The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [61]
Stealing himself for a suicidal dash to the safety of the forest, he prayed they wouldn’t spot him. Jack broke from the cover of the wall and ran hard. The earth pounded beneath his feet. The tall grass whipped past.
‘There he is!’ came a cry.
A moment later, an arrow shot by, barely missing him, followed by another. But he daren’t look back.
All of a sudden, he was aware of the sound of horses’ hooves. He’d never be able to outrun a mounted samurai. The darkened forest was drawing closer with every step. If he could reach it, he might just have a chance.
Remembering his Dragon Breathing, he put on a burst of speed.
35
A FALSE ACCUSATION
The shouts of the samurai were coming nearer and nearer with every step. Jack could almost feel the snorting breath of the horses upon his neck.
He wasn’t going to make it.
With one last desperate effort, he lunged forward and the undergrowth enveloped him. Slipping through the bushes and vaulting a fallen log, Jack entered the forest. He weaved between the trees, the dense foliage and darkness covering his escape.
Only when he was sure the samurai had lost his trail, did Jack slow his pace. He took a moment to catch his breath in a small clearing and gather his bearings. It was virtually pitch-black in the forest, but Jack identified the northern star through a gap in the canopy and calculated the direction he should head in.
Suddenly he was seized from behind and thrown to the ground, a blade held to his throat.
Jack smiled. ‘Miyuki,’ he said, more relieved than he could ever have imagined at seeing the girl.
‘How did you manage to escape?’ she demanded, the knife still at his neck.
‘Good to see you too,’ replied Jack, wondering if she had actually betrayed him. ‘I knocked out the guard.’
‘Just the one guard?’ she queried.
Jack nodded. ‘I used a technique you taught me. Fall Down Fist. Then I evaded the other guards.’
Miyuki reluctantly let him up.
‘Where are the others?’ asked Jack.
‘Shiro’s gone to inform Shonin of your capture. Tenzen’s with him. Zenjubo went to find you in the castle. Let’s go,’ she said, shouldering her pack.
‘Shouldn’t we wait for him?’
Miyuki shook her head. ‘Zenjubo can look after himself.’
She strode off, heading south.
‘But isn’t the village that way?’ said Jack, pointing east.
Miyuki glared at him. ‘Don’t think like a samurai. Think like a ninja. Do you want to lead the whole of Akechi’s army there? Do you? Why do you think he let you escape so easily?’
‘Easily? I was held in a cage. I had to pick the lock, leap a castle wall, hide in a water barrel and run for my life!’
‘The daimyo isn’t stupid. A single guard for a sworn enemy of the Shogun? Akechi let you escape.’
She looked him straight in the eye, as if trying to peer into his heart. ‘I bet you struck a deal with him for your freedom.’
Jack stared aghast at Miyuki. ‘I didn’t betray anyone!’ he protested.
‘We’ll see about that.’
Shonin, Momochi and Soke held council. Jack knelt before them in the farmhouse reception room. Miyuki, Shiro and Tenzen, having already given their account of the mission, sat at the back listening to Jack’s story of his escape. Zenjubo had yet to return.
‘And you did not reveal the location of our village?’ asked Shonin.
‘No,’ replied Jack.
‘He’s lying,’ said Momochi. ‘Are we to believe he overcame a guard and escaped from a locked cage all by himself? He must have betrayed us.’
‘NO!’ Jack insisted. ‘If anyone was betrayed, it was me.’
‘Please explain,’ said Shonin, holding up his hand to silence Momochi’s objection.
Jack took a second to compose himself. Momochi had been undermining his defence from the very start, pushing for his immediate execution as a traitor. Now he wanted to turn the tables. To discover whether Momochi had betrayed him, or Gemnan had lied.
‘The daimyo’s torturer said a ninja,’ Jack looked directly at Momochi, ‘had informed them of my presence.’
A moment of shocked silence passed between the three men. Soke looked at Momochi questioningly.
‘If you’re accusing me,’ contested Momochi,