Young Samurai: The Way of Fire (short story)

by Chris Bradford

  The students came to a halt. They could feel it too. There was an unsettling stillness to the trees. Not quite a calmness, more a deadness. The misty track they followed suddenly seemed haunted with the spirits of a thousand dead samurai.

  ‘We are in a graveyard,’ said Saburo, staggering on. ‘No wonder it feels creepy.’

  ‘We should go back to Sensei Yamada,’ said Akiko, a note of urgency in her voice.

  ‘But why? I can hardly walk,’ complained Saburo.

  ‘That’s why,’ said Akiko, pointing into the darkness.

  Ambush

  From behind the moss-covered tombs, shadows were rising out of the mist.

  The students huddled closer to one another, terrified by the nightmarish apparitions.

  Suddenly three ninja, dressed head-to-toe in black hooded shinobi shozoku, sprang from the forest. They landed among the students, their weapons drawn.

  Jack realized this couldn’t be a random attack. The ninja had been waiting for them, which meant only one thing to Jack: Dragon Eye must have sent these assassins. His nemesis had somehow discovered he’d left Kyoto and the safety of the Niten Ichi Ryū. Beyond the protection of his guardian, Masamoto, Jack was an easier target. Now would be the perfect time to attack.

  The young samurai scattered. The lead group sprinted off in the direction of the shukubo, but their way was blocked by the first ninja. Another group drew their bokken to face the second assassin, while the last ninja turned to confront Jack and his friends.

  Before they could reach for their swords, the ninja flung out his hand, a long chain whipping out with a heavy weight on the end. It struck Saburo in the gut, knocking him to the ground.

  Yamato, his bokken now drawn, rushed forward to protect his injured friend. He sliced down at the ninja’s head. The ninja, retracting his manriki-gusari with a flick of the wrist, spun its length round Yamato’s wooden blade. Wrenching the sword from his grasp, he pulled Yamato off-balance and side-kicked him in the chest. It happened so fast Jack could only watch as his friend crumpled against a tombstone.

  Akiko flung herself in front to defend Yamato, but the ninja ignored her and bore down on Emi instead. The daimyo’s daughter threw up her guard as the assassin blasted her with a devastating combination of punches and kicks. She managed to defend herself against the onslaught, retaliating with a desperate roundhouse to the head. But the ninja blocked it, capturing her leg with one hand and sweeping her to the ground.

  As Emi rolled away between two gravestones, the ninja wound up his chain for the killing blow. He launched a weighted end at her. Without regard for his own safety, Jack jumped between them and cut down with his bokken. The chain wrapped round the blade, causing the lethal weight to stop short of Emi’s heart.

  Before the ninja could whip the bokken out of his hands, Jack thrust it between the two graves, jamming the weapon into place. Caught off-guard by the move, the assassin struggled to untangle his chain. Jack seized the opportunity and launched a spinning hook kick at the ninja’s head. Disorientated from the blow, the assassin stumbled into the mist-laden undergrowth and disappeared.

  ‘Let’s go!’ urged Akiko.

  She grabbed the winded Saburo and, with Yamato, hauled him up the path towards the safety of the Hall of Lanterns.

  ‘Thank you,’ Emi gasped, as Jack helped the daimyo’s daughter to her feet.

  ‘Thank me when it’s over,’ said Jack, quickly unwinding the chain from his sword and discarding the heavy manriki-gusari into the bushes.

  Jack and Emi hurried after their friends.

  ‘Who are they? What do they want?’ cried Emi, her face pale with shock.

  ‘I think they’re after –’

  But Jack didn’t finish his sentence. The ninja’s manriki-gusari shot out of the darkness and wrapped itself round his throat. Letting out a strangled cry, he was yanked off his feet and dragged into the depths of the graveyard.

  Akiko, hearing his cry, ran back to save him.

  Half choking to death, Jack saw her leap into the air, cartwheeling over his body to land a front kick in the ninja’s chest. The assassin dropped his weapon as he was forced into close combat with Akiko.

  Jack pulled the chain from his neck and staggered to his feet.

  For a moment Akiko seemed to be overpowering her attacker, then the ninja thrust a spear-hand strike into a nerve-point beneath her shoulder. Akiko’s entire left arm went slack and her eyes widened in panic. With her arm useless, she was unable to defend herself properly.

