Page 72 of Tiger's Quest
He countered, “Maybe you’ve had the power all along and just never had the motive to use it.”
“Okay, I’ll try. I just hope I don’t end up zapping you.”
“Yes. Do try to avoid that.”
We finished lunch and headed outside. I’d never been out on the grounds before. Patio steps led down to a cleared open area the size of a football field that was surrounded on all sides by jungle. Mr. Kadam had set up bales of hay with target boards at different distances, like the kind in archery tournaments.
“I want to try stationary targets first, and if that is successful, I’d also like to attempt moving targets. Now, you had said that you were angry and needed to protect Ren. It felt like a burning fire that started in your stomach and moved out to your hand, correct? I want you to think back and try to capture that feeling again.”
I closed my eyes and pictured myself in front of Ren as he faltered behind me. I let the feelings rush over me again and created a mental image of his captors approaching me. A hot spark nibbled at my stomach. I focused on it and encouraged it to expand.
It burst like a lava bubble, flew up through my body, and shot out my hand. Thick, white, pulsing light surged from my palm toward the first target and hit. The entire target exploded like a fiery bomb, leaving only fragments of smoking hay, which burned themselves out as they floated, peppering the air. All that was left of the target was a black blast mark on the ground. Tiny black curls of smoke lifted, rose into the sky, and then slowly dissipated.
Mr. Kadam grunted and stroked his beard. “Very effective weapon.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to do that to a person. It didn’t seem as destructive as that on the people.”
“Let’s not worry about that quite yet. First, let’s work on distance. Go for the next target and the next.”
I blasted both of those targets in succession without any waning of intensity.
“Kishan, will you be so good as to set out more targets? This time, I’d like you to set them farther back and side by side.”
Kishan headed down the field, and Mr. Kadam explained, “I’d like you to try to expand your range to encompass all three targets. Try to imagine something large like an elephant or a dinosaur, and you have to hit the whole length of it.”
“Okay, I’ll try.”
I focused on the targets at the other end of the field while waiting for Kishan to move out of the way. Squinting into the sun, I fired off a shot and only hit the far left target.
“It’s okay. Try again, Miss Kelsey.”
This time, I focused on sustaining the burst longer and moved my hand in an arc, letting the bolt hit each of the targets.
“Hmm, interesting adaptation. Now we know you can maintain it.” He rolled a finger in the air in a giant circle signaling Kishan to set them up again.
“Try again. This time, focus on widening it. Close your eyes for a moment and envision a Chinese fan. You hold the edge, and, as it leaves your hand, spread it out in front of you so the blast spreads like a fan’s edges.”
“All right, but stand behind me, okay?”
He nodded and moved slightly behind. I held out my hand and let the fire travel up my arm. I imagined holding the edge and lifted my palm toward the targets. The thick white light shot out slower this time. As it traveled, I spread my fingers out like a fan, willing the power to spread. It worked . . . too well. Not only did I obliterate the targets but also the trees on both sides of the field. Kishan had to drop to the ground so it wouldn’t hit him.
I hollered out, “Sorry!”
He waved that he was alright.
Mr. Kadam signaled Kishan in and said, “Very good! With a little more practice, I think you will be able to hit exactly what you want when you need to. Tomorrow, we will practice degrees and see if we can lower the strength of the bolt to incapacitate rather than . . . umm—”
“Obliterate?”
He laughed. “Yes. It’s all about control. I have high hopes that you will be able to master this, Miss Kelsey.”
“I hope your hopes are right.”
“I would like you to practice a bit more with Kishan on this for the next few days. Think only of targeting and widening your strike. I will work with you tomorrow on focusing your power levels.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
The weeks flew by. Before I knew it, a month and a half had passed. I completed my term online. My teachers were fascinated by Mr. Kadam’s explanation. He’d told them that he’d found a rare artifact that he needed my help to catalog and promised them that I’d write a paper about it.
