The three of them scrambled on to the raft. As Jack lifted himself out, the plank beneath him snapped and he felt his heart lurch as he fell back into the sea. His head went under. The swirl of water filled his ears. He sensed the malicious shark coursing straight for him. Bursting to the surface, he flailed for the edge of the raft. Yori and Miyuki seized his outstretched arms and yanked him on to the deck.
‘Stop paddling,’ spluttered Jack to Saburo.
‘But the island –’
‘The shark’s attracted to the splashing.’
Saburo immediately stopped.
The five of them huddled in the middle of the flimsy raft, the waves lapping around its sides. A foreboding silence descended. No one dared breathe, their eyes fixed on the rippling surface of the sea. A slate-grey shape with a pointed snout slid beneath them. Jack shuddered at the sight, feeling his blood run cold. The shark was at least double the raft’s length.
They waited for the inevitable attack, all the time their raft slowly drifting further from the cove.
‘Let’s make a swim for it,’ said Miyuki. ‘Before it’s too late.’
Jack shook his head. ‘If we do, one or more of us will surely die.’
‘Maybe that’s the sacrifice we have to make to save ourselves,’ said Saburo.
Jack looked at his loyal friend. The resigned yet valiant expression on his face told him that Saburo thought he’d be the slowest and most likely victim, his belief in the code of bushido giving him the courage to make such a suggestion.
‘No, we all survive,’ said Jack, unsheathing his katana. ‘We didn’t come this far to be beaten by a shark.’
He gripped its red handle tightly with both hands, steeling himself to fight off the fearsome predator. His eyes hunted the surrounding waters. But no fin re-emerged.
After a while, Miyuki asked, ‘Do you think it’s actually gone?’
Risking a closer look, Jack peered over the sides of their raft. The sea dropped away into inky blackness, but there was no sign of the shark.
‘Shall we start paddling again?’ suggested Cheng, glancing towards the receding shoreline.
Jack shook his head. ‘Not just yet –’
‘Jack …’ interrupted Yori, pointing to his forehead. ‘Your cut’s reopened.’
They all watched in horror as several beads of blood dripped from the wound into the sea. They spread across the water like a blossoming rose.
For several moments, no one spoke or dared move. There was just the lap of the waves against the raft as they drifted further and further from the salvation of the island.
‘It must have swum on,’ said Cheng, picking up Yori’s paddle. ‘Let’s go before it comes back.’
But, as he plunged the paddle into the sea, a shadow rocketed upwards from the depths. Jack and the others flung themselves to the other end of the raft as a huge mouth bristling with serrated teeth burst from the water. Its jaws snapped through the wooden beams, the timber cracking like brittle bones. As the monstrous beast shot clear of the sea, its long white underbelly was revealed. A stink of rotting fish filled the air before the shark slammed back into the water, sending a small tidal wave across the remains of the raft. Jack and his friends clung to each other, desperate not to be washed overboard.
The shark, robbed of its prey, dived back down to unseen depths.
‘White Death!’ exclaimed Cheng in between hysterical gasps. ‘The Wind Demons … told tales … of such a shark … that eats men whole!’
Jack had never seen a great white shark before. But he too had heard stories of how this bloodthirsty creature split boats in half and devoured entire crews. Now that he had stared directly into its malevolent black eyes, Jack believed the gruesome legends. This was the most feared shark of the seven seas. Cruel, vicious and cunning, the great white was an unstoppable force of nature. Gripped by an almost overwhelming terror, it took all Jack’s willpower not to lose his nerve entirely. Panic would only get them killed quicker.
‘Grab any weapon you can find,’ he instructed. ‘And form a circle.’
Miyuki eased her ninjatō from the crumbling deck. Cheng shakily held his knife, Yori his shuriken-tipped staff and Saburo the paddle. His samurai swords were bound to their packs, still secured to the raft, but he couldn’t risk reaching for them. While the raft wasn’t yet sinking, any sudden movement could tip them all into the sea.
They raised their weapons as the great white made a pass. Rolling slightly so that its snout and saw-like teeth emerged, the shark’s cold fathomless eye regarded them with menace. Then the beast sank beneath the waves without a trace.
