Laura Jo Phillips (15 page)

“Sorry, no,” Rand replied.

“Well, guess you’re going to have to take your chances then,” Aisling said, arching one brow at him. 

Rudy laughed as Rand selected one of the two remaining sets of
sai
from the counter and followed Aisling to the matted area they’d had installed for her. 

After bowing to each other, Aisling took up an offensive stance with her knees bent, body turned sideways to present the smallest target to her opponent, the
sai
held loosely in her hands.  Rand copied her, then waited for her to begin.  Aisling moved slowly, stepping forward and turning on the ball of one foot as she brought her
sai
up at an angle toward Rand.  Rand met the strike, moving as slowly as Aisling, the
sai
clashing together with a metallic ring as he struck with the other hand.  Aisling blocked him with another clash of metal, striking with the other
sai
at the same time.  They began to move faster and faster, blocking and striking, as they moved around the matted area, the ringing of the
sai
filled the room.  Suddenly, they both stopped at once and the room fell silent.

“That was interesting,” Olaf said. 

Aisling shrugged.  “That was a warm up,” she replied. 

“You didn’t do any
tiketa
though,” Rudy pointed out. 

“No, that was hand to hand,” Aisling agreed.  “Your turn?”

Rudy stepped onto the mat and accepted the
sai
from Rand.  “Good luck,” he said. “I think you’re going to need it.”

Twenty minutes later the Gryphons had all taken a turn on the mat with Aisling, but none of them had managed to stay on their feet for long.  Olaf had lasted the longest, and that only because he’d watched her with Rand and Rudy first.  They were all much larger than she was, and much stronger.  They were all fast enough to match her in a hand to hand contest with the sai.  But they could not hope to match her when she used both the sai, and
tiketa
without using their magic or calling on their gryphon speed. 

Aisling was a small woman, and no match for the strength of most men, and she knew it.  Therefore, she had become an expert at putting her opponents on their backs as quickly as possible.

“That was really amazing to watch,” Karma said.  “I wish I could do something like that.”

“You can, if you want,” Aisling replied as she returned the
sai
to the counter.  “All it takes is practice.”

“I imagine it takes a bit more than practice.  I bet you need a good deal of skill, as well.”

“With practice, comes skill,” Aisling said. 

Karma reached out and ran her fingers lightly over the handles of the knives lying on the counter.  “I would like to learn to defend myself, but flipping and kicking and throwing the way you do is not something I can see myself doing.  I’m not flexible in that way.”

“You don’t have to do what I do,” Aisling said. “There are many different methods of self-defense, and a very wide range of weapons.  You just need to find what works for you.”

“What is there aside from knives, swords and guns?” Karma asked. 

Olaf turned and waved toward the opposite wall where a long line of weapons were organized on racks and stands.  Karma crossed the room, her eyes roaming over the bright, shiny weapons, seeing nothing that interested her.  She really didn’t think that there was a weapon she would feel safe carrying around.  She wasn’t clumsy, but she did tend to cut herself more often than not whenever she had to use a knife in the kitchen.  She didn’t even want to think about what she’d do to herself with a sword.

Karma walked the entire display from one end to the other, and sighed.  She liked the idea of being able to defend herself, but she didn’t see a weapon that appealed to her.  She turned to walk away and caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye.  She turned back and frowned at what looked like nothing more than a wooden pole.  She stepped closer and saw that her first impression had been correct.  It was a wooden pole.  She reached out and picked it up, instantly liking the way it felt in her hand.  It was neither too narrow, nor too thick.  It seemed made for a hand exactly the size of her own.

“What’s this?” she asked Olaf.

“That is called a staff,” he replied. 

“Is there a sword hidden inside of it or something?” she asked.

“No, it’s entirely made of a special type of wood that is lightweight, hard, and resilient,” Olaf said. 

“Oh, I thought it was a weapon of some sort,” Karma said, feeling unaccountably disappointed.

“It is a weapon,” Olaf said.  “A very old, and dangerous one when handled with skill.”

“Really?” Karma asked, feeling a twinge of excitement.  “Can you show me?”

“I have no skill with the staff,” Olaf said.  “It is here only because we requested a thorough range of weapons be included when the room was created.”

Karma looked hopefully at Rand and Rudy.  “I know a little about it,” Rudy said as he reached for a staff that matched the one Karma held.  “Enough to demonstrate the basics.”

“Thanks,” Karma said as she tested the weight and balance of the staff in her hands.  There was something about it that felt natural to her. 

“I know the use of a similar weapon called a
bo
,” Aisling said.  “A
bo
is lighter, thinner and longer than the staff, but the usage is much the same.  I can demonstrate with Rudy, if you like.”  Karma nodded and handed the staff to Aisling, who took a moment to test the feel of it in her hands.  Then she and Rudy moved to the center of the room. 

“There are many different names, styles and sizes for this type of weapon,” Aisling said, facing Rudy with the staff held lightly in both hands before her.  “Many cultures have this weapon in some form or other.”

“But is it an effective weapon?” Karma asked.

“Absolutely,” Aisling replied.  “In skilled hands, it’s a weapon to be wary of.  Even in the hands of one unskilled it can be quite dangerous.  Imagine just swinging this thing at someone.  It’s solid enough to break a bone, or even kill if you hit someone over the head in the right place with enough force.”

Aisling and Rudy bowed to each other, then each took up a stance, holding their staffs before themselves at an angle.  Aisling made the first move, striking out with the lower end of the staff toward Rudy.  She moved slowly, not attempting to actually hit him.

Rudy used his staff to block her strike, while at the same time using the other end of his staff to attempt a strike of his own.

