"Time you learned about the weapons you'll be using." said Halt. They were a half hour out into the forest where they had been practicing unseen movement. Barry and Will were pretty good, but nowhere near the Ranger standard. Barry of course, was better than Will with his background. There were so many things that Barry was better at than Will that he was surely too good, so he downplayed it. Will was less excited about map reading and chart drawing whereas Barry's enthusiasm was always very high though he acted a bit detached. Now they stopped in a clearing and Halt revealed a bundle from under his cloak.
"What sort of weapons? Do we have swords?"
"A Ranger's principal weapons are stealth and silence and his ability to avoid being seen," said Halt."But if they fail, then you may have to fight."
"So... a sword?"
"You're really hung up on swords, aren't you." said Barry. "Swords aren't the only deadly weapon out there."
"He's right. Used correctly, anything can be used as a weapon." Barry shivered at that last sentence, something Halt caught and he made a note to add that into the info on the weirdness of Barry.
"We have a bow." Halt unveiled a very high quality bow. Will looked at first disappointed but then very interested. Barry looked keenly at the weapon and he saw a glimmer of satisfaction in them.
"It's called a recurve bow. You two aren't strong enough yet to handle a long bow." Barry let out a snort.
"Care to tell me what's so funny?" This was the first outburst from Barry since he had met him.
"Nothing." said Barry as he grinned.
"Anyway, the double curve of the bow will give you more arrow speed and power, with a lower draw weight. I learned how to make one from the Temujai."
"Who?" asked Will. Will tended to ask more questions. He either hadn't payed as much attention as Barry or there was something else going on here.
"The Temujai are fierce fighting men from the east, and perhaps the worlds best archers."
"You fought against them?"
"And with them for some time. Stop asking so many questions." Will examined the bow yet again.
"Can I shoot it?"
"If you feel that's a good idea." Barry's face started on a grin which he quickly hid when Will looked towards him. He already knew what would happen here. Will grabbed an arrow, pulled back and aimed at a tree. The bowstring slapped into the skin on the inside of his arm and Will immediately dropped the bow after yelling in pain. A thick red welt was forming on his arm and he looked at Halt and Barry the latter of which had a shit eating grin on his face.
"That hurt!"
"You're always in a hurry. Maybe this'll teach you to slow down next time." He pulled two long cuffs of leather out of the bundle and put them on each of the boys left arms. Will thought ruefully of how he had noticed Halt's one before but had never thought of the use it would have.
"Now try again." Will grabbed another arrow and placed it on the string. Just before he would have drawn it, Halt said, "Not the thumb and finger. Let the arrow rest between the first and second fingers on the string. He showed Will how to nock an arrow.
"That's better. Now try to use your back muscles, not just your arms. Feel as if you're pushing your shoulder blades together . . ." Will tried it and the bow seemed to draw a little easier. He found he could hold it steadier than before. He fired again. This time, he just missed the tree trunk he'd been aiming for.
"You need to practice," said Halt. "Put it down for now." Carefully, Will laid the bow down on the ground. He was eager now to see what Halt would produce next from the bundle.
"These are a Ranger's knives," said Halt. He handed Barry a double scabbard, like the one he wore on the left-hand side of his own belt. Barry took the double scabbard and examined it. The knives were set one above the other. The top knife was the shorter of the two. It had a thick, heavy grip made of a series of leather discs set one above the other. There was a brass crosspiece between the hilt and the blade and it had a matching brass pommel.
"Take it out," said Halt. "Do it carefully." Barry slid the short knife from the scabbard. It was an unusual shape. Narrow at the hilt, it tapered out sharply, becoming thicker and wider for three quarters of its length to form a broad blade with the weight concentrated toward the tip, then a steep reverse taper created a razor-sharp point. He looked curiously at Halt.
"It's for throwing," said the Ranger. "The extra width at the tip balances the weight of the hilt. And the combined weight of the two helps drive the knife home when you throw it. Watch." His hand moved smoothly and swiftly to the broad-bladed knife at his own waist. He flicked it free from the scabbard and, in one smooth action, sent it spinning toward a nearby tree. The knife thudded home into the wood with a satisfying thock! Barry looked at Halt, impressed with the Ranger's skill and speed.
"How do you learn to do that?" he asked. Halt looked at him.
"Practice." He gestured for Will to inspect the second knife. This one was longer. The handle was the same leather disc construction, and there was a short, sturdy crosspiece. The blade was heavy and straight, razor-sharp on one side, thick and heavy on the other.
"This is in case your enemy gets to close quarters," said Halt."Although if you're any sort of an archer, he never will. It's balanced for throwing, but you can also block a sword stroke with that blade. It's made by the finest steelsmiths in the kingdom. Look after it and keep it sharp."
"I will," the apprentice said softly, admiring the knife in his hands.
"It's similar to what the Skandians call a saxe knife," Halt told him. Will frowned at the unfamiliar name and Halt went on to explain further. "It's both weapon and tool—a sea ax, originally. But over the years the words sort of slid together to become saxe. Mind you," he added, "the quality of the steel in ours is a long way superior to the Skandian ones." Will studied the knife more closely, seeing the faint blue tint in the blade, feeling the perfect balance. With its leather and brass hilt, the knife might be plain and functional in appearance. But it was a fine weapon and, Will realized, far superior to the comparatively clumsy swords worn by castle Redmont's warriors. Halt showed him how to strap the double scabbard to his belt so that his hand fell naturally to the knife hilts.
"Now," he said, "all you have too is learn to use them. And you know what that means, don't you?" Will nodded his head, grinning.
"A lot of practice," he said. Barry got his own knife and bow set and they spent the rest of the day practicing.