The man subjected Talon to a taciturn stare. "Sure did, just a few minutes ago. Little hellcat nearly ran me down, she did. Turned over my cart and cost me some of my best wares." He spat on the ground. "Hope she gets what's coming to her, inconsiderate little wench."

"What do you mean?"

"She galloped straight through the village and headed for the forest on the other side." He grinned as he pointed in the direction of the trees. "Lucero and his gang of outlaws have been living out there for the last two moons, everybody knows that. Good-for-nothing pack of vermin, the lot of them, sneaking into the village at night and making off with our chickens and cattle, harassing all travelers coming in and out. Even the King's own royal guard haven't been able to snuff them out of there yet. Those ruffians'll be very happy to have a visitor like that one. Take her down a peg or two, I'm sure."

Fear shot through Talon and, just as quickly, she stifled that response. Now was not the time to let emotion override her judgment. Thanking the stranger, she urged the mare through the village toward the forest.

They barreled into the trees without slowing. "Shasta!" Talon didn't dare call for the Princess by her title. If there were indeed outlaws nearby, she didn't want them getting any ideas about holding Shasta for ransom. Even using her first name was a risk, but it would be worth it if it helped find her. "Shasta, can you hear me? Shasta!"

A scream tore through the woods, and Talon drew her sword and directed the mare off the path through the trees to her left. She would know the Princess's voice anywhere. Fear and hope surged through her veins with a rush of adrenaline. She might not be too late.

Talon didn't have to go far to find her charge. Five swarthy, dirty men had the Princess and her horse cornered against a rock wall. Shasta's little filly reared back and pawed at the outlaws trying to put a rope around her neck, making loud, screeching whinnies. Shasta screamed again as one of the outlaws wrapped his hand around her ankle. She slashed at his face with the fencing foil. The blade drew blood, and he was forced to release his grip. His comrades laughed while he cursed in fury.

Relief flooded through Talon when she saw that the Princess was relatively unhurt. She charged toward the group of outlaws and cleared a path through them with her sword. When she pulled up alongside the black filly, Shasta dropped her foil and allowed Talon to swing her onto the mare behind her.

Seizing the filly's reins, Talon dug her heels into her own mare's sides and attempted to force her way past the men. From both sides, outlaws came at them. The mare reared back and the filly broke away. Talon lifted her sword over her head with one arm while clinging to the thick mane with the other to avoid falling off. She was thankful for her acrobatic training. Without a saddle and with Shasta's added weight behind her, they both would have slid right off the horse if not for the instinctive balancing grip of her legs.

Talon heard a sudden whooshing sound and grunted as pain exploded in her side. Shasta shrieked. The mare came back down and Talon slashed her sword across the throat of one attacker and immediately swung at another, driving him back. She did not pause to observe the results of her handiwork but leaned over the mare's neck and shouted, "Ha!"

The big horse broke through the outlaws and galloped back toward the path. Whipping branches stung their arms and legs as they escaped. The men pursued them on foot, but after only a few minutes they gave up the chase, apparently preferring to stay under the cover of the trees. Talon was willing to bet she and Shasta hardly seemed worth the risk of capture.

When they had cleared the woods and Talon was satisfied that they were not being chased, she pulled the mare to a stop and looked back over her shoulder. "Are you all right, Highness?" Breathing was surprisingly painful and her words came out as a wheeze, but she still gave a gasp of concern when she saw the long cut across the Princess's cheek. "You're bleeding."

Shasta stared at Talon in disbelief. "Am I all right? Talon, I have a scratch. You have an arrow sticking out of your side."

Startled, Talon looked down. A red patch had already spread through her shirt. The thin white linen was soaked with a steadily growing circle around the shaft, which was sticking about a foot out of her ribs on the right side. She grunted. "Huh. No wonder it hurts."

"That's not funny. Quick, we need to get to the village. They have to have a healer there who can attend to you."

Talon shook her head. "No." She could not risk being examined by anyone who might discover her secret.

Shasta's eyes narrowed. "Really, Talon, now is not the time to be stubborn."

"We'll return to the castle and I'll see the healer there."

"We're not waiting that long. Look at you, you're practically white." Before Talon could stop her, the Princess slid down from the horse and whistled for the filly, which had been trailing them all the way. "I'll fetch the healer myself."

"Princess, please!" A note of desperation found its way into her exclamation.

Shasta spun around, her eyes shooting sparks. "And why not?"

"Princess, I can't...I'm not..." Talon gritted her teeth as a wave of dizziness crashed over her. She was losing a lot of blood, very quickly. "I can't be seen by another healer. We have to go back to the castle."

Shasta glared defiantly, and Talon's desperation grew. The Princess was determined, and in her wounded and distracted state, Talon wracked her brain to come up with an excuse that Shasta would accept.

