Twisted City by Jeremy Mac Read Free Book Online Page B

Lathan blocked easy enough but
directly afterward Sinsai got relentless and Lathan soon became overwhelmed. In
his haste to defend himself Lathan lost all control of his offense and before
he knew it he found himself on the ground. Sinsai offered his hand to Lathan,
helping the boy to his feet.
    “Expect
the unexpected. The element of surprise is a mean one, so keep it on your side
and always keep your guard. The biggest mistake you can make is to
underestimate your enemy. Allow him to only think he’s got the upper hand. In
doing so you will cause his ego to step in the way and that will cloud any good
offense he may have, and when you take that away, go in for the kill.”
    Lathan
slapped his hands over his gi , straightening himself
out for the umpteenth time that day, clearly peeved at himself .
    Sinsai
took young Lathan by the shoulders, facing him directly, and said, “It doesn’t
come over night. You’ve only just begun. You will be great, but it takes
patience and practice.”
    “But
I have been at it for nearly a year and I still haven’t gotten it down.”
    Sinsai
smiled affectionately on his young protégé, remembering he had said, very
nearly, those same words about himself long ago.
    “I
told you in the beginning that it will take much time. There is still so much
for you to learn and even more for you to understand. A year is barely
scratching the surface.”
    Lathan
sighed exhaustedly and said, “I just don’t understand the point in learning all
of this stuff. I can see the importance in guns and hand-to-hand combat, but no
one fights with swords anymore. It’s pointless.”
    Sinsai
raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Is that so? Is it pointless for a soldier to
enter battle with a sword alongside his rifle? Perhaps the soldier runs out of
ammo or the rifle becomes inoperative, what then? You can always rely on the
sword. And when you’ve learned to use it well you will reach for it first,
because it can be even deadlier than a bullet ever can be.”
    Sinsai
took a step backward, providing space between the two.
    “You
have the gift, Lathan, I see it in you, and you have great purpose in life. No
one but you can bring that purpose to fruition. But you must train and train
hard the mind, body, and spirit, so when the time comes, you will be ready.”
    Lathan
gave his respects in a bow.
    One
boy holds an aggressive attack on the other boy in their stick fighting,
causing the less aggressive boy to step backward until he trips over his own
feet and falls to the ground. Taking advantage of the boys fall, the aggressor
turns his stick-sword upside down, grasping the handle end with both hands, and
stabs down onto his victim but stopping short of actually harming him. He then
stretches both arms up to the air, stick-sword held high, shouting
triumphantly. After a moment of basking in victory he then smiles down on his
fallen friend, says some words of encouragement, and then helps him to his
feet. Once he is stable, without warning, he playfully hits his friend across
the arm with his stick-sword and takes off running. His friend chases after
him. Lathan watches as the two boys commence battle once again, weaving and
jostling through the crowd until both veer off into the open doorway of a tall
red brick building. The next building over is much bigger with gray exterior
walls that nearly match the sky. Harrington International is chiseled above the doors.
    Lathan
leans over to Taya and asks, “Do all of these buildingshave people
residing in them?”
    “Most
of them do. There are still a few that are totally ransacked because no one’s
bothered to clean them up yet. We’ve gone through just about all of them and
took out and used most of what was of valuable resource. We’ll eventually get
to the ones we haven’t gotten to yet. One floor at a time. It’s a big job. Believe me, I should know. I’ve had my fair share of it.”
    That
night, high above in the building of James Grant’s old law firm,