Chapter 36

I place the dagger back into its sheath and tuck it into my belt. Then I take fifteen steps back from the tallest tree stump. A couple of years ago, Micah and I spent time carving silly faces into all the stumps we use as targets. I halt once I’m far enough away from the stumps and take the two old daggers tucked into the waist of my belt. Then, flourishing them in my hand, I aim and throw them at the tallest target. They spin through the air and hit the target but land an inch off where I had aimed.

“Try it with your new dagger,” Micah says.

“I don’t want to damage it, though,”

“You won’t,” He laughs, “Trust me. It’s indestructible,” He smirks.

His crooked smile makes me giddy and puts me in a trance. I nod in response.

With my new dagger in hand, I narrow my eyes at the target and throw.

The dagger struck right between the eyes of the target.

“Bullseye!” I squeal.

Micah lifts me and hugs me, “I knew you could do it,” He says and then