Crown Duel Quotes

“Memory warps time, as it does the sights and sounds and smells of reality; for what shapes it is emotion, which can twist what seems clear, just as the surface of a pond seems to bend the stick thrust into the water.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“Despite how entertaining certain stories were, at the bottom of every item of gossip there was someone getting hurt.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“Instead my inner eye kept returning to the memory of our people running before a mass of orderly brown-and-green-clad soldiers, overseen by a straight figure in a black cloak riding back and forth along a high ridge.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“In my mind I saw, clearly, that straight-backed figure on the dapple-gray horse, his long black cloak slung back over the animal’s haunches, his plumed helm of command on his head. With either phenomenal courage or outright arrogance he had ignored the possibility of our arrows, the crowned sun stitched on his tunic gleaming in the noonday light as he directed the day’s battle.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

““You might contemplate the purpose of a court…” You brainless, twaddling idiot, I thought scornfully. I wished he were before me. I wished I could personally flout him and his busy searchers, and make him look like the fool he was. And watch the reaction, and walk away laughing.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“You might contemplate the purpose of a court…” You brainless, twaddling idiot, I thought scornfully. I wished he were before me. I wished I could personally flout him and his busy searchers, and make him look like the fool he was. And watch the reaction, and walk away laughing.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“He mounted behind me and we started off, while I indulged myself with the image of grabbing that stick and conking him right across his smiling face.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“I just wanted to see if you traitors would dare to face me,” Galdran said, his caustic voice making me feel sick inside. Sick--and angry.
The Marquis bowed low over his horse’s withers, every line of his body indicative of irony.
Galdran’s face flushed dark purple.
“I confess,” Shevraeth drawled, “we had a small wager on whether you would have the courage to face us.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“There’s no use in talking about the plan, because of course nothing went the way it was supposed to.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“The others conversed little, and at the end of the meal I looked up, saw the unmistakable marks of fever in their faces. Branaric grinned. “What a trio we make! Look at us.”
Annoyance flared anew. Glaring at him, I said hoarsely, “Look at yourself. I’d rather spare myself the nightmare, which would affright even a half-sighted gargoyle.”
Bran gaped at me in surprise, then laughed. “Just keep that temper sharp. You’ll need it, for we may be on the march tomorrow.”
“Oh, good,” I croaked with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.
It sounded about as false as it felt, and Bran laughed again; but before he could say anything, the Marquis suggested that we all retire, for the morrow promised to be a long day.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“But after a time even my temper tantrums have to give way to rational thought, and I faced at last what ought to have been obvious from the very beginning: We’d lost because we were ignorant. And of the two of us, I was the worse off, because I hadn’t even known I was ignorant.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“Shevraeth himself was there to bid us farewell--a courtesy I could have done without.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“If you’re rebelling, then you must have someone in mind for the throne. Who?”
Bran pointed across the table at Shevraeth. “He seems to want to do it, and I have to say, he’d be better at it than I.”
“No, he wouldn’t,” I said without thinking.
Bran winced and rubbed his chin. “Mel…”
“Please, my dear Lord Branaric,” the Prince murmured. “Permit the lady to speak. I am interested to hear her thoughts on the matter.”
Rude as I’d been before, my response had shocked even me, and I hadn’t intended to say anything more. Now I sneaked a peek at the Marquis, who just sat with his goblet in his fingers, his expression one of mild questioning.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“The Prince’s dark eyes narrowed with amusement, though his mouth stayed solemn--I knew I’d seen that expression before. “Please. You have only to ask.”
“I don’t want a thing. It was more a question, and that is: If you can eat like this every day, why aren’t you fatter than five oxen?”
Bran set his goblet down, his eyes wide. “Burn it, Mel, I was just thinking the very same!”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“So my only hope, therefore, was to make him so angry he’d kill me outright and save us both a lot of effort.
These were my cheery thoughts--not that my head was any too clear.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“All I can report is that I felt pretty sick, nearly as sick as I’d been when I fell into Ara’s chickenyard. Sick at heart as well, for I knew there was no escape for Meliara Astiar after all; therefore I resolved that my last job was to summon enough presence of mind to die well.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“I do not like to remember that trip.
Not that I was awake for much of it--for which I am grateful. I kept sliding in and out of consciousness, and believe me, the outs were much more welcome than the ins.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“What have you to say now, my little hero?” the Baron gloated.
“That you are a fool, the son of a fool, and the servant of the biggest--”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“You, there, girl! Halt!”
Who in the universe ever halts when the enemy tells them to?
Of course I took off in the opposite direction, as fast as I could.”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel

“Not one of the passerby showed the least interest in the proceedings. I wondered if I had missed yet another chance at escape, but if I did yell for help, who knew what the partisanship of the Lumm merchants was? I might very well have gotten my mouth gagged for my pains.
This did not help my spirits any, for now that the immediate discomforts had eased, I realized again that I was sick. How could I effect an escape when I had as much spunk as a pot of overboiled noodles?”
― Sherwood Smith, Crown Duel