A Place To Bloom

The Hunted

Dax, Wan, and John stood with me and Ta'o. Dax had a blur of red chalk clumped up with sweat in the center of his broad, muscular chest, and Wan had been shot on the top of his shoulder.

I saw that one coming; she'd clung to a massive tree trunk high up in the canopy and caught us as we walked beneath. Had that been a real arrow, it would have cut straight through a lung, then possibly sliced through the heart on its way down through his stomach.

Segay limped with one arm draped over Gaedi's cousin-in-law Jorven's shoulder, and his other arm around Josha's. She'd nailed him right above his kneecap.

A real arrow, he'd never walk the same, if he was lucky.

Rool was carrying one of Segay's arms when she got him in the back of his thigh. Presently, the giant was being carried by Gaius Mango's Bane, and Hereim, who'd won the archery tournament.

Only Rolon, Haron, and Faris had their bows out, scanning the trees, looking up as well as out this time, while Faris didn't know how to hold his. Every time he walked past a fern, the arrowhead snagged.

Wood zipped through the trees from our right, and a chalk-tipped arrow smacked into the side of Josha the Kid's chest. "OWW! FUCK!"

He'd have had thirty seconds to contemplate his life.

Josha let go of Segay's hand and crumpled to the ground, holding his hand around the clump of red where the arrow hit him.

Dax laughed and spoke quietly. "Hurts like hell, doesn't it!"

"Shh!" Ta'o snapped. The man brought a writing tablet and a stack of paper with a clump of sharpened coal. I'd planned to observe, but Ta'o was literally taking notes.

Faris fired an arrow into the woods.

Rolon studied the area where it had come from, but didn't return fire this time.

Haron kept watch in all other directions. "Alright. Faris, you carry Segay..."

Faris, the same man who'd climbed the outer wall back at the castle, shook his head. "I'm not fucking carrying him, man."

Haron faced him. He had the four lines of a huge bear-claw scar across his ripped, muscular chest and had several inches on him. "Fucking carry him, man."

"Why don't you carry him?" Faris had a stocky build and plenty of scars and dents on his square face already.

"You can't even fucking shoot, man!" Haron was getting loud. Beside me, John nodded his chin to count out the number of seconds they spent arguing.

Rolon the alleged brown-noser stepped in. "Guys stop, man. Every time we argue, she gets an easy shot. Haven't you noticed?"

Segay grinned wide and taunted them. "Am I that bad?"

Jorven, who still carried his other arm, answered. "Of course you are, man. Did you even bathe last night?"

Segay answered. "Right after I fucked yer mum."

Jorven shook his head. "Shit, man. I been trying to wash that bitch's cunt off me my whole life. Guess you struggle with it, too?"

Haron closed his eyes to laugh. I laughed. Ta'o covered his eyes and fought hard, but a few chuckles escaped him as well. John grinned, but still counted the seconds.

And while we were laughing, another practice arrow zipped through the air and pegged Rolon angled at the center of his back. Had that been a real arrow, it would have either stuck in his spine, or sliced through his vertebrae and shredded a lung on its way out.