Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(32)
Sasha rose to greet the woman. She may not want to be here. This might be the last thing on earth she ever wanted to do, but this woman deserved her respect.
"Thank you, Mother Raghavan." She gave a curt bow. "It is an honor to meet you."
"You are like your noble sister. In some ways. In others, I think you may be even more stubborn." She gave her a sly wink. "Come, let us speak of your training."
"Jayesh." The mother nodded as he rose to greet her. "It is good to see you again, although I fear circumstances have chased all your hard-learned lessons straight from that stubborn head of yours.” She rapped her cane against his forehead. "We will help you find your way again, dear boy." She gestured for them all to return to their seats and eased herself down onto a cushion with aid of her cane.
"You are all here because the Senate wishes me to teach young Sasha the old ways. You both know I cater to no government—I merely humor them. I have invited you here because you each possess a spark of the ancient power within you—most strongly in our young charge." She bowed her head reverently to Sasha. "Lessons will be learned. Fears will be confronted, and you will leave here with the knowledge you need to face what comes for you next. It will take as long as it takes. Tonight you will feast and rest, for tomorrow you will need your strength."
Mother Raghavan snapped her fingers and a host of robed attendants rushed in with the evening meal, placing trays of clean and wholesome foods on the table before them.
"May I ask what you will be teaching me, Mother?" Sasha spoke with respect, unsure if she was even allowed to ask questions.
"I will not be teaching you, Sasha. Another student needs my attention." She glanced at Imogen with a knowing smile. "I will oversee your training, but another will be your guru while you are here."
Jayesh's shoulders slumped as he took a long gulp of his wine. "She means me." He slammed his cup down, gesturing for a refill.
"You are correct, Jayesh. While you are here, you must take on the responsibility of teaching this young woman. We will meet at dawn in the eastern gardens each morning to discuss your progress.”
Sasha didn’t think it could get any worse, but every time she thought she had her head wrapped around this newest chapter of her life, the knife twisted as a reminder of how little she knew. She couldn't imagine anything worse than Jayesh as her trainer.
"And what will I be learning?" Sasha asked.
“While you are here you will master the art of kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art taught in three stages. Tomorrow at dawn you will begin with meithari, stage one of kalaripayattu. Jayesh will explain now."
"Of course," Jayesh said. His tone was respectful, but his body language made it clear he wasn’t amused. "Kalari means 'training ground' and payattu means 'fight.' Stage one of kalaripayattu is called meithari and is simple enough, yet it can be the most difficult aspect of training for both the teacher and the student. Meithari focuses on physical exercise that will prepare the body for the later stages of training. You will engage every muscle and every joint from head to toe to ensure you are flexible and strong enough for the difficult forms that will come later. The kalari forms can be complex and will require your complete focus. We will work them every day, through each phase, until you have perfected them all.” He sounded as if he’d swallowed Teaching Kalaripayattu for Dummies.
“The second component of meithari is focused on the mind. The ideal student will achieve balance between the strength of the body and the strength of the mind. Deep meditation and focus is no doubt already part of your daily routine. But during meithari the teacher and the student must achieve a pure relationship of trust and devotion to each other. We must find our balance before we can continue to the second phase, called ankathari. You will not learn what ankathari means until we have both mastered our roles during meithari."
We’re never going home. Sasha felt her old life slipping away from her faster than she could blink. It takes as long as it takes. She would be here only six weeks, but she still had to live through however long that might be in this place. It could feel like years. Quinn. The thought of leaving him to whatever hell he was going through shattered something inside her. The days and months, maybe even years, ahead with her hands completely tied, unable to do anything to help him. The thought of experiencing something so profound without him left her feeling sad and hopelessly lost.
"No tears, my dear," Mother Raghavan said, her voice full of sympathy. "Your life lies just beyond the threshold of this valley, right where you left it. Your time here at the temple will only make you stronger so you can face what is coming with the experience you need to achieve what has been set before you.”
Sasha got the sense that the mother wasn’t just talking about the Senate’s well-laid plans for her future.
“Embrace this experience and it will go quickly. Resist it and you could be here for a very long time. Either way, it takes as long as it takes. It will be up to you and your teacher to make this a success."
Sasha nodded, drying her eyes. She would do this. She would find a way to get along with Jayesh.
"We will talk each evening as the sun sets over my gardens. I will wait for you there.” She gestured at the head monk waiting to take them to their rooms. “Rabishan will see you to your dormitories."