The Cursed Heir

Chapter Five

"She's not going easy on you," Skylar commented before taking a bite of his plum and tipping his head back to bask in the sunlight slanting through the branches around them.

Cassie winced as she bent to pick the bunch of herbs he had her seeking out that day. "Should she?" Her back felt like an entire sore muscle.

Silvana had been taking some time each day to instruct Cassie in fighting techniques. Unsurprisingly, she spent the most time on archery, Cassie's worst area and Silvana's favorite. She said she would not be satisfied until Cassie could shoot a nut off a tree branch with each kingdom's different style of bow. Rather than devoting their time to precision and aiming, however, Cassie felt that they spent most of it building her back and arm muscles. Silvana said she wanted the drawing of the bow to feel as natural as taking a deep breath, and that would not happen if she was not even strong enough to draw a Citaken bow.

Cassie was also supposed to be getting used to carrying a bow and quiver, so every time she left the cabin now she had to put them on—even though she was not yet allowed to go hunting with Silvana. It had made bending and picking herbs more challenging than usual, with the arrows rattling against her thigh and the bow like a constant switch on her back.

"Of course she shouldn't," Skylar said. "But pain can only teach you so much."

"I'll let her know you said so." Cassie stuffed another handful into her basket before stretching her aching back. "And she'll stare at me for too long, and then say, 'It wouldn't hurt if you weren't so weak.'"

Skylar laughed around the fruit, then stopped chewing. His head cocked, listening intently. Cassie froze to better hear.

Animals, rushing through the forest. Small, not big enough to be deer. But faster, stronger than rabbits.

Skylar was on his feet faster than she could follow. "Up," he whispered urgently. "Trees!"

There was only one tree with branches close enough for her to grab. Cassie bit back a groan as her aching muscles protested the motion. Arms trembling, she tried to pull herself into the tree—and failed. This was why Skylar had worked with her for so many days on such basic tasks. These few seconds where she struggled and failed to climb a tree could mean her life.

Wracked by indecision, Skylar was still on the ground. He took half a step toward her, but Cassie shook her head.

"Go," she forced at him through gritted teeth, readjusting her grip on the branch.

He did not wait to be told again, scrambling up another tree as fast as a lizard. Cassie focused on her own tree, ignored the weakness in her muscles, and hauled herself up. It was easier past the first branch, stepping from tree limb to tree limb like climbing a misshapen ladder.

She perched ten feet above the ground, staring at the spot they had just vacated. What had Skylar so worried?

She had her answer soon enough. Small, dark animals appeared, running between the trees faster than she would have expected. Curiously quiet, they ran with single-minded focus, twenty or thirty of them.

Cassie fought down a smile. Wild pigs. That was what Skylar was afraid of?

Where Skylar saw a threat, she saw an opportunity. It had been too long since they had eaten pork, and she rather missed the flavor. As quietly as she could, Cassie pulled the bow from her back and strung it tight. She caught Skylar's eye from across the branches, expecting to see him motion her to put it down. Instead, he nodded shortly and looked at the pigs. Seeking a target.

They were moving fast. Cassie would have to act quickly. Pulling an arrow free of the quiver, she aimed and drew the string. She could do this.

She could—with a quick exhale, she opened her fingers, feeling the brush of the bowstring against her cheek as it released, the air barely disturbed as the arrow flew, straighter than she had believed it would. Her target reached a cluster of bushes just as the arrow flew after it. There was the sound of impact, and a high, pained squeal that cut short. The rest of the pigs gave no reaction, not interested in anything that would turn them from their path.