With his teeth, Jiro pulled at the last knot on his field dressing until the torn strip of jacket almost hid his mangled hand. He muttered a curse and raised a throwing knife in his good fist. Snowhawk saw the bo-shuriken rise but knew she couldn't keep her eyes on it. Jiro, as always, was a hazard but Kagero, circling her and swinging wildly with those fans, was the real problem. What other tricks did she have up those loose silk sleeves? Kagero ran at Snowhawk, bringing the fans close together, peeping through the gap between them. Snowhawk lunged with the tip of her sword between the paper triangles. Kagero changed her footwork, turned her arm and shoulder hard and used one fan's iron spokes to parry the blade aside. She dropped into a crouch and rolled along the ground, slashing with the fan-tips for Snowhawk's ankles. Snowhawk vaulted over the attack and landed on Kagero's shoulders before springing off into a somersault. She hit the ground with well-spaced feet and turned smoothly, raising her sword.
