“Pip keeps telling me that a famous fighter by the name of Raphael uses them.” It was at this point the teens all burst out laughing but one look at Zagan’s confused expression said it all…he had no clue who Pip had been referring to.
“Am I missing something?” he asked folding his arms and raising an eyebrow. All laughter stopped and this time all the group looked to Zane instead of Theo.
“What?”
“This one’s on you Zee,” Theo said nudging him with his shoulder and Ena couldn’t hold back a sneaky giggle after the nudge pushed him forward a step. Zane groaned looking back at them all and scrubbed a hand down his face before saying,
“Uh…okay so how should I put this?” Then Zane thought for another moment before having an idea.
“Do you have a phone?” At first Zane thought he would refuse him but he must have been too curious to know, so instead he nodded towards a mirror on the wall. The rest followed, not wanting to miss this.
Zane didn’t know what to expect but it certainly wasn’t the mirror turning into a computer screen the second his teacher touched it. Zagan tapped on the internet browser icon and up popped Google.
“Okay, so this is who Pip is talking about,” Zane said typing the name and four other words after it,
“Teenage… Mutant… Ninja… Turtles…have I got that right?” Zagan asked and Zane nodded as he clicked on the image tab so that his teacher had a picture to put to the name. He took one look at the cartoon tactical human sized turtle and groaned.
“That little Imp should thank her lucky tattooed stars that we are all scared of her husband,” Zagan said, shocking them all.
“Uh…you are talking about the same guy we think you’re talking about…right? Oxford scholar be his choice of style and cute and wacky be his choice of wife?” Zagan laughed aloud this time, liking this kid and his sense of humour. He would certainly need it around here especially if this damn new prophecy was anything to go by.
“Oh no, don’t look at me like that kid, that is one story you will definitely not be hearing from me but don’t worry, I am sure Pip would be more than happy to tell you all about it.” He turned back, ready to continue their lesson, when an afterthought made him pause.
“Of course, she would do so against her husband’s will but that is often the way of it.” And then he shrugged his shoulders signifying the end of it.
“So, as I was saying, these weapons you recognise, thanks to green ninja reptiles, they along with many others that you see here were mainly disguised as farm tools. Although looking at ones such as the Nunchaku, I can imagine not very convincingly,” he said pointing to a set of short wooden poles attached in the middle with a chain. Janie automatically got the giggles which in turn set everyone else off again.
Zagan turned to look at her and she raised her one hand to cover her mouth. However, it didn’t take Zagan long to work out what was so funny…again.
“Let me guess, another cartoon character’s choice of weapon?”
“His brother, Michaelangelo… he, uh… wears the orange mask,” Zane said nodding back to the picture of all four of them still on screen. Zagan closed his pale eyes a second and rubbed his forehead in a sign of frustration before muttering,
“But of course.” Then he looked back to them and said,
“Let’s try this a different way, which ones do you not recognise?” It was at this point that the teens felt bad for him, so they all started pointing to the ones on the wall they didn’t know. Zagan held up his hand to stop the bombardment and said with a smirk,
“I get the idea.”
“Will we learn how to fight with them all?” Zane asked looking at the only one that looked like it could pass as a farm implement and nodding to the one that had a handle like an axe but had curved metal at the end.
“Ah the Kuwa, it is an Okinawan weapon based on a hoe. It is also used in Okinawan Kobudō.”
“A hoe as in the gardening tool?” Ena asked and Zagan laughed.
“Yes, as I said, they had to protect themselves without seeming like a threat and trust me, when used properly, it can be just as deadly as all the rest. Although I wouldn’t recommend it against anything big,” Zagan said, thinking back to a particular battle in Tartarus, one that involved some rather angry Cyclopes brothers the size of four storey buildings.
Oh yeah, Zagan could just imagine it, entering Tartarus, the lowest level of Hell, armed with nothing more than a glorified gardening tool. He was a good fighter to be certain, but damn, even he wasn’t that good!
“What’s a…uh…Okin…a…wany…kobo something?” Ena asked and Zane shot her a look and said,
“Shouldn’t you know how to say this stuff?” She frowned giving him daggers and snapped,
“That’s racist!”
“No, it’s not! You’re Japanese, aren’t you?” he asked and looked to Theo for back up on this one, but Theo had already guessed her secret on the bus when he first met her. That being that she didn’t speak her native language and was obviously embarrassed about it. So, he shook his head slightly, telling him to drop it…but this being Zane, of course he didn’t get the hint.
“Yeah, so! Just ‘cause you’re from the Netherlands it doesn’t mean you speak Dutch!” she snapped again.
“I do speak Dutch and I also speak German and French…and anyway is it really so bad of me that I assumed you are intelligent enough to speak one of the hardest languages to learn?!” Zane argued and doing so in such a way it was hard for Ena to fight back against that sort of compliment.
“Well I don’t!” she said trying anyway with a huff and folding her arms as her only defence.
“Well then lucky for you, now is the perfect opportunity to learn then, isn’t it?” he added and Theo rolled his eyes hoping one of them would soon drop it.
“Well maybe I will!” Ena said, not being the one like Theo had hoped.
