“Oh. I don’t, not at all. There’s no mages in my family.” At least as far as she knew – which was not very far at all. Esmé was an only child and neither of her parents ever spoke of the people they’d come from. “That must have taken some adjusting to, though.” She found it difficult to imagine. Not the spirit part itself – though that had to be weird too – but the shared knowledge. Something like every book she’d ever read suddenly dumped at the borders of her mind.
She watched, bemused, as Caro set a picnic. He looked as if he were settling in for some time. Surely they weren’t done yet? …
He motioned for her to sit and Esmé did so with a reluctant glance back at her horse. Domino seemed content. She stole a chunk of Caro’s bread and chewed on a bite-sized piece. Stale. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, seeing as how she hadn’t seen an oven in days. At least there were no critters in it. She listened along to his advice.
“Holding steady is part of the problem.” She spent most of every day watching Ceren. Her friend had a strong bond with her animals, riding with skill and confidence that Esmé lacked. And while aiming her bow, Ceren nearly stood in her stirrups, upper body still and controlled despite the horse’s bouncing gait.
Esmé would get better at riding with time. Holding herself up in the saddle, she wasn’t as certain about that. She stretched her false leg out in front of her and fixed Caro with an inquiring look. He’d made the thing, though at a time when neither of them might have anticipated her needing to shoot from horseback.
“Can you do anything with this that might help?”
She watched, bemused, as Caro set a picnic. He looked as if he were settling in for some time. Surely they weren’t done yet? …
He motioned for her to sit and Esmé did so with a reluctant glance back at her horse. Domino seemed content. She stole a chunk of Caro’s bread and chewed on a bite-sized piece. Stale. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, seeing as how she hadn’t seen an oven in days. At least there were no critters in it. She listened along to his advice.
“Holding steady is part of the problem.” She spent most of every day watching Ceren. Her friend had a strong bond with her animals, riding with skill and confidence that Esmé lacked. And while aiming her bow, Ceren nearly stood in her stirrups, upper body still and controlled despite the horse’s bouncing gait.
Esmé would get better at riding with time. Holding herself up in the saddle, she wasn’t as certain about that. She stretched her false leg out in front of her and fixed Caro with an inquiring look. He’d made the thing, though at a time when neither of them might have anticipated her needing to shoot from horseback.
“Can you do anything with this that might help?”
04-12-2024, 07:17 PM
