Page 45 (1/2)

"Stop standing there and ripping shoot e ward at the center of his chest Again Shanjat loosed, this ti-eating son of a khaffit can shoot better than that!"

Shanjat growled, pulling another arrow to his cheek He had the weapon’s measure now, and his next shot would have taken the Par’chin in the shoulder, had he not caught the arrow in ht snatch a horsefly

"Pathetic," the Par’chin growled, holding up the arrow He turned to look at Shanvah "Your turn"

No sooner had he spoken than Shanvah had her bow raised, firing Jardir had not even known she was holding it

The shot was true, and the Par’chin gasped, de just in ti in the wall

Jardir was impressed Even he was a novice with the bow, but Shanvah and her spear sisters were trained by Enkido, whose naend in the Maze before he was even born

"Better," the Par’chin adht, like you’ve got a short bow Fine in close, but you’ll have e if you arc your shots"

"I’ll teach her," the Par’chin’s jiwah said Jardir expected Shanvah to protest, but she only nodded

"As for you …" the Par’chin said, turning back to Shanjat

Shanjat threw the bow to the ground "I do not need this coward’s weapon My spear will suffice"

"Reckon it’ll coreed, "but there’s lory, Shanjat You need to be able to shoot if you’re to protect your master"

"Am I to master this weapon in a day?" Shanjat asked "I have my pride, Par’chin, but not so much as that"

"Don’t need to" The Par’chin lifted one of the cross-shaped crank bows the Northern women favored It had a wooden stock, shod with steel like the bow and firing " was a weave of thin wire

Shanjat, too, recognized the device "A woai next?"

The Par’chin ignored hi a heavy shield, warded steel riveted onto a thick wood fraainst the wall He ers he tugged the thick bowstring back until it clicked in place, fitting a bolt

"Like this," he said, bracing the weapon against his shoulder and bringing it level with the floor, sighting down its length He handed the bow to Shanjat, who held it as he had been shown

"Finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot," the Par’chin said "Put your target between the lines at the end, keep steady, and squeeze"

KA-CHUNG! The bow recoiled, surprising Shanjat enough that he took a step back

"Missed," he said There was sharim as he moved to hand the weapon back

"Did you?" the Par’chin asked

Shanvah was across the roo the shield to inspect it All could see the finger she poked clear through from back to front "A clean hole" She looked behind her, then stepped away so the others could see the bolt, embedded in the rock wall