Spirits

Ch.8 Targets and Ducking

I practiced weighting my knives before I decided I was just going to throw them. I weighted each one carefully. Too heavy and it takes more work to get it to hit exactly to where you want it, but too light and it will go too far. It is a simple process but takes some time. I know I am not supposed to but I went outside the ruins of our village to the next town/village over, Findocampum, which roughly translates to something like findolupis plain.

I went there to get these throwing knives. I didn't send them to a stranger of course. I sent it to the only other person I could think of, my uncle.

My mom's brother isn't the most trustworthy person I could have gone to, but he is the closest, and with Papa being so sick I decided the closer the better. My uncle, Barnan is a strange awkward man with too much hair. I mean seriously there are rumors about him being a werewolf or something, but they are just old wives tales. Barnan is short and fat with a lot of facial hair and lets not forget his shaggy "flowing" mane he has on his head. I can't think of a reason why anyone would want their hair like that but he doesn't want anyone to cut it. I don't remember the last time I saw uncle Barnan with shortish hair.

He is black smith and he made my mom a decorative sword for her holiday gift. Papa found the sword soon after the fires started, and I brought as a way to tell him about mother. I felt horrible telling my uncle that his youngest sister was killed. I couldn't even say she died because I knew uncle Barnan would ask how or why and all these questions that had painful answers. Uncle Barnan was crushed when I told him. I think I even saw him shed a few tears. It is to say the least a blow to our family, not having mother around.

I know my mother is the youngest of her five siblings but for the longest time I thought she was the oldest. Mother had this aura, this grace about her that made her seem so much older and wiser than she really was. No don't get me wrong my mother wasn't at all old looking. My mother was 30 years of age when she died. I don't know exactly what I will do without her. I mean I have a brother and Papa, there is no one to have "girl-talk" with. I suppose there isn't much to talk about everybody left or is dead. I don't know any boys so that isn't a problem, but this whole growing up fast is a hard thing, and it would be nice to have mine.

So to honor my mother and her liking for emeralds my uncle made me a beautiful set of throwing knives inlaid with emeralds. Perhaps I forgot to mention he is the king's blacksmith. Barnan  isn't dishonest in the sense that he steals jewels or anything, but he sometimes tells people that merchandise is worth a little more than it is. I still love him, but I won't be seeing him much anymore so I spent a few days there. I didn't get mush sleep. I don't these days. I keep wondering if somehow they are going to find me and come to take me away. It is a scary thought, and the worst part is thinking I am alone.

I know mother would tell me that I am not alone and she is with me, but I have the sense of being physically alone and sometimes mentally, but I still have Jynx to talk to. I can't help but think what Primo is doing right now or what he will be doing in the next few hours or minutes or days......or ........... if he is still alive. I think Jynx was listening in on my highly depressing thoughts because she curled up on my lap to take a nap. I started to close my eyes but a really loud BANG, came from the front door of the old sanctuary. I was frozen in fear. Was it them? Had they found me? How did they find me? Did uncle Barnan tell them where I am?  All of these questions raced through my head, but I figured I was going to die here or somewhere else so it might as well be a good stand off to my death in a place I choose.

I got off the bed and hesitantly walked toward the door. There was more tapping at the door, and as I listened to the thumping beat I noticed something. I knew that pattern of knocking. It was like a click click boom TAP, kind of thing. Primo and I used to use this knock all the time when the war was going on. It wasn't a big war but still just to be safe. I opened the door to a shaggy figure with long blackish-brown hair. He was stick thin and had really tanned skin. I sort of looked at him for a second in complete shock. He was dressed in dirty faded orange rags. Then my heart swelled as I heard some shuffling and turned around to see Jynx playing with a monkey. "Primo?"