Erik laughed at her dramatic gesture in spite of himself. “OK, toots, you’ve convinced me. I’ll show you some of the basics. For starters, sit down.” He patted a spot on the floor mat next to him.
“Is naptime part of the exercise?”
“Don’t be cute. I want to talk about the psychology of self-defense first.”
“Oh,” she dropped down next to him, drawing her knees up to her chin.
“The first thing you have to remember about protecting yourself is that attitude is everything. Generally speaking, bad guys are predators, and they’re going to look for easy targets. Your job is to project an attitude that says, ‘Don’t mess with me unless you want to be in a world of hurt.’” He paused to regard the petite young woman who was scowling at him incredulously. “Just like that, that’s perfect.”
She snorted in disgust.
He chuckled. “All kidding aside, you reek of hostility which is a definite advantage when it comes to self-defense.”
“I reek?” she asked in an offended tone.
“Just an expression. What I mean is that you ooze ‘I can take care of myself.’ That’s good. It’s a confidence thing. Keep it up.”
“Reeking and oozing,” Cassie sighed. “Just what every girl wants to hear.”
“How tall are you?”
“Five-foot one,” she replied warily. “Why?”
“Now the average predator would think a half-pint pixie like you wouldn’t give him much of a fight. He’d get cocky and let his guard down, but he’d be in for a surprise.”
“Damn straight!”
“That’s because deep down you’ve already figured out what most chicks have been brainwashed to forget.”
Cassie’s curiosity was piqued. “What’s that?”
“Size doesn’t matter.”
“Say what?” the pythia asked impishly. “I thought all guys were obsessed with the size thing.”
Erik ignored the comment and continued with his lecture. “Speed and agility, and in your case a bad attitude, trump brute strength every time. It doesn’t matter how big your opponent is. Size can work against him if his reflexes are slow. Take lions for example.”
“Take them where?” The pythia had lost his train of thought.
“Everybody always talks about the big ole king of beasts because they’re impressed by his size, but a full-grown male lion is useless as a hunter. He’s too big and bulky to run down prey on his own. That’s why he tries to attach himself to a pride of females. They’re better hunters because they’re smaller and more agile. They only let him hang around because they need him for breeding stock.”
“Well, I never heard that explanation on Wild World of Animals!” Cassie exclaimed. “You mean to tell me overlord values have even seeped into nature shows on TV?”
“Yup,” was Erik’s laconic reply. “But getting back to the big, burly guy who’s coming at you. Same principle as the lion. He’s only effective if he can land a punch. If you’re lighter and quicker, you can keep dodging him til you wear him out. Every time he swings and misses, it costs him energy and probably knocks him off balance too. That’s when you can strike back.” The security coordinator paused to consider. “Of course, if there are five guys and you’re outnumbered, then you run like hell.”
Cassie giggled. “I’m with you there.” She studied her teacher for a moment. “You know, for a macho kind of guy you’re pretty open-minded about girl power.”
Erik shrugged. “I was raised by a family that believed brains and guts didn’t have anything to do with the shape of your genitals.”
“Were your parents in the Arkana too?”
“Yeah, they were scouts just like your parents.”
His comment intrigued Cassie. She swiveled around to face him directly. “I never knew what my parents did for the Arkana. What’s a scout?”
“It’s somebody who travels around the world surveying prospective dig sites to see if there’s anything the Arkana might be interested in. If they find something, then the pythia gets involved.”
“I never knew how that worked exactly. I always thought the pythia just got a vibe and hopped on a plane.”
Erik laughed. “If your sister had done that when she was the pythia, she’d have spent her whole life in airports. The scouts do all the preliminary leg work.”
Cassie grew solemn as another thought struck her. “I guess you must have known my parents before they—”
“Disappeared?” He cut her off. Apparently, he didn’t want to hear her say the words, “Before they were murdered.”
“Yeah, disappeared,” she echoed softly.
Erik looked down at the mat, unwilling to meet her eyes. “No, I didn’t. That happened about ten years ago. I was only fifteen then. Didn’t officially join the Arkana til a while after that.”
Cassie wasn’t ready to delve into any more of the grim details of her parents’ deaths, so she decided to change the subject abruptly. “How’s about you get back to training me?”
Erik jumped to his feet. “OK then. Stand up.”
She followed and stood facing him.
“It’s important to remember that everybody has a weak spot. No matter how big or bad the other guy looks, he’s always got a weakness.”
“Like glass testicles?” she asked pointedly.
Unfazed, the security coordinator replied, “The old knee to the groin ploy. A classic move.” As Cassie raised her leg to kick, he added, “I’m wearing a cup so don’t try it.”
“Awww!”
“I was actually going to start with another part of the anatomy. If somebody’s trying to choke you and your arms are free, go for his eyes.”
“You mean like scratching his eyes out?”
Erik took his thumbs and lightly placed them on Cassie’s eyelids. “No, I mean jab your thumbs into his eyes as hard as you can. You just might blind him.”
“Yeesh, that sounds disgusting.” She pushed his hands away.
“Disgusting but effective. At the very least, he’ll be forced to let go. While he’s seeing stars, you can try another move. Give me your arm.”
She balled her hand up into a fist.
“No,” he corrected, gently unrolling her fingers. “Punching somebody with a clenched fist is a good way to sprain your wrist.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, it is,
