The Amber Shadows

Chapter 5

The Amber Shadows - Chapter 5

Before I can even reply, Jake starts rushing towards the huge shelves. I follow him, trying my best to keep up with his pace, but he is running around all over the place picking up random objects and putting them on the table. Whenever I catch up with him, he reappears at the other end of the room.

"Jake, wait..."

"There's no time for waiting, Maddie," Jake interrupts me. "Now pass me that sword."

He tilts his chin towards the right, where a long sliver sword is hanging on the wall. Slowly, I stand on the tips of my toes and take it off the stand: it's heavier than I thought it would be and is cold at the touch. The edges are razor sharp, sharper than any kitchen knife I've ever seen. The handle is dark brown and has tiny inscriptions engraved into the metal.

"Thank you," says Jake sarcastically before snatching if off me and sliding the object into the belt he has tied around his waist.

He quickly takes a dagger and puts it on the other side, before grabbing a leather jacket and throwing it at me. My hands jump up to my face and I barely catch the thing.

Boy, I need to work on my reflexes.

"Put that on, and these, you'll need them. Oh, and do that hair of yours up."

Jake throws what looks like a pair of pants and boots onto the floor in front of me and rushes off to the table. I look down at what I'm actually wearing: a green sweater that I barely remember Jake giving to me and my white -probably see through- pyjama pants.

I feel my cheeks go red at the thought of Jake seeing me like this: I've been dressed like a homeless person for the last six hours. And God knows what my hair looks like: a birds' nest probably. It must be tangled and matted.

I don't wait another second: I take off the horrible green sweater, leaving me in just a plain white tee-shirt (without a bra, great) and put on the black leather jacket. The sleeves aren't too long, and the jacket stops just above my hips. I adjust the collar and pick up from the floor the pants: they're military pants, the kind I suppose soldiers wear in the army. They seem pretty warm, so when I turn around and see Jake staring at the map on the table, I quickly hide between two shelves and strip. The pants are a bit too long, but they fit me around the waist. I take the big, black, leather boots and put them on. My toes just about touch the ends. It's as if all these clothes are made for me. Finally, I do up my long, and matted hair, clearing it away from my face.

I pick the sweater and my pyjama pants up from off the floor and walk over to the table. Jake looks up at me, and with a small smile, says:

"I knew they'd fit you. See, you even look the part now."

"Uhm, yeah, thank you," I reply awkwardly.

I feel my cheeks heat up again. He's changed: unlike earlier when he had just a plain back tee-shirt, he's now wearing a black leather jacket, like mine and a pair of black gloves. Actually, he seems to only be wearing black.

"Here," he says.

Jake brings his hands to the table and sets down a long stick that I can only describe as looking like a sword and an arrow.

"Take this," continues Jake as he slowly slides it across the table towards me "It's a sagitta gladio, which literally translates as "arrow sword". It's the oldest of the Hunters' weapons. You may need it, and I think you'll find it easier to use than any of the other weapons."

His face is serious, his voice slow and raspy. Carefully, I pick up the object: I never thought that I would say this about any sort of weapon, but it's beautiful. It's a small, rounded and varnished wooden stick, about the size of my forearm, smooth at the touch. On both ends, are two big pointy pieces of metal which look exactly like arrow heads, almost the same size as my hand. The silver metal gleams under the light. The middle of the wood is covered in a patch of red leather, making it easier and more comfortable to handle.