“If she let herself, she’d drown in a world of pain”

“She’d survived the Drowned Cities because she wasn’t anything like Mouse. When the bullets started flying and warlords started making examples of peacekeeper collaborators, Mahlia had kept her head down, instead of standing up like Mouse. She’d looked out for herself, first. And because of that, she’d survived.”

“Well, then again, she herself could be pretty single-minded when the occasion warranted it. But going over accounts and taxes? Quite honestly, she’d rather be tied to a stake by her hair and drowned in pickle juice. (Emily)”

“Drowning yourself won't help, she told herself sternly. Now, drowning Will, on the other hand...”

“Oh, this was champ. She’d found herself a Savage prince. Don’t laugh, she told herself. Don’t laugh, Aria.”

“And yet she could not forgive herself. Even as an adult, she wished only that she could go back and change things: the ungainly things she’d worn, the insecurity she’d felt, all the innocent mistakes she made.”