Empire Of Sand Quotes
"They are the Gods’ first children. They’re ancient, elemental, sacred."
"Blood wasn’t enough to make your birth mother stay, after all, was it?"
"When you dance with the Rite of Dreaming, you dance with the Gods."
"You try to stay true to your mother’s customs. For that I don’t fault you."
"I watched a woman die today. A good woman. I held her in my arms as she passed."
"You should never have kept me and Arwa. You should have sent us away with our mother. We don’t belong in the Empire."
"You’re confined to your chambers indefinitely."
"When you’ve shown me you understand how to obey your parents, Mehr—as a true Ambhan daughter should—you’ll be allowed to visit Arwa again."
"In giving her a seal marked with his ancestors, her father had tried to show how much he loved her."
"Love would not be enough to sway him from his decision."
"A daughter belonged to her father’s household until the day she reached adulthood and her seal was placed in her hands."
"Ambhan noblewomen did not make contracts; they did not own property or offer their loyalty or their service."
"Mehr breathed against its weight, slow and steady, and tried not to feel like a chained animal."
"I disobeyed Father and he told me to stay in my chambers."
"Mehr was simply not Ambhan enough to be safe in this household, this land, any longer."
"A good choice for you would be a man who doesn’t enjoy wielding power over his people."
"I have arranged for a group of my most trusted men to accompany you across the border tonight."
"It’s my choice. My sacred choice. And I choose to stay."
"The Emperor loves all his subjects. Even those with barbarian blood have their part to play."
"For once in your life, Mehr, make the right decision. For once, do as you’re told."
"I am your elder. It is not up to you to decide when I am being unwise."
"I know you never wanted this for me. And you’re not at fault."
"Do you reject who we are, daughter, and all we’ve been blessed with?"
"Your daughter’s name reached the Maha’s ears on the wings of a storm."
"Everything he had was a reflection of imperial benevolence."
"Your father, your sister, all the servants—they will all die because of you."
"Everything we have and everything we are has been granted to us by the faith and law of the Empire."
"We nobles serve the law and administer the state."
"All of it relies upon the benevolence of our Emperor and our Maha."
"You will come home to me, little sister. I promise you that."
"Your mother was faithless in the way of her people."
"I can only tell you this, child: A good choice for you would be a man who doesn’t enjoy wielding power over his people."
"You have been misled by my holy sister’s kindness."
"You must consider what makes you special, Lady Mehr."
"I have seen cities put to death at their word."
"The Maha decides what we are and what we do."
"Our prayers ensure that the Gods show the Emperor and the Empire the favor they rightly deserve."
"You must consider what has set you apart and brought you to our illustrious leader’s notice."
"We would never violate an Ambhan woman’s right to choose the path of her soul."
"To gain the Maha’s attention is a beautiful thing, Lady Mehr, a wondrous thing."
"I am unworthy of the attentions of such a favored servant of the Maha."
"We pray, most sincerely, Governor, that your daughter will find the Emperor’s choice suitable."
"You drew attention to yourself, threw yourself headlong into disgrace."
"If you refuse this match you’ll murder us all."
"For once in your life, Mehr, make the right decision."
"I promise, Mehr: I will make sure she doesn’t miss you at all."
"Mehr, I know you never wanted this for me. And you’re not at fault."
"I’m sorry, Father. I know you never wanted this for me."
"You’re under my protection. I won’t allow them to have you."
"Amrithi are descended from daiva, Lady Mehr."
"I have been told Ambhan women share their husbands’ burdens."
"Our service is holy. Our prayers are vital to the Empire."
"I would like to know," Mehr said. "Why are you helping me?"
"Having your will stolen from you is a violence."
"A choice like a knife at your throat is an illusion."
"We Amrithi. We can make the daiva shape our world. To our will."
"Be thankful you were raised without a tribe."
"The Maha’s spies saw the dreamfire respond to you, Mehr."
"You can’t barter with the Maha’s people for power."
"I don’t appreciate being ordered to force myself on a woman."
"The fear you feel is simply the first step toward awe."
"The mystics prayed fervently for the success of our army."
"It is my duty as her husband to be by her side."
"I’ve seen what he is. You don’t need to lie to me."
"We’re lucky to be here—we never forget that, do we, girls?"
"They paint what they think I want the world to see."
"You don’t have to thank me. You and I—we’re not just citizens of the Empire any longer. We’re so much more. We’re Saltborn. We’re family now."
"The glow of the coming storm mingled with the gold of the lantern flames, giving the walls a rose-hued warmth."
"Mehr raised her head. She looked at all that food, sweeter and richer than anything she’d had since the moment the marriage seal was placed around her neck. She couldn’t touch it."
"Tonight the Saltborn will begin their fasts. Food, hunger—these things are of the flesh."
"He spoke like a teacher chiding a student, but Mehr knew what lay beneath that civil veneer."
"You will both perform for me now," the Maha said, his voice silken."
"Amun didn’t move noticeably. But she felt him relax, increment by increment, until they were leaning in to each other."
"Their prayers should be able to part oceans, set the sky ablaze."
"He had done nothing to her, but in her bones she knew he would."
"The dreams of Gods were too huge, too beautiful, simply too much."
"I did as I was bid. I promise, Maha. I obeyed."
"I wanted to buy us a little time. And I did. That's enough."
"You don’t need to comfort me. You’re hurting yourself."
"The longer you wait, the more your vows will hurt."
"You must understand, I’m sure, that your actions have consequences."
"You were trying to buy us time. And you did. You have."
"You won’t hurt me. What the Maha does, that isn’t you, Amun. I know you."
"I vow to hold these vows higher, more sacred than any vows that have been forced from us."
"We belong to each other. That is a true vow, Mehr."
"I am sorry for what has been done to you, Mehr."
"Her life free from the Maha’s control was a whirlwind, a storm within a storm."
"But Mehr heard the heavy rustle of cloth, felt the ground change from giving sand to the firmness of pinned fabric, and knew they had entered a tent."
"I ran," Mehr finished, "In the end I ran, and you know the rest. You found me."
"But I don't ask you to forgive me, Mehr. I don't regret my choices."
"I’m sorry," Mehr said, her voice soft. "I am so sorry, Lalita. The mystics killed her."
"You’ve grown so much. But ... you are a grown woman now, aren’t you?"
"He’s gone," Mehr said, her heart so full, so very full. "He’s dead, Amun. We’re free."
"For now it was enough to have his hand reach up to touch her tangled hair and feel his mouth against hers, the vow between them humming with life, golden and strong."
"I made no vows to them," Mehr said. "But they made vows to me, and I think they’ve decided to keep them, bargain or no bargain."
"My choice," he repeated. "Don’t you consider choices sacred, Mehr?"
"I’m a free man now," Amun said. "It would be my choice."
"I love you enough to want to see you unchained, even if that means I remain here alone. I mean that, Amun. I want you to go."
"We owe you a debt of gratitude, daughter. We can never hope to repay it."
"I never, ever wanted our vows to chain you. I didn’t make those vows to trap you in a new cage."