The Lady Shadowhive and her demon butler Lucius Dracovich

Archery Practice

Jade's POV
Ahh its been so long since i felt my bow in my hands, I need to set more time aside for practice otherwise i will lose my intimidation purposes when i have people under interrogation. Lucius was setting up the table near my archery range for afternoon tea, i wonder if Ciel does archery? Oh well i can ask him when he gets here. I set my quiver down and pulled out an arrow and notched it onto the string and drew back, i lined my sights with the small bullseye that stood 70 feet away from me and let a deep breath out. I released the arrow and watched as the arrow zoomed through the air and land in the center just the way i aimed it. Perfect. I smiled to myself and grabbed another arrow and aimed at my other target that stood 100ft away and drew the string back as i notched the arrow. I held the string and lined myself up with the bullseye and i felt the wind start blowing from the right and i turned my arrow into the wind at a 6 degree angle and then released the arrow and watched as it curved back to the target and landed in the center. I did a small jump of victory as my arrows still obeyed the commands of my aim even though i hadn't been able to practice in such a long time. It felt nice to have my bow in my hands. Its dark wood had carvings detailed down its curve as white string ran from end to end. It curled in a reverse curve at the top and reminded me of horns. I have always been a fan of archery, it all began when father wanted us to partake in a sport. I was always intrigued in the stories of archers and it seemed so mesmerizing to watch as the arrow would fly with such velocity and land on their target. Throwing knives are also fun to use, but they require a bit more force in the throw to make them hit their target. I saw Lucius walking towards the house again with his back to me and i saw the perfect opportunity to practice moving targets. I notched another arrow and aimed for his head. Since he was walking it would waver side to side so as i drew the string back and held it i aimed at where his head would be and released the arrow. It soared through the air at a rapid speed and when i thought it would hit its mark he turned and caught the arrow in his hand. I smirked and let out a scoff of laughter as i watched him enter the house to retrieve what i assumed would be the tea set since when i turned to look at the table every thing else was set. I was so happy Ciel would be coming over today, i wonder if he knows anything about archery. If he does i hope he would agree to firing a few arrows with me. My back was to the house again as i returned my focus to the firing range Lucius prepared for me many months ago. In my garden he had cleared aside and grown a hedge that measured 130 feet in length and 60 feet in width. Surprisingly it did not take him long to grow the hedge, he had used a special plant food that progressed its growth and soon my archery range was complete. He laid stone steps and set up a small rest area that i could relax in during breaks should i grow tired. It was separated from my garden since i did not want my guests to know of my hidden sport, so a little iron gate was the doorway into my small set aside world where i could indulge in one of my favorite hobbies. It was also important to keep my skills tuned otherwise my enemies would laugh if i missed them while trying to be frightening. I smiled as i remembered the most recent event where i had a man tied to a chair and suspended in the air by many strings. I would fire blade tipped arrows and cut them one by one as he frantically spilled the information he was trying so hard to withhold from me. I looked at my arrow that stood in the center of my 50 foot marker and reached in my quiver for more. Lucius had returned with the tea set and arranged everything to perfection, i guess my quiver was close to empty because he walked through the range despite the flying arrows i released at him. My arrows were gone, and he had a smug look on his face as he came back to me with them in his hands.

"My lady do you suppose it's time to switch to knives or would you rather continue with the bow?"

He set the arrows in my quiver and waited for my reply while taking out my four black handled knives and held them in his hand. The knives were designed by me, the handle had a groove that fit my hand perfectly so that i could either use it as a blade or throw depending upon the situation. The blade was sharp enough to slice deep within the skin if you were clumsy enough to hold it by the blade. Engraved on it was a fox running towards the tip my own personal trademark since i was the Queen's Fox.