Page 33 of Of Kings and Thieves

“Now that I think about it,” Col continued, “the last time I saw you with a woman you had been kicked out on your ass, naked, with your clothes in the mud.”

Magnus laughed. “She was worth it,” he said fondly.

“What happened to her?” I asked.

“Her father found out what I was. It wasn’t meant to be.”

“And what about the woman who had no family,” Col asked, “the one with the pretty brown eyes that you talked of so much? I seem to remember her threatening to poison your food if you ever darkened her door again.”

“We just weren’t compatible.” Magnus shrugged.

“And the woman who—”

“Your Grace,” Magnus said gruffly, “are you trying to make a point?”

“Not trying, Magnus, not trying.”

I risked a look back at Col, and he winked.

We rode in companionable silence for the rest of the day. Finally, we crested the ridge, where the view dropped away before us. I put my hand over my heart. It was the most breathtaking view I’d ever imagined or witnessed. Far below us, a lake with a river flowing out of it shone in the weak evening sunlight. The river wound its way east and then north, where the mountains gave way to brown plains.

But it was the lake that caught my attention. There were trees around it, and green grass. The water looked deep and cold, yet I couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like to swim in those shining waters.

“What’s its name?” I asked.

“It doesn’t have one,” said Col.

On the way down, the trail passed behind enormous rocks and craggy peaks, hiding the lake from view. Clouds gathered, and the wind threatened to freeze me to my horse.

“Someone sing something,” Magnus said, giving a shudder as the day grew darker. “I would, but I’m not sure anyone wants to actually hear my voice.”

“It’s just as well,” Col said. “We don’t need to make any more noise than required.”

I knew he was right, but I wouldn’t have minded hearing what kind of song Magnus would have chosen. I thought about the song Col had sung about his sword, and went over the tune in my head. I didn’t remember all the words, but the song itself was simple and compelling. One day, I wanted to learn the whole thing for myself.

“What’s it like being part siren?” Magnus asked. “Is it just the song you have a gift for?”

My face heated, and out of habit, I squared my shoulders and prepared for a slur even though Magnus had never insulted me.

“Don’t worry, my lady,” he said, turning back to look at me. “Your secret is safe with us.”

He’s not lying, Col said to me.

I didn’t think he was. But protecting my siren heritage is a habit that’s hard to break.

Still not a bad idea, with others.

“My great-grandmother was a siren,” I said finally. “As I’m sure you know, they’re often known for seduction, and I think that had something to do with my great-grandfather falling in love with her.” I smiled wryly. “But from everything I’ve heard, they were very happy together, and she loved him as fiercely as any woman could love a man. Perhaps more so. They had many children.”

“And what happened to her?” Col asked.

“I never met her. But the Deviants caught up with her one day. She and my great-grandfather lived in an isolated village, though that land had been swallowed up by Harrowfell long before. She ran across some Deviants hunting for anything that wasn’t quite human. At any rate, when the Deviants found her, they tried to find her family, too, but she never gave up my grandfather or her children. Instead, she let them kill her right there. They left her on the road where my grandfather found her later.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Magnus said.

“Most people only say ‘good riddance.’ I’m no better than a monster.”

Magnus scoffed. “It is a benefit—or curse—of my profession that I cross paths with many monsters. But it’s also taught me something. About who is really a monster, and who isn’t. And I can always tell, Samara. There are many monsters who are not human, and there are many who are. You are not a monster. Neither is Col, which is why I still hang around with him. Not just because of my oath to him, but because of the kind of man he is.”

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