“ Marcus: You’re not sleeping Master Kit: I’m not. M: Any particular reason for that? MK:...

“
Marcus: You’re not sleeping

Master Kit: I’m not.

M: Any particular reason for that?

MK: Not that I’m aware of. Only I close my eyes, and then they seem to open again.

M: Well, a fine pair we are.

MK: I was a fool. I feel I’ve wasted my life.

M: If you feel like that, you probably are a fool.

MK: I thought of myself as wise. I carried the secrets of the world with me like a bag of pretty stones. I knew of the goddess, which was a secret held by only a few. And I knew her madness. Her weakness. Her confusion of certainty and truth. And for that I was singular. The only man in the world who saw it all for what it was. I am astounded I could carry that arrogance so long and not notice the burden.

M: Arrogance doesn’t weigh much. No heft to it.

MK: I suppose not. Still, I am ashamed.

M: You should get over that.

MK: I appreciate that, but I think you don’t understand.

M: Might. You thought you were some kind of God-touched cunning man because you had your spider tricks, only it turned out you were more like the rest of us than not. I was the greatest general in an age, determining who sat what throne and shaping the world with my will and a few thousand sharp blades. Only it turned out we were both men, and we both made mistakes. Yours set us off through some of the least pleasant terrain I’ve ever had the poor fortune to walk through and ended with me trying to hack a hunk of stone to death with a magic sword. Mine ended with a couple graves and a lot of bad dreams.

MK: I believe I see your point, and I apologize. I didn’t intend to make light of your loss.

M: You don’t see my point, then. My loss doesn’t matter. Alys. Merian. They don’t care that I failed them. They haven’t cared for a long time now. I care, but I can’t do anything. I carry it because it’s mine. You lived your life either in service to or revolt against something that turns out not to be real. I can see that’s embarrassing.

MK: It’s more than that. It leaves me unsure whether my life has had any meaning at all.

M: While you figure that out, you’ll need to get some rest. And start eating enough. And stop trying to take half of my watch along with yours. We have a job to do, and you need to be in a condition to do it.

MK: I’m the one that brought you the job. You recall, don’t you? You were the chosen one because I chose you. And if I was wrong …

M: It doesn’t matter where the job came from. It doesn’t matter if it’s something we can do. It’s the job. And you only get to pity yourself and sulk when it doesn’t get in the way of it.

MK: And you feel it’s begun to?

M: Yes. This is why you picked me, you know. Apart from needing someone to haul this damned uncomfortable hunk of metal, you knew at some point you might fall down and not want to get back up. I’m here to kick your ass.

MK: Your job.

M: Part of it.

MK: I suppose that’s true. Thank you, Marcus.

M: Anytime, Kit. I’m pleased I can help. Now, honestly? Go the hell to sleep.
”

#DanielAbraham’s #TheTyrantsLaw #TheDaggerAndTheCoin Book 3

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