The Samurai with the arrow in his shoulder intercepted the blade meant for Giichi, his staff blocking the strike with a crack of wood on steel. Two moreninjaconverged on Esumi, who met them with a smile that was all teeth and no humor.
I caught movement in my peripheral vision—one heading for Yoshi, who stood frozen in terror, his gift simmering just below the surface but not activating when he needed it most.
There was no time for thought.
I moved, my gift burning through my muscles, and I was there between theninjaand Yoshi, my blade singing as it met theassassin’skatana. The impact jarred my arm, but I held firm, spun, and drove my elbow into his masked face.
Theninjastaggered back as something metallic glinted in his other hand.
“DOWN!” Kaneko’s voice, sharp with command.
I dropped without thinking.
A silver blur whistled over my head and buried itself in theninja’s throat.
He fell with a sickening gurgle.
I spun to thank Kaneko, but he was already moving, two more stars flying from his hands toward targets I hadn’t even seen. I hadn’t even known he carried stars.
Both his strikes found their marks with deadly precision.
“Where did you learn that?” Yoshi demanded, staring at him.
“Later!” Kaneko grabbed Yoshi’s arm. “Can you use your speed?”
“I—I don’t know. I can’t control—”
“You can! Do it, now!” Kaneko shoved a sword into his hands. “They’re trying to kill us. Figure it out.”
Something hardened in Yoshi’s eyes.
A scream drew my attention back to the main fight.
Two Samurai were down, their blood darkening the dirt road.
Esumi fought threeninjaat once, his blade a blur of motion, but even he couldn’t maintain that pace forever.
“To me!” Giichi bellowed, rallying the remaining Samurai into a tighter formation. “Protect the Prince!”
“Curse protecting me,” I snarled, my gift surging hot and ready. “Protect each other.”
I let myself go.
The world blurred into fragments of motion—strike here, block there, move before the blade falls, feel the pattern of the fight and slip between the gaps. My father’s gift—his dragon’sblessing—was finally useful for something more than training demonstrations.
I took down twoninjabefore they realized I was among them.
A third barely got his guard up in time, but my blade found the gap in his armor anyway.
He fell clutching his side.
“Behind you!” Esumi’s warning.
I spun, saw the blade coming, knew I couldn’t dodge in time—
Yoshi appeared between us, moving so fast he left afterimages.
His sword caught theninja’s strike, but the force of it sent him tumbling. He rolled, came up swinging wildly, his speed uncontrolled but effective.
