A hundred or more torches burned across the river, turning flecks of the black water a hellish orange, seeming to be candle drippings from the giant blaze that had once been the Lady Gi’s servants’ ship.

Susume stepped out of the door and looked at the chaos below her, horrified at the violence and destruction that had taken over her boats. She was unsure who were her men and which were the attackers, so in the end she froze indecisively and looked to Nana for guidance.

“Make your presence known,” Nana sighed, drawing her sword from Rei’s side, “Let your Giya name strike terror in their hearts.”

Susume, whose knowledge of battle came fro her history and weapon lessons, looked at the swarming violence below, then instructed her handmaiden, Teruko, to lift the banner high.

One of the enemy archers saw this as his sign to put an arrow through the black cloth.

“Beware!” Susume yelled over the din of battle. Some of the struggles nearest her stopped, warriors in understanding of each other, while the servants that were being pursued jumped into the river, hoping to reach the safety of the banks.

“Now what?” she whispered to Nana.

Nana sighed, “Tell them who you are and what you will do to them.”

“Beware!” she called again, her voice surprisingly clear over the noise, “For I, the Lady Gi will join the fray…”

She was at a loss how to continue.

“You may drop your weapons and flee,” Nana added, acting as her herald, “Or be part of her glorious tally when this is over.”

This was the signal for a dozen more archers to loose their arrows that soared through the sky towards Susume. Nana cut one that came for Susume’s face out of the air, while the rest harmlessly clattered off the lady’s armor.

“Looks like they’re not impressed,” Rei observed.

“Good,” Nana smiled, hefted her sword and limped down the stairs to join the battle.

“Great,” Rei said, drawing the short blade at her side.

She took a few steps down the stairs, then looked up at Susume.

“Just so you know,” she said, “This was her idea. I voted to leave you behind.”

She didn’t wait for an answer, instead rushed down the stairs, almost tripping on her way down. She looked at the chaos, then randomly picked a target.

Even though Nana could barely walk properly, she was the first to the fight. She stepped onto one of the attackers’ rafts and three of the wreckers immediately came at her, sensing an easy kill in the limping woman.

The first went down with a sweep of her blade to the legs, cutting deep into his flesh. The second simply overbalanced when she dodged his clumsy stroke and tumbled into the river behind her. The last never even got the chance to raise his weapon. Nana grabbed his groin her free hand, then twisted as far as she could. She finished him off with a quick cut as he collapsed to the floor. She hopped to the next raft, looking for more enemies.

“On your right!” Rei called after.

Nana raised a hand in acknowledgment, then headed back into the fray.

Normally, Rei would have stuck with Nana so they could cover each other’s back, but with the battle being fought on small rafts and other derelict flotsam, she had no choice but veering in a different direction. She ran across a broken piece of lumber, landed on the next raft and found herself between four opponents that were advancing towards the Lady Gi.

They barely had time to register the newcomer’s arrival. One took the hilt of Rei’s sword to his gut, the second a fist to her jaw and the third got a sharp kick to the knee, sending him clutching for the joint.

Only the fourth was fast enough to register her as a threat and avoid the whirlwind of violence. She raised her sickle toe defend herself while her companions stumbled back, attempting to get their bearings.

Rei waited for the woman to come at her, a cautious step. She dropped to her side, landing on one hand and spun around, knocking the four enemies down and sending them sprawling into the river. Still in the same hurricane of limbs, she rose and looked for her next victims.

Susume and Teruko were the last down to the deck and, unlike the battle hungry Rei and Nana, found her opponent waiting for her on the capsizing ship. Her opponent was armed with little more than a long oar, and a radiant confidence that expressed itself in a manic grin.

He didn’t wait for her to get ready, instead swinging the paddle at her head. Susume tried to dodge and for her efforts was rewarded with the flat of the improvised weapon to her helmet. She stumbled back, tried to balance herself and accidentally pushed Teruko into the river as she did. She grit her teeth, took a few steps aside so she wouldn’t follow the handmaiden into the black water, then jabbed her naginata at the enemy.

