Young Samurai: The Ring of Sky

by Chris Bradford

  They skirted the edge of the pond towards the fields. But the samurai on the opposite bank got there first.

  ‘Which way now?’ Benkei cried as the two groups of samurai converged on them, closing off all escape routes.

  ‘Through the rice barn,’ said Jack. ‘There has to be a back door.’

  They dived inside. The barn was surprisingly empty of rice, yet full of straw.

  ‘There!’ shouted Akiko, pointing to a stable door in the rear wall.

  Hurrying over, Jack grabbed the handle to slide it open. But the door had been nailed shut. Jack furiously yanked on the handle. The door wouldn’t budge.

  ‘Why aren’t they following us inside?’ Yori asked, noticing the samurai had formed a semi-circle outside the main barn doors.

  Letting go of the handle, Jack’s palm came away slick and greasy.

  Lamp oil.

  Looking around, Jack now saw the whole barn was doused in it – the walls, the straw, the floor all glistening with splashes of oil. Before he could warn his friends, a burning torch was tossed inside the barn. There was a ferocious whoosh as a straw pile caught alight. The blaze spread through the barn as if it was alive, tendrils of orange-red fire shooting in all directions across the floor and tongues of flame licking up the walls. More bundles of straw exploded like blinding fireworks. Jack and his friends shielded their faces from the sudden and intense heat.

  ‘We’re going to fry!’ exclaimed Benkei, making for the main door.

  Akiko grabbed hold of him. ‘They’ll cut you down as you run out.’

  ‘Better than burning alive.’

  But Benkei stayed with them as Jack began to furiously kick at the rear door. His whole leg jarred on every impact, the wooden panels solid and unyielding. He kicked again and again, favouring a side-kick for power. Akiko joined in the attack, coordinating back-heel strikes with his side-kicks.

  The fire now roared all around them, smoke billowing in the air and choking their lungs. Jack could smell his hair singeing and feel his skin blistering. The barn was going up like a tinderbox.

  Jack clenched his teeth, driving his foot like a battering ram into the wood. But the door wouldn’t give. Akiko kicked with all her might. Nothing moved. Still, they kept up the relentless pounding as the roof turned into a swirling sky of flame.

  Benkei and Yori huddled in the middle of the barn, keeping as far as possible from the burning walls.

  Jack was about to give up hope when one of the door panels splintered. Akiko struck out and it cracked. Then, with a final side-kick, the panel burst apart.

  ‘OUT!’ shouted Jack above the roar of the flames.

  He pushed Akiko through the narrow opening first. Benkei made a mad dash for it and dived through. Jack urgently beckoned Yori to go next, his friend almost lost from view amid the choking smoke and red-hot sparks. A horrendous crack made them both look up. Flaming chunks of wood and burning thatch rained down, forcing Yori to jump out of the way. As whole sections of the roof fell at Jack’s feet, he had no choice but to dive through the door for his own life.

  Landing on the hard-baked earth, coughing and spluttering, he immediately looked back inside for any sign of Yori. He spotted a small shimmering figure in the centre of the inferno. His friend stood motionless, eyes closed, his hands clasped in prayer.

  55

  Snatched

  Jack was in a state of total shock. He’d lost three of his closest friends in as many minutes. He knelt in the dirt, head bowed, black smoke and sparks swirling around him.

  The barn continued to burn with Yori inside. And there was nothing he, Akiko or Benkei could do about it. The gap in the door was now blocked with flaming debris, the fire too fierce for them to enter. And on the other side, waiting like vultures, stood the band of murderous samurai.

  ‘I really liked Yori,’ croaked Benkei, his bloodshot eyes brimming as he stared glumly at the blaze.

  Jack’s grief was beyond tears. His hurt ran so deep that it was his heart, not his eyes, that wept for Yori. His friend had always been the still small voice of reason, the rock he’d counted on in the storms of life. And, now Yori was gone, Jack felt as lost and drifting as a rudderless ship. Miyuki, Saburo and Yori all dead – it was too much for him to cope with. He understood that the Way of the Warrior was to fight and die in the name of Honour and Loyalty. But his life wasn’t worth such sacrifice. He was no samurai lord. He was simply trying to get home. And where would this slaughter end? In the death of Benkei? His beloved Akiko? No sense of loyalty was worth that high a price.

  ‘We have to leave,’ said Akiko, equally traumatized by the tragic turn of events, yet somehow managing to hold her nerve.

  Jack nodded numbly, but still didn’t move.

  ‘Seven times down, eight times up,’ she whispered, a tear running down her soot-stained cheek as she laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

  The remembrance of Yori’s wise words from the Taryu-Jiai three years before – his lesson in never giving up – finally spurred Jack into action. He forced himself to his feet and stood beside Akiko. He noticed her kimono sleeve clinging to her left arm, its green silk now stained an ominous red. ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ll live,’ she said wearily. ‘The arrow wound’s just opened up again.’

  Concerned for her deteriorating health, Jack snapped back to the harsh reality of their situation. They had to survive, if only for the memory of their fallen friends. He looked around. No samurai had yet discovered their escape. The back of the barn met with one of the high thorn boundary hedges, preventing access to the fields. They could either head to the pond and risk being spotted, or work their way through the village and flee via the main road towards Nagasaki. Peering round the corner of the barn, Jack saw that the samurai were still engrossed in the fire, celebrating their victory.

  There was a patch of open ground to reach the nearest alley, but Jack decided this was still the best option. They waited until a pall of smoke came their way, then Jack, Akiko and Benkei darted across. They raced up the alley, Benkei taking the lead. It switched left, passing a stack of empty saké barrels, and ran behind the village inn.

  ‘There may be more samurai ahead,’ warned Akiko, pausing to rest. ‘So stay alert.’

  Nodding, Benkei slowed his pace. Jack looked over his shoulder to check if any ronin were following. The alley remained clear. He heard a scuffle and a door slam. When he turned back, Akiko had disappeared and Benkei was lying on the floor, clasping his bleeding nose.

  ‘Deh dook her!’ he said, pointing to a studded door in the wall of the inn.

  Jack could barely believe they’d snatched Akiko so easily. He shoulder-barged the door, grunting in pain as he bounced off. In a fit of fury, he kicked at the hinges, but the door had been barred shut from the other side.

  ‘Akiko!’ he cried, but there was no reply.

  Dragging over an empty saké barrel, he clambered on top and reached for the tiled lip of the wall. Pulling himself on to the tiles, he then stretched out his hand for Benkei. ‘Quickly!’ he urged.

  Scrambling over, they landed in a courtyard garden.

  The unexpected peace and tranquillity was in stark contrast to the chaos of battle and burning buildings. Wooden walkways weaved between manicured bushes and artfully placed rocks. A large hollowed-out stone rippled with water, the constant trickle from a bamboo pipe sounding like evening birdsong. At the centre, surrounded by a thick cushion of green moss, was a cypress tree, its upper foliage bent over providing welcome shade from the beating sun. And set upon a flat bed of rock was a washi-walled tea house, located in prime position to enjoy meditative views of the serene garden.

  Jack cautiously trod the walkway leading to the inn’s main building. He kept his eyes peeled for any clue to Akiko’s whereabouts. Benkei followed the path that circled the cypress tree towards the tea house.

  Jack was the first to spot a fresh drop of blood on a rock; then another on the boards at his feet.
r />   ‘This way,’ he said, increasing his pace.

  Suddenly there was a whump and a crash of branches, as if a bird had been startled. Jack looked round for Benkei, but he was gone.

  Shading his eyes against the sun, he glanced up. His friend swung helplessly, upside down, from the top of the cypress tree, its branches no longer bent now that the snare had been triggered. Benkei dangled unconscious high above the garden.

  ‘Alone at last!’ declared a figure, silhouetted within the tea house.

  56

  A Hand for a Hand

  Jack spun towards the tea house, his katana unsheathing in the blink of an eye. ‘Where’s Akiko?’ he demanded.

  The washi screen drew back to reveal his rival. ‘All in good time, gaijin,’ said Kazuki.

  ‘No, this ends here and now,’ said Jack, advancing on him.

  Kazuki held up his black-gloved hand in warning and Nobu appeared at his side, cracking his knuckles threateningly. ‘If you want to see your precious Akiko alive, don’t dare take another step!’

  Jack froze where he was, hating the control his rival wielded over him.

  ‘I intend to relish this moment to the full,’ announced Kazuki, taking a sip from a steaming cup of green tea. ‘Everything has gone according to plan. I really don’t know why I didn’t think of this before. It would have saved all that pointless chasing.’

