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.Before William could return the priceless piece of jewelry to his mother, Hugh Chessmill had taken it and hidden it at the top of the bell tower and locked all the doors.To get it back before his mother discovered it missing, William had to climb up the outside of the tower to the top.There had been a late ice storm just the night before, making the climb a dangerous proposition at best.But William had been desperate.He started up, only to be grabbed by Lofton and yanked to the ground before he’d gone fifteen feet.Lofton had torn a strip off him and then climbed up himself and retrieved the pin.From that day on, he’d made himself William’s personal bodyguard, and nothing William said could dissuade him.Years later, when he asked Lofton why, his bodyguard cousin had told him, “You were marked to be king.We could all tell.Wasn’t going to let you kill yourself before you could get elected.”Lofton was William’s best armsman, and after the last couple of assassination attempts had come so close, he’d not let William walk alone anywhere in the castle except his own private quarters, and then only because they were so tightly warded that no assassin could get inside to lay a trap.Anywhere else he caged William inside a box of well-armed Crown Shields.William trusted Lofton as much as he trusted anyone.But he didn’t have to like the mothering.“I shall attend the lady Nya this morning,” William said curtly.“Very well, sire.”Niall fell in behind William and around the pair formed up a box of six men—two before and two aft and one on either side.Two more walked ten paces ahead and another pair trailed ten paces behind.Each was armed to the teeth, six of them with nocked crossbows.All were alert for danger.Together, they marched off into the guest wing.As they did, William couldn’t help but wonder if he’d need the aid of his escort to pry his way in to see Nya.Fallon wasn’t entirely rational when it came to her.William grimaced, glancing at the men and women making up his escort.They had been chosen both because of their skills and because they knew how to be discreet.But he doubted they could be discreet enough if Fallon dropped his disguise and showed what he really was.At least he’d already established that Lofton was not allowed to accompany him inside Fallon and Nya’s apartments.Lofton was steady, but William wasn’t ready to trust him with what Fallon and Nya truly were, or what they were here for.Hatred for sylveth spawn ran too deep.But as it turned out that was the least of his worries.They had paraded down several corridors and were crossing the marble gallery between the royal residence and one of the diplomatic wings when the assassins attacked for the third time in as many months, though never so overtly.Suddenly slender crossbolts launched from miniature crossbows filled the air.They clacked and rattled as they battered the beautiful marble statuary and dropped to the floor.William was thrust instantly to the ground, Niall crouching over him, a knee hard in his back to keep him from moving.There were sodden thumps as several bolts struck flesh.William struggled to free himself.“Damn you, stay where you are put before you get a bolt in the eye,” Niall growled, grabbing William’s shoulder and pinning him more tightly to the ground.It was humiliating, lying there prostrate while men and women fought a battle over him, and though he knew it was the right thing, William continued to struggle, grappling for his sword.Niall straddled him, hunching across his back, his forearm an iron bar against the back of William’s neck.William could see little.His guards had their backs to him as they faced outward.Those with crossbows shot carefully and steadily, reloading from quivers strapped to their thighs.Another hail of the small bolts fell, and there were more sodden thumps and more rattling clatter.“Exit through the north corridor,” Lofton brayed over the noise.“Winsome and Butle cover the left, Doris and Effley cover the right.Close ranks and slow—leave no windows to the king.Let’s go.March!”Niall slid off William, gripping him under the arm and pulling him to his feet.As William started to draw his sword, Niall gripped his elbow hard with one hand and shoved his head low with the other.“Stop trying to get yourself killed.Or stab your escort in the back.Now keep your head down and start moving.Neither your robe nor your necklace will cure a crossbolt through your skull.”Another arm was flung over William’s neck from the other side as his escort clustered around him and hustled him across the floor and out through the chosen exit.They met no resistance in the passage, their attackers fleeing ahead of them.William and Niall were thrust against a wall with four Crown Shields in a semicircle in front of them.An eerie hush fell as Lofton and three Shields returned to the gallery.A few grains later, they returned, their faces grim.Through the picket of his guards, William could see the crossbolt protruding from Lofton’s shoulder.The woman on Lofton’s left sagged, her eyes rolling into her head.Lofton caught her before her head cracked against the floor and laid her down gently.A bolt had penetrated deep into her thigh and was bleeding profusely.Lofton didn’t try to bind the wound, but thrust himself back to his feet [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]