We went out into the middle of the room and I pulled off the sheath and started to hold it by the handle.
Chase shook his head. “No, no, you can’t hold your hands together or you won’t be able to get enough power. Realize that the only part that really does the task of striking your victim is the last two inches so you have to be able to torque it as much as possible. You have one hand on the very top of the handle and at the end you have your other hand relaxed and controlling it.”
He moved my hands to where he said they needed to be. It felt a lot more comfortable and I started to understand how it affected my swinging.
“Great, that’s it. Now block my sword as I swing slowly.”
He swung his sword down slowly and I blocked it. He swung at the side and I blocked it. It was fun but I knew that this was never how a battle would play out, with slow swings. A battle would be fast but this was how I was to learn.
“Now move your feet with the sword. Keep a defensive pose. That’s it!” Chase started swinging a little faster.
“Great, but with a katana you block a little different. Here, like this.” He motioned the sword at a downward angle. “That way it protects your whole body. Stepping back will also help.”
I tried doing what he said and moved my feet with the sword, but I kept messing up and leaving myself unbalanced. Chase struck again and I lost my balance and fell backwards.
Chase helped me back up. “You have to keep your balance.”
“I know, it’s hard to think about all these things at once,” I sighed.
Chase tapped his chin for a second. “Think of it like this, it’s a dance. A beautiful dance with sharp pointy props. Let the rhythm flow through you smoothly. Just imagine the music is everything around you and all that matters is getting the moves down and not letting your sword drop nor the other sword touch you.”
I thought about it for a moment. “All right, I’ll try it that way.”
Chase swung at me again and I recoiled. I didn’t lose my balance this time, I let the rhythm of the katana guide me. Chase struck again and again and I blocked each one without a problem. He sped up his attack and I kept up with him. Soon we were fighting at normal speed and the others just watched, surprised that Chase could teach me so fast.
Chase swung once more, but instead of blocking, I jumped to the side and knocked the sword out of his hand. He laughed.
“Perfect Alice! You got it!”
I smiled and bowed as if I just finished a dance. The boys clapped and Howard looked very satisfied.
Chase turned to Malcolm. “She should probably go back to learn how to fight hand-to-hand. She’s all yours now. Besides, I need to take a break.”
With that, Chase left me there to train with the others.
CHAPTER 13
After a couple of hours training, Malcolm let me take a lunch break. Howard had already made sandwiches, and somehow knew my favorite sandwich: a grilled cheese. The others finished theirs quickly and went back to the room to train. I took the rest of my grilled cheese and watched them.
To outsiders, they all probably looked like some kids just goofing off, but I knew better now. They were older than they appeared, a lot older, training like they usually did. Malcolm used to serve under the Queen and King of Dreams. I couldn’t believe it at first but now that I watched him, I could see how he held his head in authority. He was a born leader, at least he appeared that way to me. The others respected him and followed what he said. Except for Chase.
Chase didn’t seem to belong, I could tell. He looked like an outsider, trying to fit in. I wondered what caused him to join this group to fight, especially with his hatred of Malcolm. He was definitely a loner, going from one place to another just like in the story. Did he just see Morpheus as a threat and decide to help the rest of them defeat him? But if that was the case, what had happened between Malcolm and Chase that made their feud so great? Was it so bad that they couldn’t stop fighting for five seconds?
“Interesting lot of characters, huh?”
I turned to find Howard next to me. He leaned against the wall and looked out at them. Chase was still nowhere to be seen. I figured he must have gone back to his treehouse to be away from the rest of them.
I nodded. “Yeah, they are.”
“They all have different backgrounds, both good and bad. It’s interesting that they are the only ones not affected by Morpheus. Then again, I can understand why, especially once you know them. Their fears were conquered long ago.”
“Are they the only ones in this entire world that aren’t affected?” I asked, wondering how it seemed such a small number. The odds of defeating Morpheus seemed greater than ever.
He nodded. “Yes.”
I looked back over at them. “Why is that exactly?”
Howard shrugged. “It was probably just because of all the things they have been through together. Chase doesn’t let fear affect him since he spends his time alone. Melvin has been through many wars and has already faced his fears more than once. Davis, even though he seems to be small and afraid, is really strong-minded. And Malcolm...” he stopped in mid-sentence.
“What about him?”
He sighed. “Malcolm has been through more than any of us can imagine. Morpheus can’t make him afraid because he has so much darkness inside of him already. It was said
