Manya Vardanyan

“With knot of one, the spell's begun.
With knot of two, the spell be true.
With knot of three, the spell is free.
With knot of four, the power is stored.
With knot of five, this spell will thrive.
With knot of six, this spell I fix.
With knot of seven, the spell will waken.
With knot of eight, the spell will wait.
With knot of nine, the spell is mine.
With knot of ten, it begins again.”
― Deborah Harkness, The Book of Life

“Witchcraft and spells may not be your weapons of choice,’ he said softly, brushing my tense jaw with the back of his hand, ‘but you will learn to use them.’ The note of command was slight, but it was there. ‘Let’s find you something to eat. That always makes you more agreeable.’ ‘Are you managing me?’ I asked darkly. ‘You’ve just now noticed?’ He chuckled. ‘It’s been my full-time job for weeks.”
― Deborah Harkness, The All Souls Complete Trilogy

“As a negotiator, Abby could face deranged criminals armed to the teeth, holding numerous hostages, while her voice remained measured, each word de-escalating the situation. But when she talked to the guy she was married to for twelve years, her voice automatically adopted the style of nails dragged on a blackboard, and she couldn’t think of a single word to utter aside from expletives.”
― Mike Omer, A Deadly Influence

“Become a priest. You wouldn't be bad at it with all your scruples, your morality, your knowledge of people and of everything. The fact that you don't believe in any gods shouldn't be a problem—I don't know many priests who do.”
― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish