Megan Whalen Turner

Quotes

1. "Your Majesty," he asked innocently, "is it true that your cousins once held you down in a water cache?"

   Ornon, in the act of putting down his wine cup, paused.

   "Is it also true that they wouldn't let you out until you agreed to repeat insults about your own family?"

2. 

   The queen turned back to face him. "I could hang you," she said.

   Eugenides looked up at her. "You missed your chance for that," he said.

3. 

   The dandified Attolian who had spoke, a patron, but not a baron by any means, glanced at the queen to see if she approved, but she was looking the other way. The king shrugged his shoulders slightly and said, "I could send you to ask them."

   The man laughed. "It would be a long trip, Your Majesty. I would so much rather hear the answer from you."

   "Oh, the trip would be much quicker than you think," said the king pleasantly. "Most of my male cousins are dead."

   The silence that had begun at the head table had spread to the edges of the hall. The Attolian's smile grew uncertain.

   The king didn't smile back. Those who understood shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

4. 

   The king paused. "Your master of spies is a liar, and this time he is lying," the king said slowly, "to you." Attolia frowned, then almost imperceptibly shook her head.

   "Have him arrested," said the king. After another pause he added unequivocally, "Now."

   If he succeeds in having me killed, you could be the next Captain of the Guard. What, then, if the king destroyed Relius? Who would replace him?

   Costis hardly breathed. The king hadn't ordered the arrest himself, though he could have, but he had directed the queen to do so, in public. Now they would see if the queen could protect her own or not.

5. 

   "You eat more than Gen did after prison", he said.

   "I have more sympathy with him all the time. Are you going to finish that drumstick?" I asked.

   "I am. Stop staring at it."

6. 

   "Will you serve me and my god?"

   "I will, Your Majesty."

   "Then come out," said the king, helping him, "knowing that you'll never die of a fall unless the god himself drops you."

7. 

   "Do you warn him not to offend the gods?"

   "There was no need," said Attolis, smiling, "He couldn't offend the gods with a pointed stick."

8. 

   Unable to guess the answer, she asked, "Who am I, that you should love me?"

   "You are My Queen," said Eugenides. She sat perfectly still, looking at him without moving as his words dropped like water into dry earth.

   "Do you believe me?" he asked.

   "Yes," she answered.

   "Do you love me?"

   "Yes."

   "I love you."

   And she believed him.

9. 

   Grown more confident of the queen's humor, Relius said, "I had not pictured you for a fishwife."

   "Lo, the transforming power of love."

10. 

    "You have heard the queen's advice. My gift is below. Would you wait to see it until you have decided what you will do with hers?"

11. 

    The king, the master of the fates of men, before their eyes was reduced to a man, very young himself, and in love.

12. 

    He was confident, I think, of the success over both Eddis and Attolia right up until the world heard that the Thief of Eddis had stolen the queen of Attolia and meant to marry her.