No man can choose to serve only himself when he has something to offer his state. No one can put his own wishes above the needs of so many.
In the afternoon, the king and queen sat to hear the business of their kingdom. At least, the queen sat to hear the business; Costis was still not sure what the king was doing.
The queen was settling on the edge of the bed, ungainly with hesitation and at the same time exquisite in her grace, like a heron landing in a treetop.
Sophos, you sleep with a knife under your pillow? I'm hurt.I'm sorry, said Sounis, afraid that he had made contact with his wild swing.I was joking. Wake up the rest of the way, would you?Gen, it's th...
Relius lay alone with his thoughts. What kind of man, he wondered, referred to himself as safely dead?
Perhaps you can bring out better in them?Eugenides shook his head. I pulled the carpet out from under them very thoroughly. They will not cross me, but they won't love me, either. I am not Eddis. Peop...
My gift is that I always know when I’ve made an ass of myself.
I wonder if people always choose what will make them unhappy.
I do believe that Akretenesh saw no differences between a woman who was a queen and one who was a seamstress, though he would recognize all the differences in the world between a prince and a farmer.
Ambiades, I realized, was the kind of person who liked to put people in a hierarchy, and he wanted me to understand that I was at the bottom of his. He was supposed to treat me politely in spite of my...
We could make a treaty without a marriage.No, he said.You are sure?Yes, he said.
We are not philosophers, we are sovereigns. The rules that govern our behavior are not the rules for other men, and our honor, I think, is a different thing entirely, difficult for anyone but the hist...
The pain was as unexpected as a thunderclap in a clear sky. Eddis's chest tightened, as something closed around her heart. A deep breath might have calmed her, but she couldn't draw one. She wondered...
It isn't deep, the Eddisian Ambassador said from the other side of the bed. He was leaning over the wound, looking critical and mildly disappointed. Eugenides didn't miss a beat.It is...too...deep! he...
He could tell her he loved her. He ached to shout it out loud for the gods and everyone to hear. Little good it would do. Better to trust in the moon's promises than in the word of the Thief of Eddis....
From shadow queen to puppet queen in one rule, he whispered. That's very impressive. When he rules your country and he tells you he loves you, I hope you believe him.He anticipated her blow and leaned...
Phresine showed him where he could sleep, in an interior room with no windows, a narrow bed, and a washstand. There were chests stacked along one wall, and Costis guessed the dismal spot was probably...
Useless the Elder was looking at me in amusement. Not exactly stalwart, are you? he said.
I inherited this country when I was only a child, Nahuseresh. I have held it. I have fought down rebellious barons. I've fought Sounis to keep the land on this side of the mountains. I have killed men...
Treachery, said the Mede.Diplomacy, said Attolia, in my own name.