“Very good then!” Zane said, mimicking her stance and Theo decided it was time to pull out the big guns. So, he looked to Zagan, hoping he would get the hint when he nodded at the two of them. It was in that moment that Zagan’s face said it all and he must have realised, ‘Oh shit, yes, I forgot, I am the authoritative figure in all of this.’
“Fine I…”
“Daggers!” Zagan shouted interrupting Ena’s pointless reply and not knowing any other way of dealing with arguing teens other than using a tactic he often used with his wife… diversion.
“Moving on from the Okinawan Kobudō which, in answer to your question Ena, refers to the weapon systems of Okinawan martial arts…and before you ask Janie, it is named this because it originated among the indigenous people of Okinawa Island,” he added quickly, just before Janie could open her mouth and they once again found themselves off subject. He was starting to think his wife’s idea of a lesson plan wasn’t such a pointless endeavour now.
Only he had to say that he doubted letting her demon self be seen had been on her own. That was something he would have to remember until later if the conversation arose. After all, any argument he could actually win against his wife was something he classed as a great victory, considering how rare a thing it was for him.
“So, getting back to the lesson, first we are going to start with the oldest and most basic form of weapon. But don’t be fooled, it may be basic but it is far from ineffective against a foe,” Zagan said, leading them over to a table that was covered with a cloth but above it attached to the wall was every size and form of dagger you could have imagined.
“The earliest daggers were made of materials such as flint, ivory or bone in Neolithic times but when the world entered into the bronze age in the 3rd millennium BCE, copper daggers were forged.”
“Uh…question,” Ena said raising her hand, this time more tentatively, due to already feeling Zane’s ridicule. But Zagan nodded for her to go ahead.
“I was never that good at history, so this might sound dumb but…” Zagan held up his hand and stopped her.
&nb
sp; “Remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question, there are only stupid actions which come from those who are too foolish to ask. After all, knowledge was born from the first man who asked why.” Ena smirked and then couldn’t help but add playfully,
“Or woman.” Their teacher smiled and said,
“Please beg my pardon. ‘Knowledge was born from the first man or woman who asked why’,” he corrected before continuing,
“Now let me hear your question, young lady.” Ena blushed at this and bit her lip a moment before asking,
“What does BCE mean?”
“Good question. Alright, this is how it works, BCE means Before Common Era and BC means Before Christ, both of which are the same thing.”
“So, basically any time before Christ was born?” Zane said letting the rest know that he was not only good with languages but also history as well. Theo was beginning to think that there was more to Zane than the artistic, comedian dressed like a punk rocker.
“That’s right, Zane. Can you also tell the rest of the group what CE and AD mean?” Zagan asked knowing that he did thanks to his skilful photographic memory, that the others knew nothing about yet. Zagan had read all their files before they arrived. So, he also knew about Zane’s ability to paint or draw an exact replica of anything he had ever seen, just from memory alone. This also meant that Zane never forgot anything he learned, which would be an ideal skill to have in this new world of his.
“CE just means Common Era, which is anything after this point, including now. AD means the same and is short for ‘Anno Domini’, which is Medieval Latin, simply meaning ‘In the year of the Lord’.” Zane said wowing the others with his knowledge, including Ena if that wide-eyed look was anything to go by.
“So now that we know the correct terminology for time, let us continue with the history of the dagger,” Zagan said and continued to explain about daggers of ancient Egypt. Like the two recovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun, one being made of gold, and one of smelted iron. Then moving on to the middle ages and the most common use of the cross-hilt dagger.
Zagan pointed to the section above which held all the ones that had a cross guard on the handle. This was a bar that had been placed between the blade and the hilt for protection of the wielder’s hand.
“But for now, these are what we will be learning with,” Zagan said pulling back the cloth that hid six daggers. Zane and Theo both picked theirs up, more eager than the rest to start fighting but each frowned when they bent back the blades on their palms, realising that they were made of rubber.
“I thought it wise not to let you all go at each other with real ones quite just yet. After all, I am just your instructor, not a medic,” he teased making them laugh.
“So, if you could each pick one up, we shall practice some basic defence moves and stances that are better served for protecting yourselves,” he said picking up the last dagger and getting them to stand in a line at the centre of the room, so that they could each face him.
“First I want to see each of you hold the blade in a defensive way, one that you think will help you get ready for an oncoming attack.” They each did as they were told, with Janie being the one who looked the most awkward of them all. However, it was Ivan who was the only one who had it right, which wasn’t surprising to Zagan, not considering the violent past that was written on the pages of his personal file.
“Alright, now watch this,” Zagan said letting that be the only warning before he took his blade and demonstrated how easy it was to reach their weak spots. He moved in a swift, fluid motion, catching them all off guard as he pretended to slice away at them one by one. He started with Theo’s throat, slashed at Zane’s wrists and then through Ena’s eyes finishing with Janie’s belly before coming to Ivan and stopping.
“I no show weak spot, I know this,” he said looking down at Zagan, reminding him of Ragnar in many ways and knowing that it was quite possible that their demons could be of the same race.
