Four months ago...

The rolling plains of the northern Crane lands were an idyllic contrast to the stark, unforgiving mountains that dominated the Dragon provinces. They were calm, somehow soothing and serene. Despite that Mirumoto Kawanari found them distasteful. He was a soldier, not a farmer and he imagined that a life in this place would breed weakness. It was easy to imagine how men stationed in such a place might create the Crane stereotype that was so popular among the Lion and Crab. Fortunately, his business would not require a lengthy stay.

"A beautiful land," Mirumoto Binya said. He smiled and turned back to the view, drawing in a deep breath of fresh air. "Not as invigorating as home, perhaps, but a pleasant change all the same."

"I suppose," Kawanari replied, "but I would just as soon be finished here and return home."

"We should not be here," the third man said. He was smaller, slight of build and with a very pinched face. "We have no right to do this."

"I cared nothing for rights, Yasunobu" Kawanari said firmly. "I care only for the duty we have been ordered to perform."

"I believe Rosanjin-sama was not presented carefully with all the facts," Kitsuki Yasunobu said morosely. "I am certain if I could have discussed the matter with him, he would have seen the wisdom in choosing another path."

Binya laughed brightly. "Rasonjin-sama spoke with both your lady Kitsuki Iweko and Tamori Shaitung," he said. "Do you imagine your counsel more valuable than that of two Dragon family daimyo?"

"Of course not," Ysaunobu muttered looking down. "It is only that."

"Enough," Kawanari said sharply. "We do not question our lords' orders. We obey them. Anyone foolish enough to believe otherwise risks more than his life." He stared intently at Yasunobu. "Do you understand>"

"Yes," the Shugenja muttered. "I understand all too well."

"Excellent," Kawanari replied. "Then do what must be done, and let us be rid of this unsavory task."

Ysaunobu nodded wordlessly and dismounted from his horse. He walked a short distance away from the other two men and then sat on the ground abruptly. The soft sound of low chanting soon reached Kawanari's ears. Not for the first time, he marveled at how a man with so many gifts to offer his clan could be so useless. Yasunobu had trained with both the Kitsuki and the Tamori, as he was one of only a handful of Kitsuki who could speak to the Kami. With the talents of two families at his disposal, Yasunobu could have been the greatest Samurai of his generation. Instead, he was a morose, timid, unbearable weakling. Kawanari would be glad to be rid of him once they returned to the mountains.

The chanting continued for nearly an hour, during which time Kawanari and Binya kept a constant vigil for any Crane patrols that might have stumbled into the region. Finally there was a low rumbling sound and an almost imperceptible lurch in the earth between their feet. Kawanari nodded grimly and turned to Binya. "Keep the horses calm," he said. "This will only take a moment." Â He dismounted swiftly and walked over to where Yasunobu was sitting on the ground.

Where the shugenja sat, there was a strange spectacle that Kawanari had sadly become accustomed to. What appeared to be a large burrowed hole had appeared not two feet from Yasunobu and a strange creature had stuck its head out. It was vaguely reptilian in appearance with reddish skin and large, yellow eyes that squinted against the afternoon sunlight. The thing peered at the two humans cautiously. "Why you summon Ngjk?" it croaked.

"Greetings Ngjk," Yasunobu said, flawlessly mimicking the creature's name. "I am Kitsuki Yasunobu of the Dragon Clan, ally to the zokujin prophet Kjgkt. It was he who taught us to summon aid from the zokujin tribes of this area."

"Kjgkt?" the creature said, "You know great prophet?"

"We are honored to call him friend," Yasunobu assured.

The creature considered this for a moment, then made the odd clucking sound that Kawanari had come to recognize as assent. "Good, then" it said, crawling up from the hole. Standing erect it was roughly the same height as the sitting Yasunobu. "How can I help allies of the great prophet?"

Kawanari knelt to look the creature in the eye. "We seek an item of great power that is supposed to be in this area." He said. "We have heard a rumor that a dark artifact is kept in the Crane lands, supposedly here. We must find it and determine if it is dangerous so that we can destroy it if need be."

"Seek out danger?" Ngjk made an odd, gravely sound. "Why not leave hidden? No danger then."

"We believe that allowing it to remain hidden is too great a threat, " Yasunobu insisted. "Once many Dragon sought such things to destroy them. Now there are but a few, and we only seek to keep them safe, so that they cannot hurt anyone."

"No safer hidden with you than others," the creature said with a rough shrug.

"Our cause is just," Kawanari said insistently. "Will you help us?"

The creature nodded, "Great prophet know what he doing. You want help find?"

"Yes"

The creature surveyed the horizon carefully. After a moment, it reached down and scooped up a handful of dirt and pooped it in his mouth. Then it leaned over and took a long, deep breath, smelling the ground, and blew its breath out with a wide cloud of dirt. It stared at the dirt that landed on the ground carefully, as if searching for something.

Kawanari refrained from storming off. The shamanistic rituals these creatures conducted disgusted him, but he could deny their effectiveness. The zokujin were capable of detecting things no human sense could ever hope to discern, and were remarkably easier to get information from than the laconic Kami, at least from what Yasunobu and other shugenja like him said. When he could bear it no longer, he finally said "Can you see anything?"

"No," the creature said. It reached up and pointed with one long bony finger. "But smell something. Something very odd, just over that hill."

It took nearly an hour to track down the "smell" that the zokujin detected. Finally, the three Dragon and their strange guide came upon a small hollow amid the hills. The sides were slightly steeper than normal and a number of small animal burrows made it virtually impossible for a horse to walk through the area. But of course, Kawanari mused, why would one do that? It was a small area, very easy to walk around without losing any time. The perfect location to conceal something, because no one would ever pay it any attention.

"There," the zokujin said, pointing to the hollow. "Stings my nose."

Wordlessly, Kawanari descended into the hollow, careful to avoid breaking his ankle in any of the small holes. He searched for several moments without success. Instinctively, he drew his wakizashi and began sticking it into the earth, drawing a slight gasp of surprise from Binya. On the fifth such strike, he heard the blade strike wood. "Help me with this," he demanded, causing Binya to come scurrying into the hollow. The two men dug into the earth with their hands until they found a heavy wooden door, which they finally managed to lift open, sending a spray of dirt and grass everywhere.

Underneath the door was a small stone chamber lined with weapons and a number of large barrels. Kawanari stared about in disgust, seeing nothing out of the ordinary save for the chamber itself. "What is this?" he demanded. "There's nothing here!"

"Gunso," Binya said. Kawanari turned to the younger man with a questioning expression. Binya had pulled the lid off one barrel and was holding its contents in his hands. Fine black powder cascaded from his fingers into the barrel.

"I have seen that material during training," Yasunobu said quietly. "That is gaijin pepper, the material the gaijin call gunpowder."

Kawanari turned to the Shugenja. "Are you certain?" he demanded. "Possession of gunpowder is in violation of Imperial decree. Those found with it are to be executed!"

Yasunobu only nodded, his expression more morbid than ever.

A surprisingly short distance away, Daidoji Shihei whispered a curse under his breath. He turned to his four companions, all members of the Daidoji family, all wearing the markings of a border patrol. That, of course, was a lie. They were harriers, one and all, members of the secret order of warriors that served the Crane by performing the unpleasant and dishonorable acts that nevertheless must be performed. One such duty was the maintenance of weapon stockpiles near the Lion-Crane border, which would allow the harriers to harass an invading Lion army, should that possibility ever arise. In this case, it seemed, one of their stockpiles had been discovered.

"Three Dragon," Shihei whispered. "It looks like two samurai, a magistrate , and a child."

The other men said nothing, waiting for their command. Shihei thought for a moment, then nodded grimly. "Put on the rain cloaks. They will mask our colors. We will place their bodies near the trade road to the north. Leave none alive."

"Commander," one asked. "Will the death of three Dragon in our lands not be a disgrace?"

"More than three Dragon discovering a stash of gunpowder?" Shihei hissed angrily. "Don't be a fool! We will minimize the damage."

"The child?" another asked.

Shiheis gaze was unwavering steel. "No survivors," he repeated.

The attack came so suddenly that Kaanari was almost killed before he realized what happened. There were five of them, and they were incredibly fast and stealthy. If Binya had not been looking absently at the horizon in the right direction, his cry of alarm would not have alerted Kawanari, and the gunso would have died. As it was poor Binya was cut down before he even had a moment to draw his blade. Valiant to the end, the young man clutched his assassin's leg with his last dying strength, bringing the man to the ground when he could have charged the other Dragon instead.

