Amaya, for her part, took a second to just enjoy the whump of the counterweight, the creak of the wood in argument against the sudden call to motion, the snap of the sling as it launched the pumpkin into the air and toward the vast blue horizon.

Lifting a hand to shade her eyes, she squinted out until she saw the splash to break the surface of the water, then shifted her attention back over to Irene with a grin.

"Not too shabby for your first trebuchet, there, Irene."