Finn Finnegan by Darby Karchut Read Free Book Online Page A

satisfaction. Hunting should never be taken lightly. Even experienced De Danaan have lost their lives fighting the beasties.”
    Finn nodded. Like my parents , he thought. Memories of the last time he’d ever seen them flooded his mind, memories of a redheaded man swinging him high in the air, his eyes more blue than the sky. A voice filled with laughter. A fall of soft brown hair appearing next to them, stirred by a breeze. A woman’s delicate voice and the scent of lemon soap as she kissed him goodbye.
    With an effort, Finn slammed his inner eye closed, shattering the vision. He forced himself to take a few more bites before giving up and pushing the bowl away, his appetite gone. “So, how come we don’t just have one big battle? Us versus them. Winner takes all.”
    â€œWhy, for one thing, they outnumber us by a hundredfold.” Gideon said, plowing through his own cereal. “And, there’s more to our long war with the Amandán than ye know. ‘Tis not just us versus them . Mortals play a role, to some degree.” He pointed a spoon at Finn’s bowl. “Eat.”
    â€œI’m not hungry.”
    â€œThen ye’ll be enjoying cold oatmeal for lunch. We cannot afford to waste food.”
    With a scowl, Finn pulled his bowl back and began picking at his breakfast. “What did you mean by “mortals play a role”?”
    Gideon drained the last of the tea, then rose and carried his dishes to the sink. He began rummaging through a drawer. “Best leave the history lesson for this afternoon. Now, hand me yer belt.”
    Finn’s stomach lurched. “Why? I’m eating as fast as…” His voice trailed off when the Knight turned around, a leather knife sheath in one hand. “Oh.” With a silent sigh of relief, he stood up, unfastened his belt, and handed it over.
    â€œYer to be armed at all times,” Gideon said as he slid the sheath onto Finn’s belt. “Never leave this house without a weapon.”
    â€œYes, sir.” He took his belt back. As he refastened it, the Knight stepped into the living room. He returned a moment later with one of the smaller hunting knives. “Here. Finish yer breakfast, all of it , clean the kitchen, and then meet me out back.”
    Standing in the middle of the yard twenty minutes later, Finn watched as Gideon jammed the end of a thick plank as tall as himself into the ground and leaned it against the back wall. A crude outline of a goblin was drawn on it, the wood pitted and splintered, especially in the chest region.
    Gideon backed up a few feet. Sliding a knife out of his belt, he motioned for Finn to join him. “Now, the most important thing to remember when battling an Amandán with a blade is to…” He paused, eyebrows raised as he waited for Finn to answer.
    â€œStick it with the sharp end?”
    The Knight blinked. He scratched the back of his neck with the tip of the weapon and tried again. “The second most important thing to remember when battling an Amandán with a blade is to…”
    â€œâ€¦never let go.”
    â€œAye, never let go. And one way to practice that is to attack this board over and over, thrusting yer weapon as deep as ye can, then ripping it free as quick as ye can. Since this plank is tougher than the hide of an Amandán, ye’ll develop not only speed, but muscle, too. Remember, whilst contact with bronze burns them, ‘tis the stab of a bronze blade that destroys them. Or, at least, disintegrates them.” He shifted his feet and faced the target, the blade held at waist height. “Now watch.”
    Balancing on the balls of his feet, Gideon began chanting in a low voice. Without warning, he lunged forward in a blur of motion. The blade flashed in the morning light as he plunged it into the left eye of the mock goblin. A splinter of wood flew upward as he yanked it out. A second lunge and thrust planted the knife less