They continued to strike, parry and block for a few minutes, moving slowly, attempting to demonstrate the weapon, not hit each other.  As Aisling had said, even a light strike with a staff could be very painful.  After a few minutes Rudy and Aisling stepped away from each other and bowed once again.

Aisling returned the staff to Karma, who accepted it with a sense of awe.  She had seen enough to know that the staff really could be a good defensive weapon for her.  Aside from that, she felt as though she was meant to use this weapon.  It was a strange feeling, unlike anything she’d ever felt before, but she liked it.

 “Do you think you could teach me how to use this?” Karma asked.

Aisling tilted her head as she considered her friend for a long moment.  “Yes, I could teach you,” she said.  “The
bo
is different than the staff, but I could teach you enough to use it effectively.”

Karma frowned.  “I suppose rather than asking if you
could
, I should have asked if you
would
,” she said.

Aisling smiled, but Karma wasn’t fooled.  “I think it’s time for us to have that talk now,” Aisling said.  “What do you think?”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Karma replied.  She put the staff back in the rack where she’d found it and waited while Aisling thanked the Gryphons once more and said goodnight.  She said her own goodnights absently as she tried to figure out what Aisling was up to.

They left the training room and walked silently through the house to the living room.  Instead of going down the hall to their rooms as Karma expected, Aisling crossed the living room to the garden doors and led the way through the garden to the pavilion in the center.  She turned in a slow circle, her eyes and ears searching the garden carefully.  When she was satisfied that they were alone she faced Karma.

“I will make a deal with you,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“What kind of deal?” Karma asked.

“Skill for skill,” Aisling replied.

Karma frowned.  “I have no skills to trade, Aisling.”

“I think that you do,” Aisling said.  “Sometimes, when you are preoccupied or relaxed, you move differently than you usually do.”

Karma’s expression went from curious to guarded in an instant.  “What do you mean?”

 Aisling noted Karma’s reaction and smiled to herself at this confirmation of her suspicions.  “Most of the time you move kind of...stiffly.  Not as though you’re trying to hide, exactly, but like you don’t want anyone to look at you.  But every once in a while, when you’re very relaxed or don’t think anyone is watching, you move like the most sensuous female I’ve ever seen.”

 “Most of the time you walk and move like you’re afraid of your own shadow,” Karma retorted.  “Every once in a while though, when you’re relaxed or don’t think anyone is watching, you move like a stalking lioness.”

Aisling smiled tightly, liking the way Karma turned her own words back on her.  She was so clever.  And almost as secretive as Aisling herself. 

“Exactly,” she said.  “Like recognizes like.”

Karma relaxed a fraction and shook her head.  “So we’ve both been hiding, or at least, trying to hide.  What’s your point?”

“My point is, I want you to teach me how to move that way,” Aisling replied.  “In exchange, I will teach you to use the staff.”

Karma was so shocked by Aisling’s answer that her jaw dropped open.  Aisling checked their surroundings again to be sure they were still alone while she waited for Karma to get over her shock.

“Why in the world would you want that?” Karma asked finally.

Aisling was suddenly very glad that it was dark enough to hide the blush she felt heating her cheeks. 

“I take that back,” Karma said quickly.  “You don’t have to tell me why.”

I want to tell you,” Aisling replied.  “Just as I hope that you will one day tell me your secrets.”

Karma’s heart skipped a beat and she looked around to be sure they were alone before she could stop herself.

“Yes,” Aisling said.  “Both conversations must wait until we are assured of privacy.”

“You have a deal,” Karma said.  “We will teach each other.”

“Excellent,” Aisling said, smiling happily.  “We’ll begin tomorrow, all right?  Tonight I have a few things that I promised to tell you.”

“You don’t really have to tell me anything,” Karma said.  “I won’t be mad, I promise.”

Aisling smiled, happy that Karma had said that.  “I know I don’t have to, but I want to.”

Karma nodded and followed Aisling into her room where it was warm.  An hour later, after hearing everything that Aisling had told the Gryphons the night before, she understood a lot of things that had been puzzling her. 

“I’m sorry about your parents,” she said.  “I know how difficult it is to lose everyone you love.”

Aisling studied Karma silently for a long moment. 

Karma nodded.  “Yes, I have a story as well, and I will share it with you.  But not tonight.”

 “No, not tonight,” Aisling agreed.  “Time to go to bed.  Though I admit, I can hardly wait for tomorrow to arrive. I’m excited to learn whatever you have to teach me.”

 “Really?” Karma asked.  “Let’s begin now then.”

Aisling frowned.  “Tonight?”

“Nothing big,” Karma assured her.  “Just this, watch.”  She held one arm up, straight out.  When she knew that Aisling was watching, her arm undulated in a boneless, graceful motion that began at her shoulder and ended at her finger tips as though a wave had run through the muscles of her arm.

“How the hell did you do that?” Aisling asked in a whisper. 

Karma smiled and lowered her arm.  “Practice,” she said simply.  “I want you to try it, but when you do, think of a snake instead of a lion.”

Aisling nodded doubtfully, then set her jaw.  “I’ll work on it,” she promised. 

Chapter
15

Darck watched the green dragon as it flew over the camp, careful not to make it obvious that he was looking up at it.  It circled the camp, then flew out in a wide loop before circling it again, just as it did two or three times a week. 

“I despise that damned dragon,” Darck said to his father as they watched it disappear into the distance.

“It’s not a dragon, it’s a sugea,” Jarlek said tiredly.  “It’s only watching over us.”

 “According to Magoa,” Darck said irritably. 

“Yes, according to Magoa,” Jarlek agreed.  “Like it or not, there isn’t a damn thing we can do about it.”

“Have you heard anything from Stalnek?” Darck asked.