Activity

Yila 

Yila walked up to the target to retrieve her arrows. She had pulled the last one when the talkative knife girl appeared beside her, her eyes sparkling.

“Do you mind if I join?” she asked, holding out a handful of pretty throwing knives.

Yila stared at her. Here she had been enjoying some quiet weapons time, and knife girl just had the audacity to show up and want to take over.

Yila checked herself. After the embarrassing show she had given these people earlier, she might as well not make a second show of hiding in a corner like the local mopey toddler.

She shrugged, trying not to let her discomfort show. She’d rather keep this girl at a distance.

She backed up to the starting line, slipping the arrows into her quiver. Sahar took her place at the starting line and threw the knives. She lacked a great deal of precision, but Yila didn’t feel like showing off with her knives just now.

The third knife hit dead center and  Sahar laughed. Apparently she hadn’t ever had to throw the knife and suffer the consequences of missing a target enough that it could kill a family member instead of the enemy.

Yila shoved the memories back. Right now she had arrows to shoot, not thoughts to think. She could contemplate those faults of hers in the dead of night when no one would hear her crying quietly.

Yila waited for Sahar to retrieve her knives, then shot an arrow. It hit the bullseye and Yila allowed for a small smile before she drew a second arrow.

“You’re a great shot,” Sahar said while Yila was setting her anchor. She shot the arrow and waited for it to hit center before turning to look at the innocent girl beside her.

“I have to be,” she murmured. “Otherwise people will die.”

She nocked another arrow and shot it, and another one. Then for good measure she drew a knife and threw it so that it hit immediately above the bundle of arrows.

This was the only thing that could satisfy her anymore.

She walked to the target and removed her various weapons.

“I need to talk to my brother,” she snapped. “Use my target, but don’t break it.”

She walked away, trying to suppress the guilt for leaving Sahar behind.

She found Niarok leaning against a wall, fixing the fletching on one of his own arrows.

“What are we going to do about this?” She motioned around the cavern.

Niarok glanced at her, his eyes distant. He was thinking.

“Stay awhile,” he said after a moment. “We don’t know how to get out, and I’m pretty sure that this castle won’t want us to leave in a hurry.”

Yila stared at him, somewhere between shock and relief. She didn’t want to be stuck with these people much longer, but the thought of facing the world right now made her cringe.

Yila shivered. Memories cut deep into her heart and she shivered again. She’d lived through more pain in seventeen years than most people experienced in seventy.

Her body felt cold, and for a moment she thought her fever might be coming back, but when she looked around, everyone had stopped moving and were glancing at each other doubtfully.

Then a booming metallic voice cackled maniacally.

“Thought I’d forgotten about you, did you?”

 

Thought I’d just make everyone’s life hard again! (Good idea Rose)