Paladin of the Peaceful Lady

Chapter Eleven Practice Interrupted

THUNK!

The broadhead sunk deep into the homemade target made of tightly bound straw. Just outside the bullseye.

With a sigh Jacob started walking thirty paces to the target to pull the arrow out, just like he had done on the well-worn path for what seemed the hundredth time that day. He hadn't been able to hit the bullseye solid since Mr. Drascal had left over two hours ago.

Why was he so frazzled? Just because he had mentioned Daria? If he was this rattled at the mention of her, how could he hope to compete at the summer festival with the whole town watching? With HER watching? He sighed again and, heaving on the heavy arrow, drew it out of the disheveled target. He took out the four other arrows he had shot, all over the straw as well. He was about to turn when he caught movement in the trees behind the large circular target.

He watched a moment and noticed nothing; with a shrug he went to turn back to his shooting spot again when he saw the movement again. THERE!

Out of the brush a hundred paces away he saw a figure crawl into view and look around. As the figure stood up the first thing he could see from this distance was that it must be a child, a small child. The child seemed to look around, then started a tilting awkward run towards the Miller's house.

Puzzled, Jacob called out to his mother who was grabbing clothing off the line, "MA! Look over there!" He used the end of his bow to point towards the figure coming to them. Julia stood from her wash basket and shielding her eyes from the low sun scanned towards where her son pointed. Jacob turned back to look at the trees again and saw three men come from the shadows. Two started chasing after the child and another calmy walked out from under the trees to stand in the open space leading to the house. He saw the man start to pull something from a bundle at his hip, an arrow Jacob realized.

Jacob heard a gasp from up the hill come from his mother, "It's young Jack!" Jacob looked up to his mother, but she was already sprinting down the slope towards the boy. Jacob had never seen his mother move so fast, indeed with her bulk he had never seen her do more than a few quick steps to slap him with a wooden spoon when he snuck a taste of jam or soup.

He turned back to the scene below him, Jack who he could see clearly now, was running frantically from the two men but he had a distinct limp. The small boy had only made it thirty paces from the trees and the two grown men were gaining on him.

Julia called to Jacob as she flew past him, "Bring your arrows and follow me!" Jacob collected his bow and five arrows and ran after his mother; he caught up to her in a few strides and barely kept up.

Julia kept talking to him as they ran towards Jack "When I tell you Jacob, you stop and you shoot those two men behind Jack, even if you miss they will be rattled. DON'T shoot the boy! Aim high and miss before you do that! I will either delay them or Gods willing you kill them, and we can all go back to safety before their archer shoots us. Now stop and loose!"

Confused and more than a little scared Jacob skidded to a halt trying to bring his breathing back to normal from the short run, they had gone maybe twenty paces, Jack was still a little over forty away and the two men closing fast.

Jacob stuck his arrows point first into the ground, he took one and knocked it, taking a deep breath and remembering what his mother said he took aim at the lead man behind Jack then aimed slightly high to be sure he missed the boy. He loosed and watched the arrow as he reached down and grabbed a second from the dirt. He saw the arrow travel what seemed like forever, right over the man he had aimed at. Jacob was about to curse himself for being too cautious when he saw the arrow skip off the scalp of the man behind who gave a yelp of pained surprise.