11. Masterclass

(Sonya POV)

It had been just over a week since Mikhail invited me to attend the guardian masterclass and when the day finally arrived I was so nervous I nearly didn't show up. In the end, I had to give myself a stern talking to in the bathroom mirror just to get up the courage to leave my apartment. You need this, Sonya. You can't go on trying to hide from the shadows. The only way you are ever going to feel safe is if you take control. You can do this. Fifteen minutes later I stepped out into the fresh evening air and made my way resolutely towards the gym.

I'd never been inside the school gymnasium before. It sat in the guardian complex in the north-west corner of the campus, alongside the dhampir staff accommodation and guardian office. There was also a training centre nearby equipped with purpose-designed spaces for novice training; including a first aid station, weapons range, and even a computer lab that served as a state-of-the-art fighting simulator.

The gym itself was predominantly a large, open hall with sparring mats at one end and a range of training equipment (treadmills, weights, punching bags and dummies) at the other. A row of doors along the back wall led to a separate area that housed the locker rooms and showers.

From my vantage point on the upper balcony, I watched as a small crowd of guardians and novices entered the gym, and I was surprised to see them all so relaxed. Nobody here was technically on-duty so there was an atmosphere of camaraderie and quiet expectation as they made their way into the room. The older guardians chatted quietly amongst themselves while some of the younger novices tried to impress one another with acrobatic moves that looked cross between break-dancing and some kind of seizure.

At 7:00pm on the dot a female guardian entered the room and within moments the dhampirs had filed into rows, each settling into a relaxed kneeling position as they waited for her instructions. The woman made her way to the front of the group and when she turned to face them I recognised her as Alberta Petrov – the Captain of the School Guard. She was older than most of the other guardians – maybe in her early fifties, and even though her close-cropped sandy hair was sprinkled with grey, she had the posture of a much younger woman and her presence alone commanded respect from everybody in the room.

'Thank you all for coming this evening,' she began, looking out over the sixty or so dhampirs gathered there. 'It's good to see so many novices giving up an hour of their Saturday night to improve their general knowledge. Attendance will be taken at the end of the session and extra credit will be given to those who demonstrate active participation in the class.'

She beckoned to a guardian in the front row and my heart skipped a beat as I recognised the broad shoulders and short brown hair, watching with quiet anticipation as Mikhail rose fluidly and walked forwards to join Captain Petrov.

'I'd like to introduce our newest member of staff to lead us in today's masterclass,' Alberta announced. 'Mikhail Tanner served a branch of the Ivashkov family in Romania before taking up a guardian position at the Royal Court. He is very qualified to speak to you today, and I hope you will take the opportunity to ask plenty of questions while we have access to his experience. Thank you Mikhail,' she handed the floor over to him and took his position in the line.

Mikhail stood quietly for a moment before addressing the group.

'Why do we practice the art of Zabóta?' he asked, his warm baritone voice ringing clearly across the gymnasium. 'Novice Reyes?'

A boy in the second row sat a little taller to reply. 'To learn the defensive and offensive combinations required to protect our moroi charge in battle,' he rattled off confidently, sounding like a textbook. I'd always thought that the guardian martial art was just a relaxation activity, so this was news to me.

'Is that all?' the instructor quizzed him, and the teenager dropped his head slightly, realising he didn't have the answer.

Mikhail looked out over the novices and guardians.

'As a novice at St. Cassian's Academy I learnt many things from my mentor. Guardian Petru Sala was a great man, famed for his prowess in battle, but he was much more than a mindless fighting machine. He lived by the philosophy – When a good guardian fights, a great guardian thinks.'

He paused to let the words sink in.

'It is true that many fights can be avoided by careful planning or won quickly with sound defensive strategies,' he continued, 'but I no longer agree with my mentor's view.'

There was a slight intake of breath across the room. All guardians looked up to their mentors with utmost respect, and it was rare to speak out against their teachings.

Mikhail pressed forward to explain. 'In the time I have spent at Court, I have undertaken further studies with Arthur Schoenberg who you would all know as the Head of the Guardian Council. After training with Arthur, I now believe that – The greatest guardians operate beyond the body and the mind.'

He paced across the hall as he spoke, gesturing with his hands to emphasise his words.

'Let me show you what I mean. Can I have a novice to demonstrate the first sequence of Zabóta?'

A tall boy raised his hand and a few friends patted him on the back as he made his way to stand next to Guardian Tanner.

'Excellent,' Mikhail nodded to the boy before turning to address the gathering. 'Edison Castile – Eddie – is one of the finest novices in his year. Watch his technique as he demonstrates the elementary sequence.'

All eyes turned on Novice Castile as he assumed a neutral position and breathed deeply before launching into the sequence. Even with my limited knowledge of Zabóta I thought the boy's movements looked smooth and confident, and I watched in fascination as he progressed through the sequence, the hall silent except for the sound of his quiet counting as he started each new pattern.

'Odin… Dva… Tri…' he hissed out, watching his own hands from the corner of his eye to make sure they were perfectly positioned.

'Well done,' Mikhail commended him when he was finished. 'Now can you change the order of the sequence on my count?'

Eddie nodded curtly then prepared to begin again, listening to Mikhail's commands.

'Dva, Pyat', Vosem', Devyat', Odin, Chetyre, Sem', Desyat', Tri, Shest'.'

The order seemed random to me and it was obvious that the novice's movements were more laboured this time, the sequence stilted by several pauses as he struggled to apply the correct patterns.

'A good effort,' his instructor conceded, 'but not the best I've seen from you. Can you describe for us how that exercise made you feel?'

The boy thought for a moment before commenting. 'The more I worried about the numbers, the more difficult it became to move with a sense of flow. My mind got in the way of my body.' Eddie Castile clearly held himself to a high standard and the expression on his face showed how disappointed he was with his performance.

