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“Yes, Corella.”
“What if you’ve never been taught how to use a bow?”
“Then you will learn today. You cannot always count on magic to save you. Begin!”
Janetta grabbed the shaft of an arrow. With the poise of a swan, Janetta lined up her shot, and . . .thunk. She turned at me, beaming.
“Show off,” I grumbled and took one of the feathered arrows out of the basket. I cringed at the idea of showcasing my horribly inept archery skills. I already knew how horrible a shot I was and really didn’t feel like sharing that truth. I tugged back on the bowstring, feeling the tension, and squinting at the red dot thirty feet away.One . . . two . . .
Not only did the arrow not hit the target, but it also flopped and barely made it a foot.
Giggles came from my left. Apparently, most of the girls had some basic archery skills. With the tear in the Rift between the Borderlands growing, everyone in Saol had to be prepared. The darkthings fed off magical energy, and sometimes a magical arrow or sword in the right spot would end them faster than a blast from a lightning bolt, but being born of fire, I didn’t need a weapon.
I was one.
If they knew about my heritage, no one would be laughing at me.
“Keep trying,” Janetta said as Alicia shot her bow and came within inches of hitting her mark.
“Yeah.” I sighed and grabbed another arrow.
Taking a deep breath, I lined it up, switching between closing my left and right eye to see which one made the shot easier, which was neither.
“Your form is wrong.” Baine’s sudden appearance made me jump and I shot the arrow, miserably.
“Thanks, that was extremely helpful,” I groaned and swung around to face him. “Don’t sneak up on people. It’s rude.”
Sunlight hit those lavender eyes of his and he damn near sparkled.
“Do you want the help,” he said evenly, “or do you prefer to continue to fail?”
My chest heaved with fury. “I don’t need any help. I’ll figure it out.”
We glared at one another, and he stepped closer until his whisper could only be heard by me. “You lack the skill to do so.”
If Baine wasn’t Lord Demious’ pet lackey, I would’ve had more than one choice word for him. Instead, I ignored the slight and kept my mouth shut. If Baine wanted to help, he had an odd way of showing it.
“I’ll take some help.” One of the sisters sauntered up to Baine and I quickly stepped back, examining my bow. She placed a hand on his bicep.
He glanced down at her hand then back up at her face. “Very well.”
“I’m Claudia,” she said with a smile. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
They stepped away and as they did, I wished I could burn the smirk right off Baine’s face.
