waved him on, a smile of friendly sincerity hurriedly slapped on my face. I hooked the quiver of bolts onto my belt, sneering inside that it did not have a ring to be tied down to my thigh. If I had to run it would flop all over the place, “I might be able to show you a few things, but since I’m not sure what I know, it’s going to be a little unwieldy. I suppose you could ask questions and I’ll answer what I can.”
The young guard saw me cock the bow, fit a bolt into the center groove, and set the light steel spring arm that kept the stubby arrow from falling off. He began to do the same, grunting with surprise at how difficult it was, “What’s it like to live without your memory?”
It’s like stumbling through a dark room that is carpeted in broken glass and furnished in razorblades , I chuckled falsely, “I don’t remember normal, Theodemar, and so I couldn’t say.”
“Oh, well…” Theodemar blushed, feeling as stupid as he should. “So what were you looking at the crossbow for?”
I stifled an angry retort, “I’m not sure what you mean. What’s wrong with your crossbow?”
He glanced at the weapon in his hands before looking at me askance, “Nothing.”
“How do you know that if you don’t examine it?” I shrugged and pointed down the road, reminding him to keep his eyes in a useful direction. “List all the things that can go wrong with a crossbow.” I didn’t bother to take the sting out of my voice, “No! Keep your eyes cast outward. We are out here looking out for an ambush, so keep looking for an ambush. While you do that, tell me: what can break on a crossbow?”
Theodemar flushed again, breathing heavily as he swallowed apologies and protests, “The…the…the string could break,” He glanced at me and saw me scanning the forest on either side and made like to do the same, “The limbs could be cracked. The string could be frayed. The stock could be chipped…”
I let him wallow in silence for a minute before continuing for him, “The trigger could be bent, or broken inside, or the stay–clip could be loose. Anything wooden can be warped; the sight could be bent; anything metal could have rusted; the whole thing could have been made by a drunk. Theodemar, any part of the bow, sword, shield, suit of armor could be broken and cost you your life in the heat of battle.”
He nodded and smiled, saying somewhat dismissively, “They have us maintain the equipment.”
My eyes, armed with daggers, slid across his throat as he was looking the other way. By the time he felt the cold steel of my irises I was back to scanning, “And what if the guy you trust to maintain the shared equipment is hung over? What if he’s lazy? What if he’s been paid off by the other side? Whoever you fight with, or for, you are alone behind your blade. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own survival. Think of anything that can go wrong with every bit of your equipment and check for it.”
“And what do I do if it needs replacing?”
“If it can be replaced, replace it. If it can be repaired, repair it. If you have no other choice…” I shrugged and while my brain was complaining that I should getting paid for teaching children, another shard of honesty snuck between my teeth, “Swap it with the equipment of someone you do not like.”
Theodemar laughed, a little too loudly, but at least honestly. Then his face fell fast and hard like nighttime in the mountains, “You sound like the Captain.”
I doubt that . We walked in silence for another few minutes; even with a casual pace we outdistanced the carriage. Again my mouth worked without me, “What kind of man was he?”
Theodemar’s face aged, dark emotion fighting a war on his youth, “He was a decent man: a good and loyal soldier.”
I nodded,
The young guard saw me cock the bow, fit a bolt into the center groove, and set the light steel spring arm that kept the stubby arrow from falling off. He began to do the same, grunting with surprise at how difficult it was, “What’s it like to live without your memory?”
It’s like stumbling through a dark room that is carpeted in broken glass and furnished in razorblades , I chuckled falsely, “I don’t remember normal, Theodemar, and so I couldn’t say.”
“Oh, well…” Theodemar blushed, feeling as stupid as he should. “So what were you looking at the crossbow for?”
I stifled an angry retort, “I’m not sure what you mean. What’s wrong with your crossbow?”
He glanced at the weapon in his hands before looking at me askance, “Nothing.”
“How do you know that if you don’t examine it?” I shrugged and pointed down the road, reminding him to keep his eyes in a useful direction. “List all the things that can go wrong with a crossbow.” I didn’t bother to take the sting out of my voice, “No! Keep your eyes cast outward. We are out here looking out for an ambush, so keep looking for an ambush. While you do that, tell me: what can break on a crossbow?”
Theodemar flushed again, breathing heavily as he swallowed apologies and protests, “The…the…the string could break,” He glanced at me and saw me scanning the forest on either side and made like to do the same, “The limbs could be cracked. The string could be frayed. The stock could be chipped…”
I let him wallow in silence for a minute before continuing for him, “The trigger could be bent, or broken inside, or the stay–clip could be loose. Anything wooden can be warped; the sight could be bent; anything metal could have rusted; the whole thing could have been made by a drunk. Theodemar, any part of the bow, sword, shield, suit of armor could be broken and cost you your life in the heat of battle.”
He nodded and smiled, saying somewhat dismissively, “They have us maintain the equipment.”
My eyes, armed with daggers, slid across his throat as he was looking the other way. By the time he felt the cold steel of my irises I was back to scanning, “And what if the guy you trust to maintain the shared equipment is hung over? What if he’s lazy? What if he’s been paid off by the other side? Whoever you fight with, or for, you are alone behind your blade. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own survival. Think of anything that can go wrong with every bit of your equipment and check for it.”
“And what do I do if it needs replacing?”
“If it can be replaced, replace it. If it can be repaired, repair it. If you have no other choice…” I shrugged and while my brain was complaining that I should getting paid for teaching children, another shard of honesty snuck between my teeth, “Swap it with the equipment of someone you do not like.”
Theodemar laughed, a little too loudly, but at least honestly. Then his face fell fast and hard like nighttime in the mountains, “You sound like the Captain.”
I doubt that . We walked in silence for another few minutes; even with a casual pace we outdistanced the carriage. Again my mouth worked without me, “What kind of man was he?”
Theodemar’s face aged, dark emotion fighting a war on his youth, “He was a decent man: a good and loyal soldier.”
I nodded,
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