Marc Secchia > Quotes

“Still lay the Island-World beneath the whisper of a Dragon’s wings.”
― Marc Secchia, Aranya

“Go burn the heavens, Dragon and Rider.”
― Marc Secchia, Aranya

“The heart breaks, but carries on. It can shoulder the most impossible burdens.”
― Marc Secchia, The Onyx Dragon

“You think!” cried Mama. “She’s just a-looking after your backside and mine.” But at least her arms let up. Shioni could breathe again.

“It’d take five of her to look after your backside.”

Mama seemed to find his rudeness amusing. A beaming smile lit up her round face like the sun leaping above the hills of Abyssinia in the morning. “Better a plump, well-padded rump, than the rear end of a skinny goat like you, eh?”
― Marc Secchia, The Enchanted Castle

“I used to think I saw honour in battles and accomplishments and medals. But now I see those are the honours of men, which are as dust. The honour of the heart is another matter entirely.”
― Marc Secchia, Aranya

“My eyes are not sparkly! I’m not a sparkly sort of girl … I go around with dirty knees and slay dragons in my spare time, for the love of … oh!”
― Marc Secchia, The Sacred Lake

“friends sometimes have to be prepared to voice the hard truths. Or they are no friends at all.”
― Marc Secchia, Dragonfriend

“Of course. Dragons love a good, long tail.”
― Marc Secchia, I am Dragon

“The blazing wings of dawn spirited me away, Dragon-swift above the suns-rise, Flying to my destiny beyond the clouds.”
― Marc Secchia, The Pygmy Dragon

“Let our battle commence, Third War-Hammer Yolathian of Jeradia. I shall not be merciful again.”
― Marc Secchia, Aranya

“You have my permission to go rest.” “Thundersong –” “For the baby’s sake, of course. You’re doing great. You’re indestructible, amazing, phenomenal, all-seeing, unstoppable …” “Fine, I’ll go rest before an overload of adjectives puts me to sleep.”
― Marc Secchia, The Pirate Cabal

“Treacherous the mirrored face of The Deep, Shrouding a writhing coven of monsters, Fang-toothed, barb-flanged, poison-tipped, Serenity.”
― Marc Secchia, The Girl who Sang with Whales

“The curiosity is that most of the formulae in the scrolls appear to rely on the curvature of a world which is much smaller than ours. Riika was wondering where those values came from, and if this strange miscalculation demonstrates unquestionably, as the adraconistic scholars claim, that both Dragons and Humans originated on another world.” “How”
― Marc Secchia, Dragon Thief

“Snakbu? You look like a nice little Snakbu to me.”
― Marc Secchia, The Pirate Cabal

“I like you too, Princess, do you know that?” “Ah, but for how long, Dragon?” “You are not a bauble to be set aside on a whim.” Suddenly, she trembled in his grasp. “Don’t make me cry, friend.”
― Marc Secchia, I am Dragon

“I love bold questions, unanswerable conundrums, sweeping philosophical considerations and most especially, apprentices and scholars who do not simply accept my every caprice or directive without applying the lambent brain pathways!”
― Marc Secchia, The Dragon Librarian

“adamantine;”
― Marc Secchia, Dragonsoul

“Dragon a … special friend?” The Princess knew her face gave far too much away. She wanted to bury its burning in the pillow-roll, but instead, she tried to meet Akemi’s gaze with an innocent arch of her eyebrows. “Besides the fact that the timeline of your story is impossible using any Dragonship technology yet invented,” the old woman said, with a kindly twinkle in her eye, “I know a few things about young women’s hearts. Keep your peace; hear my tale before you judge me a nosy old woman, for I’ve a tale to tell. I too have a special friend – a Dragoness called Yukari. If pressed, she’ll admit she’s an Aquamarine”
― Marc Secchia, Dragonfriend Treasury - The Complete Dragonfriend Series

“Profound. Who needed to consider factors such as size, gender or even species? Love transcended all that.”
― Marc Secchia, The Unicorn Caper

“A silvery voice chimed, Today a Sun Dragoness is born, first of her kind. Welcome to the Island-World, Riika. The stars sing with you. She is born! Rising,”
― Marc Secchia, Dragon Thief

