A very large boat landed against the Bridge Fort's dock; the warriors were alert and manned the walls. Wuyi was waiting on the dock. There were warriors and crossbowmen in the boat, but what caught his attention was that the boat was full of women. He could feel that these graceful ladies had cultivated, each more beautiful than the last. When he expected that the king would send some people to support them, it wasn't what he expected at all.
One woman—short and harried—stood on the foredeck. "I need a healer," she said. "A good one."
Wuyi turned to Jia. "Get me a warrior of the Lotus Order," he said. Then he turned back. "They are superb healers." Unfortunately, they had gone on a raid to clear the trench at dawn, and they hadn't returned.
"I know," she spat. "How long?"
"A few minutes," he said, hopefully.
"She doesn't have a few minutes," the woman said, her face cracking. She seemed to clamp down on a sob. "She's lost a great deal of blood."
