by Kal Spriggs
“Isn't that the point?” Gerlin asked with a smirk.
Katarina rolled her eyes at him, but walked determinedly towards the sounds of mock combat. It would be just like some of their younger recruits, she thought suddenly of Aerion, to steal away and run amok with their practice weapons.
She crested a slight rise and then found herself one of several people drawn to the sounds. It took her a moment to identify the combatants,
She saw Aerion immediately and recognized a couple of the other younger recruits who seemed to be his companions. The sight of Arren reassured her that while perhaps impromptu, the combat at least had some supervision.
She watched as Arren led Josef through how to use the back of his hammer as a hook, both to pull a weapon or limb out of the way for an attack and to trip or topple an opponent. Katarina didn't know much about the use of a hammer, but it seemed a useful technique. The big farmer would make a good fighter, she thought, though he didn't seem drawn to combat like some others.
She found her gaze fall on Aerion, however. She watched as he traded off partners. He, Walker, and Quinn seemed to trade a series of blows then step back when one proved the victor and the next would step in to the fight. “That seems like a good idea,” Katarina said, and pointed with her chin.
Gerlin grunted, “Good for practice and good to build endurance too. I'll have to make sure to recommend it to Bulmor.”
She nodded, but her mind had already focused on something that bothered her. Her suspicions that Walker came from a noble family seemed accurate. He clearly fought like a fencer, in some ways, with his light blades. Yet he had lightning reflexes and he seemed to have no thought of defense. Against Quinn and then when Josef moved to fight him, he invariably slipped an attack through their defenses after only a handful of blows. Even when Arren took a turn, Walker seemed to win most of the time, though it took him longer against the experienced old man.
It surprised her, though, at how quickly Aerion adapted to Walker's style. She saw him turn one of Walker's own moves against him after just one bout. Aerion moved with a panther's grace, a mixture of speed and power that his opponents seemed to find difficult. “He learns quickly, doesn't he?” She asked and she flushed a bit as she heard the appraisal in her voice. I am not feeling anything for him, she told herself, just seeing his value to the cause.
“Yes, Aerion's always been a quick learner,” a woman's voice said from nearby.
Katarina turned, she recognized the short, blonde woman instantly, “Oh, hello.”
“Lady Katarina, I see that the afternoon's entertainment has drawn you as well,” Eleanor said and gave a gesture at the growing crowd. “Your little injunction to rest seems to hold better with some than some others.”
“I suppose so,” Katarina said. “I am surprised at how well your son has taken to fighting,” she shrugged, “I mean, after three months he's shown a huge improvement.”
“My son has had to grow up quickly in a lot of ways,” Eleanor answered. “And I understand that Arren has worked with him quite a bit.” Something about her voice suggested that she wasn't sure that last was a good thing. Katarina frowned at that, a bit confused as to what the woman had against Arren Smith.
Katarina nodded, “Yes, and I seem to remember Bulmor saying he worked with him some extra. But he takes to it well. I'm glad of it, what with the dangers we have faced.”
“Yes,” Eleanor said. “Me too. I would rather he seek out something besides combat to excel at, but if that is what draws him, I am happy that he shows such skill.” She paused and Katarina saw something flash behind her dark eyes. “So, I hear that you were raised in Marovingia, my Lady. How does it feel to be home?”
Katarina smiled slightly, “Sometimes it doesn't feel like home at all. And truth to tell, I have spent so much time worried about Hector that I have not yet had a chance to catch my breath.” She sighed, “Yet, it feels good. I feel... more complete here, and that I have purpose. I just hope that we don't do more damage to the Duchy in removing Hector than we can repair.
Eleanor gave a nod, “Yes, I can understand that. The worst thing to happen would be a civil war like in the Duchy of Asador.” She cocked her head, “Did you have many friends, back in Marovingia, a sweetheart perhaps?”
