Ash

“Ysoldette looked at the holy woman looming over her, and wondered at the miracle of a snap judgment that no one could find fault in. It wasn’t the first time it had inspired this in her, but her communion with Lady Vago had deepened her awe of such a blessing. All those nights spent lying awake, the hours poring over records of past rulings, the long, heated conversations with her husband. Is this real justice, is this true mercy? How tender are these graces? The questions had never become easier to answer over time, and Lord Vago’s murder had robbed all joy from this impossible pursuit. But even that had not been enough to persuade the baroness to give up the chase. Neither had her own death.”
― A K M Beach

“her wailing would not stop until she’d razed the empire. There were moments of weakness when that seemed like a just revenge on the powerful, but it was the lowly that would suffer first and foremost. If her lady’s pain was to mean anything at all, then the cycle of hurt begetting hurt had to be broken.”
― A K M Beach

“Madness had always been inevitable, but she could be tactical about the ways and means. Lady Vago had made the most of her insanity. Ysoldette could do the same.”
― A K M Beach

“You think a king
worth more than other men?
Xau did not,
despite my efforts
to correct his misconception.”
― Mary Soon Lee, The Sign of the Dragon