Read Online How to Stop a Witch by Bill Allen - Free Book Online

Nathan carried might have once been a baseball bat, or it could have just as easily been a table leg, or a banister spindle. Whatever it was, Greg had an idea it would cause major damage to anything that got in its way. Nathan held it up much the way he’d raised his staff on hundreds of occasions as an adult. Greg gulped, remembering the man’s impossibly fluid skill.
    “What do you know of my father?”
    Greg didn’t know anything about Nathan’s father, except that the man had passed away just before Nathan came to Myrth. Still, he knew he better say something.
    “Just that he depends on you and probably wouldn’t want you fighting.”
    Nathan smiled. “Well, he can rest easy, because I won’t be fighting long.” And with that he lunged forward so quickly, Greg barely had time to duck.
    Nathan’s bat cut the air just above Greg’s head. Before Greg could even congratulate himself on his quick reflexes, a second blow came out of nowhere.
    He parried the swing and stabbed out with his stick, catching Nathan by surprise. Still, Nathan was a natural athlete even then. He dodged aside with nearly the same fluidity he would achieve in later years and launched a third attack, which Greg deflected just as skillfully.
    “Come on, Nate,” yelled one of the others. “Quit fooling around. Finish him off.”
    Nathan focused on Greg, searching for a weakness. Ironically, Greg followed the very advice his opponent would one day teach him. He took the moment to clear his mind, and his body naturally moved to sensen position.
    Nathan, if anyone, should have realized the significance of the stance. But instead of taking the moment to prepare himself, he struck. Greg read the blow and knocked it aside. At the same time his foot stabbed out and caught Nathan’s ankle. His mentor stumbled and fell, but then rolled back to his feet and struck out with his bat before he was even halfway up. Once again Greg met the blow and pushed it aside.
    Nathan’s confidence was shaken. His next attack was sloppy, more desperate. Greg easily stepped out of the way and reached in with his own stick, leveraging the wood from Nathan’s grip. The bat flew to one side, and a few of the other boys nearly knocked each other over scrambling to get out of the way. From all around him, Greg heard gasps. He waited to see what Nathan would do. It wasn’t what he expected.
    Nathan’s face broke into a wide grin. “What’s your name, kid?”
    “Greg.”
    “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”
    “I had a good teacher.”
    Nathan looked nearly as surprised as he did when the weapon flew from his hands. “What teacher? Nobody knows how to fight like that but me and my dad.” He studied Greg’s face for a moment. “How come we’ve never seen you around before?”
    Because I just came here from another planet, Greg thought. “I’m not from around here,” he said instead, “and everybody there knows how to fight.”
    Nathan stepped forward and reached out a hand, causing Greg to flinch. His grin widened. “Relax,” he said, laughing. He put an arm around Greg’s shoulder and pulled him around to face some of his friends. They each stepped up in turn to shake Greg’s hand, and while they seemed much less threatening now than they had a moment ago, Greg still felt far from comfortable having them all within arm’s reach.
    “Now will you tell me how you know my father?” Nathan asked.
    Greg wondered how long everyone would stay friendly if he told them the truth. “Uh, I don’t really. I just know of him.”
    Nathan stooped to pick up his bat. “Well, I’m sure he’d like to meet you. There aren’t many kids around here who know chikan, and none who can beat me.”
    “None except Greg, you mean,” said one of the boys, but he shut up rather quickly when Nathan’s bat soared past his head.
    “It’s almost dinnertime,” said Nathan. “You should come eat with us. My dad and me, I mean. I was serious before. I’m sure he’d