"I'm tired of this, Talon, I'm sick of all your silly games and secrets. If you can't give me one good reason-"

"I'm not a man!" Talon winced as the words left her lips, but there was no taking them back. Terror overwhelmed her as she realized what she'd done.

Shasta stared in confusion. "What?"

Talon took a couple of shallow breaths, each one sending sharp stabbing pains through her chest. "I...your father, he doesn't want anyone to know. Highness, you have to swear you won't tell anyone. I'm not a man. I'm a woman. And if the healer in that village finds out, the news will be all over Ithyria by tomorrow evening. You'll be in great danger."

The Princess took a step back, her eyes wide. "Talon, if this is a joke-"

"It's not a joke." Talon looked down at the mare's mane in her fingers. "Your father-why do you think he trusts you so completely with me? Lets me share your room, sleep beside your bed? I'm a woman. He knows I wouldn't hurt you, or...compromise your virtue." She felt her cheeks flush. "But the rest of the castle, the rest of the kingdom-they have to think I'm a man. They have to believe your bodyguard is formidable, capable of protecting you. People just don't have that kind of respect for a woman. If the assassin who killed your brother ever found out, he might think you're not well guarded after all and make another attempt on your life."

"You're lying. I don't believe you." Shasta stamped one foot in the dirt. "Do you realize how completely insane you sound?"

Talon closed her eyes and fought for breath. "Please don't make me do this."

"Do what?"

She opened her eyes again. The skepticism on Shasta's face and her own rapidly fading strength convinced her that there was no other way. Talon unbuttoned the front of her shirt. After looking around to be sure no one else was nearby, she pulled the shirt open and winced as the movement jarred the shaft of the arrow embedded in her side. The wrappings that held down her chest were clearly visible.

Shasta's golden eyes grew to the size of saucers as they flew from Talon's wrapped breasts up to her face. The Princess shook her head hysterically, then spun on one heel and turned her back.

"I wanted to tell you." Talon's fingers shook as she refastened the buttons. "Goddess knows, Princess, there were so many times I would have given anything to tell you. I never meant for you to find out, not like this."

Shasta's knees must have given way, for she sank to the ground on the spot. "Two winters." Her back was still turned. "You've been with me two winters. You've shared my meals, my lessons, my sleeping chambers. And now I find out that you've been lying to me the whole time."

"I never lied. I just couldn't tell you the truth."

"It's the same thing! You let me believe that you were...that I could..." Her hand suddenly flew to her mouth. "Goddess save me," she breathed. "Yesterday, I tried to...I kissed you."

The sheer horror in Shasta's voice pained Talon in a way that made the arrow seem trivial. "That wasn't your fault, Princess. You didn't know."

"I've been such a fool."

"No. You had no way of knowing. And I wanted so badly to find a way to tell you, but...well, I just couldn't." She coughed, and little flecks of red stained the cuff of her sleeve.

The gasping sound seemed to snap Shasta back to reality. She stood up and regarded Talon's injury coldly, then glanced at her own black filly. "I suppose I'd better ride with you on the way back," she said slowly, looking not at all pleased by the prospect. "Otherwise you're likely to fall off that horse before we even make it to the palace."

Talon was too weak to waste time arguing. She lowered her arm so that Shasta could pull herself up behind her. The Princess's stiff, flinching touch at Talon's waist made it clear she wished to avoid as much physical contact as possible. Fighting her dizziness and pain, Talon directed the mare back toward the castle at a full gallop.

Shasta was in shock. She didn't know whether to be angry, or amused, or horrified. Talon, a woman? It seemed ludicrous, but her guardian had never lied to her before. Except that now it seemed Talon had been lying all along, and Shasta didn't know what to think. Her romantic fantasies, the beautiful wedding and perfect twin children and glorious reign, seemed like a cruel joke now.

Lyris had said her brother wasn't like other men. Shasta realized that in her own way, the Pledged had been trying to warn her, and Shasta hadn't been listening. She was too wrapped up in her own idiotic daydreams, believing that nothing Talon ever did would hurt her. How very wrong she had been. She felt like her guardian had just plunged a knife into her heart, and the betrayal hurt more than anything else. She'd thought they were friends. More than that...how many times had she told Talon that he was like a brother to her? Only it turned out that Talon wasn't a "he" at all.

Her guardian coughed again, and Shasta found herself caught in a swirl of emotions. Fury and shock were not quite able to overwhelm her genuine worry over Talon's wound. She'd run away from the castle like a child throwing a tantrum, and if Talon hadn't come after her she might have faced a terrible fate at the hands of those outlaws. Talon had saved her, possibly at the cost of his life. Her life, Shasta corrected herself bitterly.