  Jack’s eyes scanned the inn’s garden. If Kazuki and Nobu were here, then the other members of the Scorpion Gang had to be too.

  ‘I realized you’d have to pass through this village on your way to Nagasaki,’ explained Kazuki, revelling in his own cleverness. ‘There’s no other route from Shimabara. All I had to do was hire a bunch of ronin, set a few traps and wait patiently, like a tiger for its prey. In fact, I’m surprised you made it this far.’

  ‘You killed my friends!’ Jack seethed, clenching his katana handle so tightly his knuckles turned white.

  A fiendish grin lit up Kazuki’s face as he delighted in Jack’s torment. ‘I promised that I’d destroy you, gaijin. That means not only killing you but anyone who’s helped you and in particular those you love.’

  He sneered at the word, then clicked his fingers. The inn’s main shoji overlooking the garden slid open. Akiko was on her knees, bound and gagged, a wooden block in front of her. Hiroto stood behind, wrenching her head back by her hair, a knife held to her throat. The hulking Raiden was beside them, his formidable nodachi sword unsheathed.

  Jack glared at Kazuki. ‘You vowed not to harm Akiko, remember? In return, I saved your life.’

  ‘That’s true, gaijin.’ Kazuki stroked his chin thoughtfully. ‘And I’m a samurai of my word. That’s why I won’t lay a finger on her.’

  He nodded towards Raiden and Hiroto.

  ‘But I can’t say the same for my companions.’

  Hiroto cut the rope binding Akiko’s right arm. Seizing her wrist, Raiden forced her hand on to the block and held it firmly in place with his foot. Despite her obvious pain and discomfort, Akiko’s expression remained defiant.

  ‘A hand for a hand – that’s fair, don’t you think?’ said Kazuki, massaging his black-gloved claw.

  ‘Stop!’ begged Jack, throwing down his katana. ‘I surrender. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll even commit seppuku. Just leave Akiko alone.’

  Kazuki laughed. ‘What I want is for you to watch, gaijin.’

  Raiden raised his nodachi over his head to sever Akiko’s hand. Akiko screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the agonizing cut … There was a flash of steel and a sickening howl of pain. Raiden’s nodachi clattered to the ground as he clasped his bleeding face in both hands. Between his fingers, the sharpened point of a shuriken gleamed.

  Snatching up his katana, Jack charged along the walkway to rescue Akiko. His surrender had been nothing but a ruse to allow him to grab the shuriken he’d taken from the archer’s body. In one fluid movement, he’d slipped the star from his obi and flicked it with deadly accuracy at Raiden’s right eye. As he now dashed across the garden past the cypress tree, Akiko held up her hand, signing for him to stop. But it was too late. A blade scythed out of nowhere. On instinct alone Jack ducked, the sword slicing so close it shaved off a lock of his hair.

  ‘Not so fast, gaijin,’ Goro snarled, his blade coming round for a second attack.

  Jack blocked it with his katana and the two blades sparked off one another. He kicked Goro in the chest. Goro stumbled backwards but kept his feet. He slashed low with his sword. Jack jumped the blade and brought his katana down on to Goro’s head. Goro’s sword met the katana halfway. The two weapons jammed, and Jack and Goro became locked in a power struggle through the garden.

  As Jack fought for his life, Akiko drove herself upwards and threw her head back. There was a dull crunch as Hiroto’s recently healed nose imploded once again. He collapsed to the floor, sobbing with pain. Akiko seized his knife with her free hand and drove the blade through his shoulder, pinning him to the floorboards. Hiroto writhed like a harpooned fish.

  Half-blinded and maddened with pain, Raiden now tried to stamp-kick Akiko where she lay. Still bound by the ropes, Akiko was in no position to fight off the monstrous young samurai. She frantically rolled across the inn floor, trying to free herself before Raiden could land one of his skull-crushing kicks.

  ‘Leave the gaijin to me, Goro,’ Kazuki ordered, leaping from the tea house. ‘Go and help Raiden kill Akiko.’

  Goro immediately disengaged and headed for the open shoji. Jack chased after him, but Kazuki blocked his path.

  ‘Revenge is long overdue, gaijin,’ he declared, pointing his black-handled katana at Jack. ‘But it’ll be all the sweeter for it.’

