The various signals made there way through the village. Tora and his friend Sahito, received word just as they were heading to the fields. They moved quickly and began to cover each other with mud. Soon they were laying flat in the paddies covered with mud and vegetation. With just the early morning light, their location would be very difficult to uncover. Stillness covered the swampy areas where perhaps a dozen young men and a few young women were hiding.

Back in the village soliders moved from house to house searching for their quarry. Tora's mother attempted hold back her travail as the soldiers siezed Hitohana from her home. Tora's father, Nareka, sat in silence with nothing more than empty stare gazing out the door. The gods had acted.

The captain of the host quickly lost his jovial laugh as he realized the harvest for Lord Toritofu would be very disappointing. Only handful of boys, some too young to even take back, and just about a dozen girls were gathered together. Would he be shamed? He needed answers and answers now. He yelled to one of his men to grab a scurrying an old woman as she tried make her way back to her home. With a forceful thrust from the rogue she landed face down in the dirt before the captain. Other than the slow rise and fall of her rib cage from breathing, the woman didn't move.

"Get up, dog!", commanded Senke.

Slowly her hands and arms moved to push her venerable frame out of the dust. As she looked up her throat met the blade of the leader. With steady pressure applied just under her chin, she finally rose to her feet. Although custom forced her eyes to look down, the tip of the sword forced her head up, so she had no choice but to view her superior.

"Where are the children, peasant?" the captain spat through clenched teeth.

She drew her breath as best she could and responded, "Taken, by the Plague my lord."

"Plague...plague...? What plague?!"

His fury rose with every word commanding the attention of all of his soldiers. "Plague, plague, plague!" echoed through their minds like a drum beat. The woman gave no verbal response. A few tears rolled down her cheeks as she recalled the night many years back when her only son -- her only family -- was taken by Toritofu's men. Since that night, she had taken to calling Toritofu the Plague. Clearly, it was the Plague that had taken all of the children.

"I could kill where you stand woman... now answer me..."

The woman boldly spoke interrupting the commander.

"If death gives my lord pleasure..."

Her words hung in the air as she thrust her very being upon the master's blade. The sword easily sliced through her throat severing her jugular and ending her life with one final gasp, "...then I live to serve."

The blood from her veins splattered upon the face and armor of her assailant. Madness filled the heart and mind of the captain. He screamed as he flung the woman off his sword and ran towards the water troughs near the center of the village. In a frenzy he washed the old woman's blood from his face, armor and sword. How dare this dog, sully his face with her wretched blood. Little did he know, that he had now sealed his own doom.

"Fujita!!! Bring me the peasant girls!"

Fujita brought the girls before him.

"Quickly, take this one back to Lord Toritofu, perhaps she will please him enough to stay his wrath when he sees the few sticks we have gathered."

Fujita moved to water his horse, when Senke grabbed him by the arm.

"You will ride now!"

The soldier bowed and then moved quickly to lay Hitohana over his horse. He mounted and pressed the steed hard to return to Toritofu's estate as fast as the animal could carry them.

Ten other girls along with five boys were loaded into two wagons. The other troops gathered back with the wagons, had their fill of water and began the journey back to their master's home.

After several miles moving along at a moderate pace, one of the wagon drivers fell from his seat with a loud groan. Once he hit the ground he curled up like an infant grapsing his belly. Senke brought the procession to halt and dismounted to view the sobbing man. Sweat covered the driver's body as he convulsed in pain. With one last spasm his life ended. Senke ordered several soldiers to put the man's body in the back of the wagon, when an incredible pain shot through his abdomen. He doubled over immediatly and began having seizures as well. The plague didn't end with him. Warrior after warrior fell to the ground and soon died. Some writhed longer than others, but their end was evetually the same. One lone solider remained standing and in shock. He walked through the bodies nudging a few with his feet just to see if they would respond. A few groaned in agony, but nothing more. After a few moments he mounted one of the horses and though he was unfamilar with riding, he gave swift kick and grasped the horse's mane tightly. Ikita felt he must warn Toritofu of the plague!

The young people worked diligently to remove the ropes that restrained them. They truly didn't understand what had just happened, but decided going home would be better than waiting for any soldiers to return.

To be continued...