Page 50 of The Barbarian King's Assassin (Magic and Kings 1)

“Only because you recognize my greatness and wanted to be a part of it.”

I gaped.

He laughed.

Not for long when I squeezed him somewhere sensitive and purred, “The only thing great about you is your ego.”

The insult slid right over him. He smiled. “That’s not the only thing.” He winked.

My cheeks heated. And then I remembered how to shut him down. “I’m sure your fiancée will be excited to know that.”

With that, we arrived at the route going up the stone peak to a drawbridge then the castle.

“How long does the ravine run?” I asked, glancing across to the barren far side.

“All the way north to Frothy Falls. It ends at the top of the tar fields marking the Varyy boundary.”

“This is the Chinked Chasm, then.” I’d heard of it. A split in the land that had separated east and west a long time ago during a massive earth-shaking event.

We took our horses up the steep incline and paused again at the drawbridge. I slid off the horse, the ground farther than it should be, and approached for a peek.

“It’s safe,” he declared.

“So you think. What if there’s been sabotage?”

I examined the edges of the stone ramp, the crevice under the drawbridge. I even leaned my head back to study the crenellations. I spotted no sign of anyone, but a crossbow or even an arrow could come from anywhere.

The horde went past us and trotted over the bridge. It didn’t collapse despite their weight.

Konstantin waited, leaning on the pommel of his saddle.

“Your summer home has excellent defensive potential,” I remarked as he hoisted me back onto his horse.

“It’s never been taken and requires little to protect.”

“So why is this your summer place and not your capital?”

“Because my winter house is nicer.”

Nicer than this? As we rode over the drawbridge, I wondered about his other home. I’d never see it. Nor would I want to. That would require going deep into the frozen mountain wastelands.

Past the thick outer wall, we found ourselves in a massive bailey, busier than I would have expected. We dismounted, and Konstantin allowed someone to lead his horse away.

“How many people live here?” I asked.

“Not counting the soldiers who come and go, somewhere around two hundred. Could be more with children being born.”

“That’s a lot of people.”

“Aye. There’s talk about building a proper town at the base since the nearest one is a half day’s walk.”

It wouldn’t be hard to accomplish. I’d seen a few scattered homes joined by dirt tracks. Given my job was defense, I had to point out a few things. “This place is built with excellent defensive potential against an army, but an assassin is a single person. It will be much easier than you think for them to get inside.”

“A stranger would be noticed.”

“It might not be a stranger. Could be someone bribed to contaminate the food or water.”

“I know these people. They wouldn’t do that.”