Kawanari drew his blades in a heartbeat, blocking a rapid series of the three strikes from the nearest opponent, then savagely cutting the man through the midsection. The bandit dropped to the ground, killed instantly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Yasunobu yelp and fall over backwards, taking a nasty cut through the arm. The zokujin threw a handful of rocks at the man standing over the fallen Shugenja. The strange earth magic the creatures used was immediately evident, as the pebbles flew at tremendous speed, punching completely through the man's body in four different places. He, too, fell to the ground, his life's blood spilling onto the bright green grass. Kawanari saw a flash of light blue cloth with a white mon from beneath the dying man's cloak. "Fortunes!" another attacker cursed, brought up short at the sight of the zokujin.

"Run!" Yasunobu screamed. "Kawanari, run!"

The gunso hesitated for a moment, glancing at the three remaining attackers and the wounded shugenja. Then he saw the palm sized ball of fire dancing in Yasunobu's hands, and he understood. For the briefest of seconds, he wanted to shout to the Shugenja that he was sorry, that he deeply regretted questioning the man's worth. But of course there was no time for that. Instead, he did the only thing he could, He ran.

"Stop him!" he heard one of the attackers shout. He glanced over his shoulder to see if they were carrying bows. One was unslinging a small bow to fire on him, but never had the chance. Yasunobo hurled his ball of flame into the hollow even as he was cut down by another attacker. Only a moment later, there was a great whooshing sound, then an explosion of such force that Kawanori was lifted off his feet and hurled a dozen feet before crashing painfully into the ground. Shrugging off what was almost certainly a broken arm, the gunso crawled to his and continued running north, towards the distant Dragon mountains.

Toshi Ranbo, Three Months Ago

Asahina Keitaro smiled as the last of his guests departed for the afternoon. It had required all his discipline and composure to maintain a facade of normality throughout the day after the news he had received. Even as the servants showed the last ambassador through the door, he reached into his obi and withdrew the slip of paper. He clenched it in his fist as he walked calmly through the corridor to his private study. He entered and closed the door softly behind him, waiting for a moment to listen for any sound beyond. Only when he was certain of his privacy did he turn to face the two Crane waiting on him. His expression was dark. "Explain," he said hoarsely.

The two Crane glanced at one another. One was swathed in bandages all along his right side, while the other was the picture of flawless beauty. She spoke first. "He arrived this morning," she said. "He has been unconscious for weeks, recovering from his wounds at Kosaten Shiro. It is a miracle he survived at all, and he came here as soon as he could move."

Keitaro smiled sardonically. "Thank you, Ran. Shihei, would you care to elaborate on this rather vague accounting?" He held the paper up.

The bandaged samurai nodded slowly. "My men and I were patrolling the Lion order," he said, the strain evident in his voice. "We came upon a group of Dragon that had discovered a hidden weapons locker. We fought, and there was an explosion. I thought everyone else had died, but the scouts who found me only located two Dragon corpses. One must have escaped."

"I am grateful that you chose to report to me so quickly," Keitaro said, "but I fail to see how this applies to me at all."

"The Dragon had a zokujin with them."

Keitaro froze in place, the color draining from his face. His eyes locked with Shihei's. Doji Ran looked from one to the other, her eyes narrowed and her expression confused. "Are you certain?" he said in a voice just above a whisper.

Shihei nodded. "I saw it myself."

Keitaro was silent for several moments. Finally he turned to Ran. "There have been an increasing number of Kistsuki attendants in court of late," he said. "If they have been scurrying around the Crane provinces, they must suspect something is amiss. We must move our prisoner to a more secure location."

"There is no more secure location in Toshi Ranbo," Ran said.

"I know," the priest answered. "We must instead move her to Kosaten Shiro. She will be secure there. Make the arrangements."

Ran bowed. "As you wish," she said, and left at once.

As she departed, Shihei looked at Keitaro strangely. "You do not honestly believe they seek Rakai?"

"No," he answered. "Zokujin are powerfully attuned to the spirits of the earth. The nemurani hunters of the Mirumoto use them occasionally, to sniff out artifacts."

"It cannot be," Shihei said in a low whisper. "It is too far from Shinden Asahina. They cannot be looking for the."

"Do not say it!" Keitaro hissed. "Never speak its name!"

"They cannot know where it is," Shihei repeated. "It is impossible."

