Read Online Legon Awakening: Book One in the Legon Series by Nicholas Taylor - Free Book Online

don’t think dad will let me go shooting
today…,” he paused, “Unless….” Kovos shot back into the shop and
came out a minute later. “Great, I’ll get my bow. You talked me
into it.”
    * * * * *
    Legon laughed. There was no talking Kovos into it,
but rather talking his dad into letting him leave for a few hours.
Legon wondered how he did it, but when Kovos rejoined them he knew
how, and his heart sank a bit. Kovos brought with him a large boy
with the same black hair, though matted, who was wearing a pair of
blue pants and a stained green shirt. Keither.
    Keither also had on a look of annoyance. The two
brothers couldn’t have been more different. Kovos was short and
stocky and Keither tall and rather large. Kovos was leading, or
more like pulling, Keither from the house. It looked like someone
trying to pull a dog away from chasing a deer or a small child from
his favorite toy. When they came out Kovos had two bows; one was
his combat bow and the other Keither’s hunting bow. Keither didn’t
have a combat bow. His family wouldn’t let him get one until he
could shoot his hunting bow with some degree of accuracy, which
Keither had yet to do. The boy hated going outside and didn’t like
to shoot, but it was important to learn, so whenever Kovos was
having a hard time leaving the house he would tell his father or
mother that he would bring Keither and try and work with him.
Keither never wanted to go, but Kovos was much stronger so Keither
didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.  Sasha attempted
to greet Keither by waving at him, but the boy only returned her
wave with a glare.
    They walked down the alley and got back on the street
they were on before. They continued on the street until they got to
a large field at the edge of town. On one end of the field was a
line of padded targets with little flags that marked distance. Red
was for fifty yards, yellow for one hundred, green for one hundred
and twenty five, purple for one hundred and fifty, and beyond that
were black ones for two hundred yards. On the other side was a line
of white flags that marked where to stand while shooting. They
walked to the line of white flags. At the moment the four of them
were the only ones there. Everyone except Keither strung their bow
and prepared to begin. Kovos hit Keither in the arm and the boy
began to string his bow.
    “Let’s just fire a warm up volley and then we can
move two of the targets further back,” said Kovos to the others.
They nodded their agreement and all knocked an arrow, pulled back,
took aim, and fired.
    The air hissed with the sound of the flying arrows
and strings twanged. The arrows flew down the field and hit the
targets with a thump—all but Keither’s.
    Sasha looked around. “Why didn’t you fire?”
    “I did,” said Keither with a bit of irritation.
    “You… oh I’m sor… sorry about that, Keither.” Sasha’s
face turned red. She looked away from him and began to fidget with
her bow.
    Kovos broke in. “Well, where did it go, then?” he
asked, looking hard down the field.
    “How am I supposed to know?” Keither said.
    “Um, I don’t know, maybe because you shot it?” Kovos
said sarcastically, holding his arms out in front of him with his
palms up.
    “Well, we’ve got lots of arrows, and I’m sure we can
find that one. It couldn’t have gotten far,” said Sasha, trying to
redeem herself. Then, in a hurry she continued, “Not that I’m
saying you can’t shoot far. I mean… um, well you know that you
probably only missed by an inch or so…” she sputtered.
    Legon and Kovos laughed. “If we’re lucky we may find
it later. Come on, Legon, let’s move the targets,” Kovos said. They
walked to the targets and began to move them down the field. As
soon as they were out of earshot, Kovos said, “Sasha is going to
make a good wife, buddy. I’m happy for you, but it’s a little sick
you went for your sister….”
    He was cut off by Legon. “What are you