Katarina looked at the other woman. Her comment seemed out of place, “No. There I was an exiled noble, one without money or troops. My uncle... well, he quite generously allowed me residence at his estate in the country and I traveled with him some on his campaigns. His two sons, my cousins, were friendly, but the youngest was five cycles older than me and far more interested in the Legion than his exiled cousin.” Katarina shrugged. “As for sweethearts...” Katarina hesitated, tempted to rebuff the other woman's intruding questions yet also she wished that she could win her over. Eleanor's words seemed to carry extra weight among the mountain folk. She finally decided just to speak the truth, “I am the heir to the Duchy of Masov. I learned at an early age that my heart is not mine to give. Love... that's something that belongs to those without duties and without the responsibility for their lands and people.”
“A noble sentiment,” Eleanor said softly. “I've heard such before, that nobles can not afford to love, yet I think that we are all of us human.” For some reason, Katarina found her gaze return to the scene below, where Aerion fought now against Josef and Quinn.
“In any case, I was on my way to practice some with my bow, would you care to accompany me?” Eleanor asked. “It's been cycles since I trained with it, but I used to be quite a good shot.” She had something of an edge to her voice.
Katarina was about to politely decline. She heard Gerlin clear his throat, and gesture slightly with his chin at the bow that Eleanor carried.
She looked at it and barely kept a hiss of shock from escaping her lips. She'd seen and handled runic swords before. She had heard of runic spears, lances, even throwing axes and arrows. She had never heard of a runic bow.
She looked up and met Eleanor's eyes. Katarina saw amusement there, and something of a challenge. “Certainly.”
***
Lady Katarina Emberhill
Katarina had visited the archery range, such as it was, earlier in the day, when Gerlin had evaluated the proficiencies of various recruits with ranged weapons. Unsurprisingly, most of Aerion's village seemed to have at least a passable skill with bows and many had their own weapons. Some of the other recruits could use a bow with great skill, but none matched the ability of Samen or his brother Rane.
For that matter, Gerlin can't match Samen's archery,she thought wryly, reminded of how sourly Gerlin had taken his loss.
She saw Samen stood near the firing range. The lean archer had his bow, and Katarina watched with amazement as he sent an arrow in a long arc to strike one of the man-shaped thatch targets two hundred feet distant. He turned as they approached, and gave a broad grin, “Lady Katarina, good afternoon. Gerlin, care to make another wager?”
“We came to see Miss Eleanor shoot, actually,” Gerlin said, his voice somewhat sour. Katarina remembered the offhand bet from earlier and Gerlin had seemed shocked that the other man had so easily out-shot him. Gerlin takes so well to being bested, Katarina thought with a smile.
“Oh, Eleanor, I don't think I've ever seen you shoot,” Samen said. The hunter gave her a smile.
She smiled slightly and Katarina felt a surge of envy at the dimples she revealed. The small woman might have a grown son, but with her height, blonde hair, and beauty, she still looked like a young woman. Her dark eyes, smooth complexion, and wide, shapely lips all seemed unfair considering she didn't come from nobility and therefore got to use her looks to her advantage all the time. Not to mention the fact that she made Katarina feel like an overgrown cow.
“What kind of wager did you have with the scout, here?” Eleanor asked, her smile polite and inviting.
Katarina rolled her eyes as Samen leaned back against a post. He clearly liked to brag about his skill with archery. “Wh
y, just a minor wager. Gerlin here said that he though he could out-shoot me with a bow, and we ranged off, each taking turns, three shots per target.” He shot Gerlin a smirk, “Wager was ten Solari, as I remember.”
“So much?” Eleanor asked. “Why, you must have taken a collection.” Her tone was one of appreciation, yet Katarina caught a look of calculation behind the other woman's eyes.
Samen shrugged, “Not really, Rane and I had a good trade in furs with a couple merchants down at Zielona Gora. We had the coin between us.” He glanced at Katarina and had the grace to cough, “We... may not have mentioned that to the tax collectors, as I remember.”
“I am hardly heartbroken to hear that you cheated the Usurper out of some coin,” Katarina said dryly. She shook her head, “Though I somehow doubt you would mention such business to those of my father's either.”
“I think if you let me use my crossbow, I could win that money back,” Gerlin said suddenly. “He gave a smirk, say... double or nothing?” He glanced at Katarina, “If you don't mind, my Lady.”
