Dunwood looked impressed. “You aren’t kidding, are you? That young man is THE Coyote?”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” I said. Then I saw my chance. “But, you know, they don’t call him the trickster for nothing. He loves playing pranks on people who know him.” I shrugged. “He says he likes for the victims to know who to give credit to.” Then came the clincher. “Taz offered him and MacDougal membership in the pack under one condition. The pack is now off limits for their tricks.”
Now to wait and see if he would take the bait.
He was quiet for a minute, obviously thinking about my statement.
“Exactly what kind of tricks are we talking about here?” he finally asked.
A fair enough question. “Well, they put a rooster in the rabbits' backyard that kept waking them up and hair remover in Jed’s shower gel,” I stopped there. I really didn’t want to have to admit to my spider episode. The farther I could put it out of my mind, the better.
“Hair remover?” Did I detect a bit of a squeak in his voice? Or maybe a touch of a tremor? I tried to hide my smile. And men said we women were vain.
“Yes. Good thing he didn’t use it as a shampoo too, huh?”
Dunwood nodded. “I’d say.”
We walked over and settled under a tree within sight of the rift. Nothing was happening and we sat in silence for a few minutes. I waited him out. I’d already given him the information he needed.
Finally, he took a deep breath. “You think your sister’s offer to join the pack is still open?”
Yes! There were those darned emotions again. Why were they so much stronger here? I damped them down as much as I could and smiled at him.
“You bet it is,” I said. “And truthfully, now that the Coyote knows you as a person, I wouldn’t recommend waiting too long to take her up on it.”
“I won’t.”
Taz’s timing must be rubbing off on Jed because he and Coyote picked that precise second to pop back up right in front of us.
Dunwood jumped and had his gun in hand before thinking. Good reflexes, that.
The men worked together for the next half hour, and I took the opportunity to check out the area a little further out from the rift. No surprises there.
When they were finished, Coyote seemed a bit disappointed when Jed asked Dunwood for a ride back home. To be quite honest, I was a tad bit disappointed myself.
WHEN DUNWOOD PARKED and we all climbed out of the car, Tazlyn came running from the house. She threw herself into Jed’s arms, crying.
I had a blade in hand in a heartbeat, but a quick sweep of the area didn’t yield any signs of danger. The rabbits were standing on the porch and when Rose saw my look, she just shook her head.
“You can put your blade up,” she said. “There’s no danger here that we know of.”
Even as I sheathed my sword, Jed was lifting Taz’s head from his now damp shirt. “What has you so upset, love?” he asked.
"Oh Jed, the very worst thing happened. The church is flooded! We can’t have the wedding there. And it’s in three weeks!”
Granted I haven’t really known my sister all that long, but I had never seen her so distraught. Not even when it had looked like she wasn’t going to make it out of Faerie alive. She had been a rock.
Now this over a flooded church?
He closed his eyes and laughed softly. “That’s all this is about?”
Taz took a major exception to his words. Jerking away from him, she stared at him in horror. “Didn’t you hear me? The wedding is in three weeks! And your parents are coming!”
"Yes, love, but I hardly think that's worse than what I had originally thought. You've no idea what images...." He stopped himself, obviously deciding on a different tactic. “Remember, you have a pack behind you now. We'll find another place for our wedding. We will still get married and live happily ever after. You'll see."
"In three weeks? Your parents are flying in and everything!"
Okay, so now my sister was repeating herself. This wasn’t the Taz I had come to know. What was this wedding thing doing to her?
Rose stepped off the porch and walked over, putting a comforting hand on Taz’s shoulder. “I tried to tell her it would be fine,” she said. “We’ll spend a couple of days calling around to churches and find another one. And if we can’t, then we’ll have a lovely outdoor wedding right here.”
Taz sniffed. “But I really wanted to impress Mrs. Crowe. It isn’t every day you meet the mother of a Spirit Hunter.”