"Perhaps your Tsi spoke to someone he should not have," Keitaro said. "You were a fool to ever bring him into the situation."

"He cannot leave the temple," Shihie said. "And he has learned more of the thing's power than we ever could. He is safe, for now, and has told no one. When he becomes a liability, he will be dealt with."

"I should hope so," Keitaro said. "But make no mistake, I am a forgiving lord. Your impertinence has been overlooked once. Do not make the mistake of presuming too much again, or you shall find I can be as unforgiving as your daimyo Kikaze."

"I understand."

Keitaro frowned. "I am not certain you do. I do not know what secret it is that you and Ran share, nor do I care. So long as you assist me in keeping it safe for Lord Sekawa, I will not ask questions of your duties beyond those you perform for me." He folded his arms into his sleeves and regarded Shihie's bandaged face. "I will send for some of the brothers to tend to your wounds," he said. "I cannot have you incapacitated."

"Thank you, Keitaro-sama."

"Save your thanks," Keitaro waved the comment away. "Be ready to travel first thing in the morning." He paused for a moment. "I suppose it would be unwise of me to ask what kind of hidden weapons cache would explode in such a manner?"

Shihei bowed his head. "Yes, my lord."

Keitaro nodded. "I thought so."

The Iron Mountain Dojo, three months ago

A crack split the air like the sound of looming thunder. Mirumoto Rosanjin, daimyo of the Mirumoto family and commander of the Dragon armies, stood unmoving in the centre of the dojo, one foot held aloft. Dust settled to the floor from the wooden practice target he had just shattered but he did not move. He held his position for several long minutes, sweat running down his bare chest with the exertion of it all.

"Impressive," a voice from the door came. "I hope this isn't why you summoned us."

Rosanjin finally relaxed and picked up a cloth to wipe his brow. He glanced over his shoulder at the two newcomers waiting to enter. "Come in," he said frowning. "Where are the others?"

"Indisposed, as you might expect." The speaker was lean and muscular, with virtually every visible inch of his arms and chest covered in tattoos. His face was lined with age, but his form did not reflect the years in his eyes. "Satsu-sama is unavailable, although I did leave word of your message to be delivered upon his availability."

Rosanjin's frown deepened. He had hoped the Dragon Champion might take a personal interest in the matter. "And Hoshi Wayan?"

My esteemed colleague is meditating in the mountains somewhere, " Hitomi Kagetora said.

"It will be days before anyone finds him, although I sent a dozen men to search. He is quite the recluse when he chooses."

"At least I have the head of one order," Rosanjin said, nodding to Kagetora. He turned to the young woman at the monk's side. "And you as well, my lady. My gratitude for coming."

"Of course," Kitsuki Iweko said. "Your message seemed quite intent." She gazed around the dojo for a moment. "Tamori Shaitung is not here?"

Rosanjin shook his head. "She has meetings with a Phoenix ambassador." He glanced at Kagetora who was chuckling, "What is it?"

"Meetings with an ambassador," Kagetora said with a mild shrug. "I have never heard it called that before."

"What of your message?" Iweko pressed, glancing sideways in a disgusted manner at the old monk. "What has happened?"

"Kawanari's patrol," he said simply. The general looked at Kagetora. "Some time ago, I authorized a group of men to travel through the Northern Crane provinces, ostensibly to deliver a message from me to a distant outpost near the ruins of Otosan Uchi."

"And their real purpse?" Kagetora asked.

"There have been unfounded rumors that the Crane were hoarding some sinister artifact in their northern regions," Rosanjin said. "I authorized them to investigate the matter."

"Nemurani hunters?" Kagetora said, his expression one of surprise. "I thought that period was at an end? The information gathered from the northern city was misinterpreted wasn't it?"

"That was my counsel as well," Iweko said, a reproving look in her eye. "The tomes Temoru gathered were inaccurate descriptions of spirits called jinn bound into eternal slavery inside objects. Our scholars mistakenly believed they referred to kami, and that all nemurani served as prisons. W were wrong."

"I know that," Rosanjin said sharply. "My predecessor made a mistake of judgment, and I allowed it to continue only a short time before it was stopped. Still, we cannot deny that many dangerous items were destroyed before they could become a threat to the Dragon or anyone else. Or have you forgotten what happened with the Dark covenant of Fire? Or Isawa's Last Wish?"

