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Tengu. John Donohue
Читать онлайн.Название Tengu
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781594391538
Автор произведения John Donohue
Жанр Ужасы и Мистика
Серия A Connor Burke Martial Arts Thriller
Издательство Ingram
Yamashita worked quietly, precisely, on his swords. His eyes concentrated as he regarded the blade he held before us. He slowly oiled the surface, wiping the metal gently with soft polishing paper made expressly for the purpose. Then he took up the stick and ball and tapped the fabric end of the implement all along the edge of the sword. It absorbed excess oil that was left from the polishing.
Yamashita stretched the sword between his hands, one hand on the handle, the other cradling the blade in a folded sheet of the paper. A sword should never touch skin except in the instant of attack. He focused on the handle, checking the bamboo pin that held the sword firmly in place within the handle.
“The mekugi is sound,” he said quietly to me, referring to the pin. “Even the finest blade depends for its utility on the most simple of things . . . ” It was a commonplace observation, but his tone implied a deeper meaning.
Sensei slid the sword back in its scabbard with a fluid, gliding, almost magical motion that took my breath away. He did it with the grace of nature. I work every day of my life to try to emulate it.
Yamashita stood and placed the swords back in their rack. “So . . . ” he said, “it appears as if you will be traveling, neh?” He wandered into the kitchen and I followed him.
“Sensei,” I started, but he waved me to silence.
“Your brother has spoken of this to me, Burke,” Yamashita said. He let out a small, hiss of breath. “Coffee?” he asked.
“If you’re going to have some,” I answered.
He made a small grimace. “Tonight, I think not.” It wasn’t like him: This was the second time he had given up this indulgence. Yamashita has been a coffee connoisseur for as long as I’ve known him. Before I could say anything he switched gears, asking “What of the new students?”
“That’s for you to decide,” I told him. “You’re the sensei.”
The lighting in the kitchen was muted, but I thought I detected a twinkle in his eyes. “Ah, but it is you who teach them their lessons, Professor.” There was a playful tone in his voice. He was walking back out to the sitting area as he said that, but I could pick up the nuance anyway. Sensei sat down and beckoned me to a seat beside him.
“I’ll only be gone for a week,” I explained. “Ken or one of the other senior people can help you. Then I’ll be back.”
Yamashita smiled tightly, as if he didn’t quite believe me. But he said nothing.
“I need the money,” I added lamely.
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