Jed smiled down at her. “She’s going to love you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Almost as much as I do.”
The change in my sister was pretty dramatic as she chose that moment to bounce back to her normal self. She scrubbed her face dry and then turned back to Rose. “Well, what are we waiting for?”
The two of them walked back into the house, leaving me standing there wondering. I’d seen women ride the mood swings like that before.
And I had a funny feeling I knew the reason behind Taz’s. If I was right, we’d all know for sure soon enough.
Chapter 6
Dunwood kept his promise and spent the entire day with us. Well, with me anyways.
Once we got back from the rift, it took us a matter of a half an hour to set up a target shooting area in the middle of the woods facing a small hill. Far from society, houses, or people. Then the lessons began.
"There are basically two ways to hold a gun while shooting," Dunwood said. "You can hold it one handed and fire. To me, a one-handed grip means that you gain flexibility, but you lose accuracy. The two-handed grip, however, gives you better stability and accuracy, but you somewhat lose flexibility."
I nodded. Made sense. "I'm guessing you use the two-hand grip." He just seemed the stable, accurate kind of man to me.
He smiled. "Usually, yes. But once you are an adequate shooter, you can choose the grip to fit the situation... and of course, the gun. I wouldn't recommend trying to fire a big caliber handgun with a one-handed grip."
Reaching into his pack, he pulled out two sets of what looked to be heavy duty ear muffs. Seeing my puzzled look, he said, "Ear protection. I know you won't have it when you shoot in real life, but for target practicing where there is going to be a lot of guns firing, it's just a good idea." He shrugged. "Guns are loud."
At this point, I had to take his word for it. Taz and Jed had promised to teach me to shoot, but as of yet, the timing had not been right. Taz was taking planning a wedding way too seriously, and Jed (when not out with his day job) was constantly out patrolling the woods for Faerie assassins. As if we didn't already have that covered. Men.
Taz had loaned me her .38 Smith & Wesson five-shot revolver for the lesson, and Dunwood had not only his personal handgun, but a rifle in his trunk. This was going to be a very productive day for me.
Jed had supplied us with a stack of targets. They looked odd to me, but as we were merely shooting to judge our accuracy, they would do. They were big square sheets of paper, with a printed circle on them. Well, actually many circles. Circles within circles. As Dunwood explained it to me, the object was to hit the very center circle. It made sense that was the very smallest of the circles.
He went first to show me how it worked, and so that I wouldn't be too startled by the sound of the gun. Standing back and a little to the side, I had a good view. Though I would admit it to no one, I was having no small amount of trouble focusing on the target.
The other times I had seen Dunwood, he had been in his sheriff's clothes. And while that outfit definitely suited him, what he was wearing today actually made my attraction to him worse. Or better, depending on how you looked at things. It was a struggle to concentrate on his stance, grip, and the target. He really did have an amazing backside.
He hadn’t been kidding about the gun being loud, and I was grateful for the ear muffs. Back in Faerie, every sound was subtly muted. There were almost never any sudden, sharp noises such as this. It would take som
e getting used to. Swords were silent. So were arrows. At first, it didn't make sense as to why mankind's weapons had evolved into guns. Why would anyone want a weapon that so loudly announced its presence?
But then I saw the damage that Dunwood was doing to the target and the speed at which he was doing it. Yes, I could have matched the damage with my bow, but I couldn't come close to matching that speed. Very useful indeed.
When he had emptied his gun, he took down his target and put up a fresh one. Then he motioned for me to step up to where he had stood.
I did, and once he had stepped out of the way, I mimicked his shooting stance and two-handed grip as best I could. I stood there for a moment, getting the feel of the stance and the weapon.
Dunwood must have mistaken the reason behind my delay in shooting. He came up from behind and put his arms around me. Not that I was complaining, but I thought his timing was a bit off. I mean, I was holding a loaded weapon.
