From this day on Anna spent a lot of time talking to the Emperor, explaining the complexities of the world's politics and the tensions between different nations, as far as she understood them. Her frequent visits to the main part of the palace did not go unnoticed, but the court gossip was that she had become a mistress of one of the lesser officials. It couldn't be avoided, but still, she thought of Hikaru's reaction when he would hear about it.
All she could do was to play along.
*
It was about a month into their stay in KyÅto. They were, as always, returning to the Lord Takeda's residence after a full day at the palace. Anna was walking next to the palanquin with Lady Mariko inside. She was tired and longed only for a bath and a massage. Then, quite unexpectedly, her instinct warned her of danger: she felt a prickling unease, as if somebody was watching her. She stepped a little closer to Kazuki, who was walking a few paces away. "I think we are being watched." She whispered.
"I felt it too." Without moving his head he scanned the street for any signs of danger.
"Would anybody dare to attack us so close to the palace?"
"If SaitÅ's behind it, everything is possible." He grumbled.
"Alert the guards." She ordered. "I will let Mariko know."
Kazuki moved away, while she stepped closer to the palanquin. "My Lady," She said quietly. "Please, prepare yourself. It is quite possible we will be attacked."
"I'm ready." Came the calm reply.
Anna reached into her robe and grabbed the hilt of the knife concealed there. She wished she had her swords with her, but Tanto would have to suffice. She observed the guards with pride; their pace remained seemingly unchanged, but she could clearly sense a state of alertness among them.
Then the attack came. Masked bandits ran towards them with their swords raised. The street, until that moment teeming with people, emptied in a blink of an eye. Nobody wanted to be caught in a fight. The guards, specially chosen by Lord Takeda and constantly drilled by Kazuki, formed a tight cordon around the palanquin and met the attackers with their own swords drawn. There were shouts and clang of steel on steel as the two forces collided.
Anna met the closest attacker in a classic samurai stance. His sword had longer reach, but her Tanto allowed her much greater manoeuvrability. She had trained hard for such a situation for the past several months. With graceful movements and superior skills she engaged in the fight. After a few exchanges she feigned an attack on his left side and when her opponent raised an arm to block the cut, she stabbed him with two quick thrusts just above the edge of the breastplate. She pulled the knife free and, with a spray of blood, he collapsed at her feet. She grabbed his sword as it fell to the ground. The weapon was heavier than her katana and not so well balanced, but it would have to do.
She judged that they were facing no more than ten attackers, but she suspected there were others, hiding in the nearby buildings, perhaps armed with crossbows, ready to kill from the distance.
She faced another assailant. Pirouetting on the balls of her feet she avoided his cuts and parried his stabs. She felt focused and calm. Anticipating his movements seemed to be quite easy in this state of mind. After a few more exchanges, with a downward swipe she cut deeply into his neck, severing the artery and his arm in the process. He was dead even before he fell to the ground.
And then she heard a whack of an arrow, as it struck the chest plate of a samurai fighting next to her. She couldn't see where the attack was coming from, still occupied with the bandits in front of her. "Kazuki!" She shouted, looking around in search of him. But he was gone. Having located the place where the shooter was concealed, he was already running towards it.
Then, unexpectedly, Anna heard more shouting. She turned, preparing for more assailants, but with relief she realised they were the Imperial guards, already engaging in the fight. She looked around. There was no more danger here; several of the attackers were lying on the ground, dead or seriously wounded and the rest were fighting for their lives, facing the Imperial guards. With the Takeda samurai regrouping to protect the palanquin, Anna knew that the only danger was now the unseen archer. She turned to look for Kazuki and noticed him heading for one of the buildings. Raising her eyes to the roof, she saw the assassin... Just as he lifted his crossbow and fired at her.
"Lottie, look out!"
