Silk & Service

Not all assassins wear black

Some come wearing silk

A young Takeda warrior meets a servant who is much more than she seems. And teaches him what a warrior truly can be.

This is the second of six Kunoichi Companion Tales, prequel stories to David Kudler’s historical novel Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale:

Extract:

“Get my purse, boy!” growled Captain Oniyama, “And more sake!”
Masugu watches the girl appear as if from out of the floor to pour the rice wine into the captain's cup: smooth gait, smooth hair, smooth—
“Boy! My purse!”
Masugu shakes himself, blushing, and leaps to his feet. “Yes, Oniyama-sama!”
The captain is usually patient and polite, but at these regular mahjong games with the other Imagawa commanders, he drinks. And Masugu doesn't like being around him when he's drunk. Doesn't like watching him lose at games.
Also, the girl...

(Teen assassin, historical fiction, love in a time of war, Japan)