Master Ito shouted from the side: “Control, boy! Speed means nothing without control!”
But Yoshi was already up, already moving, his body blurring through another form. This time he spun too fast and wentcareening sideways like a leaf in a windstorm, barely managing to stay upright.
“It’s like watching a newborn colt discover it has legs,” I murmured to Esumi. “All that raw power and no idea what to do with it.”
“He’s going to hurt himself,” Esumi said, wincing as Yoshi nearly impaled himself on his ownbokkenduring an overcorrected thrust.
We reached the edge of the ring just as Yoshi attempted another sequence. His feet moved so fast they seemed to barely touch the ground, but he couldn’t maintain his center. He stumbled, caught himself, overbalanced the other way, and ended up spinning in a complete circle before crashing into his stunned opponent.
“Again!” Master Ito barked. “This time, try not to destroy my training ring!”
Yoshi pushed himself up, panting, sweat streaming down his face. His eyes met mine for a moment—wide, frustrated, almost frightened by his own body’s betrayal.
I’d seen that look before . . . in my own mirror, when Father’s expectations pressed down like mountains and nothing I did was ever enough, when my ownmahouawakened, and I struggled to find my own balance, when the weight of the Imperial family pressed down and—
“Master Ito,” I called out, moving toward the ring’s entrance, not realizing I’d stepped forward until it was too late. “May I?”
“Your Highness should not concern himself with students,” Master Ito said stiffly. “The boy merely needs discipline.”
“I was assigned to assist these students, and the boy needs more than the crack of a reed,” I countered, stepping into the ring despite the monk’s disapproving frown. Esumi followed me in, earning an even deeper scowl, but the older master steppedback. One did not argue with Imperial blood, even a third son’s useless blood.
I stepped toward Yoshi slowly, the way one might approach a spooked horse. “That was impressive,” I said. “Your speed, I mean.”
“I can’t control it,” Yoshi said, sounding more like a pouting four-year-old than a Samurai-in-training. “Ever since—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “It just happens. The power comes so fast, and I can’t stop it, can’t direct it. I’m going to hurt someone.”
“No,” I said, reaching out and gripping the boy’s shoulder. “You are going to learn—but not by trying to suppress your power. This will be different from any form orkata.” I gathered my thoughts as the boy stared. “Think of your power as a mighty river. You cannot fight the current. You must learn to flow with it, to feel its power, to guide and shape it without losing yourself beneath its swells.”
Yoshi blinked, his gaze showing none of the recognition I’d hoped for.
“Come on,” I said, picking up the practice dummy he’d knocked over. “Let’s try something different.”
Master Ito said nothing, simply crossed his arms and scowled as Esumi and I positioned ourselves in the ring with Yoshi between us. His opponent, sensing a lesson far beyond his skill, stepped out of the ring to stand beside the master.
“Now then,” I said, raising mybokken. “Let’s see if we can help you find your balance, young colt.”
Chapter 3
Yoshi
Haru approached like I was some wild animal that might bolt.
And maybe I was.
Ever sincethis thinghad awakened inside me, my body felt like it belonged to someone else—something else.
I caught Kaneko’s eye where he stood at the ring’s edge, watching with that intense focus he got when he was worried.
“Now then,” the Prince said, raising hisbokken. “Let’s see if we can help you find your balance, young colt.”
Young colt.
I wanted to be insulted, but it was too accurate. My legs felt too long, my arms moved too fast, and every time the power surged through me, I lost all sense of where my body ended and the world began.
“The first thing,” Haru said, circling me slowly, “is to stop fighting yourself. Show me the third form—but at quarter speed.”
“I can’t control the speed,” I protested. “It just happens.”
“Try.” His voice was gentle but firm. “Esumi will help.”
