“That looks familiar,” Ezraan said, pointing at the bow.
“It should,” Khollo told him. “It’s yours. Janis gave it to me not long ago.”
“Ah, my first bow!” Ezraan said, recognizing it. “I remember now. My first real bow. May I?”
Khollo wordlessly handed the bow over.
“Magnificent,” Ezraan murmured, running a hand over the smooth wood. “Still in nearly perfect condition.” He tested the string himself, sliding it back to half draw before he could go no further. “But it seems I have lost my old strength,” he observed sadly. “Good draw weight. I’m glad you have found a use for it. Now, can you hit anything with it?”
Khollo grinned, sensing a challenge. “Just watch,” he said confidently.
Ezraan’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Back on your dragon then, and let’s see you shooting this time as Kanin engages. Pick targets well away from any of us, at least until you’re used to firing from dragon back.”
Khollo scrambled back to his seat and laid an arrow on his bowstring. When he and Kanin were ready, Ezraan began calling out commands again.
Immediately, Khollo began looking for suitable targets. He lost track of Ezraan’s commands and nearly lost his balance when Kanin suddenly lumbered forwards. Then the dragon breathed fire and the temperature rose noticeably. The wind blew the fumes back in Khollo’s face, making him cough uncontrollably.
When he had recovered, Khollo continued looking for targets. The problem was, there were no standing targets anywhere in the wide courtyard, and the pillars were made of stone and would damage his arrowheads. Finally, Khollo had to settle for a fallen branch about thirty meters away. He raised his bow, aimed carefully, and –
Kanin lurched forward, simulating another charge.
Khollo’s aim was thrown off and as a result his shot went wide of the mark, skating across the stone floor of the courtyard. Khollo swore and nocked another arrow, still aiming for the branch. He released again, and this time managed to hit the branch on its long axis towards the right end, causing the branch to spin across the courtyard.
“Halt!” Ezraan shouted.
Khollo remained where he was, shaking his head in disgust at his miserly performance.
“That was a ten-minute drill!” Ezraan called. “But you only took two shots.”
“No targets,” Khollo replied.
“Ah,” Ezraan looked around, appreciating this unforeseen problem. “Hmm. Well, we’ll have to do something about that. But you still missed the one target you found.”
Khollo hesitated. He didn’t want to blame Kanin for the missed shot, but the dragon had moved forward unexpectedly, albeit in response to one of Ezraan’s orders.
“I wasn’t expecting the advance,” Khollo admitted. “It caught me off guard.”
“You heard me give the order, didn’t you?”
Khollo frowned. “Actually . . . no, no I didn’t.”
“You didn’t?”
Khollo shook his head.
“But Kanin did.
“Yes.”
Ezraan looked up at Khollo. “You have to stay aware of what’s happening in the battle. If Kanin had tried to take off when you released that shot, it might have gone right through his wing membrane.”
That would hurt, Kanin observed. I am glad the order was not to fly.
Khollo shook his head. “Maybe I shouldn’t shoot from up here after all. It’s too risky.”
“Not if you pay attention,” Ezraan countered. “If you are in tune with Kanin’s thoughts and intentions, there is very little risk. If you become so close that you know what he is about to do before he even does it, you can plan for that.”
“Maybe,” Khollo replied doubtfully.
Ezraan shrugged. “Something to think about. Now, let’s see if we can’t fix that target problem.”
In the end, they had to leave the library courtyard for another clearing with more trees around it. Khollo took his position on Kanin’s back once more and waited for Ezraan to begin the commands again.
“Flame!” Ezraan shouted.
While Kanin breathed fire, Khollo brought his bow up smoothly and selected a target, a knothole in one of the trees where a branch had been broken off. He let the arrow fly and knew immediately that the shot was good. The young warrior nocked another arrow and twisted to his left.
“Advance!”
Khollo gripped Kanin’s body with his legs as the dragon rumbled forward, then fired another arrow off at a tree. The arrow was several centimeters to the left of where he had aimed, hitting the edge of the trunk rather than the center, but it was still a huge improvement over his miss at the library.
“Bite, bite, back!”
Khollo hit two more targets before Kanin retreated, moving backwards, wings slightly flared. Ezraan continued calling orders and Khollo continued shooting until he had emptied his quiver. Then, he drew his Sen-teel, twisting the two pieces together and twirling it experimentally.
“Flame! Bite! Ba – what the blazes is that?”
Kanin stopped, confused by this new order. Khollo realized that Ezraan was pointing to the Sen-teel.
“It’s a Sen-teel,” Khollo explained. “One of the smiths at the West Bank made it for me.”
Ezraan regarded the strange weapon curiously. “How does it work?” he asked, examining the two blades.
Khollo grinned and dismounted. “Just watch.” He began moving through the forms he had developed while sparring against Hern and Sermas, thrusting and slashing, following up with the second blade immediately, whirling and stabbing. Sometimes, he advanced in a series of half turns, striking with alternating ends of the Sen-teel on each step. Finally, Khollo reversed his grip on the Sen-teel and thrust behind him, skewering an imaginary foe who had been sneaking up on him.
“Impressive,” Ezraan muttered. “What gave you such an idea as this . . . Sen-teel?”
“It wasn’t entirely mine,” Khollo confessed. “The smith had already come up with the design. I just helped him build it and test it.”
“Ah,” Ezraan said, nodding.
