No Matter the Cost

Eien Akagawa

“Norihisa!” I shouted as I slid into the seat next to him. “Don’t let them get a clear shot at us!” He held the reins or the horses in a white knuckled grip.

“You drive then!" He took a sharp left and I held on tight.

“Keep heading towards the center!" Masa shouted from the driver's window.

“Where the hell is the center!?” Norihisa shouted back. “It's all ships!” We were in a maze of finished and unfinished airships, ranging from small longboats to large warships. There were workers running about in a panic.

“The protection is gone!” Norihisa shouted. "You better think of something Eien!”

I looked around and saw figures in white running atop of the airships, following us. They were moving too fast to simply be normal humans and they kept peppering the shipyard with bombs, starting large fires. I pulled out my gun and held it pointed up.

"Do you have any idea who they might be!?"

“Not a clue!"

“Eien!" Kizuna's voice came from the carriage. "They're assassins! I didn't think they'd come so soon and they weren't supposed to focus on us!”

“You see!? This is why I don't trust seers!” I had six shots in my gun right now and two loaders. Eighteen in all. The assassins weren’t giving me a lot of good angles to fire on them.

A thump sounded on top of the carriage and I whipped around. An assassin in a white kimono crouched there with their sword about to stab into the carriage. Before I realized it, I had lowered my gun and shot the assassin. He crouched there for a moment longer before he slid off the carriage and was left behind on the ground.

“Shit.” I scrambled onto the top of the carriage and fired another shot at an assassin leaping from a warship. My bullet hit him and he twisted in midair, his body hitting the side of the carriage. I stumbled and Kizuna let out a scream from the impact.

This gave another assassin time to jump onto the carriage. I blocked his sword with my gun and the impact knocked it out of my hand. The carriage turned sharply to avoid a large fire, one side's wheels lifting into the air. The assassin and I stumbled and fell onto the carriage roof. As I fell, I twisted and kicked out at the assassin. He grunted and slid to the edge of the roof.

He grabbed onto the lip and managed to stand on the side of the carriage. I scrambled over as the carriage righted itself. He bashed the window in and I stabbed him in between his neck and shoulder. He screamed and I whipped my blade out as he fell off the carriage and into the dirt.

“Are you alright!?” I shouted as I got to my feet.

We’re fine. Shaken but fine.

“Good!” Then I fell to one knee as blinding pain ripped through my left calf.

“Eien!” Kizuna screamed from inside the carriage.

“Don’t do anything! Iroha, watch her!” If she turned into a god in a misguided attempt to help me, then this would all be for nothing.

On it Eien.

I looked up as a dark skinned woman landed with grace onto the roof. She had her long greying black hair in a tight bun. She looked down at me and raised her hand. Another bullet grazed my shoulder and I grunted in pain.

“Wait there bodyguard, I have no issue with you.” She raised her katana with one hand and pointed it towards the carriage roof beneath us. I knew that where she was pointing was where Kizuna was.

A bullet flew from behind me towards the woman and she sliced it in two. I glanced back at Norihisa who held my gun. The carriage swerved and he rapidly turned back around to control the reins.

I slid out my jitte and stood. The woman shook her head at me and swung her sword towards my neck. I parried with my jitte and thrust forward with my blade. She allowed it to slip past her like it was nothing but air. I twisted the blade and swung it towards her and she blocked it with her own blade.

She kicked at my injured leg and I fell back to the front of the carriage. She stepped forward to cut me down but I managed to block it while on one knee. I slid my jitte down the weapon and caught it in the tine.

Raahhh!” I heard a scream of rage from the side of the carriage and the pounding of hooves. Sanehisa exploded through a wall of flames on a jet black horse. His face was like that of the wrathful buddha as he forged a way forward. Several of his men followed him, small burns on their clothes and skin. Sanehisa withdrew a rifle from its holster on the horse's saddle and aimed it towards the woman. He held on with only his legs directing the animal.

I tried to keep her blade hooked but she managed to disengage. Somehow she had a knack for slipping out of anything that could put her down. Bullets began raining down, trying to discourage Sanehisa but he kept on coming, forcing his horse forward.

Sanehisa fired his gun and his aim was true but somehow the woman managed to twist her body and avoid the bullet. Sanehisa pulled a lever on the rifle and aimed down the sights again.

The woman came at me with several rapid strikes, ignoring the threat of Sanehisa. While fending off her attack I noticed several assassin’s jump from the airships to get in Sanehisa’s way. His men got in their way and provided excellent protection.

The woman locked our weapons together and I grunted in exertion. She pushed against me and I managed to hold, even with my wounds. We strained against each other and then I heard the sound of Sanahisa’s weapon.

I coughed, blood spitting from my mouth. Somehow the world had twisted and we had switched places. I wavered on my feet and the woman smiled.

There was a hole in my chest and I didn’t know how much longer I would last. I didn’t blame Sanehisa for this. That was important, I felt. Honestly, it probably shouldn't even matter who he shot in this situation. I had kidnapped a princess.

Even so, I would get Kizuna to that ship, no matter the cost. She wasn’t going to be killed or taken by anyone. This I swore.