But it seemed romance wasn't his aim. He reached around me and took my hands in his, making a very slight correction in my grip, then stood with his hands resting light as feathers on my wrists for support.
"Now just line up the end of the gun with where you want to hit on the target and gently pull back on the trigger," he said.
I did. But not with the result I had wanted. I totally blame the distraction for my grievous miss.
"I'm impressed," he said. "You're a natural." Dunwood, however, didn't seem to see how bad my aim had been. Could he not see the target?
I wasn't really understanding. I'd completely missed that center circle. The hole from my shot was in the next circle over. I'd missed.
He took his arms away, and while I missed the feel of their touch, it did make for a clearer mind. I didn't miss with any of the other four shots. Unfortunately, after the first hit, you couldn't really see where the others landed. But from Dunwood's whistle, he knew as well as I did. They went right where that second bullet did, and into the trunk of the tree behind the target.
I glanced down at my sister's gun and then looked wistfully at Dunwood's. His held a lot more shots. There would be a time when five just wouldn't be enough. I had made some pretty powerful enemies when I had walked out of Faerie.
He chuckled. "Yeah, mine's bigger. And it packs a bit more of a wallop too. Though don't get me wrong, a .38 caliber will still stop a person if you know where to aim." He paused. "Somehow I don't think that will be a problem for you."
He walked over to the target and pulled it down. Then he took out his pocket knife, (ha, mine was bigger which somehow made me feel better) and quietly dug out all four bullets. Then he looked back at me and shrugged.
"Sorry, had to be sure," he said. "I haven't seen shooting like that outside of competitions. I thought you said you wanted to learn about our weapons, but I don't think there is much I can teach you if you shoot like this."
"Actually, you taught me a lot," I said. "I guess once you learn to aim one type of weapon, it isn't hard to switch over to another type. I mean, pointing the end of an arrow and pointing the end of a gun really isn't all that different." I grinned. "And if you really want to be impressed, you should see me with my bow."
Dunwood grinned back. "I'd like that. But just to be clear, guns do have some advantages to bows." He ticked them off on his fingers. "One, they are easier to carry. Two, the ammunition is easier to carry. And three, they can shoot with accuracy for a lot farther distance."
I shrugged. "I'll agree with the first two. The third you'll have to prove to me. I can pretty much hit anything I can see with my longbow. And if you can't see it, I don't think you can really shoot it with a gun either."
His grin got bigger. “That what scopes are for. They can help a person see farther.” He glanced down at his pistol. “Not much use for handguns, but a rifle with a scope would out distance the accuracy of a bow by a long shot.”
I still wasn’t convinced. "Before we get into a match of bow against gun, can I have a try with yours?" I asked with a pointed glance at his weapon. I really wanted to see how a bigger gun felt. When I watched him shoot, I had seen the gun jump a bit in his hand. If I ever had to shoot such a weapon, I really didn't want any surprises.
He slid the clip out, verified that there wasn't anything in it, and handed it to me—grip first. I understood the revolver's mechanisms and loading, but the clip confused me. He took a minute to show me how it worked. Basically, his gun gave you a lot more shots than my sister’s puny little five. And to top it off, as long as you had extra clips handy, you could reload in about the same time it would take me to notch one arrow.
"I'll add a number four to your gun's advantages over my longbow," I said. "Speed."
He nodded. "Yup. Missed that one."
There was more of a jump to his gun, but not enough to keep my shots from hitting their mark. And I have to admit, I liked the heavier weapon more than the smaller one. If ever I went back to Faerie... scratch that, when I went back to Faerie, I would need all of the advantages that the larger gun could give me.
Taz had been teaching me about how money worked here. Not that I had any. But I had to know.
"How much does a weapon like this cost?"
He shrugged. "Depends on the maker of the gun and what features you want really. Mine is a Glock .45 caliber, not one of the cheapest choices. I can help you shop for one when you are ready to buy. Help you get a good deal."
I sighed and followed his ritual before handing him back his weapon. "Unfortunately, that will have to wait until I find a way to earn money here."
