“Lady Knight,” her aide, Numiwaro, called. “Lady Knight! A path to the Mizuka has been cleared.”

“Indeed,” Liandra said. She turned to her men. “Stay with the Emperor. I go to secure the ship.”

The mage came in beside her. “Where have you been?”

“I was occupied.” He seemed tired as he drew his sword. “I won’t be using any fire on that ship.”

She would have said something, but now there was no time, so she simply nodded at his words.

To the men behind them, she commanded, “Forward!” The samurai there rushed ahead, archers behind as they made their way onto the docks. Liandra glanced into the waters, contemplating the dangers there for armor wearers such as her.

The samurai went up the gangplank, Lawrence and Liandra trailing them. There were no signs of the enemy anywhere on deck.

The mage looked about, his sword lowered. “Where are they?”

“Check the hold,” Liandra said.

The samurai moved to obey and opened up the battened-down hatch leading into the ship. They filed down the companionway. The men moved about, searching for enemies.

She smelled it. Had smelled it going down. It was quiet inside the hold, save for their footsteps. “Is that…?”

“Oil,” Lawrence said, sliding his foot over the deck boards. “The ship is covered in it.”

Liandra caught herself mid gasp. “It’s a trap.”

“Yes.”

“Everyone out!” She turned and hustled back up the stairs, her boots thumping madly on the boards. “EVERYONE OUT!”

The mage came out behind her as she looked about wildly.

“There!” Lawrence was pointing toward the stern—to a small feminine figure in black. She tossed a torch and did a backflip off the aft castle, disappearing from view.

The breath went out of here. “No…”

“Run!” the mage shouted as he dashed passed Liandra for the docks. She was right behind him, the samurai trailing her.

She could hear the flames.

And then…

Thunder and heat.

She was above the dock—arms flailing. And then the water came rushing at her. Liandra sunk like a stone. Instinctually she swam for the surface, but her efforts were useless.

Her vision blurred, the light from the surface was intense as the ship was engulfed in flames. There was a muffled boom and light leapt across the surface, revealing the wavy sand and barnacles below her.

There’s no way I’m going to die like this.

The knight commander’s feet touched bottom. She looked about to orient herself. She was deep underwater, but the bank wasn’t far—though the incline was much too steep.

Then she caught sight of the barnacled supports of the dock. She might have been too heavy to swim, but she wasn’t too heavy to haul herself up one of those supports.

Are my samurai dead? How had the ship exploded like that?