The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [16]
‘But what does this daimyo Akechi want from you? Why is Momochi so concerned about the village’s safety?’
‘Daimyo Akechi isn’t popular. As lord of this region, he taxes the local villages heavily for their rice. Those who refuse to hand over their share of the crop are punished. Those who do, have barely enough left to eat. The daimyo knows of our village, but not its location. We intend to keep it that way.’
‘But what if the daimyo discovered you were helping me? He’d surely do far worse than take your rice.’
‘Jack, you know as well as I do that the samurai are scouring these forests for you. The Iga mountains are a maze of gorges and river valleys. That’s why our village has yet to be discovered. If you were captured in this area, it could be disastrous for our village. At least wait a few days.’
Jack relented, bowing his head in acceptance.
‘Good, that’s settled then,’ said Soke, smiling warmly. ‘I hear you were teaching Hanzo this morning.’
Jack nodded, but before he could reply Hanzo butted in. ‘Tengu’s been showing me how to defeat my own sword. Otherwise, he said, how can I expect to defeat the enemy!’
Soke nodded appreciatively. ‘A sound lesson.’
Hanzo tugged on Jack’s sleeve. ‘What are we going to do tomorrow?’
‘Erm … a parry and strike,’ replied Jack.
‘Great!’ grinned Hanzo, polishing off his meal.
Soke got to his feet. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I have to see Shonin before I turn in. Hanzo, he’s asked to see you too.’
The boy jumped up and mock-fought his way across the room.
‘See you in the morning, tengu!’
Jack tried but couldn’t get to sleep. His mind was too full of concerns. Though Soke and Shonin had persuaded him to stay, he had yet to be convinced this was the right decision. It wasn’t only his worry of endangering the village; it was a matter of self-preservation. Shonin appeared a good man, but Jack didn’t trust Momochi. If the village needed to pay taxes, then Jack was surely the solution. The reward on his head was apparently substantial, maybe even enough to cover the annual rice tax several times over. This was a good enough reason why he should leave now, before Momochi persuaded the others. But, as he’d discovered, the mountains brought their own problems and dangers.
Since Soke and Hanzo hadn’t yet returned from the farmhouse, Jack decided to take a short walk around the village to clear his head. Sliding open the main door, he emerged into a beautiful star-filled night. The pond near the farmhouse mirrored the sky, the moon floating like a silver coin in its waters.
As he wandered along a path between two paddy fields, Jack gazed up at the constellations. His father had taught him how to navigate by the stars and he knew many of them by name. Arcturus. Regulus. Bellatrix. Spica. They were like old friends.
Jack wondered if Akiko was looking at the same stars as he was. He’d once shown her Spica, one of the brightest stars in the firmament. He smiled at the memory. That had been more than two years ago in the Southern Zen Garden of the Niten Ichi Ryū. They’d just foiled an attempt by the ninja Dragon Eye to assassinate daimyo Takatomi, the Lord of Kyoto Province.
So much had changed since then. As far as he knew, the Niten Ichi Ryū was no more. When the students had left for war, half the school was already in ruins, the Hall of Lions just a burnt-out shell following a surprise attack by Kamakura’s supporters. But even if it was still standing, there was no one left to teach there. Many of the sensei and students had died during the battle for Osaka Castle. And those who’d survived had been banished by the Shogun.
How Jack missed their friendship and guidance. And, even more, the bond that was forged between him, Yamato and Akiko in those dark times. Forever bound to one another had been their motto. They’d stood side by side, three friends prepared for any challenge, ready to lay down their lives for one another. Which is exactly what Yamato had done for Jack and Akiko.
But now Jack was all alone and had to make his own decisions.
Tomorrow he would leave.
Jack found