Shasta made up her mind to concentrate on one thing at a time. First, she would make sure Talon received treatment for her wound. Then I'll decide whether or not to have the lying bastard executed for treason. The thought was ridiculous, as Talon had only been following her father's orders, but in her infuriated state it still gave her some perverse comfort to consider it.

King Soltran himself came running into the courtyard as the mare thundered through the open gates and slid to a stop. A small crowd of guards and curious servants quickly assembled, and Shasta had no doubt that someone had run to fetch her father the moment they were sighted.

"What happened?" The King pulled Shasta from the horse and into his arms. He held her tightly as two guards carefully helped Talon dismount. Kallin led the exhausted mare away.

"We were out riding this morning and were attacked," Shasta explained. It was not a complete lie. "Talon fought them off."

Soltran did not seem fooled. "And where exactly were the two of you riding that someone would attack you in broad daylight?" Then he noticed the thin stripe of blood, now dry, that lined her cheek, and his face darkened. "You're hurt."

"It's just a scratch, Father. I'm fine, and I can explain everything later, but Talon...she needs help."

The King stiffened and turned his hard gaze on Talon. "She?"

Talon nodded weakly. "She knows, Majesty. I'm sorry."

"Don't blame Talon, Father. I was trying to bring the village healer-"

"Village healer?" Soltran rounded on his daughter. "You mean to tell me that you were out riding by Warinsmoor?" Furiously he glared at Talon. "What were the two of you doing so far from the castle? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? There are outlaws in Warin Forest. The Ithyrian guard has been trying to apprehend them for moons now."

Talon grimaced. "Yes, I know. We...uh...met."

The anger in the King's face was so terrible that several of the nearby maids stepped backward, and even the guards exchanged nervous glances. Soltran took a deep breath, and when he spoke his tone was dangerous. "Guard. Escort the Princess to her chambers. She is not to leave until I summon her. And you"-he jerked his thumb at another uniformed man-"take the Princess's guardian to the infirmary, and call for the healer. There will be consequences for this."

Shasta did not dare voice a protest and followed the guard meekly up to her chambers. She'd never seen her father so angry before. It frightened her. She wasn't sure what he was going to do, but whatever it was, she knew it would not be pleasant.

Chapter Sixteen.

Several mornings later, Shasta was summoned to her father's study. Talon was already there, and Shasta was relieved to see that some of the color had already returned to his...no, her face. Argh, it's going to be so hard to start thinking of Talon as a woman.

The palace healer had removed the arrow, announcing that while it had grazed the lung, it had not caused any permanent damage. Blood loss had been the primary enemy, and careful administration of fluids combined with poultices to stop the bleeding and prevent infection had Talon feeling much better already. However, though the old healer predicted a full recovery, Shasta had heard that he was quite disgruntled by the King's command for an audience with Talon so soon after her injury. But apparently Soltran was so insistent that the healer did not dare to cross him.

Shasta sat timidly in one of the chairs before the King's desk and glanced anxiously at Talon from her seat.

Soltran ordered Shasta's escort to close the door, which he did with a deep and resounding bang that made the Princess gulp. Her father's eyes were pinned to Talon, and when he spoke his words were deceptively calm. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you how disappointed I am." Talon nodded and hung her head. "In fact, disappointed doesn't even begin to describe it. My daughter could have been killed yesterday. I expected more from you, Talon."

"Father," Shasta tried to interject, but the King held up a hand.

"Silence." He continued to stare darkly at her guardian. "Not only was Shasta's life put in danger, but somehow you managed to break your secret to her at the same time. I believe I was very clear on the terms of your service here, Talon. You know the consequences of failure."

At this, Talon's head snapped up. "Majesty, please, you can do whatever you want with me..."

"That was not our bargain. Guard!" The door opened and the guard outside saluted. "Have Lady Lyris and Lady Bria taken to the west conservatory, and inform Nurse that her services will be required there." The man saluted again and closed the door, and Talon leaned forward in her chair.

"Your Majesty, no. Please, no. Let it be me."

Shasta looked from her father to her guardian and back again, and her mouth dropped open in astonishment. "Father, what's Talon talking about? What bargain?"

Soltran lifted an eyebrow. "Would you like to explain it to her?"

The pain on Talon's face was excruciating as she locked eyes with Shasta. Then she tore her gaze away and looked down at the tapestry covering the floor. Her voice shook. "It's my duty to protect you. If you are hurt under my care, Lyris and Bria pay the price. Their lives for yours."

"That's positively insane." Shasta stared at the King. "Father, you can't do this. Lyris and Bria didn't do anything."

He remained unmoved. "Talon's duty is to protect you, and she failed. She knew what would happen."

"I don't see how she failed, Father. I have a tiny scratch, that's all."

