Page 41 of Savage Throne
“And the other?”
He chuckled. “It says Mistress.”
I widened my eyes. “Hold up.”
As Song took the rest away, I realized that there were no blue Chinese characters engraved on the other guns. It was only the pistols that I had picked.
I raised an eyebrow. “So you knew I would want these?”
“I hoped you would,” Leo said, stepping closer. “These guns were made for you. They are balanced, powerful, and will serve you well in any battle but in the end. . .you had to be smart enough to know that for yourself.”
“And if I had chosen other weapons?”
“It would have been fine as long as you still got the targets. The other weapons can get the job done too, but these. . .they will help you easily succeed.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. The idea that he had somehow known which ones I’d choose made my skin crawl.
I didn’t have time to dwell on it.
He pointed to the targets. “Don’t shoot yet, just aim. Get familiar with the guns.”
I lifted both of the pistols, feeling the weight of them in my hands. They weren’t too heavy and solid enough to remind me of their lethality.
I raised them toward the first target, my arms steady as I aligned my sight with the gold point at the center.
You’ve got this. Easy peasy. Just breathe and focus like you’re hunting.
The wind whistled through the mountains, cold air bit at my skin as I focused.
As I held the aim, my mind wandered.
The game. The guns. Fine. I get it but what else is happening?
Leo always had three reasons for everything. He’d admitted that in the helicopter.
What other reasons am I here for?
Still holding the guns up and aiming at the target, I slowly went to the other one, testing the distance and leaning slightly to the right to see if my aim would be easier that way.
I went to the third target, and my mind wandered again.
Think.
The first reason seemed obvious. He wanted me to kill someone with these guns.
That much was clear.
Those lessons in the helicopter seemed to be pushing me toward violence.
Is this gun range supposed to break down my resistance to killing?
However, that didn’t make any sense. Leo was smarter than that. He knew I wasn’t like him, and I wouldn’t allow myself to be easily lost to his darkness.
I won’t kill anyone. Not unless I have no other choice, so. . .how is he going to do that?
I went to the fourth target, lowered the pistols, and noted the distance.
It was further away than the others, which would make accuracy a challenge, but I should be able to hit it.
