CHAPTER TWELVEA CHANGED NANG STOOD amid his fighters. He had not uttered a word or moved a muscle for nearly thirty minutes and the fighters struggled to match his perfection. He did not make his mind blank, did not meditate attempting to achieve some higher awareness, but simply stood in perfect awareness of the here and now. “He who breaks first,” Nang had told the group, “will face this scarred face in full sparring, just as he who breaks first is first heard and engaged by the enemy.” The boys and young men concentrated on their breathing, concentrated on remaining relaxed. Every day they practiced being still and quiet, each day for a longer period. Never had Number Two Rabbit challenged them, never had the stakes been so high. By his countenance they knew the situation had changed, e
