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Beauty was like a big umbrella, both useful and awkward to handle.
“I’m not the one who gets confused between costumes and truth.” Softening the words, Alice had leaned her newly darkened head against Rae’s shoulder. “The truth is, she looks like you. I can pretend to be brave when I look like you.”
Being nice was nice. Being nasty got shit done.
Hope without tragedy was hollow.
You couldn’t win women on points.
Sorry to the side of good. Evil’s just sexier.”
“Everyone who thinks books will make women date assholes underestimates us. If stories hypnotize people, why isn’t everybody terrified movies will turn boys into drag-racing assassins? I don’t want to fix the guy, I want to watch the murder show.”
Villainous characters had epic highs, epic lows, and epic loves. The Emperor loved like an apocalypse. In real life, people let you go. That was why people longed for the love from stories, love that felt more real than real love.
All great villains almost got redeemed, but instead plunged deeper into evil. You kept thinking, they might turn back! It’s not too late! The best villains’ death scenes made you cry.
Hope without tragedy was hollow. So was tragedy without hope.
He never held back and he never gave up. He was her rage unleashed. She didn’t love the Emperor despite his sins, she loved him for his sins. At least one of them could fight.
In Eyam, the Flower of Life and Death blooms once a year. You get one chance.
Until then, your body sleeps waiting for you. If you get the flower, you wake up, cured. If you don’t get the flower, you don’t wake up.”
She was Lady Rahela, the Beauty Dipped In Blood. She was the heroine’s evil stepsister. And she was due to be executed tomorrow.
His light tone held the faintest trace of bitterness, candy laced with poison.
it was different for villains. This world was against them. So they should conspire together.
“I’m a heartless monster with a strong character and stronger eyeliner game,
I scheme for power because I refuse to be powerless. I would break this whole world to get what I want.
It is placing your shivering soul into someone’s palm, and trusting they will not clench their fist.
“You’re out of your mind,” breathed Key of the Cauldron. His smile turned impish. “That’s fun.”
“First cut for gods lost in the sky, second for fiends in the abyss.”
“Third cut for me, Rahela Domitia.” “Fourth cut for you, Key…”
“‘By the sword,’” Key sang out mockingly, “‘I swear to be loyal and true, to love all you love, and hate all you hate. You will feel no rain, as I will be a shelter for you. You will feel no hunger or thirst while I have food to give or wine in my cup. When my name is in your mouth, I will always answer, and your name will be my call to arms. I will ever be a shield for your back, and the story told between us will be true. Everything agreed between us, I will carry out, for yours is the will I have chosen.’”
When she of snow and flame dances through dreams When the white knight’s heart strays to lost queens He is coming. He is coming. When the abyss opens, when the dead bow down The curse is come upon us, he will claim his crown The ravine calls its master up above He goes to tell lost souls he died for love He is coming. He is coming. The words run wild, escape if you can The pearl will be his or belong to no man His sword is ruin, his eyes are fire All the worlds are his empire. The child of gods is dead and grown He is coming, he is coming for his throne.
but women used to hoard gems when they couldn’t have bank accounts. Jewels were for survivors.
Real treasure held a story, and stories were for heroes.
Perishing for love of Lia was one of the major causes of death in Eyam,
On a totally unrelated topic, my mother is gorgeous and poisonous. I take after her.”
A witch who curses you is just telling the future you don’t want to hear.”
“Love is the song that wakes us from the grave. Death cannot stop my heart.”
“Love burns down the world for a kiss.”
“Don’t strike me, I stab when startled.”
An anti-hero was just a villain with good PR.
This was before Octavian returned from the edge of death for his throne. Before he changed into somebody unrecognizable and unfathomable. One day, nobody would call him by name. His subjects would forget he ever had a name. One day, the Emperor would be terrifying as an eclipse.
My family motto is He came, he saw, I conquered. I’m the woman who can bring any man to his knees.”
“You would die for Lia, you would kill, you would commit complicated murder-suicide.
Rae loved that about him. In her experience when people hurt you, you got hurt. They got away with it. Revenge was a fantasy as beautiful as true love.
“I watched you climb down the sheer cliff into the abyss. I saw you rise, death at your back, your crowned shadow stretching across the mountains to claim first this land and then all lands. You will pluck the sun from the sky without burning your hands, so only the cold moon remains to witness your power. Your sword will be broken, reforged and renamed, and driven through the heart of the world. You will be invincible, irresistible and unforgivable. The future is sure. The future is glorious.”
“Sweet nightmares, my lady. I hope you never see reason.”
“Isn’t that how love works? You open your heart for the knife.”
Fun and gold. What else is there to live for?”
“Have you never considered art grants us the impossible? Art opens a door into someone else’s imagination and lets us walk through. Art is the dreamed-of escape. Art lets the dead speak and the living laugh. Art takes you away from pain when no medicine can save you. Art is the first and last word. Art is the final consolation.”
Emer would be the axe-murdering Iron Maid one day. Key was a various-implements murderer already.
“If you want to make an entrance, make the whole scene.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. Where did you live, before you walked into the story?” The wicked Marquis of Popenjoy dropped his voice even lower. “I’m a New York City boy myself.” Rae got up and shut the door.
The Cobra had a suddenly sheepish air. “Actually, it’s both. I needed to explain where I got my information, so I lied I had many spies. Real spies approached me. What could I do? Rejecting their hopeful little spy faces seemed cruel. And wasteful. One thing led to another, until I had the most extensive spy network in the country.”
“I can’t believe you thought you could have a snake theme and be a hero.” That was so naive. At least seventy per cent of villainy was the aesthetic.
The dating records of main characters are extremely cursed.”
Relationships with no mistakes and no obstacles had no bite.
she saw the promise in the way the Last Hope moved. Ice-water chill seeping into her bones, Rae felt she saw the future. It was red as blood.
