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“Who are you, and what are you playing at?��
“Nikolai Lantsov, but please don’t make me recite my titles again. It’s no fun for anybody, and the only important one is ‘prince.’��
“And what about Sturmhond?�� I asked.
“I’m also Sturmhond, commander of the Volkvolny, scourge of the True Sea.��
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“Well, I’m vexing at the very least.��
I shook my head. “Impossible.��
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“This is not the time to try to be entertaining.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Console yourself knowing that, should you ever punch me while wearing it, you’ll probably take my eye out. And I’d very much like you to. Wear it, that is. Not punch me.��
“Where did you get this thing?��
“My mother gave it to me before she left. It’s the Lantsov emerald. She was wearing it at my birthday dinner the night we were attacked. Curiously enough, that was not the worst birthday I’ve had.��
“N��?��
“When I was ten, my parents hired a clown.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“Not every man," I murmured.

Nikolai followed my gaze. "Yes, Alina, even your stalwart champion has his price." He turned back to me, his hazel eyes thoughtful. "And I suspect I'm looking at it right now.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“I don’t think—��

“Clearly. Why start now?��

Ivan’s face flushed in anger. “You don’t—��

Sturmhond leaned in close, the laughter gone from his voice, his easy demeanor replaced by something with a sword’s edge. “I don’t care who you are on land. On this ship, you’re nothing but ballast. Unless I put you over the side, in which case you’re shark bait. I like shark. Cooks up tough, but it makes for a little variety. Remember that the next time you have a mind to threaten anyone aboard this vessel.�� He stepped back, his jolly manner restored. “Go on now, shark bait. Scurry back to your master.��

“I won’t forget this, Sturmhond,�� Ivan spat.

The captain rolled his eyes. “That’s the idea.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Why hunt the sea whip if you only meant to turn it over to Alina?��
“I wasn’t hunting the sea whip. I was hunting you.��
“That’s why you raised a mutiny against the Darkling?�� I asked. “To get at me?��
“You can’t very well mutiny on your own ship.��
“Call it what you like,�� I said, exasperated. “Just explain yourself.��
Sturmhond leaned back and rested his elbows on the rail, surveying the deck. “As I would have explained to the Darkling had he bothered to ask—which, thankfully, he didn’t—the problem with hiring a man who sells his honor is that you can always be outbid.��
I gaped at him. “You betrayed the Darkling for money?��
“‘Betrayed�� seems a strong word. I hardly know the fellow.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Who are you?�� Mal asked furiously.
“That’s a complicated question.��
“Actually, it’s pretty straightforward,�� I said, springing to my feet. “But it does require telling the truth. Something you seem thoroughly incapable of.��
“Oh, I can do it,�� Sturmhond said, shaking water from one of his boots. “I’m just not very good at it.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Blessing and curse are different words for the same thing.”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars

“If there weren't an all-powerful dictator and his monstrous horde to get to, I'd be opening a bottle of champagne.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“Don’t waste your breath, lovely.��
“But you don’t even know what I was going to say.��
“You were about to plead your case, tell me you need my help, you can’t pay me but your heart is true, the usual thing.��
I blinked. That was exactly what I’d been about to do. “But—��
“Waste of breath, waste of time, waste of a fine afternoon,�� he said. “I don’t like to see prisoners mistreated, but that’s as far as my interest goes.��
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He shook his head. “And I’m notoriously immune to tales of woe. So unless your story involves a talking dog, I don’t want to hear it. Does it?��
“Does it what?��
“Involve a talking dog.��
“No,�� I snapped. “It involves the future of a kingdom and everyone in it.��
“A pity,�� he said, and took me by the arm, leading me to the aft hatch.
“I thought you worked for Ravka,�� I said angrily.
“I work for the fattest purse.��
“So you’d sell your country to the Darkling for a little gold?��
“No, for a lot of gold,�� he said. “I assure you, I don’t come cheap.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Anything worth doing always starts as a bad idea”
― Nikolai Lantsov

