The Twilight War by Simon Higgins

here with no martial virtues … until this morning!’
    Eagle opened one eye. ‘That’s foolish, Hosokawa.’ He spoke slowly, with pained determination. ‘So you’re no warrior. Well I’m no scholar. Our lord needs both, equally.’
    While Badger acknowledged the gentle rebuke with a nod, Moonshadow concealed his shock. Brother Eagle never called anyone by their pre-Order name! Though Badger was indeed once the great writer and teacher Hosokawa, Eagle would hardly address him as such nowadays. Moonshadow clenched a fist. It had to be the slow-acting poison, striking at Eagle’s mind! What else could explain his muddled reference to serving a lord, a daimyo, instead of their real and far mightier master?
    Mantis was also thinking of the Shogun. ‘At sunrise I despatched a message boy to the castle carrying a detailed report of the raid: our damage, losses and, of course, a proposed response … which Brother Eagle and I have already discussed.’
    â€˜Surely we are striking back?’ Groundspider looked for support. He was ignored.
    â€˜We have a system,’ Mantis pressed on. ‘If the Shogun sends no orders of his own by nightfall,it means he wishes to leave this matter to us, and we can then execute our plan. Since this attack might be part of a larger, coordinated Fuma strategy, my message to him included a request to alert all our rural bases by carrier pigeons. If we do end up running our plan, Brother Eagle asked that a special message be flown to one particular base along the Fuma’s homeward route. That conditional request is also in my report.’
    â€˜ If we end up running our plan?’ Heron asked. ‘Surely we will? Darkness is virtually upon us, and no rider has come from the castle.’
    â€˜Knowing our Shogun personally,’ Badger said, ‘I predict he’ll send replacement security men and extra carpenters, but let us deal with the Fuma just as we see fit.’
    Mantis nodded warmly at their stricken leader. ‘So Brother Eagle believes.’
    Heron pointed to the narrowing beam of orange light coming through the window. ‘See … and no rider.’ She turned, locking eyes with Mantis. ‘So how will we deal with them? I’m not even sure I know what just happened! Did they really raid us to launch their Twilight War? Was retaking Snowhawk mere opportunism, since they were coming here to attack us anyway? Or was she actually the focus of the whole, costly raid? I feel like we’re missing something important!’
    â€˜I too have questions,’ Mantis nodded. ‘Apartfrom those leading each wave, the Fuma we battled were generally second-rate fighters. Look at how many we felled! Why didn’t they send in a uniformly elite force? How could they underestimate us so badly?’
    â€˜With all due respect,’ Badger muttered, ‘I say they didn’t. The Fuma have never thought like either samurai or the other shinobi clans. Their history shows a consistent willingness to sacrifice their juniors, their mediocre agents, even their clients – sometimes in numbers, as we have just experienced – so long as it achieves their goals.’
    â€˜What then, was their goal this time?’ Heron inclined her head. ‘How does Snowhawk fit in with it?’ She looked around earnestly. ‘Maybe she was blackmailed .’
    â€˜I don’t see how that could work.’ Groundspider snorted. ‘Moon here said she started out like us, an orphan, so it’s not like there’s a family to threaten.’
    â€˜Hmm,’ Badger frowned. ‘Their leader, Fuma Kotaro, is a real old fox. If he –’
    â€˜Enough. Enough guessing,’ Eagle said wearily. ‘Let me speak … while I still can.’

 
    Helped by Mantis and Heron, Eagle strained forward and up into a dignified, straight-backed seated position. A twitch of muscle in his cheek betrayed