"That's not the point." Shasta had never seen her father so cold. "You should not have been in that situation in the first place. It doesn't matter how badly you were hurt. It never should have happened, and you were never supposed to learn of Talon's true gender. It is not to your benefit to know. I'm just glad you are the only one she disclosed this to, or I would have to have her replaced completely."

"Father, listen to me, this wasn't Talon's fault. I lied to you before." Shasta blushed as she made the admission. One of the King's thick eyebrows rose, and she hurried on before she lost her nerve. "We didn't go out riding together. I ran away. I left while Talon was sleeping, and he...I mean, she came after me. If it hadn't been for her I really might have gotten hurt. And she had to tell me about the...well, about not being a man, because I was going to drag her in front of the village healer and then everyone would have known. Talon didn't do anything wrong, and neither did Lyris or Bria. You can't do this. I won't let you."

Soltran slammed a fist down on the desk in frustration, and Shasta jumped. "What do you want me to do, Shasta? Summon your poor whipping boy just so you can sneak out and console him tonight with sweets and a few gold coins?" Shasta's mouth dropped open. "Oh yes, I know all about your little arrangement with Lainen. I've always known, but I let it go on thinking that at least if your conscience bothered you enough to try and make it up to him, perhaps it wasn't a total loss. But this..." He shook his head. "This is far too serious a matter for such light punishment. You're eighteen, Shasta. You have to learn, somehow, that there are consequences for your actions. Everything you do has an effect on everyone around you. Lyris and Bria will each receive twenty strokes for your foolishness." Talon gave a small cry in the back of her throat, but the King seemed unmoved. "Perhaps watching your friends suffer for your mistakes will finally get that through to you!"

"No!" Shasta leapt to her feet. "You will not do this! I won't allow it!" She clenched her fists until they shook, and for several long minutes she and her father stared one another down. Then the King's expression turned thoughtful.

"Very well. Since you keep insisting that all of this was your fault, Shasta, I'm going to give you a choice. Either Lyris and Bria get the strokes, or you may opt to take them yourself."

Shasta sank back down into the chair. "Myself?"

Her father's expression was triumphant. He was usually so protective of her fragile health, and Shasta was certain he would not have made the challenge if he thought she would actually accept it. She had never been beaten in her life. It was an idea too foreign and terrible to comprehend. Uncertainly, she looked over at Talon. Though she was still furious with her guardian for deceiving her, the desperation in Talon's face was more than she could stand. She had the power to prevent this injustice, power her father clearly did not expect her to exercise.

She tightened her lips determinedly. "I'll do it." The words came out a little more tremulously than she would have liked, but she did not back down now that they were out of her mouth.

Talon's head snapped up, and both her father and her guardian stared with their mouths hanging open.

"Highness, no," Talon began, but Soltran held up a hand, regarding his daughter with incredulity.

"You're not serious."

Shasta gritted her teeth. "Oh yes, I am. You said I could take them, Father, and I'm going to." For a long moment she stared defiantly, daring her father to go back on his word.

Soltran's eyes narrowed angrily, and he threw his hands up in the air. "I've had enough of this, Shasta. I'm not playing these ridiculous power games with you. You want the beating, it's yours." He stood. "Talon, you will escort the Princess to the west conservatory for her punishment."

Shasta jumped from her seat and marched to the door. As she entered the corridor, she heard Soltran speak again. "And, Talon...tell Nurse she is not to spare her arm."

Shasta flinched but did not turn back around. Her fists shook at her sides as she stalked toward the tower stairs that led to the west wing of the palace. Stubbornly she forced one foot in front of the other, ignoring the little voice in the back of her head begging her to run the other way. Forty strokes. The most she'd ever seen Lainen receive was twenty, and that had been enough to reduce the good-natured boy to screams toward the end. Was she insane? Father is the crazy one, her mind insisted hotly. Holding Lyris and Bria hostage over Talon like inconsequential pawns. He's no better than any of the provincial viceroys, using people for his own ends without any thought for their feelings or welfare. That thought made her even angrier. He thinks I'm too much of a coward to go through with it. I'll show him.

She held on to the anger that suddenly filled her, because it was dulling her terror. Still, when they reached the doors of the conservatory, she faltered.

"Princess." Talon spoke for the first time, her deep voice close to Shasta's ear and full of anxiety. "You can't do this. It could kill you. Remember the woman in the market? You're not strong enough for this."

Oddly, those very words strengthened Shasta's resolve. She turned on her guardian fiercely. "Would you rather see Lyris and Bria beaten for something they didn't do?"

Talon winced. "Of course not, but..."

"I have to do this, Talon. Don't worry, I'm too valuable to Ithyria. The Goddess won't let me die." Shasta pushed the doors open in time to see Nurse rolling up her sleeves. Lyris and Bria stood to one side. Shasta had not seen such fear on their faces since they'd first come to live at the palace.