Jack knelt beside the others on the fragile raft. His heart thumped in his chest, the blood rushed through his veins. He tried to calm his breathing, but the thought of that ravenous shark circling them petrified him to his very core.
The sea erupted behind him. The great white clamped its jaws on to the corner of the raft and furiously shook its head from side to side. In a matter of moments, the deck was being torn apart. Saburo smashed his paddle on to the shark’s snout. Still the beast ripped into the raft, getting closer with every bite. Saburo struck at it again as Miyuki went for its gills. The double attack convinced the shark to release its grip and the monster swam off.
‘The raft won’t survive another attack like that,’ panted Saburo, wiping the salt water from his eyes with the back of his arm.
‘Maybe it won’t have to,’ said Yori hopefully, pointing to the retreating shark. ‘You’ve scared it off.’
Cheng shook his head. ‘I don’t think so. We just made it angrier.’
With a flick of the tail, the shark turned and came back at them. The fin scythed through the waves, picking up tremendous speed.
‘Brace yourselves!’ cried Jack, grabbing hold of Yori and Miyuki.
The great white rammed the raft. The deck buckled, broke and was tossed into the air. Together Jack, Miyuki and Yori were flung from the raft and splashed down into the sea, the breath knocked from them. Gulping in salt water, Jack spluttered as he broke the surface. He heard a cry. Saburo and Cheng somehow had managed to cling to the remains of the raft, now little more than a few planks of wood held together by their sodden packs.
‘It’s coming for you!’ cried Saburo in alarm.
Jack whipped his head round. A grey dorsal fin sliced through a wave. But it wasn’t headed in his direction.
‘Yori, watch out!’
Turning to face the shark, Yori held out his shakujō. Yet it was obvious that the great white would chomp through it like a toothpick. Jack thrashed his way towards his friend, desperate to protect him with his sword. But he was no match for the frightening speed of the shark.
The great white broke the surface and opened its jaws wide to devour Yori in a single bite.
29
Stay of Execution
As the great white closed in for the kill, there was a deafening bang like a thunderclap overhead. Flesh, bone, teeth and blubber splattered across the water and the raft. Yori floated, unmoving, among the bloody remains.
Wiping seared shark meat from his face, Jack couldn’t believe his eyes. The Black Spider was sailing up right behind them, Captain Kurogumo at the helm. Leering over the side was Skullface and his surviving gang members. Tiger was clutching a smoking handheld cannon.
‘Look, it’s our floating treasure chest!’ exclaimed Snakehead, laughing in delight. He threw them a line. ‘I’d hurry if I were you,’ he said, pointing to three grey fins cutting through the water. One was already ripping into the bloody carcass of the great white.
Jack grabbed Yori, still in shock from his near-death experience. Together with Miyuki, they swam for the rope. Saburo and Cheng paddled for all they were worth, the raft slowly sinking beneath them. Clambering on-board, they were immediately relieved of their packs and weapons.
‘We thought we’d never find you,’ said Skullface cheerfully.
‘You came looking for us?’ said Jack, astounded.
Skullf
ace gave a black-toothed grin. ‘Of course, you’re far too valuable for shark bait.’
The pirate gang escorted them across the deck towards the stern. The Black Spider was battered and broken from its battle with the Sea Samurai. Arrows still peppered the planks and blood stained the wood. They had to skirt the large hole blasted into the deck by the horoku bomb, and a group of pirates were working hard to fix the shattered starboard gunwale. Manzo was among them, holding a new beam in place. He glared at Jack as they passed. The giant pirate had a bandage round his head and a large cut across his upper arm. In fact, few of the pirates had escaped the sea battle unharmed. Jack guessed at least half of the crew had been decimated in the attack or tortured to death by Captain Arashi.
Climbing the steps to the upper deck, Jack and his friends were met by Captain Kurogumo. Still clad in his green and black dragon-scale armour, he appeared unscathed and in surprisingly good humour.
‘Welcome back!’ he said, opening his arms wide as if greeting old friends. ‘Why the sour faces? I’ve just rescued you from certain death.’
