“Yes, I was hoping you could give Zorvut a full tour of the castle,” he said. “I’ll be at the archery range.”
“Of course,” the attendant replied as smoothly as if he had already known exactly what Taegan would ask of him. He turned to look at Zorvut, nodding at him as well. “If you would come with me, Prince Zorvut?”
They both paused at that—though it was truly his title now, Taegan had never referred to him that way.Prince Zorvut. Whatever emotion it elicited in Zorvut was unreadable to Taegan.
“Thank you,” Zorvut replied simply, and looked back at Taegan. “I will join you later, then.”
“Of course,” Taegan agreed, and watched them go, Aerik’s voice echoing through the hall for a moment as he began to explain the castle’s layout and history. Then, he turned and made his way back out onto the field.
The archery range was beginning to feel like the only place where Taegan could make any sense of the world. The tension of the bow string, the familiar whistle and snap of the arrows—these were all things he knew and understood. So he had his horse saddled and went for a brief ride around the castle grounds before returning to the range, focusing only on his craft: the horse and his bow.
He had been at it for a few hours, his muscles burning with exertion and his tunic damp with sweat, when he leapt off his horse to retrieve his arrows and noticed Aerik and Zorvut approaching from the direction of the castle. Taegan raised a hand in greeting, and Aerik’s head bobbed in acknowledgment.
“Forgive the interruption, my prince,” he said as they came within earshot. “I have given Prince Zorvut a tour of the castle, and have been showing him the gardens and grounds.”
“I can show him the archery range, then,” Taegan said, catching his breath and slinging his bow across his back. Behind him, Moonlight whickered nervously as they approached—glancing back, he could see her eyes trained on Zorvut. He could feel discomfort coming from Zorvut through the bond, noticing the horse’s fear—now that they were closer, his emotions were harder to ignore. Sighing, he patted the mare’s neck to calm her.
“I don’t mean to interrupt you,” Zorvut said, eyeing him up and down.
“No, I’d be happy to show you,” Taegan interjected quickly, and waved Aerik away. “I spend most of my time here. No one is better suited to give you the tour of it than me.” Zorvut watched Aerik step back politely and acquiesced with a nod of his head.
“Then let me help you get your arrows first,” he said, and approached the target. They made quick work of retrieving all the practice arrows, and Taegan deftly placed them back in his quiver before grabbing his horse’s lead and walking out toward the open green.
The archery range had a standard practice area, where straw targets lined the wall and most of the spare equipment was stored in a small shed. This was where Aerik and Zorvut had approached, but there was little of note otherwise. The bulk of the range was an open field, then a full mile of wooded paths.
“The field is best for flying targets, though it requires a partner,” Taegan explained as they walked—Moonlight had balked for the first few steps, but the longer they walked together, the more she relaxed. Zorvut was pointedly ignoring her, which seemed to help her settle, his gaze alternating between Taegan and the places he was pointing. “Occasionally we would perform battlefield simulations here, but we have a larger field on the other side of the castle that’s better suited for large-scale practice.”
“Aerik showed me the other training grounds,” Zorvut replied.
They walked from the field to the entrance of the wooded path. “Is this part of it, too?” Zorvut asked, trepidation and surprise coming from him.
“It is,” Taegan answered, stepping into the shade. “This is my favorite part. The paths go on for a mile. There are targets set up on trees and in the brush, which are changed out weekly. There are some enchanted moving targets as well, to help simulate a hunt.”
“What game do you hunt?”
“Deer and boar, mostly. But I like the challenge of smaller game as well, and fowl.”
As they walked along the main path, Taegan could see a faint glimmer in the air from the corner of his eye—he drew his bow quickly, startling Zorvut, but the glimmer burst into a shower of sparks as his arrow soared true, pinning the enchanted paper to a towering oak tree with a resounding thunk.
“Good shot,” Zorvut said, eyebrows raised.
“Thank you,” Taegan replied, a satisfied smile on his lips. Zorvut held out one of his hands.
“May I?” he asked. Taegan hesitated, then handed him the bow and an arrow—though it was a longbow, it was comically small in his much larger hands. Zorvut pulled the bowstring carefully, getting a feel for its weight, then glanced about as they walked. He drew the bow, and Taegan could see his eye trained on a small target nestled in the crook of a tree branch, partly hidden.
Thwack!The arrow sped toward its target and pierced it cleanly through—not quite the exact center, but it was a tricky angle. This time, Taegan’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Good shot,” he echoed as Zorvut handed him the bow back.
“I prefer the greatsword, myself,” Zorvut replied, glancing up at the target. “But I’ve been trained in most weapons.”
“You’re called the Relentless for a reason, I’m sure,” Taegan said, and a faint tendril of pride drifted from the bond, like smoke from a candle. “I may not look it, but I am an accomplished warrior in my own right.”
“You look it,” Zorvut remarked, eyeing him again. This time, the heat that coursed through the bond was unmistakable. “If we had met on the battlefield, I think we would have been quite evenly matched.” Taegan chuckled at that, a bitter laugh.
“I could take you out in one shot if you were a good distance away,” he said. “But if it were in close quarters, I’d say you would have had a significant advantage.” Somehow, this only seemed to cause a spike in the desire smoldering in the back of his head. He glanced up at Zorvut, who was watching him intently. “Do you enjoy thinking of how we might have killed each other?”
“No,” he replied, stepping closer to Taegan, closing the space between them so they were mere inches apart. “But you are confident, and strong, and proud. That is what attracts me.” Carefully, he lifted his hand to cup Taegan’s cheek—his thumb and first two fingers were all it took to encompass the side of his face. Heat sparked between them at the contact, and Taegan found himself leaning into Zorvut’s hand despite himself.
