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face. She reeled back at the force of the blow but managed to block a second strike, bringing her knee
down hard into his abdomen.
Shasta chose this moment to move, scrambling out of the corner and past the brawl. With a grunt of
desperation the assassin grasped her ankle, tripping her to the floor. Talon clamped her hands around the
man s throat to cut off his air, and he let go of the Princess, trying to fight off the constricting fingers. But
Talon s grip was unshakeable. Her muscles felt like iron. The man s face purpled as he struggled to
breathe.
Out of the corner of her eye Talon saw Shasta crawling out of reach. Relief must have loosened her
fingers slightly, for the assassin chose that moment to bring his legs up unexpectedly, heaving her through
the air.
Only her acrobatic training saved her from being pitched headfirst into the stone wall. She twisted so that
it was her left shoulder, not her head, that struck the wall first. Searing pain erupted through her arm and
upper back. Stumbling to her feet, she saw that Shasta had paused at the sound, her expression suddenly
conflicted.
Talon gasped as the Princess took a hesitant step toward her. No, Shasta, run! Don t worry about me,
just run!
On his feet again, the assassin lurched toward his knife, and Talon threw herself at him, ignoring the
white-hot surge through her shoulder as she tackled him. The blade was just a handbreadth from his
grasp. Her left arm was strangely unresponsive as she tried to hold him, and it took only a second for the
assassin to flip her over. The breath was trapped in her lungs as he crushed her windpipe with his
forearm. No matter how she kicked, his weight pinned her down. The powerful burst of adrenaline that
had lent her such strength before seemed to be dissipating with the lack of oxygen. Her vision began to
sparkle darkly until she couldn t see his face any longer. Then, somewhere above the chaos she heard the
Princess s voice.
Talon! The knife!
Something caught her flailing wrist, pressing a smooth, familiar object into the palm. Talon s fingers
tightened instinctively and she brought the blade down into her attacker s back. A warm liquid rush
followed when she withdrew, and the grip at her throat loosened. Talon continued stabbing as her vision
gradually cleared, but now all she could see was red. Everything was covered in a thick, shiny coat of
scarlet that burned her eyes. She kept moving the blade automatically, feverishly, until a firm hand at her
shoulder caused her to pause.
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That s enough, my boy. I don t think he s a threat anymore.
Talon looked up and met the eyes of her mentor with shock. Captain Vaughn?
She inhaled sharply when she realized that she was straddling a dead body, the man s chest and throat
torn with multiple stab wounds. Blood saturated his cloak and pooled beneath him on the tile, flowing in
streams toward the gutters along the edges of the walls and into the bathing tub. The water in the tub was
morbidly crimson, steaming like some evil potion being brewed right there in the privy chamber. Talon
realized she was still gripping the knife with blood-slicked hands and dropped it, numbly. Vaughn s hand
on her shoulder suddenly reminded her of the pain throbbing there and she twisted away, looking for the
Princess.
Shasta was staring with an indescribable expression, and Talon frowned. Something was wrong. As
Shasta s eyes rolled back in her head Talon cursed and sprang to her feet, but Vaughn was faster. He
caught the girl before she could hit the floor and quickly checked her pulse.
She s not breathing, he said tersely, and Talon moved forward but he held up a hand. No, wait, just
give her a moment.
For several anxious seconds Talon obeyed, frozen in place and only half aware of the bustle in the
chamber around her as several of the royal guard inspected the assailant s body, the tub, the dressing
screen, trying to determine what had happened. Her attention was entirely focused on the Princess,
whose face was alarmingly pale and still.
Finally Shasta gave a shuddering gasp, and Vaughn nodded with satisfaction. There, she ll be all right
now. Too much excitement, I think, but she s breathing again. She ll come out of it in a minute or two.
He straightened, carrying the Princess out of the privy chamber and setting her gently into her bed with
Talon on his heels.
King Soltran burst into the bedchamber then, and when he caught sight of Talon s blood-soaked
clothing and his daughter lying quietly on the bed, he erupted furiously. What happened here? He
crossed the room in four strides and took hold of Talon s shirt front, mindless of the blood that covered
her clothing.
Talon swallowed. There was a man, Your Majesty, in the Princess s privy chamber&
I seem to remember giving strict orders that you were to inspect Her Highness s privy before every
use.
I did, Majesty, but I didn t see anyone
Then you didn t look well enough, did you? Did I or did I not make it quite clear that Shasta s life is in
great danger? I expect you to take that seriously, Corporal!
Talon resisted the urge to point out that it was the King himself who had authorized a trip into the middle
of the Ardrenn markets without so much as a guard escort, but she thought better of it. Talon had come
to realize that common sense was not the King s strongest attribute. Soltran loved his daughter very
much, and meant well, but he often set others up for failure inadvertently. Of course, when things
inevitably backfired no one dared to blame the King publicly, and Soltran himself seemed oblivious to his
own faults.
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So Talon simply nodded. You re right, Majesty. I have failed Princess Shasta. I should have been more
careful.
Her shame was genuine. How could she have become so comfortable with their daily routine that she
had lost sight of the very real danger that attended the Princess at every minute of the day? She d been
so obsessed with getting out of the open, back to the palace where they would be safe. How easy it was
to forget that for Shasta, the palace was hardly safer than the streets of Ardrenn.
Please, Your Majesty, I will accept whatever punishment you choose. But my sisters&
Fear not, Corporal Talon. Soltran suddenly appeared surprisingly calm, considering his fit of temper
only a moment before. You are still learning what it means to be a soldier. And the Princess is
unharmed, after all. So, this one time, you will not be punished, nor will I impose the special terms of our
bargain. This is your one and only free mistake, so learn from it.
Talon bowed quickly. I will, Your Majesty, you have my word. Thank you.
The King then looked down at his hands, smeared with blood from Talon s clothes, and grimaced.
Report to the infirmary immediately and get cleaned up. I imagine that eye s going to swell up like a ripe
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