Kagetora waved his hand. "We are not here to discuss past failures," he said sharply." Now, why have you summoned us?"

Rosanjin nodded. "The men I sent to the Crane lands are dead, save one. Mirumoto Kawanari returned, although his injuries and the stress of the journey are such that he will likely die in the near future."

"What happened?" Iweoko asked.

"They found a hidden cache of weapons near the Lion border," Rosanjin explained. "There was a large amount of gaijin pepper there."

"Gunpowder." Kagetora spat.

Rosanjin nodded again." They were attacked by men Kawanari claims were Crane disguised as bandits. Binya was killed. Yasunobu sacrificed himself to allow Kawanari to escape, and in doing so caused the powder to explode. Kawanari does not believe any of his Crane assailants survived."

"There was a moment of stunned silence. "Gunpowder," Iweko said, her voice full of shock and disbelief. "Crane assassins? This makes no sense."

"The Crane army is smaller and weaker than that of its enemies," Kagetora said. "It always has been, and yet they have never truly been defeated. There have been rumors for decades of Daidoji troops that harassed enemy forces, committing all manner of atrocious acts. Poison, Sabotage, Assassination. They have always been dismissed as rumors, because no one could ever prove the Crane would do such a thing."

"And we still cannot," Rosanjin said. "We have no testimony, nor any evidence, not that the latter would be of interest to anyone outside our clan. And yet we know that these practices are taking place. The question is, how do we use them?"

"Use them?" Iweko was confused. "How do you mean?"

"The Lion are preparing to attack our southern border," Rosanjin said flatly. "We know this. It is no secret. The Crane are, for the first time in centuries, the Lion's allies. They support their attack, at least in a tacit manner."

A small, bitter grin split Kagetora's face. "I see what you wish to do. Brutal, yet clever. I did not think such things were in your nature."

"You mean to threaten to expose the Crane? In order to force them to withdraw their support of the Lion attack? Iweko shook her head. "This is not how the Dragon conduct their affairs, Rosanjin."

"Isn't it?" Rosanjin demanded. "The Lion are at our gates. Relations with the Phoenix are somewhat neutral given their current conflict, and the Unicorn cannot be trusted. The Crane stand united with our enemies and our only allies are the Scorpion. Do you believe they will come to our aid, Lady Iweko?I do not. For all their worth as allies, they will not risk the Lion's wrath for our sake."

"Blackmail, then," Iweko said. "You ask us to endorse blackmail."

"No," Rosanjin said emphatically. "I ask you to agree that we should inform the Crane that there are elements within their ranks committing these dishonorable acts, and that they should take all necessary steps to eliminate them. The Dragon will, of course, be willing to assist them in this manner. I'm sure Lady Iweko's magistrates will be equal to the task."

"And if they refuse?" she asked.

"Then we must expose them," Rosanjin said. "It is our duty as honorable samurai in service to the Emperor."

"And if the burden of such dishonor shatters their alliance with the Lion, " Kagetora mused, "so much the better."

Kosaten Shiro, Two months ago

Keitaro had been deep in meditation in the castle's temple when a vassal brought word that representatives from the Dragon Clan had arrived unannounced. Under normal circumstances, he would make them wait. Unfortunately, he had feared they might track him to this location for some time, and had ordered his subordinates to bring him word the moment they arrived. The priest hurried through the castle, taking a moment to smooth his robes and hair before entering the audience chamber where the two waited for him. He swept the doors open with a flourish and a convincing smile. " Greetings, friends from the North," he said warmly. "Welcome to Kosaten Shiro. I am Asahina Keitaro. How may I be of assistance to you?"

The two Dragon samurai glanced to one another. The young man stepped forward. "Thank you for your hospitality, Keitaro-sama." He said. "We had hoped to speak with the castle's ranking military officer."

"She is sadly unavailable," Keitaro said with a sorrowful expression. "She is on maneuvers and will not likely return for several days. I am acting in her place during her absence, however, and would be glad to offer you whatever aid you I can."

"You are very gracious," the young man said, bowing sharply. " I am Mirumoto Mareshi, representative of the Mirumoto family daimyo. My associate is Mirumoto Narumi of the Emerald Magistrates."

Keitaro returned the bow. "Mirumoto Ameshi?" he said. "The son of Daini and the Mara? It is an honor to meet one of such distinguished lineage."

