Paladin's Grace Quotes

“Relief feels like happiness, if you don’t know the difference.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“I fear that I am not the best possible person for this, but I am the best possible person available at this time, which is much the same thing.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“All women are beautiful,” said Istvhan, dismissing this. “It is the job of their lovers to make them feel that way if they do not already.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“If we limited loving to just the sane, undamaged people, the next generation would have about three people in it and presumably humanity would die out shortly afterward.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Look, if you can't laugh about the homicidal fits that make you a menace to society, what's even the point?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“He wished that he could break out his knitting, but for some reason, people didn’t take you seriously as a warrior when you were knitting. He’d never figured out why. Making socks required four or five double-ended bone needles, and while they weren’t very large, you could probably jam one into someone’s eye if you really wanted to. Not that he would. He’d have to pull the needle out of the sock to do it, and then he’d be left with the grimly fiddly work of rethreading the stitches. Also, washing blood out of wool was possible, but a pain. Still, if he had to suddenly pull out his sword and fend off an attack, there was a chance he’d drop the yarn, and since he’d been feeling masochistic and was using two colors for this current set of socks, there was absolutely no chance the yarn wouldn’t get tangled and then he’d be trying to murder people while chasing the yarn around. And god forbid the tide rose and he went berserk. You never got the knitting untangled after that; you usually just had to throw it away completely.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“There was something about poverty that was a little like war. Either you had been there or you hadn't, and it wasn't really possible to explain it to anyone who hadn't.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Rescue was bad. People who wanted you to be vulnerable and grateful tended to get very angry when you stopped being vulnerable and didn’t act grateful enough.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“So you took her out looking for moss and got turned on. It's really not a sin, brother."

"I kissed her."

"Still not a sin, unless you think she didn't want to be kissed."

"No." Stephen had to admit that Grace had seemed quite pleased to be kissed, at least at first. "No, that part went well."

"Then not a sin."

"Then we had an argument."

"Still not a sin."

"I said some very stupid things."

"Unsurprising, but not a sin."

"Then she stepped on a severed head."

"Wait, what?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Oh gods, if any of you are listening, please grant that we don’t make things worse.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Istvhan, you ever kill someone with an ice swan?” he whispered. “I clubbed someone unconscious with a frozen goose once. That’s similar?” The Bishop suffered a mysterious coughing fit. “No, you had to use the goose as a bludgeon, didn’t you? For the swan, I figure you’d snap the head off and try to stab with the neck.” “Hmmm…” Istvhan eyed the ice sculpture speculatively. “It’s pretty big. And not well balanced.” “I figure you’d have to go two-handed with it.” “I think I’d grab one of the candelabras instead. Some of those are nice and heavy.” “Far too unwieldy. I could take you apart with the ice swan while you were still trying to get the candelabra off the ground.” “Gentlemen,” said Beartongue, “I forbid you to smash the Archon’s decor and try to duel with it.” “Yes, your holiness.” “I’ll have you both excommunicated.” Stephen coughed. “Technically we’re not in your church, your holiness.” “Then I will have you confirmed so that I can excommunicate you even harder.” “Yes, your holiness.” He and Istvhan traded smug looks. Shane gazed into the distance, perhaps imagining a place where he had suitably serious colleagues.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Normal people flirt. I think. Apparently we just exchange terrible life stories.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“The door opened and DuValier sprang out. Stephen growled, low in his throat, and stood up straighter. “Istvhan, loan me your sword. I need to kill this man.” “No one give him a sword,” ordered the Bishop. “I am feeling distinctly conflicted here,” said Istvhan. One of the paladins, a woman with a curiously blank expression, unhooked a long dagger from her belt and handed it to Stephen. “Thank you.” “Technically that wasn’t a sword,” said the Bishop. “I applaud your threading of the needle there. Dammit.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Having men want to rescue you was worlds different than simply having a female friend who had your back. If she needed a body buried, the only question Marguerite would ask was, 'How deep?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Civettes were not known for their empathy. Tab hooked his claws into her trousers and climbed up, demanding petting, unconcerned that his human was making strange face noises. Humans always made strange face noises; a weasel learned to deal with it.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Am I really the only person concerned about the severed head situation in this city?" said Stephen. "Really?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“I have never been wistful in my life." Grace had no idea what being wistful entailed, but she was pretty sure that you had to be younger and thinner and possibly have consumption.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Granted, she hadn’t known Stephen that long, but if you couldn’t bond over multiple corpses, what could you bond over?”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“There was little honor among thieves, but there was a great deal of practicality.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Stephen watched as she wrapped her arms around her torso, almost unconsciously making herself smaller. He made a mental note to find this former partner and loom over him very insistently.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Some people just want the apocalypse in their lifetime.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Having men want to rescue you was worlds different than simply having a female friend who had your back.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Besides, what do you have to offer any woman? “I will make sure you always have warm socks,” is not a line to set anyone’s heart aglow.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“He’s a paladin,” said Marguerite. “They only have a couple of emotions and the primary one is guilt. You’ll see.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Knitting socks was not a particularly glamorous hobby, but it filled the same mental need as the sword—careful work that held his attention and hopefully did not allow his mind to wander too far afield. Plus at the end, you got socks out of it, and no one appreciated good socks like a soldier.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“There was a clatter of hooves on cobbles in the distance, and a creak of metal. Stephen tensed, then heard a familiar voice saying “So this is where you’ve all gotten off to.” “Okay, who told the Bishop?” Everyone looked at Istvhan, who looked hurt. “I did not.” Bishop Beartongue shoved her way through the front door, trailed by her secretary. “No, he didn’t,” she said. “You lot are so bad at secrecy that it would make a spy weep. You stood in the damn courtyard talking about where you were going, and then you all ran off. I had three reports before the gate slammed shut behind you. Next time, leave in clumps and talk about it in your rooms, and you might get a whole hour lead time.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Go find someone else to shrive you, Stephen. I won’t grant you absolution for wanting more.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“I bet real pirates don’t worry about lint. They worry about other things, like privateers and scurvy.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Charlock’s prince is in one of those old warrior traditions. You know the kind, Istvhan, your homeland’s lousy with them.” Istvhan nodded. “The sacred order of this and that and that thing over there. Usually wolves. Or bears. Sometimes blood.” “Blood?” said Stephen. “Look, you can only have so many Sacred Order of the Wolfs in one region or it gets embarrassing. So then you have to be the Sacred Order of the Blood Moon, which still sounds impressive and you can keep all the wolf paraphernalia around and don’t have to get new sword hilts and standards and whatnot.”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace

“Oh Saint, it’s been too long, it must be that it’s been too long, I am starving and anything tastes of a feast…”
― T. Kingfisher, Paladin's Grace