They ran toward the sounds of the battle. Hundreds of warriors and samurai streaming through the streets. Those aren’t ours, are they?

“What’s happening,” Sakurai asked, panting along as the three of them, Hiun, Ishi and herself made their way north of the harbor along the streets of the machiyas just shy of the waterfront. They were too close to whatever fight was taking place.

The dancer could feel the sheer magical energy emerging in fits and starts from several powerful individuals.

Could one of them be Lawrence?

She glanced back, slowed, and was told to hurry. But she wanted to stop, to go find out if he was there, fighting for his life—for her life!

“Please hurry,” Ishi said.

“I think Lawrence is that way,” she said.

Hiun stopped, turned and surveyed the direction she had been indicating. “I do not… think so.”

“Why?”

“Hmm…”

“What is it?” she asked.

“Your friend—this Lawrence fire mage. He is much weaker than what I sense in that direction.”

Now that she thought of it, she agreed with the mysterious oni. But something in her wanted to ignore that and go anyway. To be certain.

She looked at him as he put a hand on her shoulder. “He is not there, little mage.”

She wasn’t a mage. Not even close. But she didn’t care that he called her that. Something in her wilted.

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“Lawrence-sama can take care of himself,” Ishi said.

“This is so,” Hiun said.

“But…”

“Come.”

Sakura hesitated, but finally gave in to return to the ship. “Very well.” But if they left Yukai City, how would he find them?

She was distracted at the sound of someone coughing. Ishi’s eyes widened and Hiun turned, his brows knitting. Sakura, soaking, though not cold—she had endured far too much tonight to care in the least—turned to see what they were looking at.

It was that White Feather woman she had heard about. The one she saw in camp at the Western Temple with Lawrence.

They went to her. The woman had been beaten badly. Her shoulder was dislocated, and upon her body were countless wounds. She looked at them, a slight daze in her eyes. “Your friend is nearby,” she croaked.

Sakura took hold of her, infused some of her healing magic into the woman, but not much. With her shoulder dislocated, she wanted to wait to heal her. She didn’t know how to heal that. Would they need assistance to somehow put it back? Magic wouldn’t do that, could it?

She was unsure, so decided not to heal the woman. She had nearly killed someone tonight by healing alone.

In the end, I used a knife, though.

“I”—she coughed, a little stronger on her feet now—“I sent The Sword of a Thousand Suns to assist him.”

Sakura gasped. “Isn’t he the man who brought me here?”

The white-haired woman nodded. “The same. He is on our side now. For the time being at least.”

“Fascinating, Hiun said. “I would ask you to tell us more, but… I think it best we make our way to the ship.”

“That commander lady seemed like she was going to leave us behind,” Ishi said, echoing the oni’s worries.

“Indeed,” Hiun said.

“Can you not take us there by magic,” Sakura asked. “Like before?”

The oni seemed thoughtful for a moment, shook his head. “I’m far too drained of magical energy for that. I am sorry. I thought that I might be able to, but it seems I was… mistaken?”

“What if I assisted you?” Sakura asked.

“Hmm…” he said, thoughtful. “Perhaps.”

Sakurai wasted no time. She took Hiun by the shoulders and infused her healing magic into him to revitalize his own energies. She stumbled, Ishi taking her from the arm.

“I feel…much…wakefulness,” the oni said ponderously. “Though I am afraid, I still do not have the energy to take us where we need to go. We must get closer. I am sorry.”

Sakura, dizzy, had a hand to her face as she recovered from her unsteady spell. She nodded. “It was worth this try,” she said. “Let us go.”

The words surprised her. She felt as though she were abandoning Lawrence. He was close, as the woman had stated. Maybe he would find them?