  The ninja wound up to strike. Jack had only seconds to react. Recalling his time on-board ship throwing the mooring lines round dock bollards, he spun the ninja’s chain above his head and released it. The chain sailed through the air, wrapping round the ninja and binding his arms to his side.

  With the assassin immobilized, Jack knocked him to the ground and pulled free the sageo cord from his saya. With a few deft twists of the cord and a self-tightening gunner’s knot, he had the ninja’s wrists bound behind his back.

  ‘That should hold him,’ said Jack, running over to Akiko who was rubbing her paralysed arm. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine. It’s already loosening up.’

  With Jack’s attention focused on Akiko, the ninja silently flipped to his feet. Letting out all his breath and relaxing his muscles, he shrugged off the slackened manriki-gusari.

  ‘Watch out!’ Akiko cried.

  Jack looked back over his shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. He can’t do much harm with his hands tied behind his back.’

  The ninja laughed. Jumping into the air, he brought his feet up and back through his arms. He landed neatly, his bound hands now in front. Jack and Akiko exchanged a look of amazement then, realizing the danger they were back in, sprinted away.

  ‘Hurry!’ shouted Akiko, catching up with the others. ‘He’s right behind us.’

  ‘Not that way!’ warned Yamato, as another ninja dropped from the trees to block their escape.

  This assassin, a tantō blade glinting in one hand, headed directly for Jack. Through the slit in the ninja’s hood, Jack could see a single emerald-green eye glaring at him. Jack’s blood ran cold.

  It was Dragon Eye.

  Dragon Eye

  ‘Run, young samurai. Run!’ hissed Dragon Eye.

  No one moved.

  ‘It’s the gaijin I want,’ he said, pointing the knife at Jack.

  Emi glanced fearfully at Jack. He realized she thought this was a revenge attack for the time he’d stopped Dragon Eye assassinating her father, the daimyo of Kyoto, earlier that year. But Jack knew different. The ninja was here to find out where he’d hidden the precious rutter.

  Dragon Eye took a step closer.

  ‘No!’ screamed Emi, kicking out to knock the tantō from his grasp.

  Dragon Eye deftly evaded the attack, slashing her thigh with his knife. She screamed as she dropped to the ground, grasping her bleeding leg.

  ‘Any other heroes?’ enquired the ninja, placing the tip of his blade under Emi’s chin. ‘It would be a shame to ruin such a pretty face.’

  Jack knew there was only one way to save his friends.

  ‘If you want me, come and get me,’ Jack challenged, turning and running off into the forest.

  He weaved between the gravestones, the undergrowth whipping at his legs as he went deeper and deeper into the darkness. Switching right, up a small rise, he then cut down a slope and dived behind a large lichen-covered tomb. His heart thudded in his chest and he could hear the blood rushing through his ears.

  How had the ninja found him? Dragon Eye was like an evil shadow that never left his side.

  Jack poked his head above the tombstone. The mist swirled between the graves, the tall cypress trees reaching up into the moonlit sky like the outstretched arms of the dead.

  ‘Looking for me?’ whispered a voice in his ear.

  Jack spun round to be confronted by the deadly assassin. His single jade-green eye and the glint of a knife were
all that could be seen in the encroaching darkness. Jack had only one choice. Clambering to his feet, he drew his sword and prepared to fight.

  The ninja calmly put away his tantō, reached over his back and unsheathed a large ninjatō. The steel sword caught the moonlight as he brought it in line with Jack’s wooden bokken.

  Jack didn’t wait for Dragon Eye to attack. He knocked the ninjatō aside, thrusting his sword at his enemy’s throat. The ninja’s single eye flared in surprise at the speed of the strike. Twisting to one side, the tip barely missed his neck.

  Dragon Eye retaliated at once, cutting his blade across Jack’s gut. Jack managed to block the strike, but sacrificed a large chunk out of his wooden bokken. The ninja pressed forward with his attack, splinters flying everywhere with each blow Jack deflected.

  Dragon Eye aimed for Jack’s head. The razor-sharp sword sliced through the air. Jack ducked, holding his sword high to protect himself. The steel ninjatō cut straight through his bokken.

  Jack stared at the useless stub of wood in his hand. How he wished he had the steel katana Masamoto had given him.

  Dragon Eye gave a rough grunt of laughter.

