CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Riley and Toshin alternated each day training Brian with the bokken when they stopped for lunch and noon rest. Brian had done some fencing but was not versed in this very different concept of swordplay. Every third day they gave Brian a rest and practiced together, each learning the technique of the other. Whichever was the odd man out for the day would help Kris make lunch. Brian would also use his off days to read more from “The History of Valikara.” To get through the thirty-hour day, they had adopted the practice of taking short naps after lunch. Toshin indicated that this was not unusual, though he rarely slept at this time himself.
Nearing dinnertime on the eighth day out, Toshin stopped his hacking and motioned everyone to be silent. The sounds of some kind of con
