There were no swords on our side of the court.
I put my satchel beneath the bench and showed the assistant the slip from the booking board. He found my name among the six-o'clock group and pointed to a place near the end of the line. Across the court, another class was taking blades from the racks. I watched until Veylan stepped between us.
"Empty hands. No circulation. You move on the count and stop on the call."
The instructor looked at me when saying the second part. I had been present for most of the reasons why.
We began with a backward step and a turn toward a painted mark on the wall. Each person had enough space that a mistake ought to involve only the person making it. I left my right hand open and kept the bruised left arm low.
The first turn was easy. The next pulled under my ribs, so I made it smaller.
"Move the rear foot first, Valdrake. You're twisting over it."
