sam

GET in line

so, here's a couple of those parallels:

“And you.” He looks at me, his lips curving in something that’s not quite a smile; it’s more and less than that. “I knew little else, but I always knew you.”

-Cardan about the time he spent as/inside a serprent that Jude saved him from, The Queen of Nothing

“Galaxy Stern,” Darlington said, his eyes flashing gold, “I have been crying out to you from the start.” // Darlington’s smile was small. “You found me once, Stern. You’ll find me again. Now go.”

-Darlington about the time he spent in hell that Alex saved him from, Hell Bent

I believe he intends to keep me High Queen, with my monstrous High King forever by my side. // And if the serpent grows in monstrousness and corruption, if it poisons the land of Elfhame itself, then let me be the queen of monsters.

-Jude about Cardan, The Queen of Nothing

He saw Alex in the garden, a black-winged bird, night gathered around her like a silken shroud shot through with stars. His monstrous queen. His gentle ruler.

-Darlington about Alex in a vision, Hell Bent

"There is no banquet too abundant for a starving man."

-Madoc about Cardan, The Queen of Nothing

Greed is a sin in every language. That was what Darlington had said. (...) Darlington’s desire for knowledge.

-Alex about Darlington, Hell Bent

“Unlike Locke, I never thought love was a game,” he says. “You may accuse me of much, but not that.”

-Cardan to Jude, The Queen of Nothing

“I c-c-class p-p-profanity with declarations of love. Best used sparingly and only when wholeheartedly m-m-meant.”

-Darlington to Alex, Ninth House

“Of course I’m lying,” he returns. “This is your dream. Let me show you.”

-Cardan to Jude in a dream, The Queen of Nothing

“Is this real?” she asked.

But Darlington only smiled. “This isn’t the time for philosophy.”

“Tell me how to reach you.”

“Come closer, Stern. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

-Darlington to Alex in a dream, Hell Bent

"(...) And all you have and all you are will rot away to nothing. You will be nothing. You are nothing.” (...) “You come from nothing, and it is to nothing you will return,” he whispers against my neck.

-Cardan to Jude in a dream, The Queen of Nothing

“Have you ever wondered why the death words work?” He leaned forward. “Because we all amount to nothing in the end and there is nothing more terrifying than nothing.”

-Anselm to Alex, Hell Bent

And then, through that, Cardan steps out. Cardan, naked and covered in blood. //

“I haven’t worn anything in days,” the High King drawls, and if there is something brittle in his eyes, nearly everyone is too awed to notice. “I don’t see why I ought to start now.”

-Cardan after escaping from the serpent's body naked and bloodied, The Queen of Nothing

“I … Where are you going?”

“To get some clothes, Stern,” he said, climbing the steps and leaving bloody footprints behind. “A man can spend only so much time without trousers on before he begins to feel like a deviant.”

-Darlington after coming back from hell naked and bloodied, Hell Bent

"Cardan was not an easy child to love, and he’s only grown worse with time. He would scream to be held, and then once picked up he would bite and kick his way out of my arms. (...)"

-Cardan's mother, The Queen of Nothing

She saw her lean face in the mirror; a little boy was playing on the floor in the reflection, dark hair, serious eyes. He was always watching her, always needing something from her, the longing in him exhausted her.

-about Darlington's mother, Hell Bent

It gave him an air of unpredictability and reminded everyone that he was powerful enough to make the rules. I have resolved to try to emulate his example where I can, including with annoying seating.

-Jude about Cardan, The Queen of Nothing

But early on in her time with Len she’d learned to always watch the person in charge. That changed from room to room, house to house, deal to deal, but it always paid to know who could make the big decisions. That was Darlington.

Alex about Darlington, Ninth House

"(...) But after what Cardan did in the great hall, I understand why you were willing to take mad gamble after mad gamble to put him on the throne, and I would have fought until the breath left my body."

-Lord Roiben to Jude about Cardan, The Queen of Nothing

“I think I do. But I definitely believe in the devil, and if he gets hold of a soul and doesn’t want to let it go, I think you have to try to pry it away from him. Especially if that soul has the makings of a soldier.”

-Turner to Alex about Darlington, Hell Bent

"Galaxy Stern, I have been crying out to you from the start."

She’d picked up their blender, the one Len used for protein shakes, and smashed it against the refrigerator, and for a moment she’d seen fear in Len’s eyes and she had wanted very badly to keep making him feel afraid. Len had called her crazy, slammed out of the apartment. He had run from her. But once he was gone, the adrenaline had poured out of Alex in a rush that left her feeling limp and lonely.

Alex grabbed Darlington’s glass and threw it hard against the wall, sending glass and red wine flying. ... After a long moment, he said, “Would it help to break something else?”

She was breathing hard. “Maybe.”

Darlington rose and opened a cupboard, then another, and another, revealing shelf after shelf of Lenox, Waterford, Limoges—glassware, plates, pitchers, platters, butter dishes, gravy boats, thousands of dollars’ worth of crystal and china. He took down a glass, filled it with wine, and handed it to Alex.

“Where would you like to start?”