Sven put her in position, then began to talk -surprisingly enough, about something besides breathing and strengthening her wrists.
”The idea we have in mind is to give you a broad foundation in unarmed combat before we move to armed combat. No, Margo, sink down a little further, that’s right, hold it. If you rely on the weapon alone, without backup layers of self-defense, you risk being caught helpless if you lose use of the weapon. Whether you’re carrying a firearm, a knife, some kind of chemical, or a club, you need to have other layers of protection in your defenses. One layer is alertness. If you don’t notice an attacker, he’ll take you by surprise. And once that happens, you’re in trouble. For the next twenty-four hours, I want you to practice a little game. Tomorrow, tell me how well you do. See how many times you notice someone before they’re aware of you and how many times they notice you first. Keep a record and we’ll talk more about alertness tomorrow”
For once, Margo could see the immediate usefulness of the lesson. She vowed to score a hundred percent on this particular test. Nobody would catch her napping.
”All right, shift your stance like this. Good. Now…one reason to stay alert. Suppose you have a gun.”
Margo nodded. “Okay.”
Sven backed up at least twenty feet. “I’ve got a knife.” He brandished a closed hand as though holding a knife in a fencing grip. “Lady, I’m gonna cut your throat Draw from your holster and shoot me.”
He rushed at her. Margo grabbed for her hip, pretending to go for a gun