"Do you know how to type?" he asked.
"What is type?"
"I'll take that as a no," he said. "So, you wouldn't work for the office position I have open. What kind of work did you have in mind?"
"Anything I can do, actually, that will pay me money. I'm strong, but I don't have a lot of skills that people here seem to take for granted. After all, I saw my first computer about a month ago, and it seems most jobs are kind of dependent on knowing how to work them." I thought for a minute. "That's what type is, isn't it?"
"Close enough," he nodded. "Well, I'll keep my eye out for something for you. I know a lot of people in town, so I'll ask around."
I smiled at him. Strong and nice, what a great combination.
"Thanks, that means a lot." I paused, not ready to call our time together over. "Would you be interested in testing out that accuracy theory? My tree house is right over there, and I can have my long bow here in just a couple of minutes."
"Longbow against handgun? How could I possibly resist that?"
I left him there and ran to my tree house and back in record time. I brought my longbow and a dozen arrows back with me.
His eyes seemed to get bigger when he saw my bow. Then he gave a long, low whistle.
"That's a beauty," he said. "May I take a look at it?"
"Sure. You let me handle yours." I didn't understand why he turned so red, but I handed over my bow for him to examine.
He ran his hand over it with what almost seemed like reverence. "I've been wanting a bow like this for a long, long time. But they are way out of my price range." He looked up at me. "If you can't afford a handgun, how on earth did you afford this?" Then his face cleared. "Or did you bring this from..."
I shook my head. "No, the only things I brought from over there were my swords, my dagger, and the clothes I was wearing at the time." I pointed to the bow. "That, I made with my own two hands. I've been making bows for a very long time. I outfitted the entire Seelie Royal Guard with my crafted bows. Arrows too, for that matter."
It wasn't all that hard to tell that he didn't really believe me. Though why he didn't was beyond me. I mean, I have skills. Just not ones that are likely to get me a job here. America doesn't even have a Royal Family, so my old position doesn't exactly lend me help.
He looked back at the bow. "How long does it take to make something like this?"
"Depends on the wood you use and how well i
t's seasoned. I've found enough staves to make another five bows. When we first got here, I had thought to make them to arm the guards that came with us. But they've pretty much all went their own ways by now." And with them went my sparring partners.
"But to answer your question, this one took about a week. And I have another almost finished. You can have it if you want it... when I get it done, I mean. I like to stay busy, and this is something I'm good at." I grinned. "I'm even willing to bet my bow will match your gun in accuracy."
He hefted the bow, feeling its balance and weight. "Can I draw it?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Don't know, but you look strong enough. If you're used to bows, you should be able to."
Dunwood smiled and shook his head. "I keep forgetting how literal you are. I meant to say, may I draw it?"
"Sure, but wait just a minute." I pulled out my leather arm guard, placed it on his forearm, and laced it up. "I'd feel bad if my bowstring tore your arm up."
He glanced down at the guard and nodded. "Nice craftsmanship on the leather work. Yours too?"
"Yes. I was lucky that Jed had some scrap leather he let me have. They aren't hard to make, but kind of important to have if you are going to shoot."
Dunwood lifted the bow and carefully brought the string back to his chin. He held it there for a few seconds before gently releasing it. "Good draw too. If you aren't asking too much for it, I'd be very interested in buying that one you've got almost complete."
"Buying it?" I was a little confused. "It is yours for the asking. Your bravery saved my sister's life. A bow and a few arrows are little compared to that."
He shook his head. "That wasn't bravery. I'd love to have one, but only if you let me buy it." Dunwood looked thoughtful. "Or perhaps a trade? I have quite a collection of guns. I'll have to do all the necessary paperwork to make you legal to own one, but I'd be thrilled to trade one of my guns for the bow."
His hand trailed down the bow lovingly. I’d never wanted to actually be a bow before. How can you be jealous of wood?
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