Chapter 1

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Dresden Faramay, the only son of Queen Rylenia and her consort the Lord Faramay, stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, his back straight and tense, bow steady.

He paused.

Exhaled.

Released the bowstring, and watched the arrow fly. It struck a tree some distance away with an emphatic thunk!, joining four other arrows protruding from a small, pockmarked burl.

"That makes five in a row, my friend," Dresden said, quite pleased with himself. He lowered the bow.

"Too. Close," Mohon grunted. Mohon was the Queen's 'katarn', a sentient, dog-like creature capable of the speech of men, after a fashion. He was also intelligent and loyal, and Dresden's closest friend and companion.

And occasional archery critic.

"I'm standing too close?" Dresden exclaimed. "It's fifty paces from here! And you must admit the tree is not very wide?"

The katarn shook his wide, furry head vigorously. "Too. Close," the creature repeated.

"This is a standard distance," Dresden said, feigning indignation. The truth was, they were a little close to the tree. "The captain would be more than impressed, I should think."

Mohon's silence was commentary enough.

"Very well," Dresden said, and sighed. "Another ten paces back?"

"More."

"More? Can I at least start with an extra ten, then we can discuss 'more'?"

The katarn shook his head.

Dresden slumped. "You're worse than my mother! Very well, then. Fifteen paces back it is. And if I miss the mark, I will move forward five. Agreed?"

Mohon woofed in agreement. The creature turned to follow the boy he considered his 'younger master' –

– then paused.

There was a sound nearby. Something ... unusual, like a large volume of water splashing. But Mohon knew no water flowed down these parts of the hills, not even so much as a stream. His large, keen ears perked up, and he swiveled his head in the direction of the disturbance that he, and only he, had heard.

Dresden, meanwhile, continued to pace backwards carefully, marking the ground. He hadn't noticed a thing, as was to be expected. Men were talented in many ways, Mohon knew, but they were also comparatively hard of hearing.

When Dresden realized Mohon was not coming, he stopped, then walked back to the katarn. "What has caught your attention?" he asked, getting down on one knee to meet his companion eye-to-eye.

"There," Mohon spoke, voice low and growling. The sound was like stones being mashed together. He pointed his snout in the direction of the disturbance. "Some... Thing."

Dresden stood up. "Good!" he said. "Perhaps it is a fawn?"

"Not. Fawn," Mohon growled with some effort. He woofed, and there was no mistaking the disdain. Such creatures were easy game for his kind. "Fawns. Gone," he said, and woofed once more.

"It's not too late in the cycle for deer, my friend," Dresden replied, flipping the bow-string between the back and front of his forearm deftly. The string twanged at each bounce. "Let us see, then, shall we? Onwards, Mohon! Mightiest fawn-hunter in all the Hepstraad!"

The creature looked up at Dresden with contempt. The boy was grinning mischievously.

Mohon started forward, shoulder and hind muscles rippling as his legs gracefully padded the ground. They continued to track their way along the hillside, until Mohon paused for a moment to sniff the ground.

"A deer, then?" Dresden asked.

Mohon shook his head.

Dresden drew an arrow from the quiver that was low-slung around his waist, then notched it against the bowstring.

Mohon glanced up at Dresden. "Danger?" he asked.

Dresden shrugged, patted the bow. "No harm in being prepared," he said.            

Mohon went ahead, and the young prince followed.

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