‘Only to face an uncertain death with you,’ retorted Miyuki.
Captain Kurogumo smiled, revealing his set of pointed teeth. The resemblance to the great white shark was unsettling. ‘True, I’m not in the habit of rescuing samurai or ninja.’ He approached Jack and laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘But when you are prized so highly and coveted by the Shogun no less, then I can’t resist doing good.’
Jack shrugged the captain off. ‘So you’re turning us over to the Shogun’s samurai?’
‘Why would I want to do that?’ replied the captain, putting on an offended air.
‘Then what do you have planned for us?’ Miyuki demanded.
Captain Kurogumo eyed her with contempt. ‘You’ll know your fate once you meet Tatsumaki.’ He turned to Skullface. ‘Lock them away.’
‘What about your cabin boy?’ enquired Skullface, seizing Cheng by the scruff of his neck.
Captain Kurogumo scrutinized Cheng, who visibly shrank under his stony gaze. ‘Traitors of the Black Spider are punished with death by hanging.’
‘But I forced him to help us,’ protested Jack.
‘Is that so?’ said the captain, unconvinced by Jack’s ready defence.
‘At knife point,’ added Cheng hurriedly.
Captain Kurogumo grunted his displeasure at such weakness. Nonetheless he relented. ‘I suppose we are lacking in crew numbers; and, Cheng, you were showing real promise as a pirate. I’ll stay your execution for the time being. But you need to prove your worth … or it’s the noose!’
Cheng bowed gratefully for his reprieve. ‘By the word of the Wind Demon, I vow my life to you.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ said the captain menacingly. ‘Skullface, have your men take the others away.’
Tiger seized Jack by the arms, wrenching them behind his back.
‘Be more careful with them this time,’ cautioned the captain. ‘Remember, they’re our esteemed guests.’
Tiger eased his grip and Skullface imitated a formal bow to their captives. ‘This way, if you please.’
With little alternative, Jack and his friends followed. But Yori stopped at the steps and turned back to the captain.
‘I have a question. How did you survive the dragon?’
Captain Kurogumo raised his eyebrows. ‘You really want to know our secret?’
Yori nodded.
The captain leant in close to Yori and, with a conspiratorial whisper, revealed, ‘We feed it little juicy samurai!’
The startled expression on Yori’s face caused Captain Kurogumo to laugh out loud.
They could still hear him laughing when Skullface imprisoned them in the cage on the main deck.
‘I’ll be watching you like a hawk,’ he warned Jack. This time, he left two guards at the gate before stalking off with his gang.
‘Ah! The fish food returns!’ croaked a familiar voice. In the corner, the Korean slave rocked on his haunches, observing Jack and the others with crazed amusement.
Saburo slumped to the deck, his head in his hands. ‘After all we’ve been through, we’re back where we started! I almost wish we had been eaten by that shark.’
‘I don’t,’ said Yori quickly, shuddering at the memory. ‘We should be grateful for small blessings – at least we’re alive!’
Jack looked up at the sun, which hovered over the starboard bow of the Black Spider. ‘And we’re heading in the right direction this time.’
‘How can you be so upbeat?’ said Saburo. ‘Even as we speak, the pirates are likely devising some evil way to torture us.’
‘No, we’re valuable to the Wind Demons now – that means they won’t harm us.’
‘You are,’ corrected Miyuki darkly. ‘I doubt that we’re so privileged.’
With regret, Jack realized she was probably right. ‘Well, we escaped before,’ he said, eyeing the cage’s weakened lock. ‘We just need to find the right moment to do it again. And remember Cheng is on our side.’
‘Is he?’ questioned Miyuki, glancing towards the upper deck where Captain Kurogumo was talking intently with the pirate boy, who appeared to be nodding obediently.
As the evening stretched on, Jack bided his time. Yet not even the slightest opportunity to escape presented itself. The guards remained vigilant and the pirate ship sailed on across the Seto Sea, unopposed. Jack tried to keep his friends’ spirits up, but they were so exhausted that he worried they wouldn’t have the strength to make a run for it, when an opportunity did present itself.