“She reported that another hawk message had come in. Azania gave a very un-princess-like caper and a fist pump. “The reign of King Tyloric has ended!” YEEEERRRSSSS!! he thundered. Three windows up in the castle’s turrets shattered at the reverberation. Glass tinkled down. “Dragon, any chance we could think before we bellow?” Gnarr-t a chance. “I understand perfectly. Anyways, it is the best news since Ignis and Taramis decided to smile upon Solixambria.” He displayed at least fifty fangs in a grin so huge, the stretch caused his jaw joint to pop loudly. “Who’s the replacement, may I ask?” “Lord Harikic, who happens to be married to Queen Shariza’s younger sister, Immiriza.” “What is it with Humans and rhyming names?” “What is it with Dragons and silly Clan names, like Crusher, Grinder or Obliterator?” “That’s what they do.” “So practical,” she teased, inflicting a hug upon him. “Is it bad of me to feel vindicated? Before you ask, this man is a very different prospect. He –” “Knows what a bathtub is?” Consumed by a fit of helpless giggles, she gasped, “Dragon, I love you!” “Oh dear. Does Azerim know he’s lost your affections?” “Not like that, you ridiculous reptile.” Placing his right fist over his heart, he moaned in a high-pitched, knightly voice, “Oh, say it not, Azania, my verimost muse, for I have loved thee most fulsomely since the very first day I clapped paw upon thy peerless person! Woe, thou breakest at least one of mine five hearts. How shall this scorned creature ever become whole again?” This was too much for the Princess. She guffawed so hard that tears sprang into her eyes. She folded up in his paw, apparently unable to stand. He eyed the girl wriggling in his paw in a perfectly undignified state of hysterics. Ah, so this would be ‘rolling with laughter’ in Human parlance. The problem was that it was catching. What was it about yawns and laughter that was more infectious than the worst disease imaginable? Very soon, his roars of mirth shook the castle. Another two windows gave up the unequal battle and dropped their leaded glass into the courtyard with a loud crash. Inzashu, the Prince and at least twenty servants rushed out to see what the commotion was all about. “Celebrating Tyloric’s downfall,” Azania managed to explain between hiccoughs. Thundersong said, “This would be the same Tyloric who clapped Princess Azania in irons in his dungeon for a month, hoping she’d break and agree to marry Prince Floric.” “Floric the Flatulent? Gods, no!” several servants blurted out. One man ducked aside and deposited his breakfast in a nearby flowerbed. “Sorry …” “I understand perfectly,” Azania said.”
― Marc Secchia, Thunder o Dragon

“That fourth evening, the dragonet felt especially restless. He flew aloft with Gracewing, carving out a path of their own through the everlasting, smouldering leagues. At last, he turned to his companion and said simply, I fear for her. I know, Flicker, she said, indicating encouragement with a rapid blinking of her secondary eye membranes. The issue is not that we’ve heard nothing from Hualiama. It’s … time. Time to what? Flicker twirled a wingtip flirtatiously. Time. Time for me to demonstrate how insatiable – No … time. Time, my fire-heart. It is … I can’t … it’s time, don’t you see? He took pause at the note in Gracewing’s voice and the truths conveyed by the urgent whirling of her apricot and blue eye-fires. Time, time, there is – Time! yelled Flicker. She’s been pulled out of time – why? The Balance she spoke of must be reaching fruition and the timing is the crucial element! She’s frozen? Paralysed? No, think, Flicker. She’s an incredibly smart – well, almost as smart as me – girl. It takes a great deal to take her out of action. Gracewing, you’re the best! Aye, and he was babbling now, but Flicker knew she had touched upon a truth no other had apprehended. This is the reason for the delay. The magic is being prepared by Dramagon’s wicked brood down there and we must interrupt their plans, strike a blow – bring out the First Egg! Aye! Gracewing yelped in surprise as he danced around her, vibrating wingtips with ultra-rapid taps before tweaking her tail. Flicker! I know. I’m a mad genius. Let’s go convince the Tourmaline. The pretty dragonet paused dramatically. Convince them? They all agree you’re mad already.”
― Marc Secchia, Dragonfriend Treasury - The Complete Dragonfriend Series

