Sesquipedalian Anachronism

“You failed to employ sufficient sesquipedalian anachronisms to satiate the galumphing maw of our local igneous egress,” Auli suggested. Ha! She could toss silly and archaic words about with the best of them!

Arkurion made an approving noise.

The Dragon Librarian (Scrolls of Fire Book 1) by Marc Secchia

The Eternal Challenge of Research and Data Management

The monastery had excellent records, if she could only find them in the chaos of some parakeet-brained numbwit’s catastrophe of a cataloguing system. Scrolls and books organised by year of recopying rather than subject area or even, year of origin? Nonsense! Everything had to be laboriously looked up in cross-indexes nearly as complicated as a library itself.

The harried-sounding young monk protested, “This is how we have always organised our records. See, since we follow this method, not a single one of the ancient scrolls has been lost to decay or vermin. We follow a regular, dependable schedule of lore preservation.” “

In which one cannot find the proverbial rajal in an open field?”

“It is a good system!”

“Does anybody actually attempt to use this library? Or is this merely an eternal, ennui-inducing exercise of ink and scrolleaf?”

“Ah … I’ll summon Master Jo’el, shall I?”

The Dragon Librarian (Scrolls of Fire Book 1) by Marc Secchia

The Secret of Art

“The beauty of life is that you can choose to shape your pain, or let it shape you. Yet here is its secret. That which mars most deeply can be transformed to greatness. The most heinous injury can become beauty! This is the secret of art as I know it.

The Dragon Librarian (Scrolls of Fire Book 1) by Marc Secchia

Hope Is a Dangerous Indulgence

Quote 1:

That day, suns’ dawning burnished my perception for the first time in my life, and I knew how long a journey faced me, for it was like squinting at a firefly’s faint glow through darkened crysglass. My knowledge of scroll lore allowed me to rejoice in many previously unimaginable similes and metaphors. Yet also, I knew a miracle. There was light in my darkness. This was my introduction to the joys and frustrations of that priceless gift called hope.

Quote 2:

It is hard to wish for what one has never known. Wishes are free, not so?

Auli considered her statement. Are they, noble Qualiana? For wishes rely upon hope, and hope must perforce rest one paw within reality. Some wishes carry a great price, o Dragoness; a price that would crush a soul.

Quote 3:

Hope is that emotion most riven with glorious terror, a unique, intensely personal expression of suffering. May hope’s promise never play you false.

The Dragon Librarian (Scrolls of Fire Book 1) by Marc Secchia

True Nature of Evil

It is only as we hold the mirror to our own souls, and consider what we believe to be worthless or vile or unlovable, that we might truly see the nature of evil. Prejudice fruits from the vine of every life. We only need look for it, and oftentimes, find it thrives closest to our door.

The Dragon Librarian (Scrolls of Fire Book 1) by Marc Secchia

Dragons Shudder to Think

Essini’s parents had fled South to Yorbik Island where they were set upon by bandits and murdered for their paltry possessions. The bandits abandoned Essini in the rajal-infested interior forests, but an old Brown Dragon had found her and brought her to a Human enclave. They promptly about-faced and peddled the child to slave traders, who passed her from hand to hand until eventually a married couple from Gi’ishior, rug merchants who had no child of their own, purchased her out of pity. Now, she was as loved as any person could wish.

Auli-Ambar sighed. At least Essini’s story had turned out well, but it could have been much worse. Bandits and slavers were not known for their kindness to children, and Sazutharr had told her darkly, the fate of some children was so terrible, it made a Dragon shudder to think upon it.

The Dragon Librarian (Scrolls of Fire Book 1) by Marc Secchia