Just before sundown, Cheng appeared with a jug and two large bowls of rice. The guards opened the gate and allowed him in.
‘Food and water by orders of the captain,’ he explained.
‘Is it safe?’ asked Saburo warily.
Cheng nodded. ‘I prepared it myself … since the cook’s dead.’
Ravenous and parched from their ordeal on the raft, the four friends tucked into the simple feast. The jug of water disappeared in a few shared gulps, the food going down almost as quickly.
Cheng waited by the cage as they ate.
‘Can you help us escape?’ Jack asked quietly in between mouthfuls.
‘I’d like to, but I can’t,’ replied Cheng under his breath. ‘They’re watching my every move. If you escape, the captain says he’ll flay me alive.’
Jack nodded his understanding. ‘Where are we being taken?’
‘Pirate Island – the Wind Demons’ lair.’
‘Is that where Tatsumaki is?’
Cheng nodded.
‘Have you met this Tatsumaki?’ asked Miyuki.
Cheng shook his head. ‘I have never been to the Pirate Island before. Its location is a closely guarded secret.’ He looked at them all with a grave expression. ‘But I’ve heard that no one sees Tatsumaki and lives.’
30
Kamikaze
Dawn broke like a bleeding wound, the distant scudding clouds turned crimson by the sun’s fiery rays. The southerly breeze was insistent, but the Seto Sea remained unnaturally calm.
Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning, thought Jack absently as he rubbed the stiffness from his aching muscles.
The night had been cold and uncomfortable on the rough wooden deck. He and his friends had huddled together, with one of them always on watch in case there was a chance of escape … or the pirates tried to surprise them.
Standing up to stretch, Jack was greeted by a breathtaking sight. A magnificent fire-red torii floated in the middle of the sea. So large was the structure, the Black Spider could have passed through, if its masts were lowered. With four supporting pillars and a curving green-tiled roof, the towering gateway marked the entrance to the harbour of a small forested island. Within the natural shelter of the bay, a large temple also floated on the waters. Daubed in the same fire-red colour, the main hall faced out to sea, its walkways and windows open to the elements, its roofline reflected in the rippling waves. Beyond the temple, a
forested mountain rose into the sky, its peak wreathed in a ring of mist like a gateway to the heavens.
‘Is that Pirate Island?’ Saburo gasped, clambering to his feet.
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Yori shook his head. ‘No, this has to be Miyajima – the legendary Shrine Island.’
‘It’s so serene,’ breathed Miyuki in awe.
‘Why is the temple on the sea?’ asked Jack.
‘The island is sacred,’ Yori explained in a reverential tone. ‘Commoners must not set foot on Miyajima. So the shrine was built as a pier above the water. By separating it from the land, the shrine exists in a limbo between the pure spirit world and our impure world.’
‘But why is the gate so far out?’
‘The shrine is dedicated to the three daughters of Susano-o, the Shinto deity of seas and storms. Anyone wishing to pay their respects must steer their boat through the torii in order to cleanse themselves before approaching the sacred island.’
Jack hoped the Wind Demons were devout worshippers of Susano-o. With land so close, this could be the opportunity they’d been waiting for.
Captain Kurogumo emerged from his quarters and climbed to the upper deck. Cheng followed close behind, bearing a tray with a china cup, a pot of steaming tea and a small jug of saké. He was evidently working hard to impress. Ignoring the tea, the captain went straight for the saké and knocked it back in one go. He coughed and banged his chest appreciatively, the potent rice wine invigorating him for the day. With a quick glance in the direction of the island, he talked with the helmsman. After some deliberation, Captain Kurogumo gave the order to sail on.
Rousing themselves, the pirates went about their duties. Skullface replaced the cage guards with fresh men before barking out orders to the other pirates. A skeleton crew was assigned to sail the Black Spider, while the majority worked on repairing the damage to the ship.
Powerless to alter their course, Jack despondently watched the great torii recede into the distance, until only the peak of Shrine Island was visible above the horizon. Once again, the Seto Sea widened into an open and unending expanse of water.
Young Samurai: The Ring of Wind Page 13
