Page 40 of The Barbarian King's Assassin (Magic and Kings 1)

I eyed the mostly clean planks. “I’ve slept on worse.” I’d also gone to bed with much uglier.

“I promise I won’t lay a hand on you unless you ask.”

“That won’t happen.” I snorted. “Not to mention try it and you will lose that hand.”

“How old were you when you apprenticed?” he asked as he undid the laces of his breeches.

“Nine.” I could see I startled him.

“That’s young.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. I would have hung otherwise.”

I’d managed to shock him even further. “Who would be so cruel as to hang a child?”

“The authorities. In their defense, I killed two soldiers.”

He said nothing.

“They murdered my mother in front of me.” I couldn’t have said why I offered the soft admission. Only Jrijori knew the true story of her death.

Konstantin didn’t offer me platitudes or apology. Just dipped his head. “Sounds like they deserved it.”

“They did.”

“I was ten when I killed my first. Pervert thought he could have a go with me in the woods. I gutted him and tossed him in a bog. My family and friends think my first was a brigand on the road.” Implying he’d just revealed a secret.

Why? I needed us to turn from this deep level of revelation. “Why are you really taking me with you? Admit it, there is someone you want killed.”

“If I wanted someone dead, I’d do it myself. You’re needed for protection.”

“I’ve seen you fight. You don’t need any help. You even prevailed against me.” He’d disarmed me with his presence, a novelty for me.

“You’ve not really been trying. I can feel you holding back when you attack.”

Was it that obvious? “Just overthinking the politics if you die. I tend to only do things that are good for business.”

“Starting a war would ensure your services were in demand.”

“War is extreme and tends to cut into pleasure time.” Something I’d heard Jrijori say.

“One way of looking at it. From my perspective, war creates too many orphans and destroys things in an instant that took lifetimes to build.”

“Is that why you agreed to the marriage? Do you actually want peace?”

“Doesn’t matter what I want when there are those determined to ensure it never happens.”

“Like your own people. I heard Droga in your rooms at the baroness’s castle. He didn’t sound happy about it.”

“He’s not. Few of my people are.”

“Maybe they’re behind the assassination attempts?”

That had him laughing. “Why would they pay to have incompetents try and kill me when they could catch me unaware anytime they wanted?”

“You’d said ten attempts have been made and failed.”

“Only failed in the sense that none succeeded in killing me. As mentioned, there have been other casualties.” His voice dropped.