Paladin's Faith Quotes

“May the Rat walk with you and clear the way before you, and may your problems contain the seeds of their own solutions. And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t die.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Is there a word for feeling guilty that you don't feel guilty enough?"

"Sure," said Wren. "It's called pathology.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Shane," she said, turning to look at the paladin. "when a woman is lamenting that she doesn't feel attractive, you're supposed to tell her she's beautiful. Not that you're honored to kill people with her.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Children,” said Marguerite wearily, “if you do not stop bickering, I will turn this escape attempt around, so help me god.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Shane took a deep breath. “Maltrevor is…not a good man. He might…attempt to take liberties.” Over the paladin’s shoulder, Marguerite saw Wren cover her eyes and turn away. “…Liberties,” said Marguerite, not quite certain she’d heard correctly. “Yes.” “Sexual liberties, you mean?” Shane, to give him what credit she could muster, met her eyes squarely. “Yes. I am sorry to say, it seems likely.” “Good heavens,” said Marguerite. “I was just going to suck his cock, then drug his wine, but if you think he might take liberties…” The paladin’s face became so expressionless that for a moment, Marguerite was afraid he might keel over in a dead faint. Wren sat down and put her face in her hands, shoulders shaking.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“You'll be fine. You just...I don't know, sprained your soul. Stay off it for a few weeks.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Ten minutes later, Shane pushed open the door to the inn. Davith limped through and didn't stop. He made a bee line for the bar, grabbed the edge to hold himself up, and hissed, "Do you know that there are holes that bite people here?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Well,” said Wren, sprawling across a chair in the main room. “That was certainly a day. That I spent. Somehow.” Shane inclined his head in agreement. He, too, had spent a day. That was about the best that could be said for it. He felt exhausted from sheer inactivity.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“They say the gods never give us more than we can handle, but let's just say that the gods had an overinflated sense of my abilities.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“It was such a Temple of the White Rat solution: Take two problems and use them to fix each other.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“The Dreaming God's people carried themselves with an air of solemn purpose, whereas the Rat's always seemed to be cheerfully bailing the tide.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“I knew that was the wrong direction," mutter Davith.

"It was the correct direction," grated Wren. "It was just that the rockslide was in the way."

"Yes, but - "

"Children," said Marguerite wearily, "if you do not stop bickering, I will turn this escape attempt around, so help me god.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Enough talk! I will not allow this insult against my lady to stand!" Sir Lawrence drew himself up to his full height, one bony hand settling over his sword hilt. "I challenge you to a duel!"

"No," said Shane.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“The Rat’s gonna give me the money to build another device? The Sail dropped my workshop’s ceiling on top of the first one.”
“You’ll have to talk directly to the Bishop for that,” said Marguerite, “but if she doesn’t, she’s not the person I think she is. I’ll scrape up money for it myself, if I have to sell my body on the street.”
Shane cleared his throat. Marguerite winked at him. “You’re right, I’ll sell your body instead.”
“No one is selling anyone’s body until we talk to the Bishop,” said Shane firmly, then recognized the voice that was coming out of his mouth. It wasn’t even the paladin’s voice. It was… “Oh, Dreaming God, you’ve got me sounding like Beartongue now.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“It's the thought that counts," said Marguerite.

"Not with the explosives, it isn't," said Ashes, and on that point, Marguerite had to agree.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Your god may be dead, but you still serve,” said Beartongue. “Do not make me break out a theological argument, Shane, I’ll do it.” Wren grinned. “We’d never argue with the bishop of a god of lawyers.” “Never? That’s news to me. You argued with me last week.” “Yes, and I was right, too. You should have let me kill him.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Apparently one of the problems they had solved was bribery. You couldn’t bribe a Rat-priest. (Well, you probably could, but only by offering to donate the money to the poor.) They were all genuinely good people who wanted to make the world a better place, and how obnoxious was that?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“The whole world is made of words," said Marguerite irritably. "Treaties and contracts and secrets and laws are nothing but words, but everything runs on them. Of course they've got power.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Poor bastard wouldn't know a spice if it drew steel on him.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Just how desperate was he? Marguerite studied the lines of his face; the circles under his eyes expertly concealed with paint. His clothes were quite fine, but if you knew where to look, you could make out signs of expert mending. His own work, if memory serves. How much is he cutting his coat to fit his cloth, though?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“His punishment was to continue on and to try desperately to avert the inevitable, while the voice in his head sang like the chorus of an ancient tragedy, predicting ruin.
Perhaps it was no more than he deserved.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Shane wondered if there was a term for feeling guilty about not feeling sufficiently guilty.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“After all that - after everything - she offered you a job?" Shane raked his hands through his hair. "And actually thought you might take it?"

"I might," said Marguerite. "In a few years, anyway, depending on how things fall out."

"But she tried to kill you!"

"Yes, and the Dreaming God's people tried to kill you," Marguerite pointed out. "You forgave them."

His eyebrows drew together. "That's different."

Marguerite just looked at him.

"...I'm pretty sure it's different?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Jorge bowed over Margeurite's hand and kissed the back like a chevalier. "Charmed," he told her.

"Tired," she told him.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Poets always thought they were so clever, talking about how people could be so terribly lonely in groups as if it was some special insight, when it was obvious to any fool that other people just made it worse. If you were starving, being surrounded by food you couldn't eat didn't help. It just reminded you how hungry you were.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“A line of dark blonde hair vanished under his waistband. It might as well have been a signpost reading THIS WAY TO THE GOOD BITS.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Shane." Grace nodded. "I can't say if you'll like him. He's...very paladinly."

"What, clanky and judgmental?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“Wren grinned. "We'd never argue with the bishop of a god of lawyers."

"Never? That's news to me. You argued with me last week."

"Yes, and I was right, too. You should have let me kill him."

"Everyone gets a fair trial, Wren."

"We caught him eating that old man's face! I saw it with my own eyes! So did you!"

"It was," said Beartongue heavily, "a particularly eventful trip to the library.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“The other one was tall and well-muscled, rather more like her stereotypical view of paladin-kind. His eyes were a blue so pale they were almost white, and the rest of his face had been devoured by a beard that had passed scruffy and was firmly lodged in regrettable.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith

“It’s like that riddle with the goose and the fox and the corn, and if you don’t stop now, you’re going to find that the goose has beaten the fox to death with the corn.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Faith