Because you do not believe?" "Oh, no," said Attolia bitterly. "Because I believe and do not choose to worship.

He should have said something, why hadn't he? Costis wondered. In fact, the king had. He had complained at every step all the way across the palace, and they'd ignored it. If he'd been stoic and denied the pain, the entire palace would have been in a panic already, Eddisian soldiers on the move. He'd meant to deceive them, and he'd succeeded. It made Costis wonder for the first time just how much the stoic man really wants to hide when he unsuccessfully pretends not to be in pain.

If I am the pawn of the gods, it is because they know me so well, not because they make my mind up for me.

You have to believe him, because he's going to have your entire palace up in arms and your court in chaos and every member of it from the barons to the boot cleaners coming to you for his blood, and you are going to have to deal with it." Attolia smiled. "You make him sound like more trouble than he is worth. "No," said Eddis thoughtfully. "Never more than he is worth.

Calf love doesn't usually survive amputation, Your Majesty.

"Before you make a decision," he said, "I want you to know that I love you."

I am very good at groveling.