The Burning God

These soldiers fought under her command. That terrified her. What if they died under her command?

It said, Do it.

Take what you want, it said. I’ll hate you for it. But I’ll love you forever. I can’t help but love you.

Ruin me, ruin us, and I’ll let you.

Nations rise and fall, but appetites remain the same.

We’ve all seen bodies,” Pipaji said.

“It’s different when you’re the one who broke them,

. Regime change requires total domination. Otherwise, if you’ve got cracks in your foundation even before you’ve begun to rule, that sets a poor precedent.

I like knowing that the words out of my mouth won’t cause the deaths of people I’ve become quite fond of.

“I’m not Sinegardian elite. I’m that savage, mud-skinned Speerly bitch that wiped a country off the map. And sometimes when I get a little too angry, I snap.

“He got plucky,” Daji said. “I turned him to mincemeat and sent him back to Vaisra in a dumpling basket.”

Jiang arched an eyebrow. “Darling, fucking what?”

This life you’ve chosen, you won’t get many moments like this again. But it’s the nights like this that keep you alive. All you think about is who you’re fighting against. But that?” He swung his mug toward the dancers. “That’s what you’re fighting for.”

only way to live with your transgressions, Rin had learned, was to lock them away in your mind and leave them in the abyss.