Цитаты из книги Алая королева
In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don't know if I'll ever smile again.
It's our nature. We destroy. It's the constant of our kind. No matter the color of blood, man will always fall.
I will never make the mistake of loving you ever again."
"So you choose him?"
That's all this ever was. Jealousy. Rivalry. All so shadow could defeat the flame.
So you choose him?'
'Cal betrayed me, and I betrayed him. And you betrayed us both, in a thousand different ways.' The words are heavy as stone but right. So right. 'I choose no one.
I'm a Red girl in a sea of Silvers and I can't afford to feel sorry for anyone, least of all the son of a snake.
I'll make the other scream for you, Mare, every last one. Not just your parents. Not just your siblings. But every single one like you. I'm going to find them, and they will die with you in their thoughts, knowing this is the fate you have brought them. I am the king and you could've been my Red Queen. Now you are nothing.
Many things led to this day, for all of us. A forgotten son, a vengeful mother, a brother with a long shadow, a strange mutation. Together, they've written a tragedy.
His lips are on mine, hard and warm and pressing. The touch is electrifying, but not like I'm used to. This isn't a spark of destruction, but a spark of life. As much as I want to pull away, I just can't do it. Cal is a cliff and I throw myself over the edge, not bothering to think of what it could do to us both. One day he'll realize I'm his enemy, and all this will be a far-gone memory. But not yet.
I can’t believe I didn’t see him for what he was from the beginning: a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And now I’m the sheep pretending to be a wolf.
Are you going to babysit me every day or just until I learn my way around?"
"What do you think?"
"Here's to a long and happy friendship, Officer Samos."
"Likewise, my lady."
"Don't call me that."
"Whatever you say, my lady.
Mare?"
"Are you afraid, Maven?"
"I am. I'm afraid of failing. I'm afraid of letting this opportunity pass us by. And I'm afraid of what happens if nothing in this world ever changes. That scares me more than dying.
It's cruel to give hope where none should be. It only turns into disappointment, resentment, rage -- all the things that make this life more difficult than it already is.
Cal will never turn his back on his crown, on your father."
"I know my brother. If it comes down to it, to saving your life or saving his crown, we both know what he will choose."
"He would never choose me.
Red blood is just so hard to clean up"
"You would know" I snap remembering Shade. "Because no matter how hard you try to hid it I see it all over your hands.
As beautiful as this world is, it's just as dangerous. People who are not useful, people who make mistakes, they can be removed. You can be removed.
In school, we learned about the world before ours, about the angels and gods that lived in the sky, ruling the earth with kind and loving hands. Some say those are just stories, but I don't believe that.
The gods rule us still, they have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.
It's nice to hear that I'm not completely alone in feeling out of place."
"That's something you should know about us Silvers. We're always alone. In here, and here," he says, pointing between his head and his heart.
"It keeps you strong.
You want me to pin my entire operation, the entire revolution on some teenaged love story? I can't believe this.
We can bomb and burn every inch of this country down, but that will never do the damage you two can do. A Silver prince turning against his crown, a Red girl with abilities. What will people say, when they see you standing with us?.
Silvers don't mind pain, but we are proud. Pride, dignity, honor; those are things no ability can replace.
No one notices, no one even cares, when I fade away again. I'm a shadow, and no one remembers shadows.
Some say those are just stories, but I don’t believe that. The gods rule us still. They have come down from the stars. And they are no longer kind.
The sparks are gone, replaced by fierce, ugly tears that track down my face. Thunder rumbles somewhere far off and the air is warm. But the humid temperature is gone. The heat has broken and summer will soon be over. Time is passing. My life is moving on, no matter how much I want it to stay the same.
My son the general!" King Tiberias booms, his proud voice cutting through the din of the party. For a second, when he pulls Cal close, putting an arm around his son, I forget he's a king. I almost understand Cal's need to please him. What would I give to see my mother look at me like that, back when I was nothing but a thief? What would I give now? This world is Silver, but it is also gray. There is no black-and-white.
I was never yours, and you were never mine, Maven. And not because of him, either. I thought you were perfect, I thought you were strong and brave and good. I thought you were better than him."
Better than Cal. Those are words Maven thought no one would ever say. He flinches, and for a second, I can see the boy I used to know. A boy that doesn't exist anymore.
This started when I fell into the Spiral Garden, a body made of sparks, and now it ends at the Bowl of Bones. I'll leave as a corpse.
Cal and Maven are deadly creatures, soldiers. But their battle isn't just on the lines. It's here, in a palace, on the broadcasts, in the heart of every person they rule. They will rule, not just by right of a crown, but by might. Strength and power. It's all the Silvers respect, and it's all it takes to keep the rest of us slaves.
And some will believe. The fools. But others will not. Red and Silver, high and low, some will see the truth.
You wouldn't know hardship if it kicked you in the teeth, and believe me, it does that a lot. So excuse me if I don't feel sorry for either of you.
To my dismay, he recovers quickly and smoothes his hair. "So you choose him?"
That's all this ever was. Jealously. Rivalry. All so shadow could defeat the flame.
I have to throw my head back and laugh, feeling the eyes of the brothers on me. "Cal betrayed me, and I betrayed him. And you betrayed both of us, in a thousand different ways." The words are heavy as stone but right. So right. "I choose no one.
A king should know his people. That's why I sneak out,' he murmurs. 'I do it in the capital too, and at the war front. I like to see how things really are in the kingdom,instead of being told by advisers and diplomats. That's what a good king would do.
With my newly pale skin and darkened eyes and lips, I look cold, cruel, a living razor. I look Silver. I look beautiful. And I hate it.
Whispers are rare, dangerous, and powerful, even among the Silvers, even in the capital. The rumors about them vary, but it boils down to something simple and chilling: they can enter your head, read your thoughts, and control your mind.
They've spent so long at the top, protected and isolated, that they've forgotten they can fall. Their strength has become their weakness.
You believe you are the masters of the world, but your reign as kings and gods is at an end. Until you recognize us as human, as equal, the fight will be at your door. Not on a battlefield but in your cities. In your streets. In your homes. You don't see us, and so we are everywhere. ... And we will rise up, Red as the dawn.
I didn't ask if you could read it,' he replies, still pleasant. 'Besides, words can lie. See beyond them.
It’s in our nature, Julian would say. We destroy. It’s the constant of our kind. No matter the color of blood, man will always fall.
I didn’t understand that lesson a few days ago, but now, with Cal’s hands in mine, guiding me with the lightest touch, I’m beginning to see what he meant.
I can feel myself falling.