“The woods were silent in their grief.”

“The thought filled me with grief, grief for the dreams we'd shared, for the love I'd felt, for the hopeful girl I would never be again.”

“And there's nothing wrong with being a lizard either. Unless you were born to be a hawk.”

“How did you fare with the Queen?" he asked."I have no idea," I said honestly. "Everything she said was perfectly nice, but the whole time she was looking at me as if I were something her dog spit up.”

“I stood up, knocking my chair back with a clatter. 'This is a waste of time.''Is it? What else do you have to do with your days? Make maps? Fetch inks for some old cartographer?''There's nothing wrong with being a mapmaker.''Of course not. And there's nothing wrong with being a lizard either. Unless you were born to be a hawk.”

“Did you miss me, Alina? Did you miss me when you were gone?""Every day," I said hoarsely."I missed you every hour. And you know what the worst part was? It caught me completely by surprise. I'd catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I'd seen something I wanted to tell you about, or because I just wanted to hear your voice. And then I'd realize that you weren't there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me. I've risked my life for you. I've walked half the length of Ravka for you, and I'd do it again and again and again just to be with you, just to starve with you and freeze with you and hear you complain about hard cheese every day. So don't tell me we don't belong together," he said fiercely. He was very close now, and my heart was suddenly hammering in my chest. "I'm sorry it took me so long to see you, Alina. But I see you now.”

“Then the memory of the Darkling's kiss blew through me and rattled my concentration, scattering my thoughts like leaves and making my heart swoop and dive like a bird borne aloft by uncertain currents.”