Chapter 15

Looking over his shoulder as he ran, Ichiro saw a terrifying image. Standing at the entrance to the House of the Volcano was the Red Ninja. Ichiro was breathing hard, his legs were pumping fire through his veins but he wasn’t running fast enough.
He had decided to get Lady Toyotomi a horse and ride with her to safety. Given the circumstances he couldn’t really be blamed for leaving Lord Sato. But at the rate Goda was making his way through Okinaga’s men, Ichiro feared he would never reach the stables.
“Duck your head, Lady.”
Kimiko obeyed and buried her head in Ichiro’s chest as he continued to run. Just as he feared, he heard the whistling sound of an assassin’s throwing star. He braced himself for impact. The terrifying sound grew louder right before it sliced into his leg. Ichiro stumbled but he kept running. He almost dropped Kimiko but he kept running.
Behind him, the whistling sound came again. Two more throwing stars lodged deep into his leg muscles. Ichiro fell.
Lady Toyotomi screamed as she crashed into the ground. Ichiro’s only thought was to keep his armoured body between her and the assassin.
“Lady, you must run to the stables and find your horse. Get as far away from here as possible.”
The Shogun’s daughter looked at him with fearful eyes. Her exquisite silken robe was now covered in grass stains and her face was streaked with tears. Such beauty should never be so close to war and death, Ichiro thought.
Lady Toyotomi shook her head. “I’m not leaving you. Please, you have to get up! I order you to get up!”
Ichiro was on his knees; the three throwing stars were still stuck in his right leg. He was a defeated man. He was expecting Goda to finish him off any second now and the last image he would ever see would be that of Lady Toyotomi. It will be a good death, he thought. A honourable death.
He held his breath and waited.

High atop the sentry towers, the archers steadied their aim. The strum of the bows filled the air as a hail of arrows fired towards the Red Ninja.