The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [59]
Before Jack could protest, he was seized by the arms and forcibly pushed inside. The cage was barely big enough to contain him. He couldn’t stand up or lie down. He could hardly turn round. All he could do was squat. And the cage was in the full glare of the sun.
‘Would you like some water before I leave you to think over your situation?’ asked Gemnan.
Jack nodded warily. The sadistic smile returned to his jailer’s face.
‘I’m sure you would,’ he laughed. ‘By tomorrow, you’ll be begging for it.’
Gemnan instructed one of the guards to remain behind should Jack decide to talk, adding, ‘I hope he doesn’t, though. It’ll be most interesting to see how long a gaijin survives the cauldron.’
As Gemnan went to depart, he turned back to Jack.
‘Oh, I almost forgot. Do you want to know the real reason you were discovered?’ The man’s eyes once more had the look of a snake about to strike as he cackled, ‘A ninja betrayed you.’
34
FINGER NEEDLE FIST
The screaming didn’t stop all afternoon. Jack thought he’d go to his grave with those cries still ringing in his ears. The man who’d been hanging in the tree had been cut down, only to be submerged in the boiling waters of the cauldron.
Gemnan had stood by, observing the man slowly die. The intense fascination the torturer had displayed sickened Jack to the pit of his stomach. And Jack knew that by sunrise he might be suffering the same fate.
His mind was in turmoil. Had a ninja really betrayed him?
He wouldn’t put it past Momochi. The man had been keen to strike a deal with daimyo Akechi. But why, then, did the daimyo still want the location of their village? And how had Momochi got a message through so quickly? He’d only known of Jack’s inclusion in the mission at the last moment. It was possible Momochi had instructed Miyuki to inform the guards. But this seemed reckless for a man so intent on protecting his village. Momochi surely realized that by going on the mission Jack would learn of the valley’s location and be questioned upon capture. Or perhaps Miyuki had acted on her own initiative? She’d been against him becoming a ninja from the very start. This could be her attempt to get rid of him … permanently. But again this put her and her village at great and unnecessary risk.
The other option was that Gemnan was lying. The samurai was clearly an experienced interrogator and torturer. Maybe this was one of his techniques? To make Jack think he’d been betrayed – to get him to talk. Looking back on his capture, the guards on the gate had been utterly shocked at their discovery – not the reaction of informed men. It could be just pure bad luck on Jack’s part that the guard had chosen him for a song. If only Jack had practised ‘Shika no Tone’, he wouldn’t have been caught.
Whatever the truth was, Jack wouldn’t be betraying anyone.
He had to protect Akiko’s brother, and all the other innocent villagers. Besides, as Soke had said, there was no bargaining with this samurai lord. So revealing the village’s location wouldn’t change his fate. And all his efforts to survive and protect the rutter were to come to nothing. He’d endured years of gruelling samurai training, overcome insurmountable challenges, finally defeated his nemesis Dragon Eye, fought through a civil war and even become a ninja – only to die in this hellhole.
He was destined for a painful death … unless he could escape.
But how? The cage was locked; the bars solid. He was now stiff and dehydrated from squatting for hours in the sun. By morning, he’d be too weak to put up any resistance.
As dusk fell, Jack knew this would be his best, and possibly only, opportunity. The samurai who’d been ordered to watch him was tired. Judging by his expression, he wasn’t enjoying his duty and couldn’t wait for it to be over.
‘Guard,’ croaked Jack, his throat parched.
‘What?’ he answered irritably.
Jack managed hardly more than a whisper in response.
‘Speak up!’
Jack tried again.
‘I can’t hear you,’ the man complained, stepping over to the cage. ‘Are you ready to