Chapter 11: Archery ring

 Darius had a small bow in his hands. It was not like the bow the instructor had, which was almost half as long as the elven instructor was tall. No, this bow was small, and it fit in the demon child's hands perfectly. 

"Now, remember, you must learn how to hold. Proper aiming can't be rushed," the instructor told him, pulled back the string of the bow, and held it in place. Darius watched as he stood like a statue, finally, when he let loose the arrow, it went flying and hit dead center. Darius smiled, imagining that his instructor could take down even a dragon, if he so wished. 

"Now, you try," the blonde elf said, and Darius picked up one of the arrows. With a bit of fumbling, he nocked it, and then he pulled back the string. His arm muscles strained, but he held. His eyes zeroed in on the target. He moved his hands a bit downwards, then to the left. The arrow went flying, and it pierced the earth below the target. Darius's shoulders slumped. 

"Don't worry about it," the instructor told him.  "Just keep on practicing." 

And that was what Darius did, for the rest of the day. When he finally hit the outermost ring of the target, he felt like celebrating. This was the best result that he had gotten the entire day. The instructor was helping another child at the moment. Darius watched the boy nock the arrow, and then aim. His arrow went straight for the center. 

Darius bit his lower lip. What if this boy had some secrets, he could share with him? The instructor didn't have much time, between all of his students. So, Darius went to the boy when the instructor left to help another student, and offered his hand. 

"Hi, my name is Darius Loreth," Darius gave the boy his best smile, to which the boy answered by tilting his head. 

"Anastasios Vicente," the boy didn't take Darius's hand, but he didn't make to leave, either. Darius took that as a good sign. 

"I saw you shoot. You really know how to do it. Can you tell me your secret? I want to become a bounty hunter," Darius said, and the boy sighed. 

"Your eyes are not as good as mine," the boy said, and then placed his bow down. "I am a born vampire. It is too easy for me to see the target, as if it is right before me." 

Darius nodded, but those words didn't deter him. 

"You must have a technique. Come on, tell me. I will trade you. My father gave me all kinds of How To guides on fighting," Darius offered, and the boy giggled. 

"I can have them as well, if I want them," Anastasios told him with his nose held high. "The case might be that I already have them. You are speaking with a prince from the realm of Baskia." 

"Oh, is this the time we say goodbye to each other?" Darius asked. He didn't know much, but he was fairly certain that princes didn't spend time with orphan boys most of the time. 

"Do you want us to? Then you will never know my secret," Anastasios teased, and then went behind Darius. His hands went to the boy's middle, and he fixed his posture. "You need to know where the center is." 

"I can barely see it from here," Darius complained. His eyes were sharp, but the target was too far away. 

"That is easy. Centers are always at the same place, each time. What you need to do is visualize the target, and guess where the center is. You want to be a bounty hunter, right? I doubt that your targets will sit still like this target, and let you aim," Anastasios's hands went to Darius's own, and he helped the demon boy aim his bow. "They won't wait for you to hold that long. Not even the game in the wilds will." 

Darius let lose the arrow, aiming for the center, by guessing where it was. Then, he nocked another arrow, and let it loose too. He repeated this until he was all out of arrows. Then, the two boys shared a look. 

"I guess you have a worrier's spirit in you, after all," Anastasios said, and then they walked to the target. Darius blinked, as he saw a couple of his arrows, for his had a red feather on the tip and the prince's had a purple one, in the center. But the one arrow that pierced the center most accurately, had a purple feather. 

"Don't be disappointed," Anastasios murmured, as he placed a hand on Darius's shoulder. "I have been shooting since a year ago, and you just started. You seem to have a knack for all of this. Be happy, Darius." 

 "Will you be here tomorrow?" Darius asked, and Anastasios shook his head. 

"My father just brought me here for the day. A little reprieve from my routine. I will be back in the Misty Realm of Baskia before the nightfall," Anastasios noticed that Darius's disappointment grew, so he took out a mirror. "I have many of those. You will see that we can see each other through the mirror, when we wish it. Granted, I might not be on the entire time, but..." 

"Thank you," Darius clomped the boy, and squeezed him hard. "I will make sure to contact you only when you are free." 

"Silly, how are you going to do that, when there is a seven hours' worth of time difference between Fairstar, and Baskia? You will either contact me when it is night here, or at the ass crack of dawn," Anastasios chuckled, when Darius sniffled him. "Do I smell nice?"

"You do," Darius let go of his new friend, looking serious. "Like home." 

Anastasios blinked at the rashness of the other boy. Had the boy just smelt something on him that was... Could it be? The vampire boy had heard that demons could smell their mates from a distance. From this close, the boy probably could smell his mate even if Anastasios had bathed in perfume. 

"I'll tell you what," Anastasios said, as he looked into Darius's eyes. "I will ask my father to let me visit with you, from time to time. But one day, you will come to the Misty Realm of Baskia, and you will stay." 

Darius shook his head, and that made Anastasios's chest tighten. 

"I can't stay in the same place for my entire life. I will be a bounty hunter, prince," and with that, Darius began to go towards the spare arrows. He still needed to train, if he ever hoped to be as good of an archer as the prince.