smart than hard.

I no longer fear honesty. I have learned that anything important accomplished through dishonest means eventually unravels. Facing unpleasant truths protects us from building on faulty foundations.

Would you forgive a killer for not knowing how a gun functioned? How many would have to die before you stopped pardoning his ignorance?

have to get to Shoreless Isle? You’ll have to go back in time from there, right?

With or without my memories, there may be no way back to my old life.” “There never is,” Calvin said. “We’re always moving forward. All you have is the present. Here we are. Just think about your next step. Forget your past for now. Start today. Get your next step right.

I know I’m not permanent in this world,” Kendra said. “But guess what—neither is the sun. I get to live my life. Someday death will free me and I will go someplace new. I don’t want to get stuck here. What if this life is just the beginning?” What if death means the end?

Everyone causes harm,” Calvin said. “Sometimes we hurt others, and sometimes we hurt ourselves. If you’ve caused a problem, you learn and do better. You become smarter for next time. And you undo what harm you can.

You’re trying to figure out who you are. I see it. And you’ll make it. But not if you give up.” Seth heaved a sigh. “I might want to give up, but I won’t. I worry, though: what if everything I do just causes more harm?” “Everyone causes harm,” Calvin said. “Sometimes we hurt others, and sometimes we hurt ourselves. If you’ve caused a problem, you learn and do better. You become smarter for next time. And you undo what harm you can.

This could be her last day of her life.

It’s clumsy to trust anyone. People are uniformly imperfect and erratic. But if you have to guess, bet on them serving their own interests.

They will imprison you simply for who and what you are,

Pack all of your desires away, lock them up, and throw out the key.

He was just . . . gone. He had been there a moment before. He was being so brave. And then he didn’t know me. He’s been taken someplace. We don’t know where.

Let me guess,” Newel said. “It won’t work on satyrs.” “Probably not,” Tanu said. Doren gave Newel a high five. “Nap time.

Now every word of praise came back to him like a hot knife. Every delicious bite of food seemed poisonous.

Ronodin

The subtle scent of flowers was lost beneath the aroma of cooking meat and freshly cut fruit, heavy spices and mulled wine. A man in dark robes offered candied plums beside a woman selling scrying stones. A vendor poured steaming tea into short glass goblets across from another vibrant stall displaying masks and a third offering tiny vials of water drawn from the Isle, the contents still glowing faintly with its light. Every night of the year, the market lived and breathed and thrived. The stalls were always changing, but the energy remained, as much a part of the city as the river it fed on.

Seth considered a careful answer. “They act like they want to help me.” Ronodin laughed. “They want to do what they do best, Seth. They want to lock you up. They’ll lure you with honey if you respond. But make no mistake: you have broken their laws. They see you as a threat who must be neutralized.” “Maybe,” Seth said. He hadn’t considered this possibility, and he found the suggestion disconcerting. “You really don’t understand. They lock up dark creatures. They will imprison you simply for who and what you are, the same way they might imprison a wraith or a dragon. You have committed crimes against them, Seth, of your own free will. You destroyed an entire dragon sanctuary. You got some of the people protecting Wyrmroost killed—I know this for a fact.” “You weren’t honest about what I was doing,” Seth said, distressed to hear that his actions had led to deaths. Hopefully Ronodin was lying about that. “Really?” Ronodin asked. “You’re going to tell them you released wraiths and revenants without knowing anyone might get hurt? Would you forgive a killer for not knowing how a gun functioned? How many would have to die before you stopped pardoning his ignorance?” “You tricked me,” Seth said. “I didn’t understand what I was doing. I didn’t have my memories. I still don’t.” “You don’t have to convince me,” Ronodin said. “I’m on your side. Bracken and his allies were holding creatures captive. The

temperament. I am not the foolish little girl who seeks trouble anymore. Ye can trust me not to be reckless, but I will fight for our people if need be.” Duncan pulled her into a fierce embrace. “I worry for ye, lass,” he whispered. “Ye should be thinking of marriage and a family, not climbing cliff

But with you, I don’t know what to trust.

I am Savani.

This just kept getting worse. Would there ever be good news?

Another dirt clod smashed against the wall in a gritty burst. And another. He could not throw them hard enough. Part of him wished somebody was throwing the dirt clods at him. Or beating him, or locking him in jail. He had no means to express how remorseful he felt, no way to pay for what he had done. And no way to fix the mistake.

We won’t be able to drink water?

