Child of the Knight by Matt Heppe

Author:Matt Heppe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dark fantasy, sword sorcery, realistic fantasy, action adventure fantasy, magic wizards, strong female protagonist character hero
Publisher: Matt Heppe

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The battle site was a bloody, burned ruin. Dead animals lay where they had perished to Idorian bolts and sword blows. A smoking funeral pyre held charred, half-burned remains of the fallen Idorians.

Hadde turned away from the gruesome sight and saw yet another fire. Even less successful than the funeral pyre, this fire had been smothered by the Idorians’ effort to burn everything they could not carry off with them.

Hadde saw saddles, spears, and tent poles on the smoldering pile. Several arrows lay strewn on the ground, dumped from a quiver in someone’s haste to throw it into the fire.

Riding closer, Hadde saw the burned remains of fine Landomeri composite bows low in the pile. “Dromost take them, those were good bows.”

Flames licked out from under the gear, and it appeared the fire might finally be taking hold. She was about to turn away when she spotted a closed bowcase balanced against one of the saddles near the edge of the fire.

Hadde dismounted and stepped atop a saddle at the edge of the fire and grasped the bowcase’s strap. It was hot, but she yanked the case from the fire and threw it on the ground behind her. From its weight, she knew it contained a bow.

She shook her hand against the pain as she hopped from the saddle. The bowcase was partially singed, but otherwise it was intact. She let the strap cool for a dozen heartbeats and then picked it up and took it a few strides from the fire to where her horse patiently stood.

Hadde recognized the case’s patterned embossing. It was Bera’s. A good bow, much lighter than Talon, though. She untied the straps holding the hood closed, hoping that the bow was undamaged. Heat was good for a bow. It could dry out the sinew, restoring its draw weight. But too much heat could damage the wood.

She drew the warm bow from the case. It was unstrung and appeared sound. She wouldn’t be certain until she strung it, but she wouldn’t attempt that until it had completely cooled. She ran her hand down the back of the bow, feeling for cracked sinew.

A composite bow was a beautiful, powerful weapon. But the smallest crack, or even too much moisture and it could fail disastrously at full draw. Her father had a scar from where a piece of shattered bow had cut his temple. All seemed well and she put it back in its case. At least it was light enough she could string it by herself. Talon was nearly impossible to string alone.

She had a bow, but no arrows. The case’s narrow quiver was empty. Remembering the discarded arrows by the fire, she managed to scavenge only six intact arrows. More had been stepped on and broken. She took them all, even though there was little hope she could make new ones.

A bow and six arrows. It would have to do.

There was nothing else to salvage, so Hadde mounted her horse and set off in pursuit of the Idorians.

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