“That’s right, you didn’t. Look at his stance,” Zagan instructed and then walked back along the line, first lowering his head to Theo, telling him,
“Tuck your chin down, so that you protect your throat…that’s it.” Then he moved to Zane and twisted his arm around so that his wrist was turned in.
“Hold your arm this way round so that it can protect your face but also your wrist, so that the veins won’t get cut. This will also protect your eyes Ena, as you can quickly raise your arm.”
“But I would get cut,” she said frowning.
“Yes, but defensive wounds can get stitched and heal, however losing your sight is more devastating in a fight, as it would no doubt be swiftly followed by your death.” They each nodded and even though Ena didn’t like the idea of getting her arm sliced open, she liked the idea of death far less.
But Janie, well she felt as though she wanted the earth to swallow her whole, just to save her from the shame that she thought was coming. However, she was wrong.
“Now Janie’s stance is nearly perfect, see the way she is slightly lowered, holding her leg this way, ready to bring it up to protect her belly.”
“But that’s where you got me,” she stated, both confused and shocked, mainly that she had done something right, even with her disability.
“Yes, because you were too concerned that I would go for your face, because you are one handed and feel vulnerable there. But if you stand this way…” He gripped her shoulders and turned her side on, so that her shoulder faced him and the hand that held the blade was positioned further back.
“…See this way you can step into your thrust and at the same time protect your vital organs in your torso,” he said bringing her hand forward towards him and making her step into the action, showing her the ease of the move. She looked up at him and grinned, making his heart melt a little.
“I did it,” she said utterly bewildered by such a thing. He gave her a little tap under her chin and said,
“But, of course you did and you got me good as well,” he added looking down at his torso and her eyes followed to see that if it had been a real dagger it would have been impaled firmly in his gut.
“I really did that,” she said again, mainly to herself as she never thought she could have accomplished such a thing.
“Just wait until I get you throwing the boys around, then you will have more faith in yourself.”
After this Zagan showed them some more moves on how to defend a blow and follow it up with an attack. They went over it again and again until the move felt more natural to them. However, Ivan only had to be shown once, unlike Ena who managed to fall down a few times, unable to get her feet in the right position. In fact, it was on her last fall that Zagan offered them some words of wisdom,
“Nana korobi, ya oki”
“How mean that?” This time it was Ivan who asked.
“It is an old Japanese proverb that simply means ‘fall down seven times and get up eight’.” This answer didn’t come from Zagan but from the Samurai master who had walked up behind him…Takeshi.
They all looked to him, waiting for him to say more but it was actually he who seemed to be waiting for something. Thankfully though Zagan helped them out with this one, as he mouthed the word, ‘Bow’ and sure enough they got the hint.
They all moved at once but some, like Zane and Ena did so more dramatically, bending further down and really getting into the culture. Whereas Ivan and Janie did so looking more awkward and feeling out of place, just hoping they weren’t insulting him at the same time.
Theo, on the other hand, bowed first for Takeshi’s culture, and then for his own, he took a step forward and held out his hand for Takeshi to shake.
Takeshi bowed back at them all and then took Theo’s offered hand, giving it a shake but the second he touched it, something startled him. He let it go, looking down at his palm as though whatever Theo had done, he had left an invisible mark there when doing so.
Theo frowned, thinking back to Draven telling h
im on that rooftop how touching people wouldn’t be an issue in his world as it once had been in Theo’s.
But looking at Takeshi’s reaction to his handshake and well now…
He wasn’t so sure.
26
The Warning
The lesson continued but Theo’s mind was elsewhere the moment he saw Takeshi excuse himself just after shaking his hand. It could have just been a coincidence and Theo was being paranoid. But it hadn’t just been about the look from Takeshi, it had also been the look Zagan had given them…as though he knew something too.
Theo wasn’t stupid. He knew that look, having spent a teen’s lifetime receiving it. It was the look of uncertainty and for these guys who, let’s face it, were the ones who were supposed to know everything about this type of thing, then that was far scarier than Theo wanted to fully admit. Which was why that night, when lessons were all done, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was coming…something that would happened to him. And because of it, for the first time in his life, he wanted to talk to someone about it.
“Come in! Unless you’re a chick, then you can pay a toll with Tootsie Rolls and Jolly Ranchers,” Zane replied after Theo knocked on his door.
“Dude, seriously, do you ever stop eating?” Theo said on a laugh, thinking about an hour ago, when they had eaten dinner. They had thought that as with breakfast and the meal the night before they would have their meals brought to their common room but oh no, that privilege was over for what was named ‘Class days’.
So, instead of comfortable eating in front of the TV, or in Zane’s case, not having to watch his manners, like trying to burb all the villains in Batman, they had to eat dinner in the main dining room. At first, walking in there had felt strange for the teens, as if they didn’t belong. And it didn’t help with feeling this way the second they saw all their teachers sat there waiting for them.
Of course, it wasn’t surprising that Theo was the first one in the room and was literally pushed to the front of the others, as though he had been appointed their spokesman for the group. However, all awkwardness seeped away as soon as their headmaster stood up and welcomed them.