Will Solvit and the Battle of the Ninjas by Zed Storm

Author:Zed Storm
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Parragon Books Ltd.
Published: 2012-04-30T00:00:00+00:00

‘No wonder the Moon Dogs want to get to the Spring of Truth,’ I thought as I rose into the air. ‘This is AWESOME!’

Akemi had led us halfway down the mountainside, until we were hovering above a canopy of trees. There was no way that the Moon Dogs would be able to see us from the ground – we were free to practise.

“The first thing to learn about ‘flying martial arts’ is agility,” said Akemi. “It’s more like being in water than like being on land. You can flip, roll and dive to avoid your opponent. Watch!”

He gave a sudden leap and flipped a somersault in the air, then dived sideways, back-flipped and scissor-kicked above our heads.

“Wicked!” I exclaimed.

“Try it yourselves,” Akemi insisted.

Zoe and I leaped into the air at the same time, bumped into each other and ended up crashing into a treetop. Akemi tried to hide a smile.

“Focus all your energies on the sensation of your body moving through the air,” he said. “Become a part of the element of air. You must move as if you are flying on the breath of the world.”

“The breath of the world?” Zoe repeated. “What’s that?”

“The wind,” said Akemi, lifting his hands as if he were calling the breeze to him. “You are riding the wind.”

I thought about what he was saying, and tried to get a sense of the air around me. Riding the wind felt a bit like standing on a bouncy castle (except without the stinky plastic under your feet and the four-year-old kids trying to dive-bomb each other). I sort of bounced up and down a couple of times, and then tried a somersault. It was a bit wonky and I nearly hit Akemi, but it felt a bit more controlled.

“Better,” said Akemi. “Keep trying.”

Zoe and I practised for about half an hour, with Akemi watching and gently encouraging us. I really started to get the feel for flying moves – it was a bit like that feeling you get when you’ve been totally rubbish on a computer game and then it suddenly clicks into place. One minute I was flailing around and colliding with spiky treetops, and the next minute I was completely in the zone.

“Good,” said Akemi, when we were both able to complete precise somersaults and backflips. “These are the moves you will need to escape the Moon Dogs and their weapons.”

“I don’t get it,” said Zoe, doing mid-air handsprings in slow motion. “I mean, we can fly. How can the Moon Dogs possibly defeat us?”

“Because they are master assassins,” said Akemi. “Make no mistake, Zoe, you must learn how to keep yourself out of their clutches. A Moon Dog ninja can kill with one blow from a single arrow.”

“You’ve taught us about defence, but what about attack?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we be learning to battle too?”

“You have great skills, but you are not fully trained samurai,” said Akemi. “It is unlikely that a ninja will give you a chance to get in a lucky blow.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.