A plank, on which three concentric circles had been hastily painted with pitch, was tied between ropes at the prow. It had been tied in such a fashion that any shaft that missed would end up in the sea. Two men couched behind barrels on either side holding lanterns which provided barely enough light for John to see the target. Many of the ship’s men had gathered on deck to watch the sport. They stood well off to the side laughing and talking amongst themselves.
John had not lied about his ability but never before had he tried a shot aboard a moving ship, nor one in the dark for that matter. The target was closer than the sixty paces John had boasted, but it was hard to judge the exact distance with any accuracy under the current conditions. To make matters worse, his eyes were distracted by the main mast, which was just to the right, halfway between him and the target. He nocked an arrow, raised the bow, drew back, and then released it in one fluid motion just as his father had taught him. All he saw was the flash of goose feathers in the yellow lantern light as the shaft sailed past the plank and off into the night.
The sailors roared with laughter. John looked at Tyko, who nodded toward the target. His meaning was clear. John would be allowed another shot. Somehow, he knew if he missed the target again, it would be his last. He nocked another arrow and raised his bow, but did not let loose. As he focused on the target, he could feel the ship rise and fall in a constant rhythm. He suddenly realized that there was a moment, just before the prow began to rise, where it was motionless. He waited until the ship stopped falling and then let fly. The shaft thudded in the lower corner of the target, outside the last circle but stuck firmly in the plank.
The silence that came over the group of sailors seemed even louder than the laughing. John glanced at Tyko once more, but his expression was blank and he gave no response. John nocked another arrow and this time put it in the center circle.
“Good shot laddie,” the big sailor called Patch yelled out. John put four more shafts all within the inner circle and by then the sailors were cheering with each strike.
”That will be enough, boy,” Tyko said, putting a hand on John’s shoulder. “Go get your arrows.”
John had not lied about his ability but never before had he tried a shot aboard a moving ship, nor one in the dark for that matter. The target was closer than the sixty paces John had boasted, but it was hard to judge the exact distance with any accuracy under the current conditions. To make matters worse, his eyes were distracted by the main mast, which was just to the right, halfway between him and the target. He nocked an arrow, raised the bow, drew back, and then released it in one fluid motion just as his father had taught him. All he saw was the flash of goose feathers in the yellow lantern light as the shaft sailed past the plank and off into the night.
The sailors roared with laughter. John looked at Tyko, who nodded toward the target. His meaning was clear. John would be allowed another shot. Somehow, he knew if he missed the target again, it would be his last. He nocked another arrow and raised his bow, but did not let loose. As he focused on the target, he could feel the ship rise and fall in a constant rhythm. He suddenly realized that there was a moment, just before the prow began to rise, where it was motionless. He waited until the ship stopped falling and then let fly. The shaft thudded in the lower corner of the target, outside the last circle but stuck firmly in the plank.
The silence that came over the group of sailors seemed even louder than the laughing. John glanced at Tyko once more, but his expression was blank and he gave no response. John nocked another arrow and this time put it in the center circle.
“Good shot laddie,” the big sailor called Patch yelled out. John put four more shafts all within the inner circle and by then the sailors were cheering with each strike.
”That will be enough, boy,” Tyko said, putting a hand on John’s shoulder. “Go get your arrows.”
FireDrakes is the first book of the Daemon Knight series and is available through amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/FireDrakes-Davi...
Signed copies can also be ordered directly from the author at:
http://www.davidkorinetz.com