“Stop it!” I yell.

Suddenly everyone is looking to me. What would Rosario have me do? Tell them to go to bed and not worry about it? Carry on as though nothing has happened? Pretending has never been my strong suit.

I say, “Harsh winds.”

“Rough seas,” say Aldo and Iván.

“Still hearts!” says everyone else.

We repeat the Guard motto, in unison this time.

Into the ensuing calm, I say, “We train.”

Pedrón smiles.

“How?” says Itzal. “More forms and escapes?”

“Short Arturo is right,” I say.

“Just call me Arturito,” he says. “Or Rito.”

“Rito, then. You’re right. We’re the most promising class in a decade. All of us bring something. I don’t have a lot of experience with a sword, but I can teach dodging and close quarters combat. Iván is a wonder at footwork.”

Iván points to Aldo. “He showed us how the forms work. I bet he can teach us how to parry and how to turn those forms into attacks.”

Aldo hesitates, not meeting anyone’s gaze. “I guess can do that,” he says. “I mean, I’m not just here in the Guard because I’m better looking than the rest of you.”

Rito rolls his eyes.

“My boys and me,” Pedrón says, “we learned some exercises as army recruits that made us strong.”

“Good!” I say. “That’s good, Pedrón. Exactly what we need.”

“We Basajuaños can teach everyone basic archery,” says Rito.

“And I,” Itzal says, “am a magnificent encourager.”

I grin at him. “Everyone can help in some way.”

“We don’t have real swords,” Andrés points out.

“We don’t need real swords to train,” I insist. But we will need them if we ever have to fight. That’s a problem we’ll have to solve another day.

Iván says, “We can do this.”

“We can do this,” Aldo agrees.

“If the Guard has been compromised,” Tall Arturo says, “or if someone comes for our prince, we’ll be ready.”

I jump to my feet. “Let’s start right now.”

The others follow. “Start with what?” Itzal asks.

“Grab your wooden swords,” I say. “Let’s learn some basic parrying. Aldo, can you help us out tonight?”

He grins. Whatever hesitation he had, I can tell he’s fully committed now. “Of course. You’re not really training for combat until you’ve felt the impact of your opponent’s sword shiver down your spine.”

We spend the next half hour on parrying angles. Aldo is a good teacher. Just like he did on that first day, he shows us how the forms interact, how they’ve prepared us to defend and counterattack. Even better, he shows us how to anticipate the direction of a swipe by watching someone’s shoulders and how to ground ourselves so we don’t get knocked down. The wooden swords clattering against each other sound like a group of furious carpenters building something in the arena. During a pause to wipe the sweat from my forehead, it occurs to me that we are building something in this arena.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Aldo says as he adjusts Itzal’s wrist to strengthen the boy’s grip. “As you get better, I’ll show you how to make sure you don’t leave yourself open to a follow-up attack, and how to use your parry to knock an opponent off balance. But for now, I want you all to focus on your stance, your grips, and your angles.”