Shades of the Past_ Book Six of the Morcyth Saga - Brian S. Pratt [10]
Early the next morning before the sun has even crested the horizon, they’re preparing to get underway. By the time the sun shows itself, they are already a mile further down the road.
“Should reach Pyrtlin by this evening if we keep a brisk pace,” Illan announces during one of their breaks to rest the horses.
James nods that he heard while watching Delia working with her slingers. During most of their breaks she cycles through them, working with two or three at a time. Right now she has Devin, Orry and Terrance. Devin and Orry have taken to the sling with skill and are continuously improving both their marksmanship and their range. Terrance on the other hand struggles with just getting the bolt to go in the right direction.
“Again,” Delia says after all three of their stones find their marks. Two hit dead center the tree a hundred feet away while the third flew wide by a good two yards.
As Terrance sets the next stone in the pocket of his sling, Delia comes over and says, “Stay loose. Never take your eye off the target, not even for an instant.” Taking hold of one of his legs, she moves it away from the other. “Keep yourself balanced at all times,” she explains to him. “If you become unbalanced while you twirl your sling, the shot will not fly true.”
“Yes ma’am,” Terrance says as he grits his teeth and takes hold of his sling. Terrance, a younger son of a farmer had been excited when he became part of the new recruits at The Ranch last year. Oh sure, there was a lot he didn’t care for, such as the incessant drills and Illan yelling at you when you didn’t do it perfectly. But he feels like he’s found his place in the world. Farm life had always been pure drudgery to him, unlike his other two brothers who were able to find satisfaction in tending the crops.
Placing his feet just as Delia instructs him, he takes sight of the tree they’re currently using for a target. He takes a deep breath to relax and then starts twirling the sling over his head. All the others have managed to achieve the whining noise when the sling reaches a certain speed. Try as he might, he just can’t seem to get it.
“Just relax and let it go when the time is right, not before,” Delia says behind him.
He lets the sling twirl another second before sensing the time was right and releases the stone. The sling opens up and the stone flies rapidly toward the tree. He holds his breath as he watches the stone arc through the air only to fly a foot to the right of his intended target.
“Damn!” he curses under his breath.
Delia pats him on the back and says, “Better. You keep yourself balanced at all times and keep practicing and you’ll get it.” When he turns to look at her, she adds, “Four more tries then we’ve got to go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says and then reaches down for another stone.
Delia turns to the two others and says, “Four more.”
“We heard,” Devin replies.
Leaving her trainees to their practice, she walks over to where Illan and James are standing, watching her.
“How are they doing?” Illan asks as she approaches.
“Better,” she says. “I just wish we had more time to practice.”
Thunk! Thunk!...............Poof!
At the sound of the stones hitting the target, they turn to watch just as Terrance lets fly. His stone again flies wide, this time by a good four feet.
Delia sighs, “He’s simply not getting it.”
“He’ll be good enough for what I want him to do,” James assures her.
“I hope so,” she says. “In an actual battle it might be better to have him watch the horses.”
“We’ll see,” Illan says. “He definitely has the determination.”
They watch the next pass, and again he misses the target, this time by only a narrow margin. He turns to see them watching and James gives him a thumb’s up. Grinning, he bends over to pick up another stone.
When they began their practices on the road, they complained about not using the slugs in their belts. Delia had explained that