  Realizing his skills were no match for the ninja, Jack threw the broken hilt at the ninja and ran for his life.

  He broke from the forest into a clearing, almost careering headlong into the swamp. Stumbling round its edge, he lost his sandals in the mud.

  ‘You can’t run forever, gaijin!’ shouted Dragon Eye, hot on his heels.

  Jack knew the ninja was right and stopped running. Taking a deep breath and calming his mind, he turned to face his enemy.

  The ninja stopped too, his head cocked to one side, surprised to see that Jack had actually followed his command.

  ‘So, finally you understand there can be no escape. Now where is the rutter?’ he demanded, raising his sword and placing the tip to Jack’s heart.

  Jack didn’t answer, but continued to focus on his enemy’s face.

  ‘Are you really prepared to die like your father over a mere book?’ asked Dragon Eye, twisting the blade so it pinched Jack’s skin.

  ‘You should be asking whether you’re prepared or not,’ Jack replied steadily.

  ‘What do you mean?’ said the ninja just as the burning hot embers of the Way of Fire caused his straw sandals to burst into flame.

  Jack had felt the hot coals as soon as he’d stepped upon the patch of blackened earth. He’d immediately stopped and cleared his mind in readiness for the heat. But Dragon Eye, so intent on pursuing him, hadn’t given the ground a second look. The ninja howled in shock and pain as the flames licked up his legs.

  Jack knew he only had moments before Dragon Eye recovered. Lashing out, he kicked the ninja as hard as he could in the chest. Dragon Eye stumbled backwards, teetering on the edge of the swamp. Jack struck again, hitting the ninja with a double flying front kick.

  Dragon Eye toppled into the marshy waters and disappeared beneath the surface. Jack didn’t wait around. Knowing he would need help to capture the ninja, he fled back through the forest in search of his sensei.

  But when he reached the cemetery, Jack discovered that his fellow students were still locked in combat with the three other ninja – and there were no sensei in sight. Picking up a discarded bokken, he joined in the fight, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Yamato, Akiko and Saburo in a protective circle round the still-bleeding Emi.

  Despite the students’ combined strength, the ninja were proving too powerful for them and they were forced to retreat.

  The lead ninja, his sword held high above his head, growled, ‘Surrender or die!’

  The Uninvited Guest

  The trainee samurai glanced nervously at one another. Even though they outnumbered their enemy, the three ninja possessed skills way beyond the students’ training and abilities. Their only two options were dishonourable surrender or certain death.

  ‘Never!’ Kazuki shouted, sounding out a mighty battle cry. ‘KIAAAAI!’

  All the young samurai, fired up by Kazuki’s courage, brandished their own weapons and readied themselves for a fight to the death.

  But instead of moving forward to attack, the three ninja looked at each other then simply nodded.

  ‘Congratulations!’ said the lead ninja, as they all pulled off their hoods. ‘You’ve passed the final test.’

  Standing before them were Sensei Hosokawa, Sensei Kyuzo and Sensei Yamada. The students stared open-mouthed at their teachers.

  ‘This was a training exercise?’ exclaimed Kazuki, his sword still primed to strike.

  ‘Yes, the final test, and you showed true bushido spirit,’ replied Sensei Hosokawa, a satisfied grin on his face as the students lowered their weapons with relief. ‘Your courage is to be commended.’

  The only sensei to appear displeased was Sensei Kyuzo. He stepped forward, his face screwed up with fury, and presented Jack with his bound wrists. ‘Undo this demeaning knot, right now!’

  Suppressing a grin, Jack hurriedly removed the gunner’s knot.

  ‘So who was impersonating the fourth ninja, Dragon Eye?’ Jack asked, relieved to discover that the ninja attack had been faked.

  Sensei Kyuzo scowled at him. ‘What are you talking about?’ he spat. ‘There were only three of us.’

  But before Jack could explain, Emi collapsed to the floor.

  Sensei Yamada rushed over to examine her. ‘She’s been cut. Who did this?’ he demanded, taking off his obi and wrapping it round her leg to stem the bleeding. ‘No one had sharpened weapons.’

  Jack stared at Akiko, whose eyes widened in a fearful realization.

  ‘The fourth ninja was the real Dragon Eye,’ she gasped.

  Sensei Hosokawa and Sensei Kyuzo exchanged a troubled look.