Bryce rode the elevator up to her floor, mulling everything over in the silence. She’d meant what she said to Hunt—she didn’t think her father was behind Danika’s and the pack’s deaths. She had little doubt he’d killed others, though. And would do anything to keep his crown. The Autumn King was a courtesy title in addition to her father’s role as a City Head—as for all the seven Fae Kings. No kingdom was truly their own. Even Avallen, the green isle ruled by the Stag King, still bowed to the Republic. The Fae had coexisted with the Republic since its founding, answerable to its laws, but ultimately left to govern themselves and retain their ancient titles of kings and princes and the like. Still respected by all—and feared. Not as much as the angels, with their destructive, hideous storm-and-sky powers, but they could inflict pain if they wished. Choke the air from your lungs or freeze you or burn you from the inside out. Solas knew Ruhn and his two friends could raise Hel when provoked.

It was possible Ronodin was trying to use humor to relax him, but Seth suspected he was simply apprenticed to a jerk.

A reader of The Unspeakables recently contacted me. She said she had become so engrossed with the paperback she'd taken it to the top of a Munro whilst climbing on the Isle of Mull. I'm delighted to have three-dimensional circulation as well.

I’ll be with Dezia?” Seth asked. “It’s the most efficient way,” Ronodin said. “She’ll be compliant and docile. The Sphinx made sure of that. We’ll go fetch the Everbloom tomorrow. Unless you no longer have the stomach for it.” “What other choice do I have?” Seth asked. “I’d be fascinated to know,” Ronodin said. “The Everbloom is your ticket out of here. Hand that over to the Underking and you can go do whatever you want.” “The Underking would let me

felt he should at least play along until he found the Everbloom. Otherwise Ronodin or the Sphinx might claim it without him, and he would lose the ability to influence the outcome. “This way,” Ronodin said. “These caves make up a complex system with several entrances. The opening we’re looking for isn’t far.” Seth followed Ronodin onto a trail between leafy philodendrons and fragrant anthuriums. The day was mild, less humid than normal, with a light breeze. It seemed like a strange day to confront the toughest choice he could remember facing. Ronodin carried a duffel bag. Seth wondered what it might contain. They branched left off the main path along a faint trail. After winding through trees and shrubs, they reached a grouping of boulders. In the ground between two of the largest boulders gaped a crack just large enough for a person to crawl down into. “This isn’t a cave,” Seth complained. “It leads into one of the largest cave systems on any island in the world,” Ronodin said. He set down the duffel bag, unzipped it, and removed a garden trowel. “Dig up the flower with this. The Everbloom is resilient, but try to get as many of the roots as you can.” Then he held up a ceramic flowerpot. “Keep the flower in here. Pack soil around it.” “Okay,” Seth said. “Time for your ointment,” Ronodin said. “I’ll give you some privacy.

who would guard it. Any who possess the Everbloom will use its power to serve their desires. Giving the flower to Kendra and her kind only increases their capacity to oppress you. Don’t give them the rope they will use to hang you. And don’t turn yourself into my enemy.” “I’d hate to do that,” Seth said. “So would I,” Ronodin said. “We have been allies up until now. You don’t want to see what I do to my enemies, Seth. Not firsthand. And what the Underking would do to you is a hundred times worse. Don’t ruin your life so you can give a flower to people who hate you. They want you in chains. Don’t let somebody else collect the flower for the Underking. Use the flower to buy your life back. You deserve to seek out your memories.” Seth glanced at the crack in the ground. “Maybe I’ll die in hot lava.” “Save the dramatics,” Ronodin said. “Bring the Everbloom to me. We’ll give it to the Underking. Remember that I plan for all contingencies. Don’t fight the inevitable.” “I hear you,” Seth said. “I just climb in?” “Chimney down using both sides,” Ronodin said. He handed Seth a glowing holly wand. “The descent isn’t too far. You’ll meet Dezia at the bottom. She will guide you to the bloom. Tread carefully—Baga Loa is not a typical volcano. A cave system like this one would never form in the natural world. You may cross paths with some unusual creatures.

