I'll Give You a Demonstration

---Aaron---

Before I could summon a wind and send General Coventry flying into a tree, Katherine pulled on my arm and made me sit down.

"I would show a tad more respect towards the Rosewood Seven if I were you, General," Katherine said coolly. She met General Coventry's challenging eyes with her leveled gaze. A hint of danger flashed through her gray eyes. "Especially if you don't know what they're capable of."

"I don't believe I said anything out of line." General Coventry's gaze flicked over to Lionel, who was looking elsewhere and calmly drinking out of his goblet. General Coventry smirked, knowing Lionel was giving him permission to continue. "I was just speaking on behalf of everyone here. We want to know your ability."

"Well, my name is Katherine Lewis, and I am the warrior. I specialize in swordfighting." Katherine calmly took a sip from her goblet before raising the cup towards General Coventry. "If you want to know how good my swordsmanship is, just ask your commander. After all, he and I did duel last night."

"Commander Lionel is one of the best swordsmen in the country, if not the best." General Coventry said confidently. "He won you, didn't he?"

"Actually, I matched him." Katherine placed her goblet down on the table and casually adjusted her cloak, revealing something glittering pinned to her right shoulder. Some of the leaders gasped.

"The brooch of Goldhedge!" someone exclaimed. I looked at Katherine in surprise. She had come to this feast prepared.

General Coventry faltered. Even Lionel looked impressed. The brooch of Goldhedge symbolized the highest status of swordsmanship. To win the brooch, one had to be among the best of the best swordsmen in the land. Katherine was probably the youngest person ever to win the brooch.

"Oh, this?" Katherine brushed off some imaginary dust from one of the gemstones embedded on the brooch. "I won this in Goldhedge, after I beat some guy who won several years in a row. He was cheating and using the dark arts, by the way."

"Don't you think that's a good enough demonstration of her skill?" Lucian called out. "Katherine is a really good swordswoman. You don't want to be on her bad side."

"Lucian, it's fine. I don't think General Coventry believes that I won the brooch." Katherine leaned back on her wheelchair and took another sip of her wine. "He wants a demonstration, right? I'll give him a demonstration."

"Kath, you're hurt," I reminded her. She waved me off.

"Don't worry, Aaron. I won't be needing my sword tonight." With that, she picked up her sword and casually tossed it onto the table. It landed with a solid thud, and the weight of it made the table dip down slightly. Some of the leaders touched their own swords with wide eyes. They were shocked and wondering how Katherine could wield such a heavy weapon. The fact that she was able to use a weapon more than twice as heavy as theirs indicated that Katherine was far stronger than them. The rosestone turned from a pale blue to a glittering red.

Under Katherine's command, three candles were set up to the side of the clearing. From where we were sitting, I could just barely make out the wavering flames in the dim lighting. Katherine had me pick up three pebbles from the floor.

"Do you see these? Ordinary pebbles." She displayed them for all to see. "Now, watch the candles." She picked one pebble up between her index and middle finger and flicked her wrist. About fifteen meters away, one candle extinguished. Before anyone could even say wow, Katherine fired two more pebbles in quick succession. The other two candles extinguished as well.

Someone rushed over to examine the candles. "The wicks are still intact!" A ripple of murmuring began. Katherine had managed to hit all the candles right at the tip of the wicks, where the flame burned, and extinguished it. She didn't miss any. That flick of the wrist was simple, but it took a lot of force to make a pebble fly fifteen meters.

"I would gladly perform with my sword, which is my specialty, but unfortunately I am a bit wounded at the moment." Katherine smiled sweetly at General Coventry. "Fortunately, I can still demonstrate my accuracy and precision with a bow and arrow. Would you like to be my volunteer, General?"

Everyone looked at General Coventry. He didn't look as smug as before. "Volunteer how?"

Katherine looked around. She pointed at a tree on the other end of the clearing. "You see that tree, General, the one with the drooping branch? Could you go and stand underneath it?"

"Why?" General Coventry didn't budge.

"I'm going to shoot an arrow through the leaf that's hanging lower than the others. You're standing under it to get a front row seat of my abilities." Katherine looked challengingly at him.

"What if you miss? You'll shoot me!" General Coventry lost his cool. "Commander Lionel, this is an outrageous request!"

"You will do as she says." I didn't notice that Indigo had returned. Her dark expression indicated that she had heard enough to know what was going on. "General Coventry, you brought this upon yourself."

General Coventry looked at Lionel for help, but Lionel was entirely interested in helping Indigo refill her goblet. The spectators were beginning to talk amongst themselves, now judging General Coventry. He had no choice but to do as Katherine said.

"Aaron, could you go to our tent and grab my bow and arrows?" Katherine turned to me. I nodded and ran back, pulling the weapons from Katherine's magical bag. When I returned, General Coventry was standing with crossed arms beneath the indicated tree and everyone was waiting expectantly. More torches were lit so Katherine could see the area better. Under Katherine's directions, I pushed her wheelchair so that she was in front of our dinner table and directly facing General Coventry.

I handed Katherine her bow and arrows. "You sure you got this? I don't think it's very nice to kill someone on a feast."

"Trust me, Aaron. I'm just going to make an example out of him so no one ever challenges us again." A dangerous glint appeared in Katherine's eyes.

She pulled out an arrow and notched it on her bow in one fluid motion, as if she's done it all her life. Then, carefully, Katherine pulled back the bowstring to its full extent and took aim. I seemed to be able to see General Coventry tremble beneath the leaf. He deserved it.

Twang! The arrow flew out. A split second later, the soldiers closest to General Coventry cried out. "General, your feather plume!"

General Coventry turned to look on the tree behind him. His red feather was pinned to the trunk by Katherine's arrow. He turned around, pale and angry. "You're trying to kill me!"

Katherine acted surprised. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry, General. I suppose the wound on my shoulder threw my aim off. I'll try again."

"No way! This is just an excuse for you to shoot me—I'm not doing this anymore!" General Coventry tried to storm off.

"General, stay there. I want to see the end of this performance." Lionel commanded. General Coventry opened his mouth to complain, but one glare from Lionel shut him up. He returned to the spot beneath the tree grudgingly.

"I promise I won't miss this time, General." Katherine notched another arrow. She drew the bowstring back and let the arrow fly. Thwack. The soldiers yelled out even louder than the first time.

"Look!"

"The second arrow split the first arrow perfectly in half! Right down the shaft!"

"It shot the leaf off too!"

As everyone swarmed over to marvel at the feat, a pale and clearly shaken General Coventry was escorted away by a couple of his soldiers. Lionel looked very impressed. "I didn't know you were also an expert archer, Katherine."

Lucian, Rachel, and Indigo were cheering. I wheeled Katherine back to our seats. "That was amazing, Kath," I told her. "Too bad you missed the first time."

Katherine looked up at me with a smirk. "Oh Aaron. I never miss."