Along the border all the fires were burning, producing a heat that made the war expand and an evil light that made the expansion visible. In the two capitals, posted so close together at the eastern end of the border country, the heat and light had strange effects. The men of government had to move slowly, for they were trying to organize and direct chaos itself; yet there was upon them a growing necessity to move quickly, to act even as they sought to prepare the means of action, to assert mastery over this war before it imposed its own monstrous rules.
from page 69, Terrible Swift Sword
from page 69, Terrible Swift Sword