Page 42 of Savage Throne
It’s about 100 yards. I’ve hit that often enough in the Glory gun range.
Surely, if Leo watched me for so long, then he knew that I could hit it too.
What the fuck am I missing? This shit is killing me.
My nerves were frazzled.
I didn’t want to step off any ledge to suddenly find out that I was about to fall to my death.
Come on. Really think about this.
The second reason was probably more practical. He wanted me to practice. He wanted me to get comfortable with these guns, to become so familiar with them that I wouldn’t hesitate in a real situation.
That made sense.
If he was going to put me in a life-or-death scenario, I needed to be prepared.
Alright, but what’s the third reason? Why would he bring me here, to this isolated mountain range, just to shoot targets?
There had to be more to it. I could feel it in my gut that nagging sense that something wasn’t right.
I assessed all of the other targets and then went back to the first one.
As if he heard me, he spoke. “Everything I do has a purpose.”
I stared at him. “What’s the purpose of this game?”
“In Chinese philosophy, we believe that power comes not from the strength of your arm, but from the strength of your mind. A weak man can learn to shoot but a wise man knows when not to.”
“So. . .should I not shoot?”
“That’s not an option for you this evening.”
“Okay.”
“But there’s more to this game, much more to even the targets.”
I looked back at them, studying those wooden planks with blue and gold paint.
“You’re not just learning to shoot, Monique. You’re learning to see. To see through the chaos. To understand the battlefield.”
I shifted my gaze, scanning the ten targets stretched across the range. They were spaced out, each one farther than the last.
“Unfortunatly, this will be a tough lesson for you tonight, Monique. In fact. . .it will break my heart but I must do this.”
I looked back at him. “Why will it be tough?”
“What do you see at the end of this range?”
“I see targets.”
“Each of those targets represents a threat—a life that could end if you pull the trigger. But they also represent choice. The choice of who lives and who dies. The choice of when to act. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“You must learn to act without hesitation. You must also learn to think. Killing is not about brute force. It is about precision, strategy, and knowing when to strike.” He took a step back, giving me space. “Now, aim again. This time, think about what you’re doing. Each target is a person. Each shot is a decision.”
I raised the guns again, my heart pounding in my chest. I aligned the sights with the first target, my hands steady as I focused on the gold point. I could feel Leo watching me, waiting.
