Hope Sundered

The morning air was crisp, driving the last vestiges of sleep from Keila’s body. Dawn had not yet fully colored the landscape by the time she’d climbed up the western bank of Hernok’s Falls with Sekka, Forizu, and five other Nokri hunters. Ekard had chosen not to come.

They arrived in a large field separating the river from the forest. Seven archery targets had been affixed to trees along the forest’s edge. They were positioned at different heights and depths. Two of them were almost obscured by stray branches. Each bore three concentric circles around the centermost circle, a spot roughly the size of a fist.

Sekka and Forizu shared a short exchange. She caught enough to know her abilities would be tested. Sekka felt it was unnecessary but Forizu was insistent.

Forizu moved to stand before her. His intense golden eyes held her hostage as he explained his expectations. She was to watch him and then imitate his performance. He drew an arrow from his quiver and proceeded to run in a straight line parallel to the targets, shooting at each one.

His fellow hunters cheered as he moved with grace and precision unlike anyone Keila had ever seen. Even Lark would’ve been hard pressed to match him.

When he’d finished, a close examination of the targets revealed he’d hit them all; four were in the centermost circle, two were in the next ring out, and the last was on the line between the second and third rings. Everyone, including Sekka, was impressed with the results.

Forizu then motioned for Keila to take her turn. Insecurity tightened the growing knot in her stomach, but she saw no condescension in his stern visage, only a genuine desire for her to succeed.

She looked at Sekka, whose smile was reassuring, his nod one of support. With Forizu’s eyes upon her, she nocked an arrow and ran the same line, letting her missiles soar as she did so. She was nearly as fast as Forizu, finishing in a matter of seconds.

She missed every target.

“Wait!” she pleaded, locking eyes with a very troubled Sekka. “I want another chance!” She was more angry than embarrassed; she knew she could do better, and to raise the army she desired, she needed to.

It was clear the Nokri valued such skills, which convinced her she’d have to earn their respect in order to earn their trust. Was this Forizu’s point? She remembered her mother mentioning he considered her a liability, which made sense now. How could she expect these proud warriors to die for her cause if she was incapable of fighting with them?

Hindered by her limited vocabulary, she drew another arrow and held it in her fist, shaking it. With her other hand she pointed at the targets, then held up two fingers. Forizu seemed to understand and nodded.

She walked along the line of fire, stopping to face the center target, which gave her a rough view of the others as well. After eyeing each one carefully she spun on her heel and moved further away, stopping after doubling the original distance to the targets.

Keila turned to face the range, fixed her stance, took a deep breath, and fired from left to right in rapid succession. The last two targets were positioned in such a way she believed she could hit them both by shooting two arrows at once using the technique Lark had taught her. It was more for show, but she was eager to earn the Nokri’s approval any way she could.

Everyone was silent. She’d gambled the alliance on a risky demonstration, and it occurred to her she may have just ruined any chance of convincing these warriors to be her allies. Nervous, she hurried back to the original line to face the results.

She’d scored seven direct center hits.

She suppressed her elation, believing she had to match Forizu’s stoicism in order to comply with their culture. The huntsman, however, didn’t bother to hide his astonishment.

It was the birth of respect, and Keila would treasure it like a newborn.