“If this was as Fra’anior wished for her, a creature of fires akin to the Dragonkind, would it not excoriate her very soul for the barrenness of the grief she knew?”
― Marc Secchia, Tytiana

“Love is the ultimate thief.”
― Marc Secchia, Dragon Thief

“Because even the world’s worst romantic poet knows that the only way to ambush fate is by using one’s heart.”
― Marc Secchia, The Onyx Dragon

“Profound. Who needed to consider factors such as size, gender or even species?”
― Marc Secchia, The Unicorn Caper

“No Dragon liked to feel cornered, nor to cower from an enemy – but this was not just any enemy. Everdeep made his orders as plain as Sea Dragon flame. Survival first. Heroism and honour later, and no place for false pride.”
― Marc Secchia, Thunder o Dragon

“Let me warm you up to the facts, Princess. White people are not white, they are a pale pink with nasty hairy bits. You can’t hide them in a snowfield with the best will in the world. Black people are not black, or they’d blend in with the average lump of charcoal. They are various shades of brown, again with the socially unacceptable hairy bits. You Humans are completely unreasonable when it comes to colour. And”
― Marc Secchia, I am Dragon

“So, what exactly did Ignita tell you about me?” he hissed, sounding decidedly peevish, even to his own ears. “All good?” “Besides that you are her favourite great-nephew by any measure under the suns –” wielding the foot-wide ladle with aplomb, she poured one last bucketful of dragonwort soup, a noted restorative, down his throat with a pleasant gurgle “– she said that you are honourable, faithful, creative, artistic, misunderstood, a Dragon whose heart lives in his poetry, which you have sadly neglected to admit to me; you are finicky to a fault, severely short-sighted and lacking in firepower.” Gnarr-rum-blasted-death! he swore unhappily. “Nice list. Thanks for sharing.” Blithely, the mite added, “Ignita is also furious that you did not come to her earlier with your eye problems.” Blitz said something even ruder. “She even claimed that I’m more stubborn than you, which I believe was meant to be a compliment. Now, hold still. The eye drops are next.” “She specifically said, ‘Lacking in fire power?’ ” He sighed moodily, unable to break the sense of being utterly defeated. This was not a happy place for a Dragon. His wings drooped as if they weighed a tonne each, and his food stomach churned with nausea. “She didn’t use words such as disabled, worthless, fireless lizard, witless fool, cold-hearted undraconic worm, a Dragon who is no Dragon at all, or –” “Blitz, stop.” “So, why don’t you just run back to Daddy, little Princess? Go on. Go home. Why be dragged down in the maelstrom of a worthless loser?” “Blitz! Shut your stupid fangs.” “Whinging being so charismatic in a Dragon …” Grinding her teeth furiously, the girl who was climbing his neck leaned over to his left upper ear canal and hissed, “Do you know what I would go back to, you thumping great moron? Let me give you the salient highlights. Since I was old enough to walk and my mother passed, it has been impressed upon me that my sole purpose in life is to get married to the richest fool I can charm into my bed, no matter how despicable he might be. I will not inherit. That privilege is for my brothers. Instead, I am merely an entry on my kingdom’s asset register – a very fat entry. I am commanded to be charming, accomplished and perfectly presented at all times. I go to balls to catch wealthy Princes. Can you imagine what it is like to be valued for your dark, beautiful skin, and nothing else? To only ever be seen skin-deep – I mean … you know?” Blitz groaned softly. “So aye, I don’t really want to go home, in case that was somehow unclear. I would rather live with an enormously unreasonable, complaining, crabby, haughty chunk of a Dragon, because among your many admirable qualities and your damnably beautiful honour, you have one gift I value above all others. Do you have any idea what I’m talking about?” He croaked, “Of course, aye … sort of … not a whole lot. Sorry.” Nonsensical, but true. Warm moisture dripped into his ear. Crying! Oh, by his wings, what had he done now? The Princess whispered, “You see me, and accept me, just as I am.”
― Marc Secchia, Call Me Dragon

“This morning I’m a mosquito, now you’re a flying cart?” Arosia”
― Marc Secchia, The Onyx Dragon