He blocked it, a swift practiced motion, but the wood was no match for the blade of the lady’s pole arm. It splintered at the impact, leaving the man holding half an oar. He didn’t seem concerned, shifted it in his hands and was just too late to block Susume’s follow up. An overhand swing at his head.

Horrified, she saw the skull split open and man’s life drain down his face. The grin never left his face as he collapsed.

She paled, looking for the reassuring presence of Teruko and found herself alone with her fallen banner. She picked it up, raised it towards the night sky and then screamed as loud as she could.

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“To me!” was the simple call, her voice trembling with the two words, “To me! Protect your lady!”

Several of the river wardens finished their fights when their opponents were distracted by the call, hurrying to join their ward as ordered.

As she yelled for the warriors to join her, her eyes fell on a lonely shape. They armed with two swords and were defending themselves against a dozen opponents. They had their head hidden by a wide straw hat and Susume wondered if it was one of hers… or theirs.

Rangu stood in the middle of a dozen attackers, his mouth slightly open to smell the location and movements around him. He could practically taste their sweat, which he normally found disgusting, but currently quite convenient. Between that and his impressive field of vision, he knew exactly where each of his enemies was. Two came at him from the side, raising their weapons to strike at him. He brought up the two blades he had in his hands, caught the attacks and forced his sinewy muscles to lock the attackers’ arms above him. A third, who had an actual sword to strike at him, brought his sword up to finish the fight. It was the chance Rangu had been waiting for. He opened his mouth slightly further, then darted his tongue at the man, poking him in the eye with it. He pulled it back and repeated it in the man’s other eye. All in all, it took little more than second for the man to be blinded and Rangu to take his chance. He let go off the blades he had been blocking with, jumping at the man with the sword and pushing him into the water.

Had the water not been painted the flames' orange, the surviving assailants would have seen their comrade’s blood rise to the surface.

Instead, they saw Rangu reappear, on another raft, by himself and with their fallen ally’s sword in hand.

There was a collected scream of rage and they charged him.

Rangu let out a croaking laugh, then ran away, luring the attackers to the burning ship.

Teruko had barely survived the short swim to the nearest raft. She pulled her body out of the water and heard her mistress yell, “To me! To me!”

“Coming, lady,” she said out of habit. Spat out some more of the soot filled water and struggled to her feet. There were only three small rafts between her and Susume, which should have been a few quick jumps. Unfortunately, the one in the middle held an enemy. A broad-shouldered woman that aimed a bow at her.

She wasn’t sure what to do next. The closest she had ever been to a battle was a tavern fight.

“Lady Gi?” The arched called over.

Teruko shook her head frantically, then remembered she had borrowed her lady’s clothing. She looked down at the pink silks. The pink silks that the Lady Gi was famous for.

“I’m not,” she screeched, “I’m her handmaiden!”

“Liar,” the archer said, drew her arrow back, aimed it at Teruko’s knee and then…found herself on the receiving end of another. Her eyes comically turned to the projectile in her forehead. She let go off her weapon, then collapsed to her knees.

Teruko looked over her shoulder to see one of the river wardens join her and she was about to thank, when he drew his short blade and reached for her.

She stepped back and clumsily drew one of the swords the lady had given her, considered defending herself, then simply let herself fall into the river. She’d rather take her chance with the waves.

She was pulled out of the river by the scruff of her neck and, still coughing up water, she saw she found herself back where she started. Susume’s sinking ship.

They weren’t alone however. A handful of river wardens and the two Dragonflies were with them. The short-haired limping one had dragged her from the water. She nodded her thanks, then sat up to see the wreckers and traitors form a circle around them.

Even though Teruko had little knowledge of tactics she understood that the battle, which they had been losing before Susume even joined, had gone further against them. It was definitely lost now.

“Any plans?” Susume asked.

Rei helped Teruko to her feet and pushed the banner in her hands.

