all of us, Miss Kelsey. Rajaram would have been delighted by you, and Deschen would have wept at your feet for giving her sons’ lives back. Don’t let yourself doubt for a moment that you are right for this family or right for Ren.”
My mangled heart thumped hollowly in my chest. Even thinking about him hurt, but my hands fisted in determination.
“So what should we start with? Research or sword-fighting?”
“Are you able to begin with some physical training?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, get your things put away and then join me in the gym downstairs in half an hour.”
“I will. And, Mr. Kadam? It’s nice to be home.”
He smiled at me, winked, and then set off for his room.
I headed upstairs and found that all the precious things I’d shipped were safe and sound. My ribbon box was in the bathroom. My books and journals had been moved to a library shelf along with newly framed pictures of my family and a vase of fresh pink tiger lilies. My grandmother’s quilt rested on the foot of my bed, and my stuffed white tiger sat among the mound of plum-colored pillows.
I unzipped my bag and pulled out Fanindra, apologizing for leaving her out of the battle in the forest. We would be better prepared next time. I set her on the new library shelf on top of a round, silk-covered pillow.
I quickly changed into my wushu clothes and headed downstairs to meet Mr. Kadam. Kishan heard me bustling around and trotted down the stairs behind me. He curled up in a corner of the room on the gym mat, put his head on his paws, and watched sleepily.
Mr. Kadam was already there. The wall was flipped open to showcase his collection of swords. He walked over with two wooden sticks.
“These are called shinais and are used in the practice of kendo, which is the Japanese form of fencing. Use these to practice forms before moving on to the steel weapons. Grip it with both hands. Reach out as if you are shaking hands with someone, then wrap your three bottom fingers around the weapon and leave your thumb and forefinger loose.”
I tried to follow his instructions, and before I knew it, Mr. Kadam was moving onto the next step.
“For advancing, walk heel-step, heel-step. For retreating, back up ball-step. This way you are always ready and won’t distribute your weight wrong.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Very good, Miss Kelsey.”
“Now lunge. When someone attacks, swing this leg back, move your body out of the way, and bring your sword up to defend yourself, like this. If someone comes from the other side, move back this way.”
This was complicated. My arms already hurt, and the footwork was hard to remember.
He continued, “Eventually, we’ll move on to heavier swords to build up your arms and shoulders, but for now, the footwork is what I want you to practice.”
Mr. Kadam had me do footwork drills for an hour while he gave me tips. I began to move in a rhythm and crossed the floor back and forth doing lunges, advance-retreats, and deflecting moves. While I worked, Mr. Kadam watched, correcting my form from time to time and citing sword fighting instructions.
“Draw your sword before you engage an opponent. It takes too much time to do it once you’re in a fight. And make sure your feet always stay grounded and balanced.
“Don’t overextend yourself! Keep your elbows bent and close to your body.
“Fight to win. Search for weaknesses and exploit them. Don’t be afraid to use other techniques if they will help you, like lightning power, for example.
“It’s better to get out of the way than to block someone. Blocking saps your strength; moving out of the way requires less energy.
“Know the length of your sword and estimate the length of your opponent’s weapon. Then, maintain a distance at which he cannot easily reach you.
“Though it’s good to practice with bigger, heavier swords, lighter swords can do just as much damage. The big ones tire you out faster in a fight.”
By the time I was done, I was sweaty and sore. I’d been holding the shinai up the whole time I was practicing footwork. And, even though it was lightweight, my shoulders were burning.
Mr. Kadam encouraged me to work on the footwork for an hour every day and said that he would teach me more tomorrow.
Kishan changed to a man after I’d sufficiently rested. He practiced wushu kicks and sweeps with me for another two hours. By the time I climbed the stairs to