Her reactions were sharp, her movements honed by constant practice and even before Kazuki finished shouting his warning, she had thrown herself to the ground, avoiding the arrow by a hairbreadth. Anna felt the rush of air as it passed over her and impacted on the wooden frame of the palanquin, ricocheting into the curtain. She raised her head just in time to see Kazuki leaping onto an awning and, with an almost supernatural agility, clambering up the roof to reach the crossbowman. She saw the flash of his blade and a splash of blood as decapitated head tumbled to the street below.
In the same instant Kazuki jumped down and rushed towards Anna.
"I'm all right." She assured, getting up.
The Imperial guards surrounded them protectively.
"My Lady," Anna stepped to the palanquin. "Are you unhurt?"
"I am fine." Mariko answered calmly, peering from behind the curtains. "Let us depart from here."
"My Lady," The commander of the Imperial soldiers came forward and bowed. "Please allow us to escort you to your residence." Mariko just nodded in assent and withdrew inside, closing the curtain.
They returned home without any more disturbances. Mariko thanked the commander and ordered the gates shut. Only then did she allow herself to drop the impassive expression. She swayed slightly, getting out of the palanquin. That's when Anna noticed blood dripping from her kimono.
"My Lady," She moved in to support Mariko. "You are wounded!" Turning her head Anna ordered the doctor to be summoned immediately and led the young woman inside. "My Lady, what has happened?" She asked with urgency.
"One of the arrows pierced the curtain and hit me. It's nothing serious. Just a flesh wound; but painful." She admitted, a little surprised with herself for divulging that fact to Ana-San.
Mushiso arrived promptly and checked the wound. He confirmed it to be of a minor consequence. Nevertheless, he cleaned it thoroughly and ordered Mariko to drink some herbal concoction. Judging by the smell, the same one he had prepared for Anna, when she had been wounded in Kanagawa.
When they were left alone, Anna knelt in front of Mariko and bowed deeply. "My Lady, I beg forgiveness for what happened. I should not have allowed you to come to any harm."
Mariko looked at her with surprise. "You could have done nothing more, Ana-San."
"From the beginning I was opposed to endangering you, as I suspected we might be attacked. But My Lord overruled my objections."
"Ana-San, nothing serious has happened. You can't blame yourself. In fact, you did everything you could to protect me." She added generously. "Your actions are commendable."
"Thank you, My Lady. May I now be of any service?"
"Thank you, but that is not necessary. Please, refresh yourself and rest."
Anna just bowed and left. Once again Mariko thought that Ana-San was an unusual woman.
While the Lady had her maids tending to her, Anna went in search of Kazuki. She found him talking to Harada, the commander of their guard.
"My Lady." They both bowed, seeing her approach.
"Do we have any casualties?" She asked, not bothering with any formalities. All of the Lord's samurai had accepted her position and were treating her as one of their own.
"None dead. Several wounded, one seriously, but he should live."
"That's good. But still, we are too vulnerable on the street." She rubbed her forehead in concentration. "Something will have to be done about it. We were lucky this time. There's no guarantee that our luck will hold in the future."
"My Lady, do you anticipate more such attacks?!" Harada was shocked. It was unprecedented so close to the palace.
"Yes, we must expect more attacks. Harada-San, you did well today." She nodded to him in praise and then turned to her bodyguard. "Kazuki, follow me." When they were alone, Anna could finally relax a little and show the strain she was under. "Kazuki, I'm worried."
"My Lady, we are here to protect you." He stated calmly.
"It was a close call... Thank you." She looked at him with deep gratitude.
"It is my duty, My Lady." He bowed.
"A few more of these attacks and your Ninja skills will become public knowledge." She smiled.
"And yours!" He grinned in reply. "It was a perfect display of your reflexes." But then his face sobered. "Next time they will not rely on a frontal attack. They will shoot from several locations at once."
"That's what I'm worried about. I can't allow any more people getting hurt because of me."
"What are you planning?"
"We will announce that Lady Mariko has taken ill and stay in here for a few days. But after that I have no idea." She confessed.
"Something will come up." His tone was reassuring and somehow she felt better.