The Twelve Kingdoms: A Thousand Leagues of Wind

could be reached by crossing the mountains to the north.
    "Our only option there would be to reach the mountains in twos and threes and make our way to Ken. We know what's coming if we remain in Wa. Our only recourse is to flee to a neighboring province. Yet Gahou could put an end to that option by asking the Province Lord of Ken to mobilize his guard units. By the time we crossed the mountains, news of the rebellion would have preceded us, and the Ken Provincial Guard would be waiting for us."
    "So it's Ei Province or nothing."
    "Yeah," Sekki said with a nod. "The Taiho's duchy across the river remains our best bet." He looked hopefully out at the sleeping city.

    A knock at a door and a small voice whispered, "The prefectural castle has fallen."
    Voices full of surprise echoed back and forth. Then silence.
    The opportunity had come to liberate Takuhou, some argued strenuously. "How many people have been killed so far? If we don't act now and prove to the powers that be that we're no cowards, after Shoukou is gone we'll be saddled with another like him."
    "The next governor may be worse than this one."
    "Shoukou doesn't rule the kingdom. That's a lesson they need to learn."
    "Yeah, they need to know that no beast will govern us, at least in Shisui."
    The voices were cut off by the sound of a closing door. In ones and twos, downcast men gathered in the southwest corner of the city.
    "How'd it go?"
    "Not well. Nothing but cowards in this city."
    "Nobody seemed happy even hearing that the castle had fallen. They still all have that constipated look on their faces."
    "No matter what happens, they'll invent some reason to be afraid. It's soaked into their bones."
    "Do they think if they make of themselves a small enough target, the arrows won't find them? That's how they plan to live out the rest of their lives?"
    "So what do we do then?"
    A hush fell upon the darkened streets as the whispers ceased.
    "If it only comes down to us, we're going to help--"
    "Somehow we've got to help make good their escape."

    The night sky began to brighten.
    "This is bad," a quiet voice said.
    Suzu turned and looked at Sekki. They were standing on the wall walk next to the watchtower atop the gate. The darkness had already lifted enough to make out people's faces in the dim light.
    Acknowledging Suzu's gaze, Sekki laughed nervously. "We can't afford to wait. Daybreak is coming."
    A deathly still fell upon the wall walk. Koshou took a deep breath.
    "After this, we'll never see Shisui again. It may not be much, but we brought down Shoukou a few pegs. No matter what, he's going to have to account for the chaos that occurred here. Let's just leave it at that."
    Dejected sighs filled the air.
    "What now, Sekki?"
    "Distribute the minimum necessary provisions from the storehouse. Then head straight north into the mountains."
    "Escape to Ken Province?"
    "That's our only recourse. Honestly speaking, if we turn toward the west, in the time it will take us to engage the provincial guard waiting for us, the guard from Meikaku will have caught up with us."
    "And south?"
    "No good. The distance is too great. The cavalry would overtake us before we made it to a neighboring province. There's no way we can compete with soldiers on horseback. No, going north is our only option."
    From the start, they had no defense against the airborne cavalry riding pegasi. The provincial guard had few air cavalry, Sekki said, and they'd had no choice but to gamble that such a rare asset would be held back in reserve.
    "We'll break through in the north, where no battalion commanders are stationed. It may not be much, but troop moral cannot be high."
    Including the wounded, at least seven hundred had made it this far--more than any of them expected. But Koshou and the rest of them could only count it as a defeat, the citizens of the city not having come to their aid. After this, they had no choice but to run for the hills.
    Everybody seemed to understand this. Heavily armed men hung their heads in frustration.
    "Well, then!" Koshou declared in a clear, loud voice. "So the citizens of Takuhou are nothing but cowards! Look around, and that is how many are not. In short, we are the only people left in Shisui with real heart. And we had the gall to all gather here together!"
    A ripple of laugher arose from the downcast crowds.
    "We did it once, and we can do it again! We'll make good our escape!" With this cry, Koshou rallied their assembled forces.
    "He really is something,"