  57

  Revenge

  As his rival advanced on him, Jack drew his wakizashi and took up a Two Heavens stance. He realized this would be a fight to the death. No more running. No lucky escapes. Their feud was destined for a bloody end, one way or the other.

  ‘Can you still do the Two Heavens with a fingertip missing?’ Kazuki smirked.

  ‘Why don’t you find out for yourself?’ challenged Jack, impatient to reach Akiko before it was too late.

  Kazuki’s cut was so fast that Jack barely had time to deflect it with his katana. The razor-sharp steel whistled past his ear like a lightning bolt. As Kazuki pulled back, Jack felt a bee-like sting across his cheek.

  ‘Clearly not,’ gloated Kazuki, flicking Jack’s blood from his blade.

  A thin red line ran along Jack’s face where Kazuki’s blade had caught him. The cut wasn’t deep, the pain yet to fully register, but first blood had been drawn – and laying claim to the opening victory meant everything in the battle to come.

  ‘I’m going to bleed you like a stuck pig,’ Kazuki declared. ‘Cut by cut.’

  Then he attacked with a vengeance, his blade slicing in a series of deadly arcs. Jack had to apply all his skill just to defend against them. Although he had the advantage of two weapons, Kazuki was a supreme swordsman. Even with his injured right hand, Kazuki had adapted and become more lethal. Moreover, he knew how to evade and counter every Two Heavens technique. Whatever Jack tried – Running Water strike, Lacquer-and-Glue, Monkey’s Body – Kazuki foresaw and retaliated with devastating consequences. He cut Jack across the forearm with a switchback slice. Then he avoided Jack’s attempt at an Autumn Leaf strike, feigning a thrust and turning it into a diagonal cut to his shoulder. Jack drove forwards to deliver a Flint-and-Spark strike, their blades scraping fiercely against one another. But Kazuki masterfully deflected the thrust and sliced through Jack’s kimono, leaving a nasty gash across his chest.

  Wincing in pain, Jack was forced to retreat. He was exhausted from the previous battles, worn out from their frantic escape, and his strength was further sapped with every cut Kazuki inflicted.

  This wasn’t how he’d envisaged their final duel.

  Kazuki prowled towards him, his sword dripping with Jack’s blood. ‘You seem distracted, gaijin. Didn�
�t Sensei Hosokawa teach you fudoshin?’

  A samurai must remain calm at all times – even in the face of danger.

  But how could Jack remain calm and focused when Akiko was in such peril? He glanced anxiously in her direction. She’d managed to shed her bonds, but was now cornered by Goro and Raiden. Weakened from her arrow wound and without a weapon, she was doomed to die.

  Kazuki smiled. His ploy had worked. With Jack’s attention briefly on Akiko, he clenched his gloved hand into a fist. The secret blade inside his kimono sleeve shot out. Rushing forward, he drove the deadly weapon at Jack’s heart.

  Realizing his potentially fatal error, Jack leapt away. The steel tip ripped through his jacket, just missing his skin by a whisker. He smashed the blade aside with his wakizashi and retreated once more.

  ‘You don’t catch me twice with that trick,’ Jack panted, recalling the first time Kazuki had revealed his secret weapon.

  ‘How about a third time?’ replied Kazuki, cocking his head to one side.

  A pair of meaty arms clamped down on Jack from behind and held him like a vice. Jack struggled, but Nobu’s grip was crushingly strong. Kazuki held up his secret blade and gave a triumphant grin.

  ‘Time to gut you, gaijin!’

  He drew back his arm to thrust the razor-sharp steel into Jack’s defenceless stomach. At the same time Goro and Raiden closed in for the kill on Akiko. Jack fought wildly to free himself, but deep down he knew all was lost.

  The end had come.

  Then there was a crash of doors as a dripping wet Saburo burst through the inn’s main entrance. His arrival was followed by a yell from above that made Jack, Kazuki and Nobu all look up.

  Plummeting down like a multicoloured angel of death, Benkei dropped from the tree. Stood directly beneath, Nobu panicked and let go of Jack, who dived aside as Benkei crashed on top of Nobu, flattening him like a pancake. Nobu groaned weakly, then lay still. Benkei rolled off and got unsteadily to his feet, one ankle still tethered to the snare where he’d cut it with his knife.