Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(43)
“You were informed what I can do with my gift, right?”
“I’m not interested in seeing anything flashy, angel. I just want to see if you can hit the broad side of a barn, and then we’ll talk.”
“Ugh! Enough with the ‘angel’ crap. It’s insulting. And what makes you think I can’t hit the broad side of a barn?”
“You wouldn’t be the first young Immortal to disappoint. Your generation is all talk. Special snowflakes with ‘unique and astounding abilities’ and your parents have stoked your egos into thinking you are more capable than you actually are. I’d rather see for myself if you can really do what I’ve been told you can.”
“I’m shooting that gun before we leave today. That’s like giving my brother a Stradivarius and telling him he can’t play it.”
“I don’t know what that means, but show me you can follow directions and we’ll see about having a demonstration later.”
“I don’t need a demo. Me and guns, we’re friends.”
“Lunch, Sasha. Eat something and then we’ll get to the fun stuff. I promise.”
“Fine.” She took a seat under the shade of the canopy and helped herself to the buffet the monks had spread out for them. “What do you need to see from me?”
She couldn’t show him how good she really was, but she needed to show him enough to put an end to his doubt.
“Arrows.” Jay slid the bow over to her side. Except it wasn’t the kind of bow Sasha was used to training with. It was a rudimentary sapling bow. The most un-gun-like thing Jayesh could possibly find. But Sasha could shoot anything, and as long as her gift connected with the target, her aim was infallible.
Don’t get cocky. That was what he expected. She selected an arrow from the quiver and strung the bow. Her gift never missed, but she could. If her head wasn’t in it and her gift failed to connect, she could miss the easiest shot. She had to walk a dangerous line today. She had to be good. But she couldn’t be too good. She had to fail at the right moments. She had to have her head on straight and her gift under her firm control. And that required a level of focus and calm she did not currently have. And Jayesh knew it. He was testing her.
“Just need a minute to get my focus on.” She stepped into the sunlight.
Sasha walked up to the edge of the cliff, taking a moment to really see the world stirring to life all around her. She smiled, closing her eyes as her conscious mind sought the wildlife lurking just out of sight. The Senate might demand the use of her target ability. That was all they could see when they looked at her. But they didn’t need to know all the cards she carried. Sasha drew strength from nature. She was in her element here in the wilds of ancient India. As she focused on the untouched world around her, she’d never felt more alive. For a moment, she put herself in their place. She soared with the birds, experiencing the joy of their flight. She ran with the predators deep in the forest, thrilling at the exhilaration of the hunt.
When she opened her eyes, returning to herself, she’d found her center. The animal kingdom never failed to set her at ease. With a deep breath, Sasha notched an arrow along the bowstring and took aim at the sky. When she was ready, Brother Raj would launch the clay target over the cliffside and she would have mere seconds to connect with the target and take aim.
Jay was giving her an easy first shot and she needed to make it.
“Ready,” she said.
The monk flung the clay bird into a high arc, giving her plenty of time to call the target with her gift. She felt it, stirring low in her chest, the icy burn of her power as familiar as her next breath. Her eyes followed the clay bird’s flight. The breeze stilled as she searched for the break in the air, the tiniest indication that told her when to release the arrow. She took a breath. Counted down slowly in her mind, keeping her focus on the target. As it began to fall, arcing back toward the ground, Sasha’s breath caught in her throat and the world went silent when she released the arrow.
She didn’t need to look. She knew exactly where her arrow would pierce the clay bird.
“What’s next?” she asked. “More birds?”
“Take a few more shots with the bow,” he replied. “But let’s see how you do with multiple targets.”
“Nice shot, Ms. Sasha,” Brother Raj said.
“Thank you.” She bowed respectfully to the monk. “Let’s go with three birds this time and give me about five seconds between each.”
“Two birds. Ten seconds,” Jayesh corrected. “We’re starting slow, Sasha. I know you can do much more with your gift. This isn’t about you showing off. It’s about me seeing your gift in action.”
“Did I complain?” She raised her brow but he didn’t acknowledge her question. “No, I didn’t complain because I get it, Jayesh. I’m not an idiot.” Sometimes the man made her want to break things with her fists. She could feel her pulse pounding in her veins.
You’re supposed to be Zen, Sasha. This is not good for my blood pressure … or my gift. Her gift came to her only when she was in a meditative state, and for it to work properly, she had to push everything else away.
It took her a moment, but she found her center and didn’t miss a single shot with the bow. When she moved on to the handguns and multiple targets, Jay asked her to hit one specific target of the three or four birds the monks pitched for her. It was elementary stuff, but she waited as patiently as she could.