"Thank you," Mareshi returned. "I will extend your good wishes to my parents when I speak with them next. Unfortunately, however, the purpose of my visit is not solely diplomatic. I have been authorized to speak on my Lord's behalf regarding an extremely sensitive matter."

"Of course," Keitaro said. "Please, proceed."

Mareshi nodded. "You are doubtless aware that there was an incident some months ago when two Dragon samurai were killed in a mysterious explosion not far from here."

Keitaro blinked. "I am aware there was an accident, yes."

"An accident," Mareshi repeated. "An accident caused by the storage of illegal goods, namely gaijin pepper, in a hidden Crane weapons cache near the Lion border?"

Keitaro took a step back, alarm evident on his face. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said slowly, "but I deeply resent the implication that anyone within the Crane clan would do such a thing!"

"Regrettably, neither your ignorance of the fact nor your indignation are mitigating factors in this incident," Mareshi said. Unbelievably, Heitaro thought he heard genuine remorse in the man's voice.

"Do you have testimony regarding this alleged incident?" Keitaro asked.

"We do," Mareshi returned, gesturing to Narumi. The young magistrate stepped forward and offered a scroll to Keitaro, He took it without really looking. "This scroll contains the testimony of gunso Mirumoto Kawanari, one of the men involved in the incident. It describes not only his discovery of the gunpowder, but the attack by disguised Crane soldiers that killed his comrades and resulted in the explosion."

Keitaro tore open the scroll and looked at it briefly. "The testimony of a gunso, a man admittedly travelling the Crane lands for illicit reason?" The priest laughed. "Where is this man Kawanari? Crane magistrate will soon get to the bottom of this matter."

"Kawanari is dead," Mareshi said, "He did not survive his wounds."

Keitaro held out the scroll. "Then this has no value. His testimony will be roundly refuted by Crane Officers of much higher rank. Surely you know this."

"We do," Mareshi said. "It has not yet been refuted, however, and as such it was of sufficient value for Narumi to write an authorization to search the store rooms of this castle for any evidence of gaijin pepper or other wrong-doings."

Keitaro froze. The storerooms beneath the castle were mostly full, save for one that he had secured himself. Contained within that storeroom was a prisoner, an emissary of the Shadowlands captured by Asahina Sekawa himself. The Crane had not revealed Lady Rekai's capture to any but a privileged few, and Keitaro would not surrender her without his lord's command. "I do not recognize the authority of these papers," he said hoarsely "They are founded on baseless lies."

"They bear the seal of an Emerald Magistrate," Narumi said quietly. "You have no choice in this matter, Keitaro-sama."

Keitaro waved his hand and a sudden gust of wind tore the paper from Narumi's grasp, sending it across the room to land atop a small bowl of burning incense. The paper blackened, then burned. "I am sorry, " he said in a low quiet voice. Then, much louder, he called out "Guards!"

In an instant, a half a dozen large Crane samurai stormed into the room. "Seize these intruders," Keitaro said. "They are to be detained until I can arrange them to be transported to Toshi Ranbo to stand trial accused of treasonous accusations before the court there."

"I regret that is not possible," Mareshi said.

"Take them away." Keitaro ordered in a sterner tone.

Mareshi nodded to Narumi, then withdrew a small glass bottle of some sort from his obi. He hurled it to the floor, where it shattered with a flash and a loud bang. Thick green liquid spread across the floor, and even thicker smoke began to churn from the liquid's surface, rapidly filling the room and blinding everyone within it.

"Open the windows!" Keitaro commanded. He heard rather than saw the creaking sound of the room's only window being opened, and heard the wracking coughs of his men. He summoned a quick prayer and sent a torrent of air through the room, flushing the noxious smoke out of the windows in an instant. The two Dragon were gone, "Find them!" Keitaro cursed.

The guard raced from the room, leaving Keitaro to wipe his eyes and cough for a moment. He cursed the ill fortune that had led him to this place. He did not wish to cause difficulty with the Dragon, but he could not risk them discovering the truth, He had no idea what their accusations entailed, but suspected there was an element of truth to them.

There was shouting from the courtyard outside. Keitaro listened carefully, trying to make it out. Finally, one of the men shouting grew close enough to the window that the priest could here him clearly.

"Dragon troops on the horizon!" the man shouted. "Ready yourselves!"

Keitaro cursed again and wondered what would come of all this.