“No, go right ahead.” Katarina smiled. The look of mischief in his eyes suggested that he felt he had a good chance to win. For that matter, Katarina had seen him shoot with the crossbow before and she knew his skill. She would be surprised if he couldn't at least give Samen a run for his money. Gerlin pulled a pouch out of the top of his boot and placed ten coins on top of the second post.
“Well, then,” Eleanor said. She reached into her skirts and pulled out a pouch. She pulled ten coins and set them on the post. “Count me in as well.”
“What?” Samen said. “But Eleanor, I can't take your money!” He sounded shocked, though that he felt the conclusion so forgone set Katarina's teeth on edge.
“Why not?” Eleanor said with a wicked grin. “You'll take his and he's a fellow fighter against Hector's men. Besides... as you've said, you never saw me shoot. But if you're too proud to test yourself against me...”
Samen pursed his lips, “You remind me why I chose to marry Gwen. Your tongue always had a rough side. Very well,” He pulled twenty Solari out himself and put it on the post. “Though I suspect your boy would be disappointed at the waste of coin.”
Eleanor's smile disappeared. “For that implication, Samen, I will give you only one warning. You raise your child in your way and I shall raise my son in my own.” The chill in her voice caused Samen to pale slightly, but he gave her a slight nod.
Eleanor moved over to the small stack of bows and, after a moment, selected one. She strung it, and then looked over to Samen, “May I fire a few arrows to get the feel of the weapon?”
He shrugged, “Certainly. It's only fair.”
He had no sooner spoken than Eleanor drew and released the first arrow.
She fired at the first target. At twenty-five feet the arrow flew in a straight line to thunk solidly into the target, only a couple inches off the center. Before Katarina could comment, a second arrow flew out, another solid hit on the second target.
Katarina watched in shock as Eleanor drew and loosed three more arrows in quick succession. Eleanor aimed each at a different target. All but the last impacted their targets.
Eleanor looked down at the bow and she stretched her shoulders. “Draw is a bit off center,” She said, as if to herself. She gave a slight nod, very reminiscent of Aerion when someone explained something to him. Katarina saw Samen open his mouth to make a suggestion, but before a word could leave his mouth, Eleanor seemed to move in a blur.
Her first shots had run from the nearest to one of the more distant targets. Her shots now alternated targets. A stream of arrows seemed to fly out from the small woman and though not all struck their target, it took only a moment for the small woman to empty her quiver. Eleanor lowered her bow, and she gave a nod. “That should do for practice. Let me retrieve my arrows and we can start this contest.”
Katarina looked over at Gerlin, but he and Samen just stared at each other.
“I've never seen shooting like that,” Katarina said softly, as Eleanor retrieved her arrows. It seemed odd, to her, that the woman would fire a bow with such skill. Aerion said his mother was a cook at the inn, Katarina thought. She wondered if Aerion really knew his mother.
“I have,” Gerlin said, “It's combat archery, you see it now and again, but it's brutal to learn and requires a lot of practice.” He shook his head, “It's not a skill you try to train most soldiers on. Most times you shoot at massed targets, lots of enemies. Hunters, like Samen, they most often have a single shot to make their target, so they take slow, precise shots.”
“She wasn't as accurate out at long range,” Samen said. To Katarina, he seemed to talk as much to convince himself as them. “And her bow doesn't have the pull to reach out as far as mine.”
Eleanor walked back towards them, she held one arrow in her hand, and frowned at the fletching, “It's crooked, I'll need to refletch it.” Katarina noted that she put it to the side. “Alright then, who starts?”
“I will,” Gerlin said. He pulled his crossbow off its sling, then put the first bolt in and took aim at the the hundred foot target. His first shot caught it perfectly in the center, and his second took it only a few inches to the side, his third struck right next to the first.
“Good shooting,” Eleanor said. She waited as Samen cautiously drew and loosed three arrows. All three hit the target, though one just outside Gerlin's bolts.
