They had split up to attack her from multiple sides. It was the only way they could fight such an opponent. But she was too powerful. As soon as Lawrence, Muji and his ninja surrounded her, moving in for the kill, she had used wind magic and buffeted the failed mage so hard, his head was spinning.

Grunting, he got up off the soaking wet street stones. Even Muji used his blade to assist his exhaustion as he rose from one knee.

Lawrence blinked when her ally—that ragged samurai—landed in the street behind her. She smiled, not even deigning to turn toward him. His arrival had been nearly silent.

He beat her, Lawrence thought. He beat Haku. Now there’s no way we’re going to win this. Sakura, I’m so sorry.

“Are you frustrated?” she asked Lawrence. He had no way to defeat this woman. But she had said something earlier he might be able to use. A last resort.

“If you release Sakura,” he said. “I will give myself up to you.”

With an eyebrow raised, she said, “Why ever would I want to trade her for you?”

“You want my magical power, don’t you?”

“Please,” she said, scoffing. “The little dancer girl contains far more magical energy than you. You’re but an appetizer, deer boy. She’s a banquette of magical energy.” She laughed.

I can’t say I’m surprised about that. But what am I supposed to do now?

“She will not be going with you,” the swordsman said quietly.

“What?” the witch said, turning to address him. “You said I could have her as soon as you had The White Feather woman. Are you turning back on our agreement? I said I would assist you, and so I am.”

“You haven’t assisted me,” he said calmly. “And there was no agreement. She’s my prisoner and my mind’s been changed regarding the girl.”

Lawrence breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn’t be murdered and drained of her energies by this spider-loving witch. “What do you want her for?” he demanded.

The tattered warrior regarded the failed mage for a moment through his mask, but instead of answering him, he continued to address the witch.

“Perhaps,” Muji said, sounding doubtful, “we should make our withdrawal.”

“What?”

“She out classes us,” Muji said quietly. “And with The Sword of a Thousand Suns at her back, there’s no way we can hope to defeat them.”

“Desist?” she croaked, glancing at her ally. She was evidentially outraged. “It doesn’t matter, you beggar! She’s gone!”

“Wait,” Lawrence said. “Something is happening.” What did she mean ‘she’s gone’?

Muji regarded the two.

“How dare you! I said she’s gone!” the witch shrieked, sending a harpoon of swirling wind at the swordsman.

Sidestepping from the attack, this Sword of a Thousand Suns as Muji had called him, backed away, revealing his blade. “We kill her,” he told them.

Muji grunted. “Unexpected.”

“The gods look favorably on us,” Lawrence said, then he lit a fireball in the palm of his hand. Without wasting time he said, “Let’s take her down!”

He hurled a fireball at her, but she deflected it, cried out in frustration. Then her voice changed, it seemed to resonate and come from every direction. “Kat,” she called. “Come! Now!”

The failed mage did not let up. He hurled three more fireballs at the witch, one aimed directly at her, the others toward different areas at her feet. If nothing else, they would distract her.

But again, she deflected all of them as she spun in a whirlwind of magical energy, the errant fireballs shooting outward and exploding about them.

Lawrence jumped as one exploded near him, another dissipating in the sky, and the final one landing on one of the wooden dwellings in the square, alighting more of the wooden structures.

“Ninja!” Muji called, his blade raised defensively, but before he could call out an order, a bolt of lightning travelled through the air and connected with the armor on his chest.

The huge samurai shot away, landing in the darkness out of sight.

Just then the swordsman who had been their enemy not long ago rushed in. She turned with excellent speed to address the danger, but The Sword of a Thousand Suns darted back and forth, making himself a difficult target.

The witch pushed a bloom of electrical energies at him, but he jumped, flipping in a summersault and landed behind her.

His sword would have made contact, but Kat was suddenly there, her own short blade, which Lawrence hadn’t seen earlier, parrying his slash that would have ended her mistress.

He jumped back as Lawrence attacked from their flank, but he was blasted with wind, sending him toppling onto the roof near the other side of the square. Landing heavily, he grunted, the tiles beneath him breaking from the weight of his fall despite the higher elevation lessening the impact.

He surveyed the street, winding from the pain in his leg as The Sword of a Thousand Suns fought both the witches. Every time one of them attempted to hit him with her magical energies, he dodged their attacks, or simply jumped over them if they tried to him with broader strokes.

As a mage, was he really so far outclassed, or were these figures just that much more powerful than men like he and The Masked Demon?

Remembering Muji, Lawrence glanced in that direction, wondering if the huge samurai was still alive.

I should get to him while that vagrant handles the witches.