A Dance with Danger. Jeannie Lin

grip on the staff.

      ‘Hands at shoulder-width,’ Daiyu instructed. ‘Not too wide. It feels more natural that way, does it not?’

      Nothing about this felt natural. Jin-mei was standing with the wind blowing around her, the sun beating down on her head, while surrounded by strangers. And she had never held a weapon in her life, not even a kitchen knife.

      Before she could learn how to fight, she apparently had to learn how to stand. While the men swung and blocked and parried, all she did was stand there with her shoulders back and knees bent, holding the staff up in front of her.

      Even standing still was a challenge. She had to steady herself against the roll of the deck beneath her. Before long, the muscles in her legs and arms were burning and her forehead was damp with perspiration. She had been holding the stance for no more than twenty counts.

      She felt like a fool. Not just for joining the practice session, but for everything. But it would be more embarrassing to stop now, especially when Lady Daiyu was taking the time to instruct her.

      ‘If your stance is not strong, your defence will crumble. Your strikes will have no power,’ Daiyu said. ‘Let us try some blocks.’

      The captain retrieved another staff and turned to face her. Yang regarded them over his shoulder and even the surly Kenji stopped to watch.

      Daiyu led her through a drill, repeating the same blow while Jin-mei deflected. With each repetition, Jin-mei gained more confidence in the way her body moved. The tiredness receded as her muscles warmed and she stopped thinking about everyone else, blocking out the curious stares of the crew and even Yang’s smug look.

      ‘Don’t get lost in the rhythm,’ Daiyu warned. ‘Stay focused.’

      Jin-mei winced as Daiyu struck her upper arm with the bamboo. It hurt!

      Daiyu altered the pattern, moving slowly and deliberately so Jin-mei would have time to react. Gradually she increased their speed until the techniques flowed naturally. The captain was light on her feet, graceful as well as powerful. How freeing it must be to be able to move like that, with such control and precision.

      ‘What are you looking at?’ Daiyu’s weapon came down fast. Jin-mei parried at the last moment, with her staff lengthwise and her full weight braced behind it.

      ‘Your eyes,’ Jin-mei replied, breathing hard.

      That was what Father had always said, wasn’t it? The eyes revealed what the mind was hiding.