  Sensei Yamada continued to tend to Emi, gently parting her eyelids. She gazed blankly back at him.

  ‘The cut’s not deep and she hasn’t lost enough blood to pass out,’ he observed, ‘so the blade must have been poisoned.’

  ‘Can you identify the poison?’ asked Sensei Hosokawa, his voice tense and strained. ‘We can’t have the daughter of the daimyo die on our watch.’

  ‘We need the sword or the ninja to question,’ the Zen master explained.

  ‘Where’s Dragon Eye now, Jack-kun?’ demanded Sensei Hosokawa.

  ‘I kicked him into the swamp,’ Jack replied. ‘But he used his knife on Emi.’

  ‘Sensei Yamada, do all you can for Emi-chan,’ ordered the swordmaster, ripping off his ninja disguise. ‘Everyone else stay here. Sensei Kyuzo and I will go after the assassin.’

  The two samurai sprinted off in the direction of the clearing.

  Emi convulsed in Sensei Yamada’s arms then coughed, white foam with black flecks appearing at her lips.

  ‘I recognize these symptoms,’ said Akiko, dropping down beside the trembling form of Emi. ‘It’s what the ninja call a Sleeper.’

  ‘What’s a Sleeper?’ asked Jack.

  ‘It’s a poison that gradually paralyses the entire body until the victim suffocates,’ Sensei Yamada explained, checking for Emi’s pulse.

  ‘Can you save her?’ pleaded Jack. ‘Surely there’s a cure?’

  Sensei Yamada shook his head sadly. ‘Without knowing the actual plant or animal used to concoct the Sleeper, it’s not possible to make an effective antidote. I can only ease her pain.’

  ‘Wait! There is a cure,’ said Akiko, her face suddenly brightening. ‘The haku-jo maru. It’s a flowering cactus whose blossom is said to counteract any poison.’

  ‘True, but those cacti are extremely rare,’ replied Sensei Yamada. ‘They only grow at the top of volcanoes.’

  ‘Mount Haku! It’s not far from here,’ Saburo interrupted. ‘My father took us there last summer.’

  ‘It’s too dangerous,’ replied the Zen master.

  ‘But we have to try,’ insisted Jack. ‘Emi’s dying because she tried to protect me.’

  ‘I’ll go with you,’ Akiko said decisively.
‘I know what the haku-jo maru looks like.’

  ‘Count me in too,’ Yamato volunteered, stepping up beside Jack. ‘Saburo, you can guide us to Mount Haku.’

  Saburo, his lip trembling at the prospect of climbing a live volcano, could only nod his head.

  ‘No. I forbid it,’ countermanded Sensei Yamada. ‘Mount Haku recently erupted. I can’t have you risking your lives too.’

  ‘But you heard what Sensei Hosokawa said,’ Jack argued. ‘We cannot allow Emi to die. This is our only chance to save her.’

  ‘But Sensei Hosokawa also said everyone was to stay here,’ reminded Sensei Yamada.

  ‘Isn’t it our duty as samurai to serve and protect the daimyo’s daughter?’ persisted Akiko.

  ‘True …’ agreed Sensei Yamada reluctantly, gazing at the unconscious Emi in his arms. Then a smile of pride spread across his wrinkled face. ‘You truly are young samurai. Take the horses from the stables. But hurry, Emi-chan won’t survive beyond a day. You must return by dusk tomorrow at the latest.’

  Mount Haku

  Mount Haku rose from the earth like an enormous slumbering giant. Its steep forested shoulders led to a distant smoking peak, where a crown of snow glistened in the early morning light.

  The four young samurai had ridden hard overnight to arrive at the base of the mountain for dawn. They skirted a large lake and tethered their horses to a tree at the edge of the forest.

  ‘From here we have to walk,’ explained Saburo without enthusiasm.

  Jack was relieved to dismount the steed that he and Akiko had been riding. Having been a sailor, he wasn’t used to travelling by horse. It was a samurai skill he had yet to master, so his legs were stiff and his backside bruised from the journey.

  ‘We’d better get some water first,’ Akiko suggested, taking a couple of hollowed-out gourds from their packs and heading over to the lake’s edge. ‘It’s going to be a hard climb.’

  ‘Hey, look!’ shouted Saburo, pointing to a large tunnel of black rock where a waterfall cascaded into the crystal-clear lake. ‘It’s an old lava tube.’