The Sheik and the Siren (Elemental Series) by Elizabeth Rose Page A

going to have a practice session with weapons.”
    “We can’t fight,” said one man from the back of the group.
    “We’re missing fingers and limbs if you haven’t noticed,” grumbled Sir John.
    “That makes no difference. We will work with what you have and relearn how to defend ourselves and our castle.” He looked up to see Cook lurking in the shadows. “Cook, come join us please, and you would be learning to fight today as well.”
    “He’s blind,” Willis reminded him. “He can’t fight.”
    “He most certainly can. Cook, come forward.”
    The man made his way to the front of the crowd, using his stick to tap the earth in his path. Ace picked up a spear from the ground and replaced the man’s stick with the spear.
    “Feel the blade on the end so you know how sharp it is and how far from your face as well.”
    Cook rubbed his hand done the pole and then picked it up in two hands.
    “ Spears can be used as a weapon, or simply to fish or hunt wild boar,” Ace told the men. “When one is a squire they are trained with the spear and told to concentrate on distance and accuracy.”
    “Well, how am I going to be able to do that?” asked Cook, “I can’t see.”
    “I am going to teach you all today to use the weapons in any way possible. Cook, you may not be able to throw it and aim, but you can use it as a defense to keep attackers far from you. In this manner, you can stop them before they even get to you. All right, let’s get started. Use the spear and try to hit me with it,” Ace instructed.
    “What?” he asked. “Nay, I couldn’t do that.”
    “Go ahead.”
    The man moved the staff forward but Ace had already moved out of the way and was standing right next to him.
    “I’m over here,” he said, making the man jump, and the rest of the men laughed.
    “If you cannot depend on your eyes, than you need to use your other senses to tell where your enemy is.”
    “What do you mean?” asked Cook.
    “Try to stay downwind and you can smell your opponent.”
    “Aye, we all smell pretty bad,” came a voice from the back of the crowd and they all laughed again.
    “Seriously,” said Ace. “You can also hear them breathing or twigs snapping beneath their feet. If nothing else, you can just feel their presence.”
    “I don’t think I can do it.” He tried to hand it back to him.
    “Just try it,” Ace said, shoving the weapon back into his hand. “See if you can tell where I am.”
    Ace purposely walked upwind of the man and then stepped on a few twigs as he approached him from the back. Cook turned around quickly, almost taking Ace’s eye out with the weapon and the rest of the men jumped out of the way.
    “Good work,” he said, grabbing the spear before the man caused any damage. They didn’t need any more casualties on the island. “Now I want you to go practice with the man next to you while I work with Willis, Barnabus and Sir John.”
    Cook and the ma n next to him each grabbed a spear and moved out of the way. The three men Ace had named came forward next. Ace surveyed the situation. Then he bent over and picked up a bow and quiver of arrows.
    “Barnabus, have you ever used a bow before?”
    “Nay,” he answered. “I’ve always been a swordsman. But missing two fingers on each hand, I can no longer even grip a sword. Besides, I am missing an eye also and it is hard to see my opponent standing right next to me.
    “You use a bow and arrows from a distance,” he told him. “One eye doesn’t matter when you are standing far from your target. Now, w ho here knows how to use a bow and arrows?” asked Ace.
    Several of the men nodded and called out.
    “You, in the back,” said Ace. “The big man with the scar on your face. What is your name?”
    “Sir Elliot,” the man replied.
    “Well, Sir Elliot, from now on I am going to call you Moose.” The men laughed at this, but Sir Elliot nodded his head in approval.
    “Moose,” he repeated. “Aye, I like that.”
    “You