“Run like we should’ve in the first place?” she suggested, watching the legion of wreckers around them, before throwing a look to the stern of the ship.

“We can’t outswim their rowers,” Nana said, “It’s very simple…”

Susume looked at Nana.

“...We die honorably.”

“Any better plans?”

Nana shook her head.

Two of the river wardens expanded the last of their arrows, taking out a few more attackers, but with their prize so close at hand, that did not deter the others.

Rocks and wood were thrown at them by some of the wreckers, while the river wardens who were used to combat slowly came closer, not bothering to use their bows any more.

Their leader raised her hand, then pointed to Nana.

“You, stranger. This isn’t your fight. Give us the Lady Gi and you’re free to leave.”

“Sounds…” Rei started. She never got to say how it sounded, Nana closed her mouth with her hand.

“Who’s paying you?” Nana demanded.

“What do you care? Just give us Gi!”

The woman took a purse from below her clothing, “I’ll even let you share in the profits if you hand her over.”

“How about,” Nana suggested, “We fight one on one and the leader keeps the lady.”

“You’re in no position to be haggling! Work with me! We only want the Lady Gi and she’ll come to no harm in our care.”

Susume stepped forward, “By whose orders are you here!”

“The Lord Terada of The Hanmiyou domain invites you to dinner!” she called, now willing to answer Nana’s earlier query.

Susume pushed her naginata in Teruko’s hand, then took off her helmet so she could speak clearly.

“It’s more customary to send a messenger,” she said, calm now that they entered the world of negotiations, which was more her area of expertise.

“You’ve spurned his messengers time and time again, my lady,” the traitor river warden said, a soft irony in the last two words, “So he sent us to persuade you.”

“I’m on my way to meet the Gunari. Is the lord Terada saying his business is more pressing than his liege’s?”

“He is! He also told me to say you will make it to the capital in time.”

There was a warm summer wind running through the river as Susume considered the offer. In the end she simply sighed and bowed her head.

“Then I surrender to myself to your person. In the knowledge that I will come to no harm under your care. As is the Law of Arms.”

“I’m glad you’re willing to see reason, My Lady.”

An evil smiled played around the woman’s face before she finished the next sentence.

“I’d tell you to pack your belongings, but… ”

She lamely gestured to the ship.

“Teruko…?”

“I’m with you, Lady Gi.”

“Good girl,” Susume said, running her chainmailed hand through the handmaiden’s hair.

“Dragonflies,” she said, addressing Nana and Rei, “I thank you for your fruitless efforts. River wardens, return to Choukishi. When I join you there, I will see to your rewards.”

Teruko and Susume jumped over to the raft, waved their farewells to their companions, then let themselves be escorted to the river wardens’ mounts.

To their credit, the remaining wreckers ignored the handful of survivors, though if it was for honor or the sweeter plunder from the sunken ships, Nana did not know.

“We should go,” Nana said, stumbling to the nearest raft, “We’ve wasted enough time.”

“I told you we should've ran away,” Rei sighed, jumping after her, “We would’ve made good time.”

“The river’s going to be stuck for days,” Nana said, folding her arms as she looked over the wreckage from the bank, “Won’t be seeing any merchants any time soon.”

“So?”

“So we walk,” Nana said and started to limp down the river.

“Or,” Rangu said, popping up from the water, “You use those.”

“Gunari’s balls,” Rei said, “Made my heart jump from my chest there.”

Nana meanwhile followed Rangu’s arm as he pointed to the abandoned water striders that were scattered across the river.

“Not a bad plan,” she agreed, “The owners won’t be needing them any more and we can make good time.”

She smiled, “Yeah, that’s what we’ll do. Good to have you along, Rangu. Can you…”

Rangu nodded to the unspoken question, disappearing back under the waves.

“Just a few more days till we’re home. Tomorrow if we don’t stop to rest.”

Rei cast her a dubious look, then simply sighed, “Yes, ma’am.”