The story of the FALLEN

16. Lailah

Babysitting the humans? Where is this world going? What is she supposed to do with them? She looks over to Simon and Garry, talking about swords, and she shrugs. Does she want to know what that is about? Nakir bailed as soon as it was plausible to go “clubbing” and Tammy took Zack on a leyline hunt. She wants to prove it’s not a witch messing with them. But what else could it possibly be? Could this demon act on its own? It’s still a minor Manticus demon; what could it possibly want, besides death and destruction?

“Lailah?” Simon waves his hand in front of her eyes. “Do you think we could borrow a training room?”

“Could you show us a few moves? Or do you only teach self-defence?” Garry adds. The cop is looking at her like she has all the answers in the world. It’s kind of flattering. And she is bored just sitting there.

“Hmm…” Lailah shakes her head. “Simon, do you know you’re the only one that bothers to pronounce my name right?”

“I’m sure the others…” Simon starts, but she cuts him off.

“They don’t. They adapted the English version.” Lailah chuckles. “I can show you a few moves. We each have a different fighting style. Nakir prefers the more fluid and soft movements of oriental arts, as does Tammy, but I swear on the fast, close-distance combat a classical Kopis allows.”

“I think Zack brought a few of those from the storage along with the shields.” Simon tells her.

“Great. It doesn’t hurt to learn how to handle a few different swords.” Lailah smiles. “Having options is not a bad thing. I’m sure Tammy told you the same.”

“Yeah.” Simon nods to her. “I had to warm up to the idea of using a sword. It’s a foreign concept for me. I’m a historian, but my whole education was from books. Now I’m suddenly handling an eight-hundred year old sabre.”

“I don’t think that the age of the sword makes any difference.” Lailah shrugs as they ride down the elevator. “It all comes down to how it was made. Quality can make a great difference.”

“It was important to Zack.” Garry says with a smile. “I asked for a Katana and he told me that I could get a modern one, because the really old ones are too expensive.”

“Oh, that!” Lailah exclaims. “The Katana is probably the only exception to the rule. I know many collectors and museums would kill for half of the swords in our collection, but there is that one Katana that is locked and hidden inside our storage. It’s worth close to a million by now.”

“You are not afraid someone would steal it?” Garry inquires.

“Nah. No one can get in. We have magic on the locks and there are no windows.” Lailah laughs. “Even if someone manages to get in, it still takes an angel to carry things out. Nakir and Tamiel take security seriously. Even in this place, there is nothing of great value here.”

“I’ve seen the cameras.” Garry nods. His eyes glisten, because he can talk about something he knows well. “I tried to open the window in my room and I was tasered. No going in or out through a window. The alarm system is top notch and fingerprints operated.”

“Saves the magic. I just love the new technology.” Lailah winks.

“But you use swords?” Simon scoffs. “Is there really nothing else that can kill demons?”

“Well, we know that bullets do nothing at all. Don’t even slow a demon down much. Swords are reliable and always on hand.” Lailah smiles.

She takes them to Zack’s office. It’s the room with all the locks, so the swords are kept there. She is curious what era Kopis Zack has chosen. They have several and all are in good shape. She opens the metal locker they use for the weapons and smiles brightly. Zack took the 1st century BC Kopis. These have light handles and slightly less curved blades. Perfect for beginners. These probably weigh the same as her personal short sword and close to the weight of a police gun.

“The technique for the Kopis is the same as for a short sword.” Lailah tells them. “Have you seen the movie Gladiator? That one was pretty accurate as far as fighting and swords go.”

“Have the Romans used Greek swords?” Garry inquires.

“They used everything. The majority of the Roman army were soldiers from all around the Empire. So, whatever was native to the men they enlisted, they used it. Only high ranking Roman officers had short swords for their weapons.” Lailah answers. She gives them each a Kopis and pushes them out of the office. Talking bores her to tears, fighting is much more to her liking.

The training rooms are empty at this late hour. Lailah uses the medium sized one. They don’t intend to actually fight, she will only show them some moves so that they can surprise Nakir tomorrow.

“The Kopis can be used in the same manner as an axe, but it can also cut and stab.” Lailah begins her lecture. “Take notice of the curve of the blade, it’s sharp from the tip to the hilt. It allows for long cuts. Be careful with the hook on the hilt. It’s sharp, too.”

“Can you cut open your own hand if the weapon slips?” Simon asks with wide eyes. “I much prefer weapons with a guard.”

“Make sure you have a firm grip, but loosen up your wrist.” Lailah chuckles. “The hook is not supposed to hurt you. Only your opponent, if he comes too close.”

