73rd, Summer, 513
Rayth slipped the loop of string over the end of the bow and seated it into its notch. Then he flipped the bow over and placed his foot against the back of the bow. Pressing down, he bent the bow limb just enough to get the other end of the bowstring into place. Relaxing his muscles to let the bow take its natural curve, he moved the bow over to the table to examine it closer.
So much for some relaxing bow making, he thought for probably the tenth time in the last two days. After the strange day at the market only three days ago, he had only been at work for about two hours before the message came in, telling him that he would need to step up his production of bows. Who knows why, Rayth thought to himself, The hunters have been out all season, so it doesn't make sense for there to be such a large need of bows now. Maybe they're for trade or some such nonsense. All I know is that you can only work bow wood so fast. Making a bow is very different than making anything else out of wood. Carvings and furniture just needs to sit there and look pretty for the most part. Bows are subjects to the rigors of being drawn, held in an unnatural bend, and then flinging themselves straight in less time than it takes to blink.
Rayth carefully measured the curve of the bow limbs with his eyes, following both limbs from tip to handle and back. Once he was satisfied that the curve was good and that his tillering was done, he picked up the bow and placed his hand to the string. Flexing the bow slightly, he felt the pull of the bow and tested the feel of the weapon. Happy with the draw weight of the bow, he unstrung it and set it aside for him to try at the archery range after he finished the days work. Rayth refused to proclaim a bow done until he had used it himself.
With that finished, he turned his attention to the next project. He went to the drying rack and searched for a stave that would be dried to the proper degree. He found a good oak stave that felt right to him, and had a date that marked it had been drying out for almost thirty days, a good amount of time for green wood to reach a workable humidity. Smiling to himself as he pictured the bow that would come from this piece of wood, he turned back to his carving table. His smile slowly faded as he thought of how many more he would have to make to meet the demands given him. Oh well, Rayth thought, trying to cheer himself up slightly, Atleast you still like what you are doing, and things cant get much worse, right?