Everless Quotes
"Most people find the forest frightening, believing the old tales of fairies who will freeze the time in your blood, or witches who can spill your years out over the snow with only a whisper."
"I know better than to be afraid of stories. The forest holds real danger—thieves who lie in wait, crude knives and alchemic powder on their belts, to steal time from anyone venturing outside the safety of the village."
"Papa says some of the trees in the forest are a thousand years old. They were here before anyone alive now was born, even the Queen, even before the Alchemist and the Sorceress bound time to blood and metal—if there ever was such a time."
"Rent is due tomorrow for Crofton. Like every month, the Gerling family will replenish its coffers with our blood-iron, claiming we owe them for their protection. Their land."
"I focus, willing my racing heart to calm. And then—as sometimes happens—the world seems to slow."
"Before the moment can lapse, I strike, plunging my bare hand into the creek."
"The lie freezes in the winter air, falls to the ground like snow."
"I used to go and listen to her stories about time rippling, slowing, sometimes even causing rifts or quakes in the earth, until Papa forbade me from visiting her shop, leery of drawing attention to us."
"The world starts to shudder, and all the trees throw up their hands, twisting into a familiar shape."
"Stay away from Everless. Stay away from the Queen."
"You’re strong—brave—kind, and I know that you’ll keep going forward when I’m gone."
"What good are the years, if you have to spend them like that?"
"I’ll report you to Captain Ivan. I advise you not to test me."
"He had time left," I finally manage to say. "He—he had a few weeks left at least."
"Unlike the main hallways, with their lush red carpet and sunlight streaming in through the high windows, the narrow, twisting servants’ corridors are dark and protected."
"I know I should duck my head and flee, but another part of me is shouting at Roan Gerling to see me, really, finally see me, and remember."
"His chuckle invites me to look up, so I do—it’s hard not to, with his blue eyes drawing mine in like a magnet."
"My heart squeezes and stumbles. Do I tell him the truth?"
"I didn’t want to leave," I say, willing my voice not to tremble."
"I smell a faint, familiar scent of lavender coming off him, and know he must have just been with Ina Gold."
"I’m a royal maid now. Thank you again for your help."
"I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. You’ve found favor with Lady Gold," he says. "And with my brother."
"The truth is that I have no idea which one I came from. I cannot ask Her Majesty."
"Frozen moments, days that seemed too long. Once, we all lost an hour together. People were frantic."
"It’s not unusual for time to trip over itself in places, to slow down or speed up or pause entirely for a moment."
"The weight of everything I’ve lost is like a collection of stones in my chest."
"Time has always moved strangely around me, clinging for one moment too long, then stuttering to catch up with the world."
"It’s possible to feel joy and grief at the same time."
"Maybe I am a mystery—a secret—that needs unraveling, too."
"The idea takes hold of me, somewhere deep down."
"I didn’t stay here at Everless to make friends."
"It’s possible to look forward to the horizon while mourning what you’ve lost."
"What matters is that with only a little effort and luck, anyone can find out anything."
"The realization of Ina and Roan’s impending departure, the glimpse of Addie pouring tea, and most of all the encounter with Liam have wrecked me."
"I feel grossly out of place in this elegant, smoky town."
"The realization of how much Papa hid from me—how much he lied to me over my whole life—is like looking down, expecting to find stone beneath my feet, and seeing nothing but air."