Order her guards to comply

"Do as she say," Machiko said, and the guards obeyed, falling back from the pagoda and lowering their swords.

Carefully the ninja-woman walked backwards towards the retaining wall, keeping the princess' arms pinioned behind her back, keeping her sai across the princess' fair neck.

Only when she was near the wall did she fling the Princess free and leap up into the air. Machiko tumbled into the grass and looked up at her attacker, but the woman was nearly gone. She walked straight up into the air, her feet stepping on nothing but the empty night sky, but in a second was gone in the wind, where no guard would ever catch her.

Only when she was back in her room, now treble-guarded by three companies of samurai eunuchs ranged about her room did her heart finally stop beating.

And slowly, slowly she began to cry, for never again would a lover dare enter her garden.