Slowly, Jin let Nobu walk down the road that led to the village from the other side. The sound of the waves echoed in your ears.

Even before you had ridden past the first house, you slipped out of the saddle. Sand pressed against the soles of your shoes. Every step crunched.

With a glance, you indicated to Jin to wait and then ventured further inside the village. Not a single person was to be seen. No children were playing in the streets, the boats lay upside down on the sand.

There were a few bobbing around off the coast without any fishermen in them. Not even cats or dogs were looking for something to eat.

Everything was deserted.

A light wind swept over the sand. Jin had also dismounted and was leading Nobu by the reins in your direction. Your eyes narrowed to thin slits as you looked around.

All of a sudden, a cold shiver ran down your spine. Something was wrong. You turned to Jin and your eyes met. With a silent gesture, you indicated that he should stop.

And he did. His hand came to rest on the handle of his katana.

Nobu snorted.

"Well, if the swallow didn't find its way back to land.", every single word made the blood in your veins freeze to ice.

Trembling, you turned your gaze over your shoulder. Dirty white teeth showed in a broad grin. A tangled beard framed a greasy, tanned face.

Your legs twitched, wanted to run away, but your whole body was under a spell. The Mongols came crawling out of the houses like cockroaches, armed, blood on their armour.

Without thinking, you jerk your head round.

"Jin!", you gasped through clenched teeth. "Run!"

But his hand was already on the katana, part of the polished blade glistening in the sunlight.

The captain of the ship you had lived on for years tilted his head. Your eyes jumped over the men. There were at least a dozen, maybe more, and they were all armed for war.

Khotun Kahn was not among them. The beat of your heart hammered in your throat. Hopefully he was far enough away that punishment for your betrayal would take a long time.

How the hell did they find you?

The captain laughed quietly to himself.

"Wouldn't you like to know.", he took a step towards you. "Well... all we had to do was ask for a woman of your description and would you look at that. The Japanese tell loads of tales. Of an island for example. One that is said to be inhabited by people who match your description."

You hastily jerk back two steps. All the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. Waves lapped around your feet, soaking your shoes. You sank into the damp sand.

There was neither forwards nor backwards. The Mongols had surrounded you on all sides. Only Jin stood free, the reins of Nobu firmly in his hand. If he was fast enough, he would be able to ride away.

Again you looked at him, silently begging him to go away. There was no interest in him, nobody knew his name and Lord Sakai was just a faceless title. He could leave and go on living.

"Jin...", adrenaline rushed through your veins as you gripped the handle of your own katana. "Go! This has nothing to do with you."

The Mongols moved into position. Curiosity flashed in the captain's eyes as he glanced over his shoulder to scrutinise the samurai.

"You should have died on the beach.", he growled.

Jin let go of the reins and drew his sword. The polished metal of the blade reflected the light of the sun.

"Honour died on the beach.", the samurai returned with dark eyes. "But I won't leave her behind!"

The captain frowned.

"Then you will die here today.", heavy chains fell into the sand as he took another step towards you. "The Kahn still has use for you."

The remaining Mongols turned towards Jin. They encircled him with their weapons raised. Samurai against barbarians. He was hopelessly outnumbered.

And yet Jin raised his sword without batting an eyelid and took up a fighting stance. Nobu jerked his head round and, with a whistle from his master, ran off to safety.

Your fingers trembled with adrenaline as you gripped the katana's handle. You were not a fighter. There were ways to defend yourself, but the art of war was not one you were skilled in.

The blade would have sufficed against simple thieves. This here was a general of the Khotun Kahn. Grinning broadly, he came towards you, a chuckling laugh caught in his throat.

"You must be worth so much.", he purred, swinging the chains between his hands. "I wonder what you're bringing the Kahn if he wants you back alive."

Goose bumps spread across your arms. Nausea rasped in your throat. You took another step back. This time your foot sank so deep into the water that your ankle and trousers got wet.

The captain cut you off from the coast. His massive body obscured the view of Jin. In the back of your mind, you managed to catch the samurai's first strike.

"Come here!", a greasy hand reached out to grab your hair.

You stumbled back two steps and jerked your katana upwards. The blade struck him on the back of the hand, cutting a shallow wound into his flesh. Blood welled up, dripping over his tanned skin and onto the sand where the salty waves swallowed it up.

You managed to put some distance between you. Unimpressed by the pain, the captain eyed the cut. Pink flesh was visible.

"You've always been so snappy.", he spat in the sand in front of you. "Khotun Kahn has ordered me to bring you back alive, but that doesn't mean I can't beat you up."

You gripped the katana tighter with bared teeth. Tension spread through your shoulders. Everything was tingling.

"I'd rather die than go with you!", you hissed.

His eyes narrowed.

"We'll see what your choice will be once the samurai lies disembowelled in the sand!"