'A fair assessment,' Mikhail nodded seriously and gestured for the novice to resume his place in the class. 'The problem we face as guardians is this; the body without the mind is a blunt instrument, incapable of strategy or order. But battles aren't always predictable in nature, so placing too much focus on the mind over the body can often prove to be more of a distraction than a tool.'

He paused, inviting a female guardian to join him at the front. She would have been about my height – only coming up to Mikhail's nose, though she had a more muscular build than me, and I figured she was probably in her late thirties.

'The same sequence, Celeste,' he instructed her, and the second she began, the difference between the experienced guardian and the novice was instantly obvious. Her movements flowed seamlessly and even her posture seemed more balanced and centred than the boy who had gone before her.

'Again – odds then evens ascending,' came the next order, and she obliged without hesitation, changing the sequence effortlessly, her face composed and calm as she kept her eyes focused on a distant point.

'Zabóta literally means to take care,' Mikhail narrated softly. 'As guardians we need to ensure that our basic technique is so carefully embedded in our muscle memory that the body can act automatically, leaving the mind free for other tasks.'

Suddenly, Mikhail stepped in and engaged the other guardian, attempting to land a blow to her body. The pace of the fight increased, but as she countered his moves I could see the same Zabóta patterns repeated in every sequence and combination.

'Notice how Celeste uses her breathing to support a stable posture, and her fighting plane remains constant. See how she keeps her eyes on the hollow of my throat? This allows her to use her peripheral vision to track an enemy's movements and predict their next attack.' Guardian Tanner's voice was slightly breathless as he continued his instruction.

'What you are seeing here are not mindless reactions – through the mastery of the body and mind, Celeste has transcended beyond the mere mental and physical to a state of intuition and flow. She can trust that her body will take care of the mechanics, while her mind is free to assess the situation and select the best combination of defensive or offensive moves in her repertoire. Every problem has a solution and every attack has a defence – it is simply a matter of trusting her training and following her instincts.'

They sparred together for another minute or so, each countering the other's moves elegantly before Mikhail stepped back and bowed his head respectfully to thank her for the demonstration.

'Mastery of Zabóta is not just a challenge for novices,' he concluded. 'It is an essential practice for all guardians, and it is a journey that influences our bodies and our minds. For the remainder of the session, I'd like you to pair off – novices with trained guardians – and revise the basic sequence you have seen demonstrated today. As you practice together, note the subtle details but strive to move beyond the body and the mind to achieve a state of flow. Thank you.'

He moved off to observe from the sidelines and I watched on with interest as the dhampirs organised themselves into pairs to begin the activity.

Regardless of their level of experience every novice and guardian threw themselves into the task, and I found myself wishing that I had a mentor to guide me through the finer points of life. I couldn't help thinking that if I developed more control over my mind I might have a better chance of combating the darker effects of my magic, and I wondered if this was why Mikhail had suggested I come in the first place.

A sudden movement out of the corner of my eye distracted me from my thoughts and I turned to see a guardian enter through the main doors of the gym. He headed directly towards Alberta and the pair carried out a brief, hushed conversation before the Captain of the Guard brought the class to a standstill with a single word.

'Ugroza!' she called out urgently. 'Mikhail, Yuri, Stan, Celeste to me. All other guardians to your stations. Novices to your dorms. Go!' and the room erupted into action. What was going on? My Russian wasn't great, but I knew that ugroza meant 'danger', and my panic began to rise as I watched the dhampirs hurry to their posts. Should I try to get back to my apartment or was it safer to stay where I was?

I flicked my head around at a small sound behind me and saw Mikhail approaching from the staircase with a grim expression on his face.

'What's happening?' I asked him, my voice shaking slightly.

He took my hand and led me towards the stairs. 'Come with me – quickly,' he commanded, and I followed without further question as he led me to my quarters. When the door closed behind us he walked through the whole apartment, even stepping out onto my tiny balcony before sliding the door closed and locking it behind him. He finally returned to me in the kitchen and reached out to place a comforting hand on my shoulder.

'I'm sorry I have to leave you Sonya, but all guardians are required at their posts,' my friend apologised, his eyes filled with concern and his aura a swirling fog of tension and stress. 'There's been an incident outside the school. People have died – royals. The school is going into lockdown until we find out exactly what happened and confirm that there is no further threat to students or staff.'

'Oh my God,' I breathed, my heart rate accelerating as my mind struggled to process the news.

'No matter what happens, the next few weeks are going to be rough. I don't know when I'll get a chance to see you next, but I'll let you know what's going on as soon as I can.'

My heart fell. After years of coping by myself I didn't realise how quickly I was coming to rely on Mikhail. I looked forward to the days when he was on duty in my classroom and felt safer just knowing he was nearby. The thought of days or weeks without him around made all my old anxieties return in a rush, but I realised his job came first. I took a slow breath to steady myself and buried my fears, looking up at him steadily - not wanting to add to his worries.

I could tell the guardian was anxious to return to his post and expected him to leave straight away, but he held my gaze for a moment longer then suddenly wrapped his arms around me.

'Stay safe, Sonya,' he whispered into my hair, and then he was gone.

I stood there dumbly for a second then moved quickly to bolt the front door, sinking down with my back against the cool, hard wood. People had just died. Royals. People I might even know. But who?

Author's Note:

I totally understand if you're not into this chapter – it's pretty heavy on the guardian info, and not a lot of plot development until the end. This has been one of the more interesting scenes to write for me, though, as I have never done a martial art. My husband did karate when he was younger so I based a lot of the detail on what he's told me about his experiences. (Plus I'm a musician so I've attended a lot of masterclasses in my time!)