Lailah gets Simon and Garry to repeat a few thrusting and slicing moves after her. Simon is getting better with his footwork, but Garry is in serious danger of hurting himself. The detective keeps stumbling over his own feet. Was she wrong to give them sharp weapons? What would Zack do if one of them got hurt? What can she do to prevent that? She likes Simon, but she still has no opinion about Garry, he’s just too new. Lailah got used to it being just the four of them since they gave up on servants. That whole thing was more of a nuisance than it was worth, always tiptoeing around the humans, taking care not to blow their cover. It never did anyone any good to learn the truth about the angels. None of their servants ever found out, only a few trusted liaisons over the years. Now they have two of those and one is a cop. Highly unorthodox, but amusing.

“Garry?” Lailah asks. She needs to stop this dangerous endeavour. “How about you imagine that Kopis is a gun? How would you stand if you wanted to shoot?”

“Oh! Legs apart!” Garry exclaims. “I was wondering what I’m doing wrong? I’m not normally so clumsy.”

“I see. Part of the training is to ask questions.” Lailah chuckles. “Nakir didn’t tell you that?”

“He corrected my stance a few times. Should I treat all weapons the same?” Garry inquires of her.

“You have to find the balance that allows you to move without thinking too much about where your feet are.” Lailah explains. “Bend your knees, sink onto your thighs. Find that balance in yourself. It doesn’t matter if you’re stalking someone with a gun in your hand, or if you hold a sword.”

“I can try.” He nods. “A sword is not heavier than a gun, but the balance of one in my hand is different.”

“It’s just an extension of your hand. You don’t have to hold it up front when you walk, just know it’s there.” Lailah smiles. “It can be on your belt just like your gun is. You pull it and it's there. The only difference is that swords never run out of bullets.”

“That’s useful.” Garry scoffs. “Also, no paperwork. I still haven’t come up with a plausible explanation why I shot my gun and at whom.”

“I can’t help you with that. I don’t know the procedures.” Lailah shrugs. “We usually stay far away from law enforcement. I think you are the first person in centuries to know anything about us.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Garry looks over at her. He corrected his stance and his thrusts are more balanced now.

“Only time will tell.” She smiles. “None of us can see the future.”

Garry seems to be a fast learner, Lailah thinks in private. She is watching him go through the moves she showed them before. Simon is good on the defensive side, but his attack is seriously lacking. She can understand his situation. It will take a long time to make a warrior out of a priest. Jesuits might be a bit more open-minded, but they are scholars and researchers, not fighters. On days like this, she misses the Templars.

“Looking good, Garry!” Lailah praises the cop. “Simon, if this was for real, you would be dead by now. Move faster, raise your hand higher. Your neck is constantly exposed.”

“I’m trying.” Simon whines. “I like the Shamshir better, this one is too short.”

“That’s why you need to raise your hand higher. To compensate for the length of the sword.” Lailah chuckles. “Let me show you.”

She calls upon her own Kopis to demonstrate the moves. Then she beckons Garry to attack her. She shows Simon the proper defence moves again. She even narrates when and where the sword should be in correlation to the body and the opponent. How high and how hard? When to thrust forward to confuse your opponent and when to go low. Simon needs to learn to read his opponent to get the defensive moves just right. Everyone has a tell-tale sign or two.

“Watch Garry’s eyes. He looks where he will strike next. You can read him and prepare your defence.” Lailah instructs Simon. “Everyone has a sign. It’s very difficult to train yourself to hide it.”

“Do you have a sign? I can’t see any weaknesses when you fight.” Garry inquires. “It’s only been one practice session, but it’s frustrating as hell. I couldn’t find an opening with Nakir and he had us going for hours.”

“I’m not gonna tell you what it is.” Lailah laughs. “We all have a tell-tale sign, even Nakir. You have to find it on your own. I don’t think it’s fair if I give away any personal information. You probably still couldn’t beat him, but that would be betrayal in my book. I’ll always choose him over any human.”

“But you just told Simon how to beat me? How is that fair?” Garry calls her out on the discrepancy. “Humans don’t count or something?”

“This is training.” Lailah smirks. “But, if it will make you feel better, Simon favours his left shoulder. That’s your opening.”

“Hey! That’s not fair!” Simon protests loudly.

“It’s training. So…” Lailah winks: “Go! Again!”

Maybe it was wrong of her to point out a weakness in their defences, but the fight just got more interesting. Garry and Simon are trying harder to get the other one. Still all very slow and in a controlled environment. None of them knows that she can slow down the time for a few seconds. If, and that is a huge unknown, one of them manages to deliver a damaging blow, she can slow the time and move the other out of harm's way. Nobody is getting hurt on her watch.

These two are weird. With all the protesting Simon has done in the past few days, he didn’t even flinch today. Not a single word against fighting with real weapons. They do have training swords lying around, but they both accept the real ones. Simon is fearless. She has deduced that by the way he talks with Nakir. Is Garry the same? There is more to the cop that meets the eye and she is officially curious. Maybe Nakir performed a reading of the guy? She can ask later.