To Kill A Kingdom Quotes
"Hearts are power, and if there’s one thing my kind craves more than the ocean, it’s power."
"Unlike sirens, mermaids have stretched blue husks and limbs in place of hair, with a jawlessness that lets their mouths stretch to the size of small boats and swallow sharks whole."
"It’s a well-known fact that sirens are beautiful, but the bloodline of Keto is royal and with that comes its own beauty."
"It’s a shame. When I was spying on him, it was like looking at an angel. He has such a pretty face."
"TECHNICALLY, I’M A MURDERER, but I like to think that’s one of my better qualities."
"I’m not a good man. I don’t think I’ve been one for a long time."
"Once a siren steals a human heart, we become bonded to it."
"You should pay less mind to fairy tales, Elian, or that’s all you’ll become."
"And it’s there, in the center of this holy palace, that the crystal lies. Probably."
"This whole quest is based on rumor and hearsay."
"I’m as wild as the ocean that raised me."
"You’re a damsel now? It’s funny, because you didn’t seem like one when you were trying to claw your way past me to attack a siren."
"Don’t you see, Lira? Humans are a plague who murdered our goddess and seek to destroy us."
"You fancy a game? As it happens, Torik is a sore loser."
"What’s it worth? Nothing’s free in the ocean."
"You’re a prince. So he gets to decide who’s bait."
"I’m not sure why she’s so scared when moments ago a net made of glass and spikes barely made her wince."
"I have a talent for interesting languages."
"That just means nobody will be prepared when I do."
"No matter how deep I breathe, the skin doesn’t part and the air continues to fog in and out of my lips."
"If Elian were to throw me overboard, how long would it take for me to drown?"
"You’re not being punished," he tells me. "You’re being watched."
"I’m being punished," I say in a cold rendition of Midasan. "I want you to tell me why."
"Then tell me how you can speak Psáriin."
"You saved my life and now you’re trading comforts for information? It’s strange how fast kindness disappears."
"I’m fickle," Elian says. "And I have to protect the Saad. I can’t just go trusting anyone who climbs aboard."
"If a story is all I need, then that’s easy enough."
"The Sea Queen stole my family," I tell Elian.
"Wrong." Elian leans against the door arch. "We’re in mine. The Saad is my kingdom. The entire ocean is."
"I wouldn’t know. I’ve never done either."
"You can’t win a war," I tell her. "Someone else just loses."
"I’m ready for you to tell me everything you know about the Crystal of Keto."
"I’ve made enough deals lately," Elian says. "And the last thing I need is a straggler on this mission."
"I’ll take the eye and the Sea Queen’s throne along with it."
"You have to decide what you want. What’s going to cause the most harm and how you can achieve it. You have to think before you attack."
"How do you feel about something a little bolder?"
"Every action will betray. Every choice will slaughter. Despite what my mother says, I seem to be the exact kind of monster she wanted."
"I grip the ship more tightly, inhaling the slick salt in the air."
"If I fail at getting the Second Eye of Keto, then not only will I die, but I’ll die a traitor to the ocean."
"Thinking of Elian makes the night seem colder. I know whichever plan I go with will lead to his death."
"I’m talking about the look on your face. Your human grief."
"Queens do not make excuses. I suppose this is just further proof of why you can’t become one."
"How can the Sea Queen see it as a weakness when it’s the very thing that binds the humans together, ensuring their strength as a unit? A family."
"I wonder if she can feel anything at all," Lira says. "I suppose we won’t need to wonder for long."
"Did you do it?" Elian’s eyes find mine. "Did you do it?" he asks again in Psáriin.
"I took many hearts," I confess. "His was last."
"You of all people didn’t know?" Yukiko asks.
"I’m aware," I say, and snatch both swords from the floor.
"You may care about her," Yukiko says, "but it won’t change anything. Love is not for princes, and it’s most certainly not for kings."
"Enough," I say. "I’m going to kill you."
"Is there something else?" Yukiko asks. Many things, I think.
"You’re still the stupid child," she chides. "Can I sense every cup of water a human presses to its lips?"
"See how these humans can turn even my most loyal against me."
"I HAD ALMOST FORGOTTEN my strength – my speed – but when I dart into the water, it surges back through me."
"I’m just trying to gauge whether or not you’re planning on stealing it."