Free The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell Page A

king.
    By the dessert course, many of the bodyguards slouched where they stood behind the guests’ chairs. Renee hid her dismay behind squared shoulders. Savoy, whose gaze roved the room, motioned her to come beside him.
    “Something amiss?” he asked quietly.
    She inclined her head toward the dozing woman wearing the colors of a wealthy local noble and theoretically protecting the royal grandmother.
    Savoy shrugged. “A farce, as I said. Let us hope the Palace Guard outside know their duty. Most of the guards in here stand as marks of favor, not skill or experience.” He frowned at a maid who had brought in fresh candles and now loitered by the large window that faced King Lysian. “Before you give your thoughts voice, realize that that is how you came to be here as well.” He tilted his head, speaking quieter still. “Your friend’s favor does not change your skills. You struggle amongst fighter cadets, but you would best most anyone here. You—” He didn’t finish. Savoy’s hand flew to his sword side, thrusting Renee away. His voice pitched clear above the bustle of the room. “Latch the shutter back up.”
    The maid froze, her face pale. “’Tis beautiful stars out tonight, Servant.” She faltered, her fingers plucking her shirtsleeve.
    Without warning, Savoy shoved the king’s chair back from the table, spilling Lysian to the floor. A startled cry rose around the room. The king grunted, a trickle of blood forming where his brow struck the chair’s edge. The shouts grew, crackling with sudden panic. Renee took Savoy’s action on faith and yanked Sasha down. A mug of scalding coffee doused them both. Renee’s heart began to pound. The guests wailed, Claire’s shriek rising above the rest. The dog streaked across the room, frenzied and baying.
    “What’s happening?” Sasha yelled into her ear.
    Renee twisted in search of the danger that had triggered Savoy’s action, but saw only a terrified maid fleeing from the window and the flushed face of King Lysian. He blotted his brow with his sleeve and blinked at the stain. Frowning, Renee readied to let Sasha rise.
    Which was when the window shattered and an arrow meant for the Crown lodged itself in Savoy’s shoulder. He staggered back, and the guests’ screams changed.

CHAPTER 10
    S hrill, frightened yells filled the air. Guests stampeded toward the door. Porcelain cascaded to the floor and crunched underfoot. Bodyguards, shaken from their trance, shouted to their charges, their raised voices blending.
    “Close the window shutter.” Savoy’s cold command rose above the noise.
    Renee spun toward the far wall. Glass fragments littered the floor beneath the broken window, its shutter ajar. Another arrow whistled inside, bursting a wine cask and feeding the panic. The royal guests pressed against the door, fists pounding the unyielding oak. Someone must have sabotaged the lock, Renee realized with indrawn breath. It wouldn’t be long before the horde presented a target so large that even the most inexperienced shooter couldn’t miss.
    Sasha dashed to the exit with the rest.
    “No.” Renee grabbed her arm. “Get to a corner!”
    Before they could move, a large man barreled past, growling and shoving bodies from his way. His paw caught Renee’s head and threw her, like a rag doll, against Sasha. They stumbled back, knocking over lit candles. Sasha doused the infant flames before they nipped her dress, while Renee regained the balance a stronger soldier would never have lost.
    A few paces away, Savoy overturned a side table and dragged a protesting King Lysian behind it for cover. The king struggled, but Savoy kept him pinned. Renee watched, dimly aware that she couldn’t have done that either.
    A chorus of wails rose beside the door. Half the bodyguards threw themselves against it, as if their shoulders could crack the heavy wood. The other half found cover for their wards and awaited rescue. No one worked together. Bloody gods, they likely had