“My turn.” Eleanor drew and fired three arrows, without pause or hesitation. Each of them struck the target, though two hung outside of Samen's hits.
“I'll start next,” Samen said. He drew an arrow and knocked his bow, then drew it back and held it up at a high angle. He took a deep breath and released it. Katarina saw the look of concentration on his face. He seemed to will the arrow to release. That one and the two that he fired after it all struck the target at two hundred feet. The first struck at the center, while the other two impacted near the top. Katarina wasn't sure how he'd managed the hit.
Gerlin shook his head, “Well done.” He made some minor adjustments to his crossbow, and then took up a position to fire it. His first bolt struck dead on. Katarina felt a smile broaden on her lips, but then the second barely caught the bottom corner, and his third bolt cleanly missed.
“Well tried,” Samen said solemnly, “I've never seen someone with that accuracy over range with a crossbow. I didn't know it was possible.” His smug tone was gone, replaced by respect.
Gerlin gave a shrug, “Done a bit of hunting myself...”
Katarina looked over at Eleanor, who pursed her lips. “I think that there was a bit of a wind gust, there right at the target. Otherwise you would have been dead on.” Her voice was distracted, almost as if she were watching the air.
“Thanks,” Gerlin said. “You'd have to have eyes like a hawk to see that, but I appreciate it.” He sounded resigned more than anything.
Eleanor gave him a little smile, “Trust me, you would have had it. Alright, my turn again.” This time she hesitated a bit, as she stared down the field. Still, Katarina saw that once she went to draw her first arrow, she moved with the same speed and efficiency as before. She fired three arrows in as many seconds.
All three struck the target, two dead in the center and one on the outside.
Gerlin blinked in surprise, “That was fine archery, miss.”
She gave him a nod, “Thank you.” She looked over at Samen, “I go first this time, correct?” At his nod, she smiled a bit, “And I can choose any target?”
She didn't wait for him to answer. She drew and fired, her motions slower, now, yet still a smooth continuation as she fired, but her shots seemed almost vertical, and Katarina peered up into the cold blue sky to watch the arrows' flight.
She almost didn't see where they struck, an old tree stump at the base of the mountain some two hundred yards out, well past the last of the straw targets.
“That's... quite a shot,” Samen said softly.
“Well, it's as fa
r as we can go on this range,” Eleanor said with a shrug. “With my bow, I've shot further.”
“I see.” Samen sighed. He drew out his first arrow, looked it over critically, and then set it aside. He drew his second, and this seemed to meet his consideration. He drew his bow with glacial slowness and Katarina saw sweat break out on his brow as he stared at the distant tree stump.
He fired. The first arrow made an almost perfect arc and struck the ground directly next to the stump. Katarina saw him shake his head. “That was well done, Eleanor. I think I've learned my lesson for the day.”
“That's nice, Samen,” She replied. “Now why don't you be a dear and retrieve my arrows, while I collect these coins? Then you can see me shoot a real bow.”
Samen gave a loud laugh, joined quickly by Gerlin. Katarina watched the two men walk out on to the range while Eleanor first collected the coins and then unstrung the bow and placed it on the rack. “Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Katarina asked.
Eleanor turned with a smile, “I did some traveling when I was younger. I've always been a good shot... and when you shoot to protect yourself and your friends, you learn quickly... just as Aerion learns his skill with a sword quickly. And though I'd ask you don't tell Samen, I practice every day, only not where loose tongues will wag about my skills. More, I don't get drunk like him and brag about my prowess.”
“Well, if Aerion grows as proficient with a sword as you are with that bow... by the High Kings, he'd be incredible,” Katarina said. She shook her head, “You certainly showed the two of them, though, didn't you?”
“Oh, the lesson isn't entirely done,” Eleanor said softly. She picked up her runic bow and Katarina took the time to study the weapon. It was made of metal, and of a shape Katarina thought people called a recurve. Runes ran up both sides of the bow, carved into the golden metal of the bow, and inlaid with silver or some other bright metal. The string seemed to be made of the same bright metal.
The two men returned, and Eleanor drew the arrow she'd set aside before. “See that rock, near the tree stump?”