“I want to scream. My friend doesn’t mumble. She doesn’t walk with her head down. She doesn’t quietly accept that her education will be left in the hands of boys fresh from university. “Ilven?” I want to remind her that… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“That’s all Mother needs to say. Our estate and House Malker’s are built on the high cliffs along Pelim’s Tooth. The Tooth, like its mirror the Claw, is a pincer of land that juts around the mouth of the Casabi river, making a protected bay. But the cliff isn’t called the Tooth all the time. In fact, most people call… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share
“It could be a true future that Ilven saw—she’s a Saint after all. Was . Was a Saint.” — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“There’s a distinct bitter aftertaste of Lady’s Gown in the tea, and I welcome it. Anything to sleep without dreaming.” — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“I will never let myself be caught like that—any marriage I make will be my own. A choice. A free one.” — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“Whether I’m working a street corner or a market stall, well, that’s none of their business unless they’re buying. The anonymity is comfortable, like… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“I picture my mother’s face when she must go out in public with Owen, the cold arrogant look she wears, as if the whole world is filth before her. It is an expression I’ve learned to copy well, and like all roles, if you can believe it, you can be it. I press my hands to my face and push,… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share
“Before, I would have been powdered and perfumed, my hair done in an elaborate style by the patient fingers of servants. The household crake… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“No one I know has ever seen the matriarch of House Sandwalker, although she’s rumored to be an imposing sort. For a bat.” — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“If her death wakes something in the deep, then she will bring more shame down on her House with that one act than she… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“None of them will believe me. I drop any attempt to explain myself and just gracefully accept that people are going to make assumptions… — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
“Someone here died, I realize. Someone these people loved and cared for. I’m not the only person in the world tangled up in grief.” — Cat Hellisen Copy Share Image
