The woods were dark. And quiet. They would have been still, except for the wind. The cool air felt like heaven’s touch on this hot summer evening. Visibility was low as Haku glided through the trees, her feet hardly touching the ground as she pushed off after landing. Black clouds were sweeping in.

I can lose him in the storm, she thought, and make my way to the temple from the foothills.

She was very tired from her time spent evading the Sword of a Thousand Suns. The man was relentless. It irked Haku that all he really wanted was to test his mettle and add yet another defeated foe to his list. He was a very vane man. It disgusted her.

She found the muscles in her face tiring from the expression she was holding. She abruptly smoothed her features, already feeling less tired after spending the last few minutes gracefully gliding through the forest instead of running over rooftops.

She was heading up right now, and after the foothills leveled for a time, she came to a valley with a small pond. There were figures on the other side. It was hard to tell, but she thought she could make out a group of people, some of them wearing the distinct plate with the winged helmets.

It was Commander Arduani and her men. She jumped and glided across, her arms outstretched, her kimono flowing like the wings of a white swan. She landed with such grace that she was completely unheard by any of them.

Arduani saw her first, the woman’s eyes widening behind her helmet. “Haku? Is that you?”

“Your eyes don’t deceive you,” she said. She schooled her features, showing only mild surprise to the princess’ presence. “Princess Noriko?”

She nodded. “I’m… who are you?”

“No one of consequence, Highness,” she said. “A servant of Daimyō Sakuraichi.” Her gaze landed on Arduani. “I must warn you. I’m being pursued.”

The other woman responded immediately by taking one step forward, ever the tactician. “How many?”

“Just one,” she said.

Arduani frowned. “Who is this single foe that you would retreat from so readily?”

“The Sword of a Thousand Suns.”

Recognition showed on the other woman’s features. After a moment she glanced at their other companions. “Who are these people?”

“No one,” Arduani said. “Hangers on.”

The woman who was kneeling next to an unconscious man flinched, her cheeks reddening as her face took on a determined look. The man on the ground, a mage by the look of him, awoke, distracting the woman in the silken black kimono from showing her indignation in words.

“Lawrence?” she asked. Haku could hear the note of caring there, different between the caring of a healer and her patient. “Lawrence, are you all right?”

An unbidden thought of Ujio came to her mind.

The man blinked, but Haku ignored them now and turned her attention to the envoy sent by the Order of the Purging Flame. “We should leave here.”

“I agree,” Arduani said. “We sallied forth from the temple to find an escape path, but it seems these hills are being watched by our enemies. It would be unwise to secret your emperor out this way.”

“He’s safe then?”

“Father is alive?” Noriko burst.

“Quite. But we’re trapped,” the Knight Commander said. “The enemy is camped at the base of the temple and they have their agents everywhere.”

Haku nodded. “I know.”

Princess Noriko breathed a sigh of relief. “And Masaru? Is my brother well?”

“Quite,” Arduani said, barely looking toward the princess.

“That is well,” Haku said, looking at Noriko-sama. To the knight commander she said. “We should regroup and head back to the temple with the refugees.”

Arduani hesitated for a moment, but then she said, “Indeed,” nodding as she glanced about the group.