The Kazak Guardians Read Online Free PDF

years of high school. No one had encouraged me to do well, so I hadn't. I was barely familiar with a computer and had never attempted to learn a second language, unless street slang counted. English was hard enough. Now I would be expected to learn two more. While screams echoed in my mind, the instructor continued.
    "We understand not all of you have the same level of education; therefore, for this challenge we'll provide limited assistance. However, don't expect us to do your work."
    ***
    I labored during those years, staying up late, poring over self-paced material to supplement lectures, and crying at those times when exhaustion overcame me. It was slow and painful, but I learned to use a computer, associated programs, and equipment. I chose Spanish since I thought it easier than the other languages I had listened to that first week. To my astonishment, I took to the language like a bird to flight. By the end of the first year, I was reasonably fluent. I also did well with psychology but scored average at best in the other subjects.
    During the second year, the language instructor asked me to take Arabic as my second language. Apparently, I had performed better than expected learning my first language.
    Our rest time, all fourteen hours a day, was reduced to twelve. In its place, they added two hours of exercises for strength and flexibility, and began basic empty-hand self-defense. I performed below average in strength, above average in flexibility, and held my own in self-defense.
    In the third year, our rest time dropped to ten hours a day. We used the additional two hours to accelerate our self-defense training. Thanks to my time with Master Jianyu studying Wudang, which didn't require strength, I managed to do a little better than average and keep my rather small one hundred twenty pound frame from being broken. My ability to feel when my opponent was off balance neutralized the men's advantages of strength and reach. That training became increasingly important as the men felt it demeaning to be beaten by a woman and became rabid when paired against me. Ironically, their out-of-control aggressiveness helped me build on my Wudang foundation and provided me a better understanding of the underlying principles.
    At the end of the third year, we were evaluated based on our language proficiency, academic work, and self-defense. Four were dismissed for one reason or another. It had been a particularly hard three years for me, but I had survived despite all the odds against me.
    The forth year we studied weapons. Unlike Kung Fu, which used ancient Chinese weapons, we used modern weaponry with emphasis on items we could carry on our person: guns, knives, and a variety of batons. Our cardboard targets looked at us from behind a variety of objects, moved in random directions and speeds, and popped up and down-and shot back with paint balls until fatally wounded. Knife throwing came naturally to me. Because of my training with Jianyu, I proved good at knife fighting and could hold my own with a baton. I was average with handguns and rifles; I seldom missed the target but couldn't consistently hit the areas designated as fatal. Consequently, the third challenge almost eliminated me. The two who were asked to leave were good with guns but poor with the knife and baton. I believe my hand-to-hand combat saved me.
    I found the fifth year fun-finally. We began the year studying professional Assassins. These were men and women each gifted with a unique ability. They could create illusions, radiate a sense of overwhelming attraction, tell lies everyone would believe, run at incredible speeds, or become nearly invisible. They were referred to as Illusion, Glimmer, Liar, Runner, and Ghost Assassins. Six days a week we learned ways of identifying each type and then practiced in various scenarios designed to imitate real Assassins. Even from the beginning, I did far better than everyone else. I found it natural to detect the small nuances