Seth stopped walking. “Phantom, you can wait for me, or you can let me tell the Sphinx how you left me behind.” The phantom halted. “Calvin, don’t you get it?” Seth said. “If what you say is true, if Kendra and the good guys would forgive me, it almost makes it worse. I know what I did, Calvin. I may have been manipulated, but I wasn’t forced. If I was a traitor, if I caused destruction by releasing evil, if I got people killed and made a sanctuary fall, I have to live with that. I’m not sure how I can.” “You’ve been in an impossible situation, Seth,” Calvin said. “You’re trying to figure out who you are. I see it. And you’ll make it. But not if you give up.” Seth heaved a sigh. “I might want to give up, but I won’t. I worry, though: what if everything I do just causes more harm?” “Everyone causes harm,” Calvin said. “Sometimes we hurt others, and sometimes we hurt ourselves. If you’ve caused a problem, you learn and do better. You become smarter for next time. And you undo what harm you can.” “What about the Everbloom?” Seth asked. “What should I do?” “We’ve come this far,” Calvin said. “Let’s have a look.” Seth folded his arms and stared at the ground. What else was he supposed to do? Sit down and mope until Ronodin came looking for him? “Go ahead, phantom,” he said. Dezia drifted forward again. “Besides, you might be right,” Calvin said. “We may burn up in hot lava before we get there.

Seth followed the phantom through the labyrinthine cave. After a number of turns, Seth wasn’t sure if he could find his way back. The air started to get hotter. In one room, steam wafted up from little fissures in the floor. In another, a bubbling pool of hot water in one corner saturated the room with a steamy, eggy odor. Some passages narrowed so much, Seth had to turn sideways. Some wider chambers had room to spare, with stalagmites four or five times his height. The light from his wand did not always reach the ceiling, and it was hard to tell if some of the shadowy side passages went a long distance or ended after a few feet. “Be extra quiet here,” the phantom whispered. Noticing a red glow up ahead, Seth shielded the light of his wand with his hand and stepped carefully. In a neighboring chamber of the cave, Seth saw a blob of dark lava with molten redness glowing through the cracks. Fiery millipedes as long as Seth’s arm skittered around the surface of the lava blob, some of them crawling into or out of the gaps to the red interior. He knew of no living creature that could handle such extreme temperature. The air in the cave became increasingly hot and dry as Seth progressed. The stone around him smelled like it was baking. Seth crossed through one room where more than half the floor was a glowing pool of smoldering scarlet lava. He felt certain that without the ointment, his hair and clothes would burst into flame by proximity to such heat, but instead Seth discovered

connection to the crypt, and break the bond with my current token, the doll.” Seth could not feel any hint of the connections she described. He had a sense of her presence, and that was all. He glanced at the Everbloom. Holding the plucked leaf in one hand, Seth reached out with the other and rested a finger against the petals of the flower. Immediately he felt a powerful influx of energy, and his mind sharpened. He fixed his attention on the phantom. The dark umbilicus connecting her to the crypt was obvious, and so was the dark channel of power uniting her to the doll. The channel of power to the doll felt sullied. Somebody was tampering with it. “I feel the connections,” Seth said excitedly. “Change them,” Dezia said. “Link me to the leaf. I am willing it. Help it to happen. Break the bond with my current token. Be quick about it. If they catch on to what we are doing, they will try to pull me away.” Seth searched the power inside of him. The darkness he drew from to quench torches was enlivened by his contact with the Everbloom. Drawing on that power, Seth focused on creating a channel between Dezia and the leaf, but the connection to the current token blocked his effort. Seth concentrated on her bond with the doll. He could not sense the location of the doll, only that it was far away. He willed the phantom free of that bond, as he would when attempting to open a lock.

What if Ronodin or the Sphinx get a new phantom to help them?” Calvin asked. “They need the ointment to come in here,” Seth said. “And they needed me to recruit the phantom. Neither of them can charm the undead.” “It would be a serious risk to remove the Everbloom,” Calvin said. “I bet it could destabilize the volcano.” The phantom laughed darkly. “Any fool could see that much.” Seth shook his head. “Why am I not surprised they didn’t warn me?” “Ronodin is usually so helpful,” Calvin said. Seth walked over to the edge of the island, above the rich red lava. Even with the help of the ointment, the proximity made it almost unbearably hot. He could look at the lava directly for only a couple of seconds at a time. “Is this as good a place as any to drop the token?” Seth asked. “Yes,” Dezia replied. Seth released the leaf and watched it seesaw down onto the lava. A brief flame flared up, and it was gone. “Thank you, Seth,” Dezia said. “Follow me.” Seth gently patted the pocket with Calvin in it. “Ready to get out of here?” “So soon?” Calvin asked. “I thought a sleepover could be fun. Another time, maybe. We can go . . . as long as you do the walking.” There are foul beings in the mist,” Mizarine warned.