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Part 6: Mountain Melee

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HIDEKI AND I MET UP with Emperor Yangtze and his convoy just outside of the capital city of Ju-fi. As Hideki had promised, there was not a grand meeting between us and the Emperor. In fact, all I got was a brief glimpse of the man. He was riding in a royal carriage pulled by four of the most beautiful white horses I had ever seen. The carriage itself was ornately designed, with lavish golden ornaments wreathing their way around each side.

“If he is trying to be subtle, he isn't doing a good job,” I whispered to Hideki.

My companion gave me a knowing glance. “Believe it or not, this is one of his less ostentatious carriages!”

From what I saw of the Emperor himself, he appeared to have a rather slight build. His flowing garments, made from the finest silk, almost seemed to swallow him as he sat in his carriage. Although he was riding in a rather obvious vehicle, he had wisely chosen to limit the size of his entourage. Aside from myself and Hideki, there were only fifteen or twenty heavily armed guards traveling with him. After we had confirmed the route with the captain in charge of the convoy, the men moved out on their horses, and Hideki and I dropped back some ways to the rear to provide overwatch.

The horses traveled quickly, and it wasn't long before our horses had led us far from the capital city and high up into the mountains. The path we were on was narrow and winding, with treacherous cliffs that plummeted downward on the sides. I began to see how impossible it would have been to bring a large force onto this trail. There would be nowhere for them to move! As it was, with such a small group of soldiers, the path was already very crowded.

The sun was beginning to slip behind the mountains when the attack came.

We had ridden in silence for several hours when I suddenly heard a distinct whistling sound from up ahead.

“Hideki! Did y-”

“Silence.” Hideki hissed, cutting me off midsentence.

“AHHHH!!!!” A bloodcurdling scream pierced the silence and confirmed what I had feared. That whistle had been a shuriken flying through the air, and it had found its target. The screaming man had not yet fallen silent when the air was filled with the sound of flying shurikens. Now there was no doubt in my mind, the convoy was under attack.

“Quickly Raz! We must get up to the convoy!” Hideki cried, urging his horse forward.

The convoy had been ambushed just after turning a corner on the road, obscuring them from our view. Our horses galloped forward at top speed to reach the men. From up ahead, I could hear the sound of battle. Men were crying out in fear and pain, and the metallic clash of swords rose out sharply to my ears.

Hideki and I rounded the bend in the road simultaneously and saw a horrific spectacle. The Emperor's guards were being overwhelmed by a horde of ninjas, clad head to toe in black. It was the Yin Clan, there was no doubting it.

“This is our time Raz,” Hideki called out to me. “Unsheathe your sword and let's get to work!”

That was all I needed to hear. As Hideki's horse charged forward I pulled my katana from my belt and prepared for battle. And that was as far as I got. In my haste to fight, I never even saw the massive log that came swinging out of the forest towards me. It hit me just beneath my ribs, ejecting me from my horse and sending me flying over the side of the cliff.

I was unconscious before I even found the bottom.