“And it works. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Why didn’t you say to?”
“I never— Because it’s not the way of it. It’s—”
“What? Cheating? Maybe on a hunt, yeah, or in a contest. Not fair. But all’s fair in war, right? If I’m defending myself or another, why wouldn’t I use any and all weapons at hand?”
She could see she’d baffled him.
“It’s not the way,” he repeated.
“And you’re not the Mandalorian. It works.”
She stepped laterally in front of the next target, pulled another arrow. She didn’t bother with the bow this time, just held it out, then sent it flying into the target.
Dead center.
Behind her, the boys cheered. She turned to take a bow, and saw Harken had come out, and stood with the kids, grinning.
“You don’t learn the skill,” Keegan argued, “if you rely on magicks.”
“So I’ll practice without them, but I know what I can do if I need to. Sometimes, Taoiseach, you make another way.”
She used one target for the power boost, the second for without.
Without, by the end of the session, she’d improved. Marginally. With? She decided the Avengers’ Hawkeye couldn’t do better.
“You’re in luck,” she told Keegan as they started to the cottage at dusk.
“Am I?”
“Marco made jambalaya last night, and we have leftovers.”
“I haven’t had this. It’s good?”
“It’s excellent. I’m glad you could give Brian this time to introduce Marco to his family.”
“He earned every hour of it. They’ll agree to pledge, I think.”
She nearly stumbled over a branch as they moved into Ireland. “Why do you say that?”
“Brian takes him to meet family, and in a way that has meaning clear enough. And he had nerves. Brian isn’t one for nerves. So they’ll likely pledge.”
“Thank God! It doesn’t feel like I have to zip it if you’ve got that much.”
“Zip what?”
“He asked for my approval. Brian. It was so sweet!” Remembering, she crossed her hands over her heart. “I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I’d rather shoot arrows for six hours than have to hold that back again. He’s going to ask him. Maybe tonight. And we’ll have two weddings.”
Thrilled, she hooked an arm through Keegan’s as Bollocks raced back and forth.
“One here—or in Talamh, that is. And one in Philadelphia for Sally and Derrick and Marco’s sister.”
“What of his parents? Marco’s.”
“No. No, they wouldn’t come. I’m going to ask them. I won’t tell Marco, but I’ll go and talk to his mother. But they won’t come.”
“Then the flaw is in them.”
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll have it at Sally’s. I know that’s what Marco’s going to want. And everyone who loves him will be there. Oh, it’ll be amazing. You’ll come, won’t you? You’ll be there for both?”