Nida Byles

“For all Conor Lenihan cared it could have been Osama Bin Laden who had organised the whole thing. He was simply a mercenary doing a job of work.”
― Michael Parker, The Eagle's Covenant

“The fire on the mountain.” That was Anna. “Alchemy,” she said. “I feel it singing in my bones.”
“Singing?” Mary would never understand Anna. The young woman turned away.
Wiseman’s reply was tinged with respect.
“That great pair of alchemists, Francis Ransome and Roberta Le More, believed the work they did affected the world’s spirit, the anima mundi. The Native Americans they met believed they too could and should interact with the Great Spirit. They lived with reverence for the land and all its peoples, the ancestors, the animals, the rocks, the trees, mountains.” 
Mary’s jaw dropped; Caroline glowed; Anna pretended not to listen. Wiseman nodded, then continued.
“You mean…?” began Mary.
“Yes, it could have been so different, a meeting of like-minded earth-based spiritualities. Just imagine, what could have been?”
― Susan Rowland, The Alchemy Fire Murder

“A celestial wizard doesn’t destroy celestial bodies. She bends them.”
― Andri E. Elia, Borealis: A Worldmaker of Yand Novel

“Your ego can make you arrogant on the Peak, and fearful in the Valley. It keeps you from seeing what is real. Your ego distorts the truth.”
― Spencer Johnson, Peaks and Valleys: Making Good And Bad Times Work For You--At Work and in Life