She decided she would keep her own counsel knowing that such questions were likely to be met with scorn by the two elves in her party.
* * *
As the day wore on, they began scouting for a good spot to spend the night. Lana rode alone on the horse to give it a break from Clay’s added weight. He walked a short distance ahead of them so Lana and Nym found themselves alone for the most part. There was an uncomfortable silence between the two women, each of them unsure of the other.
After a time, Nym spoke up. “So tell me, Rowan, how did you two meet?”
Lana considered her answer for a time and then gave the safest response she could think of, “We met. If you want the story, you will have to ask Clay.”
“Of course,” Nym said, nodding. “I suppose I only wanted to hear a love story. I spend much of my time on the road with… this and that. I have little time to socialize, you see. Forgive me if I overstepped.”
Despite her reservations, Lana could feel herself warming to the woman. Nym had a lost, wistful look in her eyes. Perhaps she was a romantic at heart.
“Have you ever been in love?” she asked.
A cloud passed over Nym’s eyes and she turned her head away from Lana.
“Yes, I think so,” she said. “But it didn’t last.” She looked as if she wanted to say more, but Clay had turned and was jogging back to them.
“There is a small stream ahead near a thicket of trees,” he told them. “The cover is good and we may not find a more suitable spot if we continue to search. I say we stop for the night.”
Lana knew that he hadn’t slept since before her kidnapping and he must have been exhausted. She could see the weariness etched in his face. All of this just to steal me away. I must be worth an awful lot to someone in the elven lands, she thought wryly.
They approached the stream and the women climbed down from their horses. Lana was not a very good rider, she’d only had a few lessons in the castle courtyard until a stray arrow had struck the ground barely a foot away from where her horse stood and that was the end of that. All of that fuss and it was only a servant’s child practicing their archery but she was never allowed to ride again. Suffice it to say, Lana was sore in places she didn’t even know could be sore so she was relieved to dismount.
Clay took the horses from the women and tied them to a nearby tree so they could graze a bit and rest. He took off their saddles and began brushing their coats. Lana, still not totally sure of herself with the beasts, carefully went to each of them to give them pats on their noses. She wanted to be friendly with the horses so they wouldn’t try to buck her off on a whim. They seemed to appreciate the attention, pushing their mouths against her hand hoping for a snack.
She hobbled over to where Nym was spreading out her bedroll and relieving herself of her burdens. She had set her bow aside and Lana reached out to touch the weapon.
“Do you shoot?” Nym asked her, noticing her interest.
“No,” Lana replied softly. “I don’t know how to use any weapon, really.”
“Would you like to learn?” Nym offered, smiling at her in a friendly way.
Lana thought for a moment. Perhaps it would be good to know how to protect herself. There was no telling what danger they may come upon during their travels.
Before long, Nym found a dead tree to serve as a target. She placed her hand upon its trunk and waited, then informed Lana that it no longer had a voice. Lana could sense her sadness and tried to offer comfort, but Nym shrugged her off, saying that all things lived and died and at least this one still had a purpose to serve.
Before she would let Lana loose an arrow, Nym made her practice standing, correcting this and that until she was satisfied. Then she made her practice just holding the bow, not even drawing it, until Lana’s grip was the proper amount of firm and yet relaxed. Finally, Lana was allowed to nock an arrow and draw it back.
Lana saw that Clay had finished with the horses and was sitting nearby, watching them quietly. Her arms were already sore from simply holding the bow steady with tension on the bowstring while Nym spoke to her about her breathing, relaxing her shoulders, finding the target and so on. Finally, she allowed her to loose the arrow and it flew from the bow, missing the target by probably six feet or more.
Blushing, Lana went to retrieve the arrow. Nym laughed in a good natured sort of way.
“That was good, it doesn’t matter if you hit the target or not,” she told her. “I mean, if we were in a fight it would matter but right now what you need to practice is your breathing and your posture. Your aim will come in time. Try it again.”
So Lana tried it again, and again, and again. She spent probably a good hour or so working on the bow until her arms were screaming and her aim went from getting better to getting worse. Nym called for a halt and Clay stepped away to begin preparing their dinner.
Lana