“Collar,�� Nikolai said. ”Fetters. I won't have to spend much on jewelry.��

”I have expensive taste in tiaras.��

”But only one head.��

”Thus far.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“Your highness—��
“Nikolai,�� he corrected. “But I’ve also been known to answer to ‘sweetheart�� or ‘handsome.’��
Mal whirled, but I silenced him with a pleading look.
“You need to stop that right now, Nikolai,�� I said. “Or I’ll knock those princely teeth out myself.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“I have so many good qualities," Sturmhond said, "It can be hard to choose.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Alina, this is the alliance I want: the First and Second Armies brought together. As for the rest, I’ve always known that whatever marriage I made would be political. It would be about power, not love. But we might get lucky. In time, we might have both.��

“Or the third amplifier will turn me into a power-mad dictator and you’ll have to kill me.��

“Yes, that would make for an awkward honeymoon.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“What did you see?" I asked. "When-"
"When I died?"
I gave him a gentle shove, and he winced.
"I saw Ilya Morozova on the back of a unicorn, playing a balalaika."
"Very funny.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“I'm sorry we don't visit more often. There's a war on and, well, no one likes you."
The Darkling touched a hand to his chest. "You wound me."
"All in good time," said Zoya.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves

“There are rumors that you died on the Fold. People have been selling off parts of you all over Ravka and West Ravka for months. You’re quite the good luck charm.��
“Those are supposed to be my fingers?��
“Knuckles, toes, fragments of rib.��
I felt sick. I looked around, hoping to spot Mal, needing to see something familiar.
“Of course,�� Nikolai continued, “if half of those were really your toes, you’d have about a hundred feet. But superstition is a powerful thing.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“Kirigin cleared his throat. "It's of no matter to me. I just wondered if I should have that cordial she likes waiting. Is Commander Nazalensky well? "
"Pretty as a picture and brimming with spite."
"She is lovely, isn't she?" said Kirigin dreamily....”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars

“If fate doesn't give us the chance, we steal it.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves

“The grand lady. The crying child. The drowning man who would drag you under rather than be saved. This country that took so much and gave nothing back. Maybe because he knew that he and his country were the same.”
― Leigh Bardugo, King of Scars

“If you want to lie to me, go ahead. But I'm not going to pretend to believe you."
"Why not?" asked Sturmhond, stepping into the tent. "It's only common courtesy.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“I can't decide if you're a fearmonger or a coward"
"And I can't deicide if you're an idiot or an idiot.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“If the privateer you've hired is entirely trustworthy, he's probably not much of a privateer.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves

“„Pilgrims came through only a day ago,�� said Zoya. „Followers of the Starless One. They claim this is punishment for the reign of a faithless king.��
„How unfair. I have plenty of faith,�� Nikolai objected.
Tolya raised a brow. „In what?��
„Good engineering and better whiskey.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves

“Human life is worth preserving. But human lives? They come and go like so much chaff, never tipping the scales."
"What a remarkable calculation," said Nikolai. "And a convenient one for a mass murderer.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves

“It would be a marriage in name only," Sturmhond insisted. Then, as if he couldn't help himself, he flashed Mal a taunting grin. "Except for the matter of producing heirs.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“The demon closed its talons over the ribbon in her hair and tugged. It slid loose, fluttering to the floor. Slowly, it withdrew its hand. Did she imagine its regret?”
― Leigh Bardugo, Rule of Wolves

“i want to kiss you," nikolai said. "but i won't. not until you're thinking of me instead of trying to forget him.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Siege and Storm

“I hope you weren't looking for me to be the voice of reason. I keep a strict diet of ill-advised enthusiasm and heartfelt regret.”
― Leigh Bardugo, Ruin and Rising

“Show them weakness when they need to see it, never when you feel it.
-Nikolai Lantsov”
― Leigh Bardugo