Ellida by J. F. Kaufmann Read Free Book Online Page A

Okay?”
    “But when we have children?” I said, trying
to imagine that future. Husband, children, my own family.
    “We’ll leave them with their grandparents,
great-grandparents, uncles and aunts. Even with Ingmar. I’ll teach
them how to drive him crazy. And, of course, with Liv and Tristan.
Can you imagine better babysitters than the Blakes?”
    I laughed. “Hardly.”
    Jack tucked the blanket around me. “Off I go
now. Take a good shower before you go down.” He lowered his head
and kissed me. “Wait for me, baby. I’ll be back before you start
missing me.”
    “I have no plans to go anywhere,” I whispered
on his mouth, stealing one more kiss.
    In a few long strides, Jack crossed the room
and jumped through the window. I hugged the pillow and closed my
eyes. I could pick up traces of his scent trapped in the
fabric.
    I fell into a light morning sleep mingled
with vivid memories of our night.

 
     
Six
Astrid
     
    A LOT of people passed through the house in
the next couple of days to greet Morgaine and to see me. A formal
dinner was planned for Saturday and a big outdoor party for the
entire town later in spring.
    My training started on Monday, six o’clock
sharp. Takeshi waited for me with a bundle in his hands. He was
dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt and black cotton pants.
    “Change into this, please,” he said and threw
me the clothes.
    It was the same garment he wore. We were
almost the same height and size and his clothes fit me
perfectly.
    We had one of the big ground level rooms at
our disposal. The furniture and carpets had been removed the night
before.
    Takeshi started with a short introduction to
Japanese martial arts. “Budō, the way of war, and bujitsu, the
science of war are the essential terms—”
    “Like theory and practice?”
    “If you have to simplify it, then yes,
Astrid. As you know, martial arts aren’t a recreational physical
activity; it’s a way of life that constantly improves your
physical, spiritual, intellectual, and moral dimensions.” He
stopped for a moment, clearing his throat. “Unfortunately, our time
is limited, so in spite of my resentment towards this ankle-deep
kind of training, I’ll give you some basic fighting techniques. I
hope that you’ll catch the spiritual dimension down the road.
You’re probably the only person who I would agree to train this
way. But I understand you have to have alternative ways to defend
yourself. I just need you to know that I’m not happy doing
this.”
    So far, that was the longest speech that I’d
heard from this quiet, serious young man. All my previous attempts
to start a conversation with him had resulted in one-syllable
answers.
    “Why’s it so important that I go through
this?” I said.
    “Mother will talk to you about that.”
    We started with some basic aikido: lots of
striking, throwing and joint locking. “I’ll show you a different
way to use the energy you already possess,” Takeshi said. “This
technique requires very little physical strength, but significant
mental abilities, so you should be fine. The goal is to predict the
motion of the opponent and neutralize the attack, before it even
occurs rather than waste energy fighting it.”
    “In other words, I have to learn to think
like my opponent?”
    “You unnecessarily simplify things, Astrid.
Maybe feel , or breathe like your opponent would
better describe the notion. Use your natural energy flow, but not
more than that. No wizard tricks, please.”
    The first day was a disaster. I simply
couldn’t grasp what Takeshi wanted from me. I could not please him,
and he would ask me to endlessly repeat a single movement.
    By the end of the session, I was tired and
frustrated, but determined to work even harder to make some sense
of it.
    “Same time tomorrow,” was all Takeshi
said.
     
    MY FIRST session with Morgaine was
immeasurably more pleasant. We sat in the family room and talked.
She asked me about my childhood, my studies, my job, my