Witch King Quotes

“I don’t need rest, I’m fueled by spite.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Mother bared her fangs. "Stop being overdramatic." Kai would have loved to, if dramatic things would stop happening to him.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Kai stepped close, circled to face his prey, and wrapped his hand around the ghoul's throat. "Do mortals just walk into your channel house all the time? Am I one? Am I stupid?
The ghoul choked out, "I didn't know you were a..."
"Say it." Kai smiled.
"... a demon."
"You idiot." Kai leaned closer to whisper, "I'm the demon.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“I’ll give you one more answer. The words Bashasa spoke to me before he died were ‘Don’t let everything we fought for be for nothing.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“I’d tell you to be careful, but…”
Kai looked at her through the black film of the veil. “You could say ‘be violent’ instead.”
Tahren, who Kai was beginning to suspect had a very dry sense of humor, patted his shoulder and said, Be violent.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“You forgot what I am.'
Ramad huffed a breath that was almost a laugh. 'An immortal demon prince.'
'No,' Kai said pointedly. 'Bashasa's immortal demon prince.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“The horrific emotional consequences of the worst mistake of his life aside, Kai had an idea.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Like so many aspects of mortal life, sleep was overrated.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“That isn’t how this works, expositor.” Then he peeled Tarrow’s soul from his body and ate his life.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“I don’t know if I can do what you want me to do, Bashara. If I can stay calm and always think ahead, like you do. I’m so angry I could burn the world.”
Bashara didn’t seem concerned. “Unfortunately, someone else has already burned it. We need to unburn it.” He looked up, his expression serious. “Will you help me do that, Kai?”
Kai had already made that decision. “Yes.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“How did it come to this, Kai? I remember how we started. Now you’re all razor barbs and I’m an angry shrew.”
“No,” he said, stung by that description of herself. “You’re righteously furious. You’ve always had the high ground, Ziede. Don’t let them say you don’t.” She was still looking away into the dark. “You’re right about me and the razors, though.” Most of the time Kai felt like he was made of razors, bleeding from the inside.
She reached over and squeezed his hand. “I’ve always liked your razors, Kai. They’ve cut us out of a number of tangles. But it would be good if one day you could stop bleeding.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Where did she come from?”
Sanja stood, her jaw set. “The Mouth of Flowers. Menlas bought me from the child-catcher as a sacrifice to bring them back, so Kaiisteron could be in my body and Menlas could make him a slave.” She added decisively, “So fuck you.”
Ziede said, “Sanja, if you’re going to swear, don’t do it in Old Imperial. If you use their curses, you’ll take on their beliefs.”
Sanja blinked, distracted by that thought. “That’s the only language I know,” she pointed out.
Kai told her the Saredi word that meant “go into the wetland and eat shit-mud.”
Sanja repeated it twice, trying to get the vowels right.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Expositors take away the speech of their familiars, among other things, so they can’t reveal any secrets. It goes back to the Hierarchs.”
Cohort Leader Ashen frowned. “But there’s no point to that. She talks in sign.”
Ashem was too naive for this world if she thought people were only cruel when there was a point to it.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“The next time I’m trapped in a glass box at the bottom of the sea, I’ll consider it.”
Vai, crouched by the throne, did sigh.
Mother bared her fangs. "Stop being overdramatic." Kai would have loved to, if dramatic things would stop happening to him.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Kai groaned under his breath. He had been hoping for one dramatic masterstroke that would take down the whole bridge and maybe make him feel better about his continued existence.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Kai.” Ziede reached up to rub her face, apparently remembered her already ruined makeup, and planted her hands on her hips instead. “Could you manage not to find any more unique ways to destroy yourself until after we find this Hierarch? I don’t really care to die alone.” “Well, I’ll try.” It wasn’t like Kai could make any promises right now.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Technically the barge’s hull was only partly existent in reality and therefore couldn’t be torn open if it hit a rock. But Kai didn’t want to end up arguing with a barge determined that it had been hulled and needed to sink; the canal was too deep for that.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“I'm not going to eat you, we're friends.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Ashem was too naive for this world if she thought people were only cruel when there was a point to it.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Kai remembered he hadn’t delivered the most important information. He leaned close to Bashasa and whispered, “The water intention is flooding everywhere. I don’t know if it’ll stop. It’s so far underwater by now no one could reach it to make it stop.” “But we must leave this place where we were held against our will, and make our plans elsewhere,” Bashasa continued without hesitation. “The Fourth Prince has unleashed a powerful working which will leave it flooded, and confuse any pursuit. It will also prevent the other Hierarchs from retaking the Summer Halls, at least for a time.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Kai stepped close, circled to face his prey, and wrapped his hand around the ghoul’s throat. “Do mortals just walk into your charnel house all the time? Am I one? Am I stupid?” The ghoul choked out, “I didn’t know you were a…” “Say it.” Kai smiled. “… a demon.” “You idiot.” Kai leaned closer to whisper, “I’m the demon.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Bashasa’s head jerked up, his voice suddenly hard. “Do not give orders to my allies, Lahshar. You have the diplomatic gift of an angry goat.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Oh, don’t make me fight you with words, cousin. It will get out of hand, as once started I lose the will to stop.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“I’m using my own pain.”
Ziede’s eyes narrowed. “It’s not nearly as likely to destroy your consciousness and enslave you to the Hierarch’s Well, but it’s hardly an inexhaustible source.”
Kai huffed a laugh, though it wasn’t funny. “Isn’t it?”
Ziede bit her lip and he could see she knew he was right. “You’re taking all the fun out of killing a Hierarch’s High Expositor and stealing his power, Kai.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Kai focused on threading his way into the animating intention and not the fact that he was in a bad position and had moments before this thing tore him apart. A hand gripped his hair just as he found the heart of the design and shattered it. The amalgam fell apart, legs, torso, arms thumping down on the wet stone. Shoving pieces aside, Kai scrambled for Ziede. He gently took her shoulders and caught her lolling head. His hands were shaking. If she was dead, he was going to kill everybody he could catch.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“But there’s no point to that. She talks in sign.” Ashem was too naive for this world if she thought people were only cruel when there was a point to it.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“The ghoul choked out, “I didn’t know you were a…” “Say it.” Kai smiled. “… a demon.” “You idiot.” Kai leaned closer to whisper, “I’m the demon.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“nacreous”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“Omens were always tricky and hard to interpret and mostly useless, except to point to in hindsight.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King

“First he searched the cooling bodies of Aclines, his apprentice, and the bodyguard. He set a few things aside to look at later, and tossed several potentially dangerous intentioned items over the side. Then he started a search of the rooms off the upper deck cabin while Tenes found the ship’s chart box and took it out to Ziede. Sanja helped him search, and he showed her what to look for and what to be wary of. Only five of the curtained rooms off the cabin had been occupied, so the work went quickly. Aclines had left no convenient diaries explaining his plans, no letters to his masters, no documents naming Ashem and Ramad as coconspirators. But maybe that sort of thing was only done by the villains in romantic Arike novels or Enalin poetic epics. Kai checked the lavish bathing room on the service deck just below. It had basins that could be filled with water pumped up from the ship’s cistern, and Kai took the opportunity to stick his head under a tap and quickly rinse the saltwater out of his hair. The galley was small, meant only to serve the Immortal Blessed occupying the stern cabin, but it was stocked with dry staples like lentils, chickpeas, and millet, with fresh stores of dates and figs. Provisions for Arike and the other south- and eastlanders, not the kind